Tag: God is Good

How Good is God? Devotional

Do we know just how good God is? Do we have any idea how good God is?

We should be dead in our trespasses. But God! But God is good, and He made a way, through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Saturday, I’m at home, my back is out, and I get on my knees, and I pray. I’m praying about how good God is in my life and I start weeping and I feel the Holy Spirit comes over me and I just be still, basking in it, praying about how good He is and that I have no idea how good He is.

Even when we don’t understand or when it hurts, God is still good. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

Where is Jesus right now? On the right hand of the Father (Col. 3:1). What is Jesus doing? He is interceding on our behalf. John 17:24, all good answers. Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven. John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”  (Bible Gateway ESV 2025) Jesus is preparing a place for us, in Heaven, isn’t that good!

I was texting Junior today about what we need to bring, is it going to be inside, do we need skewers for hotdogs and do we need to bring chairs and he wrote me back and said Amy offered to make pork loin, and pumpkin pie and tea and I was like, yes and thank you and I was about to start weeping again and I was thinking why am I about to cry over this and I realized just how good God is. We don’t have to look far to see God’s goodness, just look around you. We needed rain and it rained. We’ve got food and fellowship. There are so many reasons to be thankful. 

Let’s just be still and bask in God’s goodness in our lives. Let’s be quite for a minute or two and take in the beauty of God’s creation and His goodness.

It was put on my heart for this brotherhood; we could share some of our testimonies. Brother Zack said he feels like he doesn’t have a very exciting testimony. He didn’t hit rock bottom; he didn’t go to jail. He didn’t lose everything, you see God reveals himself differently to each person. He has revealed Himself differently to each one of us. Aaron’s testimony is going to differ from Zack’s, and we can reach different people with our own different testimony.

God revealed Himself through general revelation to some of us and God has revealed Himself through special revelation to others, through creation, or God’s Word, or through something extraordinary.

Fishing Accident

The other day I went fishing and got a lure stuck in my head. Talk about getting right to the punch line.
 
I arrived at my favorite fishing hole early like I always try to, when the sun is first glimmering off the pond and the fog is rising. I did some bank fishing while waiting on my cousin to arrive, his Mom normally drops him off at my Uncle’s around 730 AM or so.
Anyway, I was casting a top water jig and it almost worked, I had a pretty good two pounder or so get a way. I know rookie! I didn’t want to jump in the boat until my cousin got there.
 
But I finally got all my gear in the boat. I have two fishing rods, a full tackle box and four other compartments, a net that I used to scoop up a six pounder with last year, and a basket to put all my fish in, so it takes a minute to get loaded up. I was fishing nearby the bank when my undisclosed cousin arrives I pick him up and we go to the deeper parts of the pond.
 
And by now the sun has risen and it’s getting hot. I love admiring God’s beautiful sunrises when it’s nice and cool.
 
We’re casting our lines and I have to admit I get snagged sometimes too, but not as often as my 12 year-old cuz does. And I have gotten myself unsnagged with some close calls before, but today he yanked his snag right into my skull.
 
I asked him if he could get it out and he said, one of the treble hooks was past the barb, so I told him to cut the line so I am not attached to his fishing pole, so he did. Next, we paddled to the bank so I could get some assistance getting this out of my skull. We found my cousin which is a first cousin, meaning he is much older, a few years older than me, and I asked if he could dig it out. Well, he got one of the treble hooks out, but the other was just too deep in my cranium. In the meantime, I am keeping my hand near my ear to keep the bottom treble hook from getting snagged, which is hanging around my ear. So, I instruct them to cut the treble hooks off the lure so we can detach the lure from me and I’ll only be left with one hook that is past the barb, sorry kid, your lure is now a keep sake. Now keep in mind, my first cousin wants to take a picture of this and I’m like I just want this thing out of my kopf (German word for head). I am trying to think of other words besides head, skull, and cranium to use. So I don’t have a picture to share with you, but it felt like my head was pierced, kind of like an ear. When I was younger I had my ear pierced. I know, I am an 80’s kid.
 
Once that was done, I proceeded to the VA where they first tried to dig it out without an anesthetic. I’m thinking, I could have had done this at my Uncle’s house, one of them could have dug it out there, they finally gave me a shot and dug it out.
 
So there are a few things to take away from this, God is good, all the time. This could have been much worse. If I had been looking a different way, instead of the lure being buried in the side of my head above my ear, it could have been buried in the front of my face, maybe even my eye. If I take my finger and trace back to the front of my face, it is around my forehead, or eyebrow area. And finally, if you get snagged on something in a boat, paddle out to it and get your self-unhooked or if you have to, cut your line. Don’t jerk on it!
 
And, I had my tetanus shot last year, instead of the Flu shot, you could only have one at a time (good choice)!
 
And yes, I’ll go fishing with my cousin again, I think?
 
Ya’ll be safe and God Bless!

Acquaintances

I’ve been blessed with a job opportunity in Mena, Arkansas, where I live. I currently commute to work 1 hour and 45 minutes a day one way. I’m looking forward to working in the same city that I reside in. My new place of employment will be 2.5 miles away from my residence as opposed to 85 miles away, maybe I can keep my car clean now.

I wanted to pay homage to the people we come in contact on a day to day basis that I will no longer see (maybe not on a daily basis).

I travel on highway 8E from Mena to Arkadelphia so the first person I won’t see anymore is the policeman directing traffic at Centerpoint school district. If I leave early enough he’s not there, but if I am running behind at all, he is out directing traffic, keeping everyone safe.

Other places I won’t frequent as much is Norman Truck Stop, sometimes I stop there to get gas, when it doesn’t look too busy. Another place I won’t frequent as much is the Big Red in Glenwood, a place I stopped to get gas or grab a snack.

I will also miss the friendly people that operate Davidson’s Sporting Goods and Grocery store in Amity. I stop there to grab a pack of M&Ms and a Sprite for the ride home. I also found Zoom Brush Hog Watermelon flake tackle that I used to catch that 6lb bass. I will miss the nice people there.

Another place I won’t frequent anymore is the Chick-fil-A at Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist Universities. There’s no Chick-fil-A in Mena, but I will get to eat at Meyers Cruizzers Drive in more, or probably just drive home for lunch.

I also will miss Allen’s BBQ and catering. I have to hit these places up before I leave.

I’m leaving old acquaintances and making new ones and I just wanted to take some time to make sure we don’t take people for granted that we see on a daily basis, from the policeman directing traffic to the people working at your favorite convenience store.

I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life and none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for God! God is Good (All the Time).