Our Hope: Taking The Bad With The Good

“So we can confidently say, ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’ ” Hebrews 13:6 (ESV)

If you will take a moment to look at the picture attached to this post, you will see a glorious look at the heavens, with many pretty white clouds with lots of pale blue sky showing through them.  But if you look again, you will also see several shades of gray in those same clouds, which brings with them the hint of an oncoming storm.

So is the content of our lives.  We have received much good.  This comes from our God, because of where He has placed us geographically, and how He has fashioned our walk with Him.  And if that walk is reciprocated by us properly, such as total and immediate obedience, with a large portion of praise and worship, and learning and adhering to His Holy Word, we will recognize the good that He has brought to us, and be grateful.

But no matter how much good God has blessed us with, there will always be that hint of the awaiting storm.  It is inherent in the nature of mankind.  While we dwell on this earth, in the fallen world, we will be assaulted with trials and tribulations.  We will experience persecution.  We will often have financial difficulties.  We will be targets of the enemy who hates us, who would kill us if he could.  Praise God he does not have that power.  But God does expect us to trust Him, and that includes taking the good with the bad.

The key here is to put both good and bad in the proper perspective.  Let’s look at good first.  We like it.  We crave it, we want it, we yearn for it.  In all reality, we already have it.  If we have Jesus, we have good.  More than enough.  All we will ever need.  Everything.  When we recognize the good in our lives, we are very happy people indeed.  And there is nothing wrong with being happy.  Christians should be happy, and we should want that for those who are not Christians as well.  Happy is an emotion that is fed only by the condition of our soul, if it is to be a lasting state.  Happy can be fleeting if it is inspired by things.  But when inspired by Jesus, it will last into eternity.  This is the good.

The bad is a whole other ballgame, and not a very pleasant one.  It is intended to draw our eyes away from the good. It has no good in it, and it is counter-productive to our state of happiness.  And it comes wholly from one place, and that is the den of the enemy, Satan.

Once a perfect angel, Satan gave up all his glory and beauty when he decided he could and would be the god.  He went against the one true God.  And he paid dearly for it.  Now he is full of hate and anger, and will do anything and everything he can to bring that tinge of bad to something that is really good.

Here is an example: you receive a compliment from someone you did not expect it from.  Immediately, when that happens to me, my mind jumps to, “Why did she say that?” or, “What does he really mean?”

I have a history with rejection, which now is a fleeting emotion, thanks to Jesus.  When we have an issue like that, which I consider to be our “thorn”, Satan knows how to get to us.  If we allow him, he will control our relationships, and our entire lives, and we will be miserable.  We will share this misery with our family and friends, and we will cease to be an effective witness for Christ.  This is the bad.

Jesus is Our Hope.  When we face the constant barrage of attacks on us, He will defend us.  He will be the lifter of our heads.  He will always restore the good, and wash away the tears that come from the bad.  Do we need to fear the bad? No!  Because Jesus will always turn the bad into good, and we will be refined along the way. We learn from the battles we face, and become more mature as Christians.  We see His faithfulness, and know there is always hope, for today and for tomorrow.  Hope’s name is Jesus.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.”  Roman 8:28

When have you had to take the good with the bad?  And how did Jesus help you overcome it? Please comment here or go to www.mystoryofgrace.com  and share with us!

Blessings!