Are Good Times Bad?

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Jeremiah 32:18, 19

You show lovingkindness to thousands … You are great in counsel and mighty in work.

 

Bible Reading for a Year [bible]psalm105[/bible]; [bible]0luke17[/bible]; [bible]joshu21-22[/bible]

 

Some books and sermons often question Christians whether their faith is strong enough to withstand bad times? However, this time I will ask myself a different question: “Is my strong enough to survive good times?”

Many times I find people drifting away from the Lord not when life is bad but when it’s good. That’s when God seems unnecessary.

Too often we interpret His blessing as indication of our goodness, not His. We assume we deserve everything pleasant that happens. Nevertheless, we fail to appreciate what He is telling us about Himself through the good gifts He lets us enjoy.

In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures … but shouts in our pains.” If we refuse to listen when He whispers to us, He may use shouts to get our attention.

That happened to the Israelites. Although God had given them “a land flowing with milk and honey,” they turned from Him, so He caused “calamity to come upon them” ([bible]Jerem32:22-23[/bible]).

The goodness of God is a reason to obey Him, not an opportunity to disobey. When we realize that, our relationship with the Lord will be strengthened, not weakened, by His wonderful bounty and blessing.

 

The goodness of God speaks volumes about His character.

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