by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
God is good!<\/strong><\/p>\n That pithy phrase pops up in my newsfeed several times a day, usually in a comment where someone reports something good in their life. It could be favorable results from a medical test, the arrival of a new baby, a financial windfall, the purchase of something new, or one of many, many other fortunate things we usually rejoice over. “God is good!” people exclaim.<\/p>\n And indeed, He is very, very good, and it’s easy to “rejoice with those who rejoice<\/em>” (Romans 12:15) when good befalls them.<\/p>\n But what about when things aren’t so rosy?<\/strong>\u00a0What about when one’s body is wracked with pain or the bank account is empty and the rent’s due?<\/p>\n Paul the apostle penned the letter to the Philippians when he was in a Roman prison cell. The charges against him were serious, and though he was hopeful, there was no guarantee he’d be released. Yet, he clung to a profoundly simple truth: “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength<\/em>” (Philippians 4:13). It was this simple truth that not only helped him learn contentment, but also to see God’s goodness in even the most dire circumstances.<\/p>\n Though others had the power to take his life, they could not take his faith. Nor could they take the reward of faith which he anticipated. So he exclaims, “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I will say, rejoice!<\/em>” (Philippians 4:4). Paul prospered through pain or pleasure because he knew the source of strength and goodness, no matter what was happening around him (see Philippians 4:10-12).<\/p>\n And there’s the lesson:<\/p>\n Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God and what we think He has- or hasn’t -done for us. Circumstances, good or bad, may influence that thinking, but may not truly reflect reality. The bottom line is that God is good even when life isn’t. He is the One who provides strength for trials, comfort for sorrow, and determination for endurance.<\/p>\n God is good. Period.<\/strong><\/p>\n “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!<\/em>” (Philippians 4:4).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Zeke Flores God is good! That pithy phrase pops up in my newsfeed several times a day, usually in a comment where someone reports something good in their life. It could be favorable results from a medical test, the arrival of a new baby, a financial windfall, the purchase of something new, or one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[90,1769],"class_list":["post-90878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-god","tag-goodness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43936,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-masturbation-wrong-because-it-is-pleasurable\/","url_meta":{"origin":90878,"position":0},"title":"Is masturbation wrong because it is pleasurable?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Mr. Hamilton, A Christian friend of mine brought to my attention concerning masturbation, that since the purpose and context for which God created sex to be used is between a married man and woman, (at least as far as the Bible speaks of) that masturbation is in opposition to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83268,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-joys-of-involvement\/","url_meta":{"origin":90878,"position":1},"title":"The Joys of Involvement","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson Have you noticed? The happiest Christians are highly involved in the Lord's work. Why is this so? There is joy in using our God-given talents as He intended for the good of others. \"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35261,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-glorify-god-in-everything-i-do-but-still-have-fun-in-the-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":90878,"position":2},"title":"How can I glorify God in everything I do but still have fun in the process?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm a 14-year-old guy. Most guys like to play sports, games, computers, etc. Well when I'm taking part in these activities, I'm thinking to myself, \"stop idolizing this stuff, you could be reading the Bible instead.\" In other words, whenever I am doing something fun, it feels like I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4443,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-rid-myself-of-anger-frustration-and-resentment-toward-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":90878,"position":3},"title":"How do I rid myself of anger, frustration, and resentment toward God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do I rid myself of anger, frustration, and resentment toward God? Life isn't, and probably shouldn't be, heaven on earth, but I feel at times as though things are withheld (Luke 18:1). Did I not pray hard enough or long enough for something? Does God keep \"score?\" Perhaps\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19472,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-life-all-about-god-and-never-about-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":90878,"position":4},"title":"Is life all about God and never about us?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is life \"all\" about God and never about us? If so, are we ever allowed to enjoy personal pleasure for our own benefit? For example, marriage could be considered personal pleasure in that a relationship, future family, and sex are all involved. Or what about entertainment such as playing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1475,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-life-only-enjoyable-for-the-righteous-when-they-reach-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":90878,"position":5},"title":"Is life only enjoyable for the righteous when they reach heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeff, I read in the Scriptures of all the good things, promises, happiness, peace, comfort and more that the righteous are told they will enjoy, but when you consider their life, it is mostly filled with misery. 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\nEven when I can’t see whether there is a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel I’m in. Even when the storm that surrounds me seems to rage fiercer and fiercer. Or when I’m simply having a bad day, God is good.\n