by Evan Hunt You may be wondering why the title for this devotional has the words "bad and good" in that order. Usually when people use those words together, they say "we made it through the good times and the bad times" or "the good, the bad, the ugly". Well as far as spiritual dependency often goes, it is easier for us to reach out to God when we are in times of need or in pain (bad times) and sometimes hard to reach out when things are good. Don't get me wrong, we are definitely called to call out to God in these hard times. I know that in my life when I have felt shame or distress, reaching out to God was the only way I could actually receive real comfort. I praise God who gave me hope during those times.
Romans 15: 13 says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." And a beautiful thing about God is that his strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul mentions this in 2 Corinthians 12:9. Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." So the reason I chose this topic is because right now things are going pretty well in all facets of life. Work is good, strong relationships have developed in my life, and I am physically healthy. It is times like these when I need to constantly remind myself that I need God and that he is the source of everything good in my life. I have a tendency to rely on my own understanding and strength. But like Proverbs 3:5-6 says, I am to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. Also, Psalm 28:7 declares that the Lord is our strength and our shield. I also need to prepare myself to be strong with a firm foundation in Christ for when times get rough, because that's inevitable. I like the imagery of the "shield" in Psalm 28:7 because God is our protector in the bad times and we just need to get behind that "shield". Above mentioned verses included below for reference: Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on you own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me, My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Psalms are a great and abundant resource for praise songs to God. I heard this one recently. Psalm 100:1-5 1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. When times are good, it is important to remember that God is the source of all of these gifts. If this applies to you, take some time today to just praise God for whatever it is that is good in your life (people, circumstances, success, food…and the list goes on). James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
1 Comment
jennifer Miller
3/3/2021 08:49:14 am
Thank you!!! Great timely article!!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Follow us on instagram
Categories
All
|