Tag:

Good

Out For a Stroll

by TerryLema

I was strolling through Romans 12 recently. It is a chapter I love to stroll through—just to make sure my heart, mind and life are on the right track. The world, the enemy of our soul, and our own sinful flesh (that refuses to die) love to try to divert us from that “right track.”

Along my stroll I found a place to stop and ponder.  It was in the second half of verse 9—especially that little world “cling.”

“Detest evil; cling to what is good.” [HCSB]

Some of the older translations use the word “cleave.”

The word for cling/cleave is kollaó, and it means to glue or bond, to become intimately connected.

Doesn’t that just paint a beautiful picture. We are to stick like glue to what is good.

So, to do that we must determine what is good. The word for good is agathos and for the believer describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in our lives through faith.

Ah, what a beautiful “good” originates in God and flows to us through faith in Him.  Grace. Mercy. Love. Redemption. Joy. Life. Light. Forgiveness. Compassion. Inheritance. Freedom. Adoption. Wisdom….

The list is eternal. Hallelujah!

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Kind & Good

by TerryLema

I am in Psalm 86 today and tomorrow also. I am reading in both the NKJV version and the Holman Christian Standard. Psalm 86 is a song of David, titled “Lament & Petition.” Despite that foreboding title, there were three phrases that caught my attention.  I looked at the first phrase yesterday, “Bring joy.” [vs 4]

Today I want to look at verse 5, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” [NKJV]

The Holman reads, “For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You.”

David uses the Hebrew word “towb” to describe God–for You, LORD, are good / kind. The word means beautiful, pleasant, agreeable, and good.

The Hebrew word “checed” is used to describe the magnitude of mercy and faithful love found in God. It means goodness and kindness.

Even in the day of David’s distress, when his enemies were seeking his life (vs 14), his attention, his hope, his assurance was in the God he describes as good, kind, beautiful, agreeable, merciful, and faithful.

No matter our distress, even after all these centuries that have passed, God is still good, kind, beautiful, agreeable, merciful, and faithful to “all those who call upon [Him].”

Praise His Holy Name!

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Nothing Good Besides You

by TerryLema

I have been in the Psalms for a number of days. The Psalms contain a great deal of truth about Who God Is, and who we are in Him. They teach us to praise. They remind us about thanksgiving. If we allow them, they will burrow deep into our thoughts where they will spring up when we most need them. One way to read the Psalms is to simply read one each day. Another way is to read five each day of a month, saving Psalm 119 for months that have 31 days. I have done both.

I have favorite Psalms. One of them is Psalm 16. It is titled “Confidence in the LORD,” and I love that beginning verse. “Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. I said to YAHWEH, ‘You are my LORD; I have nothing good besides You.” [HCSB]

I have some “good” things in this life, people who love me and whom I love, a nice home, a good doctor, a few mementoes, clean water, food for the day. But when I survey those things, I know that in a moment they could all be taken from me. And then what would I have?

I would have my LORD. David in Psalm 16 tells us what that means.

Vs 5: “LORD, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future.”

Vs 6: “…I have a beautiful inheritance.”

Vs 7: I have “the LORD who counsels me.”

Vs 8: I have the LORD “at my right hand.”

Vs 11: “in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.”

Those are the “good” things that can never be taken from us. He is our All in All.

Thank you, LORD. Today we focus our praise on all the good we have in You. We thank you for being our portion, our cup of blessing, for holding our future and giving us a beautiful inheritance. We thank you for Your counsel, for remaining close to us, for your abundance joy and eternal pleasures. Amen

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Overcoming!

by TerryLema

Romans 12 – that marvelous chapter outlining our spiritual service as well as practical principles of Christian conduct ends with an admonition on how Christians are to handle a hostile world.  It tells us that we are not to repay evil for evil and we are to leave vengeance for evil perpetrated against us in the hands of Almighty God. Vengeance is His prerogative as the Great Judge of All.

I sometimes wish Paul would have left it there.  But he did not. In fact, his next thought begins with that little word, “but.”

“But, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  [Romans 12:20-21 HCSB]

If our attempts to live at peace with everyone fail and after leaving any vengeance we might desire in the hand of God, Paul commands us to go the extra mile. We are now to show unexpected kindness upon those who want to visit evil upon us.

We are to feed our enemies if they are hungry and give them something to drink if they are thirsty.  We are not to give into the temptation to meet evil with evil, but we are to confront evil with good.

Evil cannot be overcome by more evil, it simply escalates the situation further. Only good can overcome evil. God’s people have always been called to reflect God’s goodness in any and every situation. There is no way we can forget Romans 5:6-8:

“For while we were still helpless [sinners], at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” [HCSB]

While we were alienated from God, while we were His enemies, God’s ultimate goodness overcame!

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Perhaps

by TerryLema

Amos and I do not hang out much. I read through my Bible at least once a year usually, so I am familiar with Amos. It is just that the book is so heavy. God begins by declaring judgment against Israel’s neighbors. He says, “I will not relent from punishing” and lists Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, the Ammonites, and Moab. Then God adds “I will not relent from punishing” Judah and Israel.

God also gives his reasons for punishing His own people (Judah & Israel) as social and spiritual corruption which has led to apostasy.

By the time I get to the part that exhorts God’s people to seek Him that they might live, I am exhausted.  More so now as I find described in Amos much of what is happening in this present age.

The LORD, however, is a gracious God. He reminds His people that mercy is available if they turn back to Him in repentance.

“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant….” [Amos 5:14-15 HCSB]

Repentance, of course, is always marked by a changed behavior.  It is not merely asking for forgiveness (although that is a necessary component), it is also making a 180-degree turnaround in our actions.  A change in attitude and actions is evidence that our repentance is sincere.

So, beloved, what should God find in us … He is quite clear … we are to love good and hate evil, we are to maintain justice for all people. Perhaps then, the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on our land.

Amen & Amen.

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