"Think of His Goodness to You"

“Think of His goodness to you.”

With these immortal words, a hymn writer suggests reflection upon God’s enduring goodness as a means of praise and worship.  As you ponder God’s enduring faithfulness, you undoubtedly agree with the psalmist’s words, “My cup overflows.”  Many “coincidences” of “good luck” throughout our lives are actually God’s amazing grace.  He freely extends His unmerited favor to us.  In fact, God’s radical grace eventuates in genuine, grateful and humble faith.  Periodically, it is in our very best interest to pause and meditate upon God’s unchanging faithfulness.

When we reflect upon God’s countless kindnesses, it is as if we sip from a golden and priceless goblet of His infinite love.  All of us possess a treasure trove of such pleasant thoughts.  As we stop and remember the past deeds of God, we relive those dramatic experiences in which God graciously “pulled our fat out of the fire.” Thus, we exalt Him for His goodness and greatness.  The daily meditation enables us to drink from this divine chalice of salvation. 

Mysteriously, God’s infinitely embodies His love in the majestic paradox of the perfect God-Man, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  As finite human beings, we lack the mental and emotional capacity to comprehend it.  As we drink from God’s celestial goblet of love, we can never consume its bounty.  Like the mighty rush of a waterfall it gushes into every nook and cranny of our minds, hearts and souls.  When we reflect on our many blessings, we continually receive divine nurture and comfort.

Sometimes, we merely sip from the cup of His bounteous love.  When things are well, we hardly think of God.  We fallaciously attribute our successes to personal talent and ingenuity.  With reverse circumstances, we flee to God help and guidance.  Regrettably, we only seek His assistance to resolve a current present dilemma.  We fail to seek His presence to learn His ways and ultimately walk in His paths.  We simply take a sip from His cup of love, hoping that it will satisfy us until we need another sip.

Interestingly, God desires we realize His love never fails.  We can ceaselessly rely upon Him.  His sacrificial and unmerited love overflows into all facets of our lives.  Prayer and meditation are spiritual hands we use to pick up this chalice and drink its contents.  Given its sweetness and richness, a sip of the cup’s contents hardly satisfies.  Yet, self-centered fears and narcissism devalue what God offers.  His cup contains an ocean of love.  We limit it to a small pond when we fail to think of His enduring goodness.

Nothing less than genuine love satisfies the mind and soul.  Moreover, the heart will not accept any counterfeit versions of delightful passion, exultation of truly being in love, peace of knowing someone understands you, joy of sharing another person’s sensuality and sexuality and thrill of romantic imagination.  It is impossible to manufacture true passion.  Willingly, you share it or not.  In the words of Bonnie Raitt’s immortal love ballad, “You can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.  I can’t make you love me if you don’t.”  Love demands honesty, dignity, respect, trust and truth. 

The prophet, Jeremiah, challenges Israel to pause and consider the goodness of Yahweh as they bemoan their extended period of exile after the Babylonian captivity.  Understandably, many Israelites detest their current dilemma as they inventory the colossal lost of their history, religion, literature, language, and culture.  What would motivate them to praise and serve Almighty God?  After all, He permits the unparalleled destruction of their nation and way of life.  How do they sing songs of praise and thanksgiving in a strange land?  In the midst of this despair, Jeremiah exhorts his people to recall Yahweh’s enduring faithfulness.  Because of the Lord’s mercies, their adversarial circumstances do not overwhelm them.  As a consequence of His mercies, they are not consumed.  Accordingly, they find hope and willingness to preserve when they reflect the Lord’s unquestionable faithfulness.  (Lamentations 3:19-23)

Finally, the author of Deuteronomy admonishes the Israelites to remember the Lord’s goodness to them when they inherit the Promised Land.  He cautions them against denial and delusion once they are living in houses they did not build, drinking from wells they did not dig and eating delicious and bountiful fruit they did not plant.  They are to recall God’s faithfulness in adhering to a covenant He makes with their foreparents.  As they think of God’s goodness, they offer prayers of adoration and exaltation.  Simply, the Deuteronomist considers memory as a meaningful method of prayer which encourages and empowers anyone who withdraws from life’s daily busyness to think of God’s goodness.

Negativity

Eradicating skepticism is critical to achieving personal ambitions and living a happy, joyous and free life.  Cynicism greatly undermines creative energies and productivity.  Doubt leads to second-guessing.  Faith and discipline counteract negativity.  Just as light and darkness cannot simultaneously occupy any space, faith and doubt cannot concurrently capture our attention.  Each day, it is necessary to clear our minds of negativity and anxiety.

In Mark 5:35-43, the evangelist relates the healing of Jairus’ daughter.  Messengers inform Jairus, the synagogue ruler, his daughter has died.  Thus, he need not bother Jesus any further about healing her.  Upon overhearing this conversation, Jesus encourages Jairus to discard any fear and doubt which he feels and persist in believing his daughter will receive a miraculous healing.  In the midst of despair, we like Jairus must dispose of our fear.  Equally, we persevere in faith toward of our goals and dreams.

Interestingly, Jesus takes only Peter and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, with Him to Jairus’ house.  There, they find a crowd of mourners creating quite a commotion in wailing with grief.  Jesus rhetorically asks about their extreme mourning.  He tells the crowd to stop crying because the girl is not dead; she is just asleep.  They then stop crying and start laughing at Jesus.  In response, Jesus puts all of them out of the house!  Only the three disciples whom he brought with him and the girl’s parents remain with Jesus as He goes to heal the girl.  Essentially, only the people who possess faith are left.  He removes all laughing and skeptical doubters.

