"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good. He, by his very character, is good. Goodness does not just characterize God, but he is good. God's goodness is not just a saying, but he is good!
God is a stronghold in the day of trouble. A stronghold is a refuge, a fortified place. When we are in trouble, we can run to our refuge, our fortified place - the Lord. He will protect us. The Lord is our castle. We can run to the tower of the castle and find help.
A stronghold is also a defense. He will defend us against the onslaught of Satan, the World and the flesh. When we get overwhelmed, overcome and weary, we can run to our Stronghold for defense.
The Lord knows those that trust in Him. When we run to Him as our Stronghold, we never have to worry about being refused entrance. The Lord always knows us, and the "guard" will always let us in. We never have to show a pass, or identification. We can always go right in. We have constant and immediate access!
Those who struggle with a sinful stronghold in their life need to forsake their sinful habits we call strongholds and run to the Lord as their stronghold. Trading their sinful stronghold for the Stronghold of the Lord will result in tremendous blessing!
Showing posts with label character of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label character of God. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Goodness of God
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. (Psalm 52:1)
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
I was recently reminded of a preacher I knew in North Carolina in my college days. When he shook hands, his greeting always included the statement "Ain't God good!". Now, the grammar might not be the best, but the theology is good! So many people fail to look at the goodness of God.
Some people are so proud that they think that all they have or do are simply a result of their own brute strength and ability. They think that their efforts have gotten them position, wealth, etc. Even many who name the name of Christ fall into this trap. They do not realize that everything they have comes from the Lord. It is understandable for a lost man to ignore the Lord and his goodness, but how can Christians become so proud and self-absorbed as to forget the goodness of the Lord?
The mighty man (the man of strength) will often boast of his abilities and his sheer strength. How can we think that we have some great strength that did not come from the Lord? It is the Lord who gives us strength to do anything!
A person can get so proud and busy that he does not recognize that God is good. He does not realize that all blessings come from the Lord. God's goodness is everlasting and long suffering. His goodness is there even when we do not recognize it. It will be there when everything else is gone. As John Bishop says: "God is good all the time!"
Let us never forget the goodness of God.
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
I was recently reminded of a preacher I knew in North Carolina in my college days. When he shook hands, his greeting always included the statement "Ain't God good!". Now, the grammar might not be the best, but the theology is good! So many people fail to look at the goodness of God.
Some people are so proud that they think that all they have or do are simply a result of their own brute strength and ability. They think that their efforts have gotten them position, wealth, etc. Even many who name the name of Christ fall into this trap. They do not realize that everything they have comes from the Lord. It is understandable for a lost man to ignore the Lord and his goodness, but how can Christians become so proud and self-absorbed as to forget the goodness of the Lord?
The mighty man (the man of strength) will often boast of his abilities and his sheer strength. How can we think that we have some great strength that did not come from the Lord? It is the Lord who gives us strength to do anything!
A person can get so proud and busy that he does not recognize that God is good. He does not realize that all blessings come from the Lord. God's goodness is everlasting and long suffering. His goodness is there even when we do not recognize it. It will be there when everything else is gone. As John Bishop says: "God is good all the time!"
Let us never forget the goodness of God.
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