Good? What is Good?

 I am currently in the middle of selling our house, buying a house, and moving us to a new area for the ministry. I wake up early in the morning most mornings now, wondering why I am called to this new area. What does He want me to do, where should I start and frankly, worrying a lot. Even though I know it is pointless to worry for if I am truly doing this of God I should have a little more faith, a little more trust. This morning I am up at 530 even though I didn't go to bed until after 12, it's not stress or anxiety that has me up, it is wondering what He has in store, what He wants from me, and why me.

While seeking His Will, reading His Word and having my morning coffee, this occurred to me so I am following this thread of thought and I thought someone might want to come along for the journey so I am typing it out as I think my way through it.

1. Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

So many times we hear this verse being quoted, this verse used in adversity, this verse used in trouble and trials. We use it for comfort when we don't know what's going on, we use it as a safety net when problems come.

At least the first half. 

What about that last little part "according to His purpose"? His purpose, we are called to. His purpose, His Will, His workings. That's a thing many of us can not comprehend for we do not know His purpose at the outset, we do not know why things are happening until He shows us. We often tell others that what is happening must be taken by faith, for God knows what He is doing, He knows how they will end, we must just trust and obey. That, for us humans, is a lot harder than it sounds, it is a lot harder than we care to admit, even for the most faithful, the most "righteous" among us.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Who is it that love God? Those that keep His commandments, those that feed His sheep, those that obey Him, those that have accepted Christ. So this verse then can not apply to everyone. To love God is to obey Him, to love God is to keep His commandments, to Love God is to serve God, to seek His will in all things, to Love God is to be of God.

The called according to His purpose. This is so specific yet we have turned it into a vagary that can apply to just about every one.  It can not, you must know God, Love God and be serving Him, in His Will for this verse to apply to you.

Do all things really work together for good? Without His purpose, His calling on what you are doing, I can emphatically say no. All things generically do not work together for good. For if we maintain that "all", then we must be including the sin in our lives.

David's sin with Bathsheba did not work for good in his life. David was not in God's will at that particular moment. So if all things do not work together for good, and this does not apply to all people, all things, all situations, then why do we so often misuse it?

Well we use it to comfort them, to give them solace, but if we misuse it doesn't that also give a false hope? Doesn't that also mean we are lying?

Wow, a hard truth to consider for so early in the morning.

2.  Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 

Has the Spirit called on you to witness to someone of your God and you stifled it? Has the Word been on your lips and you did not say it for fear of ridicule? Did you stand in front of your congregation and not speak the truth God would have for your people were tired, they have served faithfully over the years and deserve a rest, a season of quiet for they had served, they had suffered, they had done God's work?

To him that knows to do good. KNOWS, that's a very compelling word. For how do we know? The Spirit tells us. The Spirit guides us, and if we are called, and we are heeding that Spirit then we know what ought to be done, we may not know the end of the thing but the Spirit will tell us what to do, when to do it, just not necessarily the why.

If we take the all things work together, with this verse, then we can not say all things work together for good, if we who know to do good, do it not.

We want to say but God knew we wouldn't do it so He is using it anyways, but is He? If you silence your tongue or your witness, then you have made a choice. God gave you that choice, and in that moment you were in the flesh, in the flesh all things are not working for good.

We want to rationalize it away, we want to make ourselves feel better by saying He can use it anyway.

God can use it anyway, but He put you there, He put me there for a specific purpose, if you do not heed that call of the Spirit why would He trust you the next time? Why would He use our sin for good, when it is sin, evil and wrong? All of a sudden we want to make right wrong and wrong right. Just as the world does.

3. Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 

In the previous two verses both had the word good in them. This verse tells us what good is. There is a long list of what we call good, people, places, food, things. Yet God's opinion of good may just slightly vary from ours.

So in our pursuit of what is good we must then look to His definition of what good is. God is good.

That's it. That's the list.

In the book of Genesis God calls His Creation Good.

Gen 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

God saw what He had made and it was very good. Therefore God is Good, His creation is good. 

God made all things, and He called them Good. God made man, then He made woman for man and He called her good as a help meet for the man.

That is where God stops calling things good. For then man takes over, satan tempts, and man corrupts. So good then in God's view is what He has created. What He has done. By extrapolation we can then say that which we do for God is good.

So by that logic, we can say that all we do for God out of purity, innocence, obedience and a desire to further His Will works together for Good.

Well that really narrows down the list as to what we can call good definitively. That narrows what we can put under the verse in Romans 8. That also narrows down what actions, words, thoughts, and deeds can be categorized as good, and as working together for good.

4. Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 

Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of the spoiled pompous son, yet God used it for God's good. He used their actions to save the children of Israel from famine and to save His Plan and design.

Now do we now use this as an example of all things, even sin, working together for Good? It did work out for God's good and God's plan, but not for the Israelites specifically. The brothers lived with guilt, then when they found Joseph alive they lived in fear, then when Joseph died the Israelites were turned into slaves. So the furtherance of God's Will, and Plan is evident, but not the good of the Israelites continually.

God used their sin, their evil for a greater good, but not their good ultimately here on this earth.

God is all about His plan, His agenda for He is the All knowing, all seeing all present God. Therefor all is in His hands for His Will.

For what we may do for evil (our sin) God can use for His Good, not necessarily for ours.

Was the Holocaust good?

Was the Inquisition good?

Many things happen in this world. God can, and does use it to further His Will. Does that mean it all works for our good? No it all works for His Good, His Will, His plan.

As in the case of Joseph, evil was used for God's Good, to further His plan. Israel was called to be the one whom the Messiah would come from, if there was no Israel due to death from the famine, there would be no Messiah.

There is a Messiah, a Savior and His name is Jesus, and He came and died for the sins of the world.

The Jewish leaders meant to put Him to death to keep their power, their money, their authority. What they meant for evil God meant for good.

When you stop to consider this, remember all of creation was made by God, for Him. We are allowed to be a part of that for He has called us. Yet not all works for good for you and I. It all works for God's good, for Him, in His time, His plan.

We are called to a purpose. When He calls us He has a plan, when we are in His Will we are working to further that plan. Can He use our mistakes? Most definitely. Can He use our troubles, trials, and suffering? Absolutely.

Are we then to be fatalistic, just going and doing because we have no say? Automatons to be cold, emotionless, and dry? That no good will come to us then?

Of course not, God rewards obedience, God forgives sin, God sees the just and the unjust.

God wants you to do His Will, to choose Him, time and time again. The choice we make to accept Christ is not the only choice God will ever subject us too. For He does not want automatons, He wants willing servants, willing givers, willing doers, willing children. He can use anything to further His plan but He prefers that we do so cheerfully, obediently, out of love and a desire to make Him happy.

So now in knowing that all things work together For His Good, His plan that should make us even more determined to do His Will, to seek His face. It's going to happen anyway so why not get with the program and do as He asks that we might lay up treasure for ourselves in Heaven?

God is good, doing His Work that He has called you to is Good. Think of it like this, the only good you will ever do is what you do for Him. For He and He alone is good.