Mailing List Service Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNITY WAY July 15, 2001 ------------------------------------------------------ THREE FACTS ABOUT GOD'S GOODNESS By Andrei Yashurin Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the shadow of turning. James 1:8, NKJV To me, this is one of the basic Scriptures in the whole Bible. We must to settle the Truth that it states in mind before we rush into solving of the "Bible mysteries". Gods goodness is the most fundamental principle of life He wants us to understand. God is good, and all things that come from Him are good; Everything God is, is essentially good; Everything God says, is essentially good; Everything God does, is essentially good; Everything God brings into existence, is essentially good. The realization of this fact is the true beginning of our knowledge of God. Those who think otherwise, we may say, haven't yet been born into a real spiritual life. We need to admit that a belief in Gods goodness, at times, requires courage, especially when we face with the facts that seems to look negative. Goodness lays at the core of all there is, not necessarily at the surface. It is not recognized by those who are conformed to the common patterns of thinking, who dont have eyes to see and ears to hear differently. Do not be deceived, says James, by believing in changing outward appearances instead of believing in changeless God. Believe in Gods goodness, and allow Gods goodness to be revealed in your life. Faith is not an end of itself it is a way to demonstration. There are three facts about Gods goodness that we need to have in mind: First, God never punishes us. It has been wisely said by someone that we are punished BY our sins, not FOR our sins. Some believers still think that sin is an offense to a capricious Deity, but it is not. Sin is an attempt to live against life, against the laws of life. Sin destroys peoples minds and bodies not because God is angry at those who dont obey His demands, but because it is self-destructive. True salvation from sins lays not just in begging for forgiveness, but in repentance in re-aligning ourselves with Gods principles. Second, God never separates Himself from us. One of the saddest people's mistakes is a belief that they can live their life apart from God. They cannot. "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) said Paul to the sophisticated philosophers in Athens. They were not conscious of the One True God, but they still were in Him. Do you live? Know that you live in God. Do you move? Know that you move in God. Do you "have your being"? Know that you have your being in God. Before you came into the world, you existed in God's mind as an idea. Now, you exist as an expression of that idea. This idea cannot be a mistake. This idea cannot be less that perfect. Third, God never leaves us without a due provision. "My God shall supply all your need" (Philippians 4:19), said Paul. This is an eternal law. We are sent to the world by God, and we are never left without a full supply of all what we may ever need to fulfill our mission. The seeming lack of supply is always a result of living in a wrong way, following the wrong path. When we come to an understanding of Gods principles that rule the world, and bring ourselves to subjection to them, all of the channels of provision become wide open. "Strive first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). Pray With Us: Dear God, Thank You for Your faithfulness! I can rely on You completely, for there is no variation and there is no shadow of turning in You. I know that there is only goodness in Your nature. Looking unto You, I expect good, and good alone. Thank You for Your Presence with me. Thank You for protecting me. Thank You for providing for me. Thank You for empowering me. I am grateful, knowing that I will find in You all I could ever need. Let it be so, Amen ------------------------------------------------------ Unity, or Unity School of Christianity, is a positive philosophy of life, based on teachings of Jesus Christ. E-mail: admin@unityway.net http://www.unityway.net THANKS FOR READING! "Do something even if it is imperfect. That beats doing nothing perfectly". T.L. Osborn -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=lit.unityway http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com