Good Friday

How is the day someone is murdered ever considered good?  Sometimes we wonder how can good be born out of evil acts. It is difficult to balance these things in our minds sometimes. 

I think about when I had begun walking with God.  He was revealing so much to me and through strange ways.  I watched a lot of CBN at the time and was listening to one of the preachers on their programs and his words had a profound effect on me that remains with me still today.  The preacher was talking about knowing the love of God and that sometimes we don’t feel it or see it.  We doubt that God loves us because of the circumstances that are occurring in our lives.  The weight of our work or maybe a relationship is manifesting feelings of anger, guilt, shame, or animosity.  Or maybe an event has thrown us into chaos, confusion, or a profound sense of loss.  And in these moments we ask the question where is God? Where is his love? If God loved me would he be leaving me alone in these deeply disturbing situations? And what this particular pastor said that opened my eyes was that God demonstrated his love long ago. He demonstrated that love on the cross.  

That hit me. A little thing happened to me in college.  Looking back now it makes me chuckle at the sadness that happened because of such a minor event (I choose to think of it as my reliance on God in all situations, even the small ones.)   But I had forgotten to do an assignment and because of that I thought my grade was going to plummet.  I was trying to do well in school and it broke my heart because it felt like I was slipping back into old habits.  I complained and questioned God wondering why he didn’t remind me of the assignment and my need to complete it. I’m talking I seriously was going into a time of grief over this missed assignment and a resentment of God for not opening up the sky and calling down telling me to “complete your assignment my son.” I was letting God know that I had been doing all I could to live like Jesus, proclaim his good news, and love his people and he couldn’t even do this small thing. I know I know, I kind of went off on such a small thing.  That's why I said looking back on this I kind of chuckle.  But through that time of morning the loss of that grade, I was reminded once again of how I knew that God loved me, despite the lack of communication involving my assignment.  It was because he gave his life for me.  That is how I know the God of the universe loves me.  It is the pinnacle of the demonstration of his love for me.  Christ allowed himself to be beaten and subsequently murder so that I might not have to suffer an eternal punishment for all of the wrongs I have committed. And that ultimately I could be with him in the presence of his everlasting love.  That is how I know he loves me.  That is how I know he seeks my good.  

A scripture comes to mind when I think about this. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans. He says that God demonstrated his love for us that while we were sinners Christ died for us.  That means that even though we were enemies of the crown, hostels towards his kingdom, he desired to end those battles and bring about peace. But it was not by destroying me. He decided to destroy himself instead. Rather than start anew he rescued the broken. 

The original question I asked was how can good come from murder.  The answer is love and life.  Today is Good Friday and it can truly be called good because it was the day that God demonstrated his great and lavish love for his creation through the death of Jesus.  

If you have not decided to trust Jesus with your life I encourage you to today. He loves you and has proven this by his sacrifice.  If you have trusted him with your life, trust him with your whole life.  He desires nothing but good for you. In that same letter Paul says that if God didn’t spare what was most precious to him (his son) then what good will he not bestow on us.  Trust him with all aspects of your life and know that he is infinitely blessing you and is pouring out his blessings upon you.