The Bible has a lot to say about adversity, and it isn’t bad. God’s people have endured persecution in this world, God sent His prophets to assure them He would bring beauty from their suffering (Isaiah 61:1-3, Malachi 3:3,) what a time it will be.
We live in a world that believes the best things give us immediate pleasure. Unfortunately, this feel-good all the time crap has become popular in the church—everyone gets all they want as long as they believe.
When Kanye West, a new believer visited a popular mega-church that spreads the sugar-tooth gospel, I prayed for him, because when the storms come many believers fall away when the heat is on.
As I look back over the past 20+ years of living with a brain injury, I remember times I wanted to give up. Recently learned most people my age are on four prescription medicines; I am fortunate to not need any.
What I’ve realized is the accident in my 20s motivates me to keep moving and staying in shape has benefited my overall health beyond others. The pain of my 20s has worked together for my overall good (Romans 8:28,) not bring me down. Life can change our perspective about what is good, like why I can’t wait for Christmas.
GOOD?
Webster’s defines good as, “Of a favorable character or tendency, free from injury or disease.” The takeaway of the world’s standard of good (immediate satisfaction) is realistically flawed.
Fifteen years ago my parents were diagnosed with lung cancer, a good outcome would have been them being cured and healthy, but eventually that too would have faded. During their treatment I learned that sugary foods cause cancer cells to spread rapidly. The immediate satisfaction of sweets caused more harm than good.
This is the reason the church needs to stand up against feel-good false teachers of the prosperity gospel, it is spreading like cancer within the body of Christ. Just like God’s definition of love is different than the world’s, so is God’s goodness.
When God created the world and separated the light from the dark, He said it was good (Genesis 1:3-4.) The Hebrew word used for good is Tov, this Old Testament idea of good means beautiful. Later when Eve saw the fruit she described it as good (beautiful) (Gen. 3:6.)
After she and Adam ate the fruit, they were separated from God, God promised to restore both them and us through a suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13–53:12,) when Hope came down everything was made right(good.)
The New Testament uses a few different words for good in the Greek ( Kalos, agathos, eudokia, sumphero, and Hedone’.) Each of these can be translated as pleasing or pleasure, which is a result of the Greek culture’s emphasis on pleasure. The beauty of pleasure is cheapened if the gift isn’t pleasing enough.
The Apostle Paul traveled to Greece to carry the gospel in the name of the Lord that countered Greece’s hedonistic culture. His message wasn’t readily accepted. Thus, the Apostle was constantly wrote letters to the church there to encourage them how to handle this gift.
Gifts?
Since we’ve put good into perspective, we can understand what gifts we’ve been given, a grown up Christmas list. When we place too much emphasis on pleasure, power and happiness and they become idols. The things we want often do more harm than good.
This was the case with the Jewish nation; their distorted view of God’s goodness caused them to miss the Savior they had been waiting for, Mary’s boy child Who left His throne in Heaven. God’s people missed Jesus because they stopped focusing on God’s will for their own desires, what they thought was good. What a message for us at Christmas.
Bad things happen to us all in life, but not everyone lets it stop them, with Jesus I have all I need for Christmas. I didn’t know twenty years ago that almost dying in an accident and spending the rest of my life living with a disability would be a blessing to me now and I never thought I’d say it that is how God works.
God’s plan was to give us a blessing we can’t understand, it’s joy to the world—not the church. God didn’t send His Son so we could have heaven here, Jesus came so we could spend eternity in Heaven with God, with no more suffering, tears or death (Revelation 21:1-4.) That alone is better than any worldly good gifts!
