{"id":3562,"date":"2017-05-15T09:40:08","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T13:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/voh\/?p=3562"},"modified":"2017-05-11T12:53:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T16:53:45","slug":"what-do-you-say-is-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/voh\/2017\/05\/15\/what-do-you-say-is-good\/","title":{"rendered":"What do You Say is Good?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In morning class, I asked our group of phase 1 residents how they define what is \u201cgood.\u201d We are currently reading Trusting God<\/u> by Jerry Bridges as part of our morning class curriculum. \u00a0Bridges had just made the point that God, in His sovereignty and wisdom, brings good out of suffering and adversity. Romans 8:28 is a well-known verse that teaches this truth: \u201cAnd we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose<\/strong>.\u201d To properly understand Bridges\u2019 point and this verse, we have to define what is good.<\/p>\n

I asked the group how we tend to define the word. In our discussion, one resident shared that she thinks of \u201cgood\u201d as happily-ever-after and fairy tale endings. Disney, we agreed, unabashedly promotes this version of good, and we eat it up. Another lady shared that she thinks of good as justice. The group then chimed in that we like justice too, but even in that, we define \u201cgood\u201d as justice according to our<\/em> timetable and our<\/em> perspective of what is just. A different resident talked about how she thinks that what is good is what she wants and what she thinks would make her happy. But she admitted that what she thinks will make her happy does not then live up to her expectations. If we have the wrong definition of \u201cgood,\u201d then we will be frustrated at God\u2019s sovereign workings because they will not line up to our mistaken expectations. If we are just living for the nice, neat Disney ending to our suffering (and all within 90 minutes or so), we will desperately struggle to trust God, wait patiently or see any good in our pain.<\/p>\n

We built on our discussion by looking at Romans 12:10, \u201c\u2026He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness<\/strong>.\u201d <\/strong>God\u2019s definition of \u201cgood\u201d is starkly different from the definitions we brainstormed.\u00a0 He says what is good and best for us is to \u201cshare His holiness<\/strong>.\u201d Romans 8:29, by elaborating on the point of verse 28, also helps us with a biblical definition: \u201cFor those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become<\/em> conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren<\/strong>.\u201d God defines \u201cgood\u201d as becoming more like Christ, which by nature includes sharing in God\u2019s holiness. God\u2019s definition rejects our human inclination towards living for our own desires and temporary comfort, and instead replaces it with the eternal joy that comes from becoming more like Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

We laughed at the idea of a Disney movie that would simply end with the characters becoming more holy and Christ-like. The Disney definition of good is here to stay.\u00a0 But as Christians who yearn to trust God, we must trust Him by embracing His definition of good for our lives.\u00a0 If we submit to this, then we will be better prepared in hard times to trust God. In suffering, we will be strengthened to trust God to cultivate the eternal good of personal holiness rather than finding ourselves consumed with seeking the warm fuzzies of a temporary happily-ever-after.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In morning class, I asked our group of phase 1 residents how they define what is \u201cgood.\u201d We are currently reading Trusting God by Jerry Bridges as part of our morning class curriculum. \u00a0Bridges had just made the point that God, in His sovereignty and wisdom, brings good out of suffering and adversity. Romans 8:28… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":3563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[12590,65,5386,21],"yoast_head":"\nWhat do You Say is Good? - Vision of Hope<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/voh\/2017\/05\/15\/what-do-you-say-is-good\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What do You Say is Good? - Vision of Hope\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In morning class, I asked our group of phase 1 residents how they define what is \u201cgood.\u201d We are currently reading Trusting God by Jerry Bridges as part of our morning class curriculum. \u00a0Bridges had just made the point that God, in His sovereignty and wisdom, brings good out of suffering and adversity. 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