Jump Start # 2442

Psalms 73:1 “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!”

I guess it’s just a part of our nature. More than that, I suspect that it has something to do with the spiritual environment that one is surrounded with. But, have you noticed how people tend to see what’s wrong more than what’s right? They tend to complain more than they praise and compliment. They tend see the bad more than they see the good.

Our verse today, much like a hymn we sing, “God is so good,” sets before us that God is good. He is good all the time. He is good to you and He is good to me. He treats us better than we deserve. Indeed, we are a blessed people. Struggles in life, bad choices that we make, the sin of others do not erase the goodness of God. He is good. He remains good. He will always be good. God is good even when I do not realize it or acknowledge it. God is good even when I may not be happy at the moment. God was good when Job stood at the fresh graves of his children. God was good when he told Abraham to leave the home and city he lived in. God was good when He closed the door to the ark. And, God was good when the nails went into the hands of His Son, Jesus.

We have a funny definition of “good.” For us, good has to be something that I like, makes me happy and is something that I want to do. Using that definition, surgery is not good. It’s not good because it hurts and it disrupts my schedule and I have to do things that I don’t want to do. Yet, if that surgery removes cancer or gives me better movement, that is good, even though it came with pain. Getting pulled over by the police for speeding may not seem good to us. Now we have a ticket to pay for. I’m embarrassed because people saw me pulled over. However, reminding me to slow down may have saved me from having an accident or even killing myself or someone else. Rebuke and criticism certainly doesn’t seem good to us. Many lash back if they are criticized. However, if I listen and if I make changes, the criticisms will make me a better person.

God is good. Here’s a quick reminder list:

1. He gave us today. This is a gift.
2. He always hears us. There may be times when we forget to talk to Him. But He’s always there for us.
3. He has put great people in our lives to help us. They may be family. They may be the church. They may be brethren in other places. Quality people who encourage, strengthen and remind.
4. He blesses us all the time. Sunshine and rain, food, health, time, His word, grandchildren, colors, tastes, smells, sounds, hope, friendships, insights, His patience. Great blessings.
5. He is always trying to help us do what is good and right. He puts reminders before us all the time. He helps us through worship. He helps us through a working conscience. He helps us through the voice of wise brethren.
6. He forgives. He is quick to forgive. He is willing to forgive. He doesn’t have to forgive. He doesn’t owe us forgiveness. He wants to forgive us. He does so, because He loves us.
7. He remains on the throne and He continues to rule the universe. In these tense times of political unrest, uncertainty about the future, one thing remains, He is God. He never steps down. He never retires. He never quits. You can always count on God. You know that He is always there. He always will be.

God is good. And sticking with God and following God tends to make us become good. Goodness begins on the inside and has a way of working it’s way out. Opportunities arise all the time to do good deeds. Good words. Good attitudes. Good hearts. All of these follow one who is connected to a good God.

God is so good! He’s good to me!

Roger

Jump Start # 2440

Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Our verse today is something that is really needed these days. “Cease striving,” or, “Be still,” as others translate it is something that folks don’t seem to get much anymore. Fussing and fighting fills the air from Washington, to the ball fields, to our congregations and into our homes. And, before all of this eruption of emotion begins, there is always an unsettling within our hearts. People aren’t calm. We seem to run from crisis to crisis, problem to problem, issue to issue, and if there isn’t any trouble to be found, we go looking for it. Be still, is not about sitting still, it’s about being still on the inside. Peace, contentment, calm are qualities that are found in souls that follow the Lord.

The verse has two parts to it and they are bridged together. You need both parts. The first part is stop being bothered. The other part is about trusting God. One can’t really cease striving until he has learned to know God, trust God and turn things over to God. Let God run the universe for a while. The reason there is so much striving is because folks don’t know the Lord. This isn’t about information, but rather transformation. We may know God is there, but we still can’t let go and give things to Him.

