Psalm 136:1-3,26 - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
We are so blessed that God's love will endure forever!(He does not change like shifting shadows.) Every good thing that happens to us is because of his great love for us. It is God that gave each of us life, and it is God that will give each of us eternal life with him in heaven if we will just accept his free gift!
We have so much to be thankful for!
THE CAPTAIN
6 comments:
So every Bad thing that happens to us, is because God doesn't love us??
Please clarify.
Mike
im learning more and more about this, thanks Lance.
-bent ;)
Also mike i would say that we need to take a page from Job's book...well we really need to take the whole book but maybe this will help,
"His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job chapter 2 check it out!
Love the question Mike! It had me digging for the truth.
Like Ben said Job's story is a good example of God allowing some bad things in our lives.(One thing to note about Job's story is that Satan wasn't allowed to do anything to Job without God's permission. If we know God's love and compassion for us this should be comforting.)
Another passage that came to mind was
(This is Paul talking.)
2 Corinthians 12:7-10, To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak I am strong.
Matthew 5:45, He(God)causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Romans 8:22, We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:26, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those that love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The key is to know that God loves you and that he is still the one that is in control. Even when things are not going the way that we would like it.
I hope that this helped.
Thanks for writing back, I get that God loves me, but the verses you quoted didnt answer my question.
"every good thing that happens to us is because he loves us"
so than every bad thing that happens to us, is because God doesnt love us...?
I've always thought God loves us no matter what we do good or bad.
This confuses me?
as peter got out of the boat with his eyes on Jesus he could walk on the water. when he looked away he began to sink . . . why; because Jesus couldn't hold him up if he looked in the wrong direction, or because Jesus didn't love him any more? Jesus let him sink so that he had to look back to the one that could save him. Jesus let him sink, so that peter would take His hand and trust Jesus with his life.
Here is a couple more thoughts on this.
1. When we become a Christian we immediately become part of the kingdom of God. In studying Jesus life this year at Battalion you might notice that Jesus talks about the kingdom in different ways. Often in present tense and sometimes in future tense. The Kingdom of God already exists and we as Christians are already part of that but the full extent of that Kingdom will not be revealed until Jesus returns. Therefore:
2. We live in a world that is essentially a battlefield between good and evil. This is why we are given the armor of God so that we can protect ourselves. Also 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil prowls like a lion seek someone to devour.
3. A third thought comes from Romans 1:28-32 "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filed with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanders, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are sensless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
What I am getting at here is that when Adam sinned he allowed sin into the world. Romans 5:14 says "death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses" What happened at the time of Moses? The law was given, a way to get out from under the rule of sin. More so when Christ came the ultimate sacrifice was made so that people for all time have a way to get out from under the rule of sin. The problem is that most people don't choose that. We live in a world that is largely ruled by sin and occupied by people who are ruled by sin. Although God wants good for us, and eventually in his perfect timing will bring us to heaven where there will be only good, for now we are here in this sinful place.
I think it is too simple to say that because "every good and perfect gift comes from God" that when we experience bad things God doesn't love us. Rather God still loves us just as much and also loves those who aren't saved. We endure consequences of sin because of Adam even if we are Christians. 2 Peter 3:9 say "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
You see because of God's love for Christians and non-christians we wait for him to return. Although we are saved and forgiven for our sins, we still live in a sinful world and have to deal with the consequences of not only the sin of Adam but also of ourselves and the unsaved world around us. This sometimes turns out in bad things, but that is not because God doesn't love us.
Maybe if you managed to read that all it will have helped.
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