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Thankful for God's Goodness


Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)


            More reasons to give thanks. God is good. Yes, He is moral and righteous. He is also good in the sense that batteries are "good" - He is capable of doing what a God is supposed to do. This is the problem with so many of the other "gods." They are not only described as being as morally corrupt as the most corrupt of people, but they could not be trusted to function in the way that gods were supposed to function. God pointed out the badness of the other gods frequently - they have eyes but they do not see, ears but they do not hear. God showed the "badness" or uselessness of the Egyptian gods. I've recently listened to I Samuel 5, in which God revealed the inability of Dagon to protect himself, and to II Kings 16 (one of my many favorites), in which God and Elijah show the uselessness of Baal. On the other hand, in those same instances and many others, God shows that He is capable.
            Another reason to thank Him is because His love endures forever and His faithfulness endures forever. I have had people who claimed to care for me turn and walk away without a glance back because I did something they decided was unforgivable. I've walked away from people who have done something unforgivable - for a long time, without even realizing what it was they had done or why I thought it unforgivable. It's a good thing that God doesn't do that because we'd all be in trouble if He did.
           I suspect that most people are like me. There are times - sometimes extended periods of time - when I am unpleasant, uncooperative, impolite, inconsiderate, hateful, disrespectful...ugly in just about any way you care to describe it. Sometimes, the problem is with the beholder, but often the problem is with me. Someone who sticks by me  when I am the ugliest person I can be deserves to be thanked and praised. There I times when I so ugly I go to God to have a "Your daughter" talk. "God, do You know what Your daughter has done? Do You know what she is doing? What are You going to do about it?"
           The answer is that He is going to love and be faithful, in whatever form that needs to take for His daughter's health, safety, sanity, and maturity. Sometimes it's a hug. Sometimes, it's a time out. Sometimes, it's being grounded or having privileges taken away. Sometimes, it's a spanking. Once, He sent His Son, who in my place. Love and faithfulness do that.  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the sky:
Full Moon (Beaver Moon, Super Moon, closest and biggest it's been in years. )

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