Dear Friends,
In our culture, it has become common to use the word "good" as if it means something bad. For example, "Be a good girl," or "Be a good boy," is used sarcastically to imply that someone who is "good" is a blind follower who doesn't think for themselves or do anything that is either enjoyable or meaningful. "Good" seems to be something shameful that people should not want to be. Isaiah warns people about this, saying in Isaiah 5:20 (NIV), "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" In the Bible, instructions from God on how to do what is good are given for our own benefit - for our actual good and not to control or limit us.
When God chose the descendants of Israel to be his people, he gave them a set of rules to follow so that they would know how to live in a way that was good and pleasing to him. This was for their own benefit. Moses said to the people in Deuteronomy 10:12-15 (NIV) "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"
In a similar way, the teachings of Jesus are for our good. And, far from demanding unquestioning support of the status quo, they are often radically countercultural. Let's strive to be genuinely and counterculturally good like Jesus.
A Prayer for Today:
Jesus, show me what is genuinely good. Don't let me be deceived by the way the world sometimes twists things around, by what may seem good but is not. Let me be pleasing to you both inside and out. Amen.
Love in Christ,
Michelle
