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Applying God's Goodness to Our Lives
In "Doctrinal Discussion" William Sillings writes:
God's goodness has meaningful applications to our living today . For one thing, it puts definite limits on the kinds of spiritual, physical, emotional, or moral battles we go through as God's people. For instance, when Jesus was about to be crucified, He told Peter that Satan had desired to have them all in order to sift them as wheat through difficult and crushing circumstances, but He had prayed for them that when they were tested, their faith would not fail. The goodness of God limits what Satan is allowed to do. God has promised that nothing will come to us which we cannot bear, for He will, with the temptation, make a way of escape so we will be able to bear it. Second, if God's goodness can be imparted to us in the fruit of the Spirit (as we believe it can), we can be good like God is good. Being finite and human, we will never be perfectly good as God is, but we are partakers of the divine nature. It is not just a fable to talk about being good. God actually intends for us to have His goodness as part of our experience.
Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 68.
Have you forgotten the goodness of God?
In "God's Word for Today" David Woods writes:
In some phases of our lives, we may be tempted to forget or doubt God's goodness. During seasons of prosperity and blessing, we may begin to think our good life is due to our own ingenuity and hard work. During great trouble, we may think God has forgotten us. But it would be shameful if we were only grateful during those seasons in which God delivers us out of trouble. Instead, we should remember how God has worked in the past, and praise Him for His goodness at all times. At least three of the stanzas in Psalm 107 speak directly to the Israelites' history. The first stanza reminds us of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The second stanza seems to speak of the Babylonian exile. The third stanza could speak of various experiences in which the people suffered because of their sin, but if this Psalm were written after the exile, it could especially mirror the distress the returned exiles felt.
Discussion: What are three or four specific instances in our church's history, our personal lives, etc. in which God's goodness was demonstrated?
Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 67.
Help for the Seamen
Read Psalm 107:23-32
“He maketh the storm a calm so that the waves thereof are still” (v. 29).
English poet Francis Thompson became addicted to opium early in his life, and soon found himself living on the streets of London around Charing Cross Station. He recalled the moment when God came to him there and described Jacob’s Ladder reaching down from heaven to Charing Cross and Christ walking on the water of the Thames River instead of the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus has complete control over the waves and the storm. Remember that Jesus was so calm in the midst of the storm that he was able to sleep in the disciple’s fishing boat. The storms on the Sea of Galilee can produce massive waves which must have shaken the boat in all directions, yet it did not bother Jesus. This is not because He did not care about what happened to the disciples, but because He knew that nothing could happen to them while they were with Him.
Later, the disciples went ahead of Jesus in their boat but could make little headway against the winds which roared down the lake. Jesus came walking on the water and was about to pass them by when they called to Him, and He came to their rescue.
Hopefully, none of us are facing drug addiction like Francis Thompson, but whether we are in a total storm or the wind is against us, Jesus is still in control. (Randy Bland)
But (when so sad thou canst not sadder)
Cry- and upon thy so sore loss
Shall shine the traffic of Jacob's ladder
Pitched betwixt Heaven and Charing Cross.
Yea, in the night, my Soul, my daughter,
Cry- clinging to Heaven by the hems;
And lo, Christ walking on the water,
Not of Genesareth, but Thames!
--Francis Thompson
Will we trust Jesus to be the calm in our storm?
This devotional is the Wednesday, November 9, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.
The Barrier of Sin
This week we will discuss a barrier, that unlike the rest mentioned in these Tips, should be seen as natural, even necessary: sin. The unbeliever who attends our Sunday school and church services is someone by definition who is "dead in trespasses and sins." If we are truly speaking and acting like Christ, and teaching holiness, it will be only a matter of time before the unbeliever experiences conviction of sin. This conviction then presents a choice to the unbeliever: will they confess and repent, or turn away from God?
This barrier of sin is natural, but some churches have created unnecessary barriers around it: such as preaching rules that are not biblical or by attempting to create conviction, condemning various behaviors and attitudes.
When the unbeliever attends your class are they presented with the grace of God that can remove their guilt of sin and forever change their lives for good, or are they given a list of rules they are expected to abide by through their own power?
The Goodness of God
Lesson 11 - November 13, 2016
Focus Text: Psalm 107:1-15, 32-35
Central Truth: God has consistently proved Himself to be good.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to praise God for specific acts of goodness.
Lesson Outline:
- God's Mercy (Psalm 107:1-7)
- God's Justice (Psalm 107:8-19)
- God's Providence (Psalm 107:20-43)
Prayer – Lesson 10, Help in Time of Trouble
Heavenly Father, we recognize that too often our first response in times of trouble is NOT to turn to You in faith. Teach us today a new way - the way of faith instead of fear, the response of worship instead of worry, the activity of trust instead of trembling. In Jesus' name we pray this. Amen.