Have you ever heard someone say, “I have a praise . . .” and then they go on to tell you how greatly the Lord has blessed them because they just got something they wanted or some situation worked out in their favor. “God is so good!” they say.
Here is an example. My friend says to me, “God is so good. Our house sold in a week! Full price nonetheless! God has truly blessed us!”
Now, isn’t that nice, I think with a tinge of jealousy. They must be so righteous because God is blessing them. On the other hand, I must not be so righteous because I’m not quite so blessed. I have a house to sell that is worth one hundred grand less than I paid for it because of the subprime debacle and it’s been sitting there a year and a half with no offer. What am I supposed to say then . . . when I not only don’t get what I want, it keeps getting worse? Do I say, “God is so bad?” Or maybe I say grudgingly, “God is good,” but He is disciplining me because He does that to the ones He loves (Heb 12:6). Maybe they should be the jealous one, eh?
This example is actually quite trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it’s typical of the situations we are confronted with daily. Most just create unnecessary anxieties that slink into embarrassment when we or others are confronted with really serious life and death situations over which we have no control. We pray for someone to be healed because it’s the righteous thing to do, but we know that God doesn’t always heal. The opposite happens. People die. We don’t feel like praising God. Saying, “God is good,” sounds tinny, hollow, insincere. We ask, “Why. . . why do bad things happen to good people? Where is God in this?”
Whether we approve the outcome or not, we have to preserve the belief in the truth– that God is good in all our circumstances and He really does work all things for our good, to those who have been called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Otherwise, our faith is lie. God is always good. God doesn’t change. That is His eternal nature. He can’t work contrary to his fixed nature which is Love.
The problem is we tend to look at things through the natural mind of man and not the mind of God. Remember the altercation between Jesus and Peter when Jesus divulged to His disciples His purpose, that He would be taken and killed and rise the third day? Peter jumps up and rebukes him.
Matt 16: 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you.”
That sounds mighty righteous, doesn’t it? That might even be something we would say. How could we let this “evil” happen to our Lord? So, how did Jesus respond?
Matt 16: 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Wow! Talk about a rebuke from the Lord! What did he do wrong? Well, he reverted into his “natural man” mode and judged by appearances. Remember what Jesus said about appearances? They can be hazardous to your health.
John 7: 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
The only way to judge with right judgment is to be spiritually discerning. Hmmmm . . .easier said than done? Well, it is within our grasp. After all, we do have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). The question might be how to exercise this gift? Jesus gave us many clues, but this is my favorite.
Matt 6: 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy (single, simple, whole), your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
The word translated healthy in the ESV means “single” or “simple.” I like simple. It means there is only one power in the universe! Not two. To say on one hand that God is good when it “appears” to benefit us but be sullen on the other hand when it doesn’t is because of a duplicitous outlook. To have a Single Eye means we see God in everything, in every circumstance in our lives whether we perceive it to be good or evil. If you have a dual outlook, a belief in two powers, your whole body will be full of darkness.
The wonderful thing about this is that it destroys all the fear and alleged power of evil. The only power it ever had was the power you allowed it. It also removes the burden of judging by appearances. God will always turn the “appearance” of evil to our good. Given that truth, you can now relax and let God do the work. If you don’t believe me, ask Joseph.
Gen 50: 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, . . .
The Lost Coin by Samuel Hayes Sherwood is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all other outlets. See how the mystery of Christ in us is unraveled and the Single Eye is applied.