Similarly, we put naysayers out of our minds.  Regrettably, we internalize other people’s negativity.  We uncritically accept insults and hurtful characterizations by family and “friends.”  Also, we catalog demoralizing memories of past offenses.  In time, these recollections erode faith and self-confidence.  Unfortunately, we allow negative people and harmful deeds to rent space for free within our minds.  We have Jesus’ example of putting cynical people out of our minds and hearts.

You recall the story of David and Goliath in which a shepherd boy who becomes the future king of Israel slays the Philistine giant.  Prior to David’s arrival at the battlefield, Goliath daily defeats the army of Israel by taunting them.  His booming voice not only penetrates their ears but also their minds and hearts.  As fear and doubt coalesces within these “brave” men, they paralyze them.  Israel’s army is unable to fight.  Yet, David discards Goliath’s snide remarks.  David faith in Almighty God yields his courage.  His belief assures him God will deliver this Philistine into his hands.

Each morning, we engage a battle with a “Goliath” of self-centered fears that continually rob us of success and joy.  Like David, we muster the belief and resolve to face Goliath.  Otherwise, fear and negativity will defeat us.  It is sad to lose without making your enemy fight.  Moreover, to be victorious, we surround ourselves with people who will fight with us.  We remove all “doubting Thomases” from our lives.  Finally, we clean dust and residue of uncertainty and anxiety within our minds and hearts.

The writings of the late Norman Vincent Peale offer a very effective practical method for acquiring faith and discipline.  First, do not panic regardless of the circumstances.  Second, get organized.  Practically speaking, obtain any necessary knowledge; arranging files, coordinating your paper work, and planning a strategy with which to fight.  Third, pray and seek divine guidance.  Fourth, think intently about the situation.  Meditation often yields valuable insights.  Fifth, apply what you have learned from all the other steps.  

Motivation

A few years ago, as the sixth installment of a sermon series, “Success in the Kingdom of God,” I offered a message, “The Power of Motivation,” based on Gideon’s story in Judges 6:1-40.  In this blog, I summarize a few highlights.

Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” inspires the title and central motifs of M. Scott Peck’s monumental bestseller, The Road Less Traveled.  The poem and book ask the reader whether he possesses requisite motivation to succeed in life.  Unquestionably, motivation is a primary determinant of success.  Do you have deep and heartfelt desire propelling you toward successful achievements?  Are you willing to travel the road not taken?  Frost’s poem ends with the declaration that the choice “has made all the difference.”

In August Wilson’s play, Two Trains Running, Roscoe Pounds played a sage who daily reads the newspaper in a local diner.  The venerable old man painstakingly listens to a young guy who insists he will someday buy a Cadillac and a luxury home.  After a while, the sage finally says, “You obviously don’t want those things as much as you say you do.  The people who really want them already got them.” 

His exhortation refers to the power of motivation, which fuels persistence toward accomplishing goals.  However, honesty about your willingness to successfully pursue your dreams and goals is an important component of motivation.  A friend of mine works in corporate America.  One Friday night at midnight, I reached her at her desk.  She had begun the workday at 8:00 a.m., making a sixteen-hour day.  Her desire for a luxury car, designer clothing, a brownstone and other material things empowered her to work such a schedule.  Whereas I would like those things, I am not willing to pay the price she does.  I need not set myself up for failure by wanting things I am not willing to work to obtain.  Nonetheless, I do have other goals and dreams for which I am willing to work very hard.  But, material acquisition and financial gain are not chief among them.

Motivation is not a fleeting emotion.  It is not passing jokes about major goals we make in beauty parlors or barbershops.  Motivation is an unwavering mental determination to define and focus upon achieving a goal.  It invests mind and heart in pursuit of your dreams.  Perseverance and motivation are synonymous; they are a golden nugget embedded in your psyche that appreciates into success and excellence.

Practically speaking, motivation means resolving you are going to be successful come what may.  Say to yourself, “I’m going to succeed if it is the last thing that I do.”  Secondly, motivation requires constant renewal of the mind.  Saturate yourself with positive and affirming messages that encourage you as you pursue your dreams and goals.  The apostle Paul in Romans (12:1-3) discourses upon the necessity of daily renewal of the mind.    Third, we consistently examine our vision to improve our focus.  Aimlessness and shifting shadows hinder motivation.  They also impede productivity and enlightening prayer.  A double-minded person can ask nothing of God.  Hebrews 11:6 teaches anyone who comes to God must believe He is and He diligently rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Fourth, spiritual disciplines such as prayer and meditation are the very good tools with which to refine one’s motivation.

Motives are an intricate component of motivation.  Worthless motives drain worthwhile motivation.  Again, be honest with yourself about your sincerity and willingness to work hard to achieve certain goals.  Otherwise, you set yourself up for failure.  An honest appraisal of raw motives is essential to cultivating the motivation to succeed.  If your are not willing to spend four years in college, four in medical school, four in a residency program and additional time in special residency, then you are not willing to become a doctor with specialized knowledge.  It does not matter how much “false” motivation you manufacture.

Are you willing to travel on the road not taken even if your parents, siblings and friends refuse to journey with you?  Will you stay on that road once you cease to see familiar territory?  Will you continue or turn back to travel safely with a crowd on a worn path?  Motivation separates winners from losers.  It determines who succeeds.