Taste and See...Our Lord is Good!
Taste and see: Our Lord is good!
If you’ve been following along on our Instagram or Facebook account for this month, you probably already know that our theme for August is “Taste and See”. For those who don't know where we got our theme name from, it's from Psalm 34:8. It says "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." The God that we serve is a loving, kind, just, and overall a GOOD God. He loves us enough to send His son to die on a cross for us! But a lot of times, if we’re going through a trial, we can easily forget just how good God is, so we hope this blog reminds you how loving and kind He is!
Why is it important to know God is good?
So if you’ve known Christ for a long time, you’re probably starting this blog right now, thinking, “Of course God is good. I know that already.” But why is this important for us as Christians, not to only know, but to remember? Well, you are probably no stranger to trials. No matter who you are, or how long you’ve been a Christian, you are going to face hardships in your life. Everyone is going to have different trials, with different severities. No two hardships are going to be the same. Sometimes, like I (Natalee) said in the previous section, it’s very easy to lose focus on Christ in the midst of our troubles. Not only is it easy to lose focus on Him, but it’s also easy to start blaming Him. A lot of times when people realize that I’m a Christian, their biggest argument is, “Well, if there really is a God, why do good people go through bad things?” Sometimes when we experience hardship, it’s because God wants us to grow closer to Him and realize just how good He really is. And a lot of times when God solves our hardships, we realize just that. Now, like I said in the beginning of this section, why is it important to remember that God is good during these hard times? I know a lot of people that have stopped believing in God because of the things they’ve gone through, or the things they’ve seen others go through. So that is why it’s important to remember that God will help us reach the end of the tunnel in His timing!
What the second part of this verse means
“…Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”
What this verse is telling us is when we put our trust in God and Him alone, He will bless us. I can’t promise He will give you a brand new sports car every time you trust Him with something, nor can I promise He will bless you right then and there. He might bless you later in life or He might wait to reward you in Heaven. All I know is what this verse tells us, which is that He will bless you when you put your trust in Him. Luke 6:38 tells us: “give, and it shall be given unto you…”
I don’t know when, where, or how Jesus will bless you but He will at one point or another!!
How do we know God is good?
I know when certain things happen it can be hard to notice how good God really is. And I hope when you're blinded of that goodness, you’ll remember this.
The very fact that you’re alive means God is good! But not only that… the fact that we live in America, can worship freely, can live freely shows God’s goodness! I know we hear about how blessed we are to be free all the time so let me go a little deeper with it. Maybe you have a roof over your head, a warm bed to sleep in every night, food and water, you have a friend in someone so much better than your closest friend on this earth… you have Jesus and His love, mercy and grace! Now I know that some days come when you feel like your life is falling apart and think God doesn’t love or care for you, but He does so much!! It’s evident in our everyday lives, even when your life takes a turn for the worst. Please never think God isn’t good because He is greater than anyone and everyone, and loves and cares for us more than we can fathom!
He’s good even when we don’t see it!
Maybe you’re going through a hard time right now. Maybe you’re just looking at the world around us and seeing all of the horrible things happening. It sucks that because of sin we have to go through pain and sorrow, but we can’t blame any of it on God! When Adam and Eve sinned, pain came into the world as a result. Even though God wasn’t the one who brought sin to our world, because of His mercy He made it possible for us to get away from all of the horrible things in this world. He died a painful death that paid for all of humankind’s sin so that if we choose to accept Jesus into our hearts we could go to a glorious place to be with Him after we die instead of the place we truly all deserve (Hell!). Somewhere that has no pain, no sorrow, no temptations, and so much more! We have a whole blog post on Heaven, Hell, and how you can accept Jesus into your heart so you don’t have to go to Hell if you’re interested (https://girlsforjesus.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2340759/stop-thinking-of-death-as-the-end)!
I have a verse in mind that I would like to share with you all, to just remind all of us that no matter what we see around us, you’ve guessed it, God is STILL good! We have to keep in mind that God knows what He’s doing. Just because our circumstances aren’t good doesn’t mean God isn’t. He cares and loves you so much, and only wants the best for your life.
Romans 8:28 says “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."
When we love and follow God He will use our pain and sorrow for His glory! For example, we’ll use Aly’s Grammy, Mrs. Wanda. In the past two years, she lost two of her sons unexpectedly in dramatic ways, plus went through a handful of other family sorrows (and those are just the things she has decided to share!). Still, she is one of the most faithful person I know! Anytime I’m around her she is constantly sharing how good she knows God is and how much she still loves Him. Though losing her sons still breaks her heart she continues to serve our God. Multiple people accepted Jesus as a resolute of her son’s funerals and she is witnessing to everyone around her by staying faithful to the Lord! She encourages me to keep fighting for a thriving relationship with God because she has shown me that it is obviously worth it, and I know she has blessed and encouraged so many others as well. God is definitely using a horrible situation for His glory and for good!
How can we see God’s goodness in our everyday life?
I don’t have a bunch of life-changing answers on how you can always see God’s goodness, so if that is what you were looking for in this section, my deepest apologies! I do however have a few simple yet practical ideas on how we can point our eyes towards God’s goodness. Here's a list of 4 ways you can see that God is good starting TODAY!
Count your blessings! Bethany Beal constantly says “If the only thing you have to be thankful for is your salvation, then you’re doing good!” (paraphrasing of course). Chances are though, you have tons of other things you can be thankful for. Allow me to get the ball rolling for you. God may have given you… A family, friends, a sound doctrine church, a house, a room, an animal, an education, a job, food, water, TOILET PAPER!!
I get it. Sometimes we just can’t see God’s goodness just by counting our blessings. Maybe you need to just slow down. Get your fav mug with some cocoa, tea, coffee, Coca Cola , or water even, and go sit outside. Grab your phone or journal and write/type out all of your most favorite memories. Guess what? God gave you all of those fun happy times!
Ask God to show you His goodness! He isn’t trying to hide from you. He will! Just be patient and He’ll show you. Matthew 7:7-8 “[7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
Start a gratitude jar! A lady at our church, Miss Diana, started a gratitude jar with a Wednesday night class I was in, and I just loved the idea. For those of you who have never heard of a gratitude jar, what you do is get a jar (or even just a mug or cup) and place it somewhere you’ll remember it. Then whenever God blesses you, take a small piece of paper and write it down. Throw the paper in the jar and whenever you need some encouragement, go back and read what all you wrote down. It takes no time at all!
We hope and pray you were encouraged by this blog! If you have any questions at all, please go to the “Talk to us” section of this website and DM or email us. We’d love to chat or answer any questions!