All tagged good

Inside Out? The Color in Who We Are

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Effect of doing Good

Does what we do in practice affect who we are or will become? Or, is who we are inside the sole determinate of what we do? This is an interesting question dealing with works, faith, and their interaction... But it is also a developmental question for us as Christians. In seeking the answer to this question I enjoyed reading the words of Pastor E. M. Bounds who wrote..."It was the inner character, not the outward appearance of men like Abraham, Job, David, Moses and others, that had such great influence with God in the biblical days. Today, it is not so much our words, but what we really are that counts for much in our praying. At the same time, character affects conduct to a far greater extent and has a superior influence over prayer. Our inner lives give color to our praying."

Goodness, Faith, and Holiness

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Goodness and Holiness

Goodness is our topic for consideration this morning. Let’s explore goodness and see how it relates to our faith and holiness. There are people who do good things and are considered good people, but have no, or very little, faith. There are people who have faith, but don't do good in their lives, and finally, there are those of faith who in their holiness do good many things. Which of these do we envision ourselves to be?

Removing the Stumbling Blocks to Achieve God’s Will for Us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Giving up the Good

Have you given up everything you are to Jesus Christ? It is easy to lay down the sin, and bad things in our lives, but have you also laid down the good? Abandoning those things that we naturally identify as good is the most profound test of our faith. Being able to leave behind anything that is contrary in order to immerse ourselves in God’s will for us is the epitome of faithfulness and obedience.

Blessings in the Midst of Earthly Trauma

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Blessings in the Trauma

Are we feeling particularly blessed, and think that God has set us atop the world? Well, don’t get too comfortable there because the Lord sends us into solitary places, places that seem contrary to our service to Him, and there, in a sorrowful state, a lowly existence, He feeds us, and increases us in our faith. We were doing everything He asked, and leading a righteous life to glorify Him, when suddenly we are struck lame, made sick, suffered the death of a loved one, lost all that we have worked so hard for, or perhaps had a beloved child walk away from God, and we find ourselves in a wilderness, or alone beside the brook Cherith… humbled and unable to feed ourselves. Have we been there? Has the sunny day we have been enjoying suddenly darkened and a storm settled over us?

Living a Life of Plenty?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional

Do we find ourselves financially wealthy, or having many possessions, but despite all of this we are unhappy, or feel empty inside? Do we run at life, and do many wonderful things, but despite all of our efforts remain chained to a longing, or need we can’t explain or fill? These are the symptoms of a hungry soul. We feel this way when we fill our stomachs with food, and our days with nourishing things for our minds, but starve our souls to death. we go about feeding our bodies and minds, but only God can satisfy the longings, and the overwhelming hunger of our soul.

Are we really Good?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God is Good

As Christians we are told, and like, to do good things for those around us. In obeying God by doing good, we often mistake one another as being good, and we say such things as “He is a good man”, or “She is such a good person.”, but if Jesus would not let the rich young man call him good, then how can we possibly refer to one another in this way? Jesus was making a distinction between the act of doing good, and actually being good. We, like Jesus, are doers of good; not actually the embodiment of good, which is limited to God alone.

Receiving the Good and Perfect Gifts of God

Richard Forbes
Faded Faith , Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritual Gifts

We are tempted to believe that what we have in the world is good, and that it is all we need, but that is simply not true. The earth and everything in it is fleeting, and is never truly ours. So why is it that we value it so much? Why do we surround ourselves with what the world offers us, and treat it as if it were perfect, or even good, when in fact we will die, and all we have accumulated will be lost? In this life the things we have will disappoint us. God’s gifts are always good, and perfect; they never lose their value, and are always glorifying Him as we use them. They are unchanging, and eternal in every way.

Lifting Up Morning Prayer, in our Joy, or Sorrow

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Morning prayer

How do we begin and end each day? Do we open our eyes with praise and thanksgiving on our lips? Do we do this in the hard to times as well as the good? Relationships are built from constant attention, but they are made strong in times of hardship, sorrow, and suffering. In times like this we see what is true about our love as we lean on a friend, or share in a disappointment. Praising God is not meant to be a “Happy Time Only” event, and requires discipline as we come to Him EVERY day, and in ALL things.

Doing Good, and becoming Perfect

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Good , Perfect

When God says something is good it is good, and when He says it is perfect that is true too. So it is that we strive to do good things because we seek to imitate the goodness of God, and we are confidant we can be good, but why is it that when we are told to be perfect we quake with fear, feeling that perfection is beyond our ability? We fear perfection even though scripture tells us there are others who have been perfect. So, if only God is good, but others have been perfect, then why do we feel that we can actually be called good, but never perfect?

Trusting in the Goodness that resides within God’s Will

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional , Goodness , Doing God’s Will

Some believe that we should obey God simply because He expects us to, and in some cases it appears to us that this is His desire, but later, in retrospect, we find that what God asked of us, His will, was for our ultimate good all along. Our Heavenly Father is not arbitrary, and all that he does, and asks, is for a purpose; for our good. Thus the question becomes this... do we trust in Him enough to do those things He asks of us even when we don’t fully understand, or see the good in them?

Being Good, and Removing Evil from our Heart.

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Good , Evil

How do we recognize things we have never known? We know love when we see it, because we have felt it, and have watched it in action. We know good things when we see them too because we taste them, feel them, and witness the mercy and grace that they exude, but how is it that we have come to recognize evil? Where did our understanding of evil come from? I would like to think we know it because we have seen it in the world, being perpetuated by the unrighteous, but scripture tells us it comes from our heart... it wells up from within us.

Seeing God in the World through the eyes of his Child

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Seeing God , Creation

There is so much beauty in this world, and God made it this way to be pleasant for our physical habitation, and to provide us sustenance, but when sin entered it through man it became tainted by him. The dominion he had been given over the creatures of the earth turned from caring for them into such things as widespread slaughter for pelts, deforestation, and reckless over-fishing for monetary gain. Suddenly men were loving the world as mammon, and not as God Intended... by seeing Him glorified in it... He who made it for them.

Do We Grow Tired of doing Good?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Doing Good

I was listening to a business video yesterday, and the CEO who was speaking quoted a scripture that has been on my mind all day and night. This verse speaks of not growing weary in doing good, and at first I felt that growing tired of doing good things was nearly impossible, but as I considered the idea further it dawned on me that even the good we do in life can tire us after much repetition, or labor.