Good is Good - pgs 45-49
Realize
1. When you were a child, you may have prayed this little rhyme before meals: "God is great, God is good..." Suppose you had never been to church or had never read a Bible. Would you think a good God exists? Why or why not?
2. Look up Ephesians 1:3-14. Make a list of all the blessing God has given you that you can find in this passage.
3. According to Psalm 34:8 and 106:1, what are appropriate responses to the goodness of God?
Reflect
4. Describe a situation, either past or present, in which you have been tempted to question God's goodness. (This could be anything from a difficult marriage to an unanswered prayer to an unexpected illness.)
5. Romans 8:28 is a familiar verse to many believers. Read that verse as well as verses 29-39. What perspective about God and His good purposes does this passage provide to help us face painful or difficult life situations?
Respond
6. For whatever difficulties you are currently facing, choose to "give thanks to the Lord, for he is good," and to claim the promise of Romans 8:28-29. "Lord, even though I am facing difficulty regarding ______________, I know You are good, and You have promised to work that situation out for good. I know that Your commitment is to make me like Jesus. Thank You that You will use this circumstance (or person) as a means to fulfill Your good purpose for my life."
Prayer for the day
Lord, I know that You are good, but I admit that deep down I sometimes wonder about Your goodness when I'm facing hard times. Help me to trust in Your goodness, even when I cannot see it clearly. Amen.
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4 comments:
I'm finally on here. I'm going to try to start leaving comments if I can get the computer to work.
Just reading the first page makes me stop and think. The author tells us that we shouldn't ask ourselves IF we believe the lie but do we LIVE AS IF we believe the lie. That is something I have never thought of. What does my life say about the lies I believe from Satan?
I don't think there is anyone who has not doubted the goodness of God at one time or another. I know that I am guilty of being a doubting Thomas. But to realize that I would allow Satan to use me to hurt the one that gave His life for me is very humbling. Why is it so easy to question God about a situation in our lives than to believe His Word and His direction for us. For we know that Romans 8:28 is true and that God does not lie. I do want to learn to trust Him more. I want to learn to recognize the lies that satan would have me to use as an excuse.
I know this is sort of rambling but it was on my heart.
One other thing- I wanted to share the commentary my Bible had for the verses in Ephesian 1. I thought it was very thought provoking. In Ephesians 1:3, "all spiritual blessing in heavenly places" means all the good things God give us- salvation, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God's will, the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings now. In Ephesians 1:5- this is a reference to Jesus' sacrifice bringing us into God's family. In Roman law, adopted children had the same rights and privileges as natural children. Paul uses this term to show how strong our relationship to God is. Ephesian 1:14, the Holy Spirit is God's seal that we belong to him. He is like a down payment, a deposit, a validating signature on the contract.
Just a few thoughts to help make those verses become more personal as we read.
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