IT IS GOOD TO (PART 1)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him.

Lamentations 3:25a

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today we begin a four part series drawn from three simple verses in Lamentations 3, three verses that contain guidance about good things we should do in relation to the Lord.

We begin by understanding that it is good to place our hope in the Lord. We know because the scriptures tell us as much:

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him.  Lamentations 3:25a

Why is it so good to hope in the Lord?

Because there is nothing else we know who will deliver for us like He will. Nothing.

Yes, the world certainly offers us any numbers of things we could place our hope in. Maybe it’s a family member or mate. Maybe it’s a great job we’ve been blessed with. Maybe it’s money or a home or some other possession of value. There are plenty of places to invest our life’s expectations in but there is one thing they all have in common:

They are completely unreliable.

It’s true. You can place all your trust in the things of the world but in the end they will all leave you disappointed. I say this because when your life is over, none of those things are going to matter anymore and certainly, none of them can help you live a single moment after you die.

For only the Lord can bring us true life now and forever. That’s why it is good to place your hope in Him.

Indeed, the Lord is good to those who put their hope in Him and that goodness doesn’t just come in something we can enjoy during this temporary worldly life. Rather, when the scriptures tell us that He is good to those who hope in Him, they mean that He is good in a live-with-Him-forever, resurrected-from-death-to-new-life-and free-from-sin-and-every-other-kind-of-affliction kind of goodness.

A kind of goodness you can find nowhere else except in the Lord.

So what does realizing this kind of hope mean to us as we live in the here and now?

1. It means we can live in peace, knowing that the Lord has already given us a blessed assurance that no one can take away. Death is not the end but just the beginning of a glorious new life spent with Him forever. Knowing what is ahead, even after this earthly life is over, brings a great deal of solace and comfort to those who have placed their hope in the Lord.

2. It means we can live in confidence. God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place and when we place our hope in Him, our future is set. We need not worry about what our future holds because those chapters have already been written. The chapters still being composed are the ones we write every day in the way we carry out the Lord’s purposes, selflessly giving ourselves freely to others, just as Christ gave Himself freely for us.

3. It means we can live as victorious people. Jesus conquered death and the grave to come alive as our Savior, promising the same victory for anyone who places their hope in Him. When we accept the salvation God offers through His Son, we will never be able to be defeated in life for we are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37).  

Living in peace, confidence, and victory.

Isn’t that the kind of good life anyone would want to live?

The good news is that it’s available to anyone. All they have to do is place their hope in a Lord who will be good to them in return.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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