Tag: Goodness

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Too shy to tell?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ezra takes a moment here in this Psalm to declare the goodness of God. They are returning from Babylonian captivity and are not only excited to be free and return to their own land, but they are grateful for the lessons learned!

Are you in a dark place, walking through the shadows of life? I have been there! Several years ago I was fired from a ministry position. The first thirty days were filled with anger, grief and sheer panic! I didn’t know if I was being punished or disciplined by God or just experiencing suffering through “church hurt.” I was sidelined, like a timeout for an entire year!

But also during those first few months, something extraordinary happened. I had friends and family checking in with me, taking me out to lunch and just sitting with me in my grief – it felt like such a Job season. God was closer than ever! God was present in mercy, encouraging me through His word and through the words of others. It was surreal to experience God going through it, not getting out of it quickly.

It is interesting to me that we don’t often share our sorrows with each other and even more mind-boggling that we don’t share the moments of victory! When the shadows lift, the clouds dissipate and the sun shines brightly once again. It’s wonderful to share grief – a burden shared is lighter. But it’s even more exciting to come out of exile and share with friends just how good God was the entire time.

His faithful love does ENDURE! And God still redeems our brokenness, our sins and sorrows. We should not be shy about telling others that God is real, He’s close and He cares. Give thanks then tell your story?

Prayer

​Dad,
Whew, those were really dark days. I remember spending a lot of time (because I had an abundance of time) in the Psalms, grieving, crying and searching for answers. But not once did I feel alone. You were with me. Your comfort and peace gave me strength and kept my mind from spinning off into thinking or acting foolishly. I will tell of Your goodness to me. You redeemed that year and brought me so many opportunities and blessings. Thank you for grace and mercy. Amen.

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Kindness is the character of God.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.“
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I would guess that most of our culture truly believe that someone just made up the word kindness, separating it from the character of God! Words like kindness and love have been marketed, capitalized and promoted to buy and sell product as well as pass around the “good feels” of being nice to one another. But these words have their origin in God’s original design of how he created humans to be. We broke (and break) that relationship with God, with each other and with the earth itself.

The Hebrew word, “checed” used in this verse for “kindness” is far richer in meaning. It means favor or goodness being given and received in our interactions and expressions with and from God, as well as from and towards one another. It is much deeper than just being nice! It goes further and than just being “Minnesota nice” – which is a GOOD stereotype of people from Minnesota being reserved, polite, friendly, and non-confrontational, often used to describe their behavior of being helpful and friendly in public. It is a deep, consistent, commitment to treating others better than yourself. In the New Testament kindness (chréstotés) is powerful enough, Paul says, to lead us to repentance! Paul also lists it as a fruit of the Spirit, a benignity forged by listening to and following the Spirit’s leading instead of our selfish, fleshy ways! This isn’t just being nice, it’s behaviorally mirroring one of God’s attributes.
The NLT translation also uses the word loyalty, for the Hebrew word, “emeth,” which is a faithfulness embedded in truth. In the Old Testament this word “emeth,” or its root word, “aman” is a powerfully supportive, nourishing word, often used for speaking of a foster-mother or father.

This duo of displaying fostered-favorability means that in return we find grace from God and humankind, thus earning a stellar reputation. Proverbs, in instructing the young on how to build out their own lives, puts a premium on behaving like God. This both pleases God, but also has a pleasant ROI on character investment into others. As we know reputations are difficult to achieve and easily lost. Keeping a “fostered-favoring” towards others helps us display the fruits of the Spirit and reflect the image of our God! Every time we are faithful and show favor we behave towards others like God behaves towards us.

Prayer

Dad,
This powerful Proverb brings home the point that Jesus made in the New Testament. “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Your own faithfulness, your own favor of grace and mercy has been lavished out on me again and again. It is very humbling to see that happening in my life everyday! More than just building a godly life and having a godly reputation, it is amazing to me that I even have the capacity for good towards others. Because of your Spirit within me, I am daily challenged to see every person through your eyes of grace. Thank you for the opportunity to display the fruit of the Spirit in ordinary moments with people whom you love and to know that you are fiercely working and wooing them towards yourself. Amen.