The idea of “striving” or, not “being still,” is the same as being agitated on the inside. It’s the idea of being bothered. Martha was bothered that her sister wasn’t helping her serve the Lord. A man was bothered that his brother wasn’t sharing the inheritance with him. The disciples were bothered that the Canaanite woman was wanting Jesus to heal her possessed daughter. And, for you and I, the “bothered” list can be long and exhaustive. It gets to a point that too many things bother us and we get bothered that we are bothered. We are bothered in the summer because it’s too hot and dry. In the Spring, it’s too cool and wet. In the winter, it’s too cold. And, the fall has too many leaves to rake up. We are bothered about politics. We are bothered that our favorite teams don’t do as well as we’d like. We are bothered about the economy, the price of gas, the cost of food and then there is the subject of health insurance. Switch subjects to church, and we get bothered by long sermons, same songs being led, people sitting where we want to sit, and rambling prayers. The running kids bothers us in church. At home, it’s that there is nothing on TV, even though we have 300 channels to choose from. We are bothered by messy rooms, fighting kids, and the fact that no one will take the dog out. At work, it’s all the work. It’s co-workers who won’t work. It’s long hours. It’s the changing benefits. It’s corporate policies that make no sense.

Bothered, bothered, bothered. It’s no wonder so many folks are short with each other, road rage is a real problem, and people seem to always have a chip on their shoulders. All this striving leaves a person unhappy, sour and complaining. It’s hard to be thankful when one is bothered about so many things. Have you noticed how few people are smiling these days. Weary and heavy laden, not from recognizing the sin and the guilt that they carry, but by being bothered about life. Grumpy may have been one of the seven dwarfs, but grumpy is the state of mind for many people these days.

So, the Psalmist tells us to “cease striving,” or, “be still.” Great advice. It’s like telling a guy to lose weight or don’t be in debt. Everyone would like to get there, but how. How do we “cease” striving? How do we be still? Here’s some thoughts:

First, you decide what bothers you. You can let everything bother you or very little bother you. You see a guy parking in the handicap parking and he has no tag or license plate that allows him to do that. He hops out of his truck and walks faster than you can. There is no one else in his truck. It seems that he is lazy and doesn’t want to park in a regular spot. Now, are you going to let that bother you? Are you going to allow him to ruin your day and will this be the subject of your conversations the rest of the day? You could say something to this guy and probably into an argument. You could report this to the store manager. Or, you could leave it to Lord. Why allow your day to go downhill because of something like this.

The weather, you can allow it to bother you, or you can pray to the Lord and go on with your day. There are so many things that we allow ourselves to be bothered about that are beyond our control. The senseless fighting in Washington, the economy, the endless number of round-a-bouts, no one is going to call you about these things, no one is going to seek your approval of these things. You can let these things shape your day, or you can decide not to be bothered by them. Your choice! You decide what will bother you.

Second, knowing the Lord is a matter of understanding that God remains upon the throne. He was there through Pharaoh, through the Assyrians, through the Babylonians, through the Greeks, through the Caesars, through every world power and even through the Americans. Trust God. He knows what He is doing. God is good. God’s will cannot be thwarted by anyone.

Third, allowing yourself to be bothered paints a wrong picture of Christianity. Worried. Upset. Angry. Fearful. These are not the components of hearts that are governed by Christ. Pray more and worry less. God’s people have hid their babies by bulrushes. They have been in lion’s dens. They have been in fiery furnaces. They have been chased. They have been put in prisons. They have been beaten. They have been poorly treated. Yet, God is not only aware of these things, He has a home awaiting the righteous. This world is not our home and we do not fit in here. Things are wrong here. Yet, in the end, God will be victorious.

Finally, this is something that you can do. Cease striving, was written back in the days before Christ came to earth. It was written before salvation was available. It was written when in a time when people did not have rights, nor a vote. Cease striving is something that can be done. It’s up to you.

Bothered or blessed—how do you view life? It shows in your face and it shows in your words and attitudes.

Roger