{"id":22568,"date":"2018-03-08T00:05:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T08:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=22568"},"modified":"2018-03-01T16:36:48","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T00:36:48","slug":"march-8-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/03\/08\/march-8-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"March 8, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cO, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the (woman) who trusts in Him!\u201d <\/em>Psalm 34:8<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Terrified<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Part Two<\/em><\/p>\n

Yesterday I shared one terrifying scene from my life. Most of us have many such stories to tell, so you can probably relate to my terror. We tend to look back with relief on God\u2019s deliverance, but that relief may or may not translate to absolute trust in Him the next time we face that depth of fear.<\/p>\n

I know that, yes, God is faithful. Yes, He pledges to keep us from destruction. Yes, He is mighty, and He is able. I know and believe His promises. But I also know the Book of Job, and I admit to a bit of uncertainty when it comes to trusting Him to keep me comfortable and happy.<\/p>\n

There is a remedy for this emotional attachment to what I think is best for me: it is knowing the goodness of God. When I believe God is good\u2014ALL THE TIME\u2014then I do not fear what He will sovereignly design for my life. I do not fear that He will leave me or forsake me. I do not fear that He will change His mind about me.<\/p>\n

His goodness means He will be kind and tender towards me, no matter if I have acted deservingly. He proclaims about Himself that He is full of goodwill and mercy, sympathetic to us, and open to our cries. It is His intent to bless us; indeed, He is pleased by our happiness. God cannot be other than good, for this is His essence.<\/p>\n

We would be wise to focus all our fearful thoughts on the fact that God is good and thus will do us no harm. (This is not to say that He won\u2019t judge unrepentant sinners). Faith relies on the goodness of God.<\/p>\n

I have often questioned if God was good to Job when He allowed the extreme trials. I have come to know, however, that God\u2019s goodness sometimes takes the form of difficulty, for it produces in us a bountiful harvest of Christ-likeness. A harvest of righteousness is greatly to be desired. The holiness He intends to produce in us is worth every drop of blood, sweat, or tears\u2014our sacrifice, our toil, or our sorrow.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s ask the Lord to change our minds about what constitutes goodness, for we tend to see as man sees and not as the Lord sees. Although He protected me from bodily harm in those few terror-stricken moments, yet if He had allowed it to be otherwise, I know that it would have been His goodness that allowed it, in order to transform me. Even Christ suffered, that He might become what God meant Him to be\u2014the sacrifice for our sins.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur tender and compassionate Father, grant us the knowledge of Your goodness. Help us believe that all You do and allow is good for us, and fits Your kingdom purposes. Build our faith\u2014our reliance on Your goodness. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>

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