A Motto and More 

I enjoy taking lengthy walks. Neighbors or complete strangers will frequently greet me with a cheerful “Hi” or “Good morning” and then follow that up by saying, “How ya doing?” My typical reply had been, “I’m good.” However, that response seemed both artificial and superficial to me. Eventually, I crafted a response that seemed more authentic. Now I often respond: 

“God is good, life is a gift, and I am grateful.” 

People may be surprised by this unexpected response. Occasionally a meaningful conversation follows. 

The response shifts the attention from me to the Lord. I’ve made it my personal motto, simple, sincere, and truthful. I want my life to communicate the truth embedded in those words. My feelings vary from day to day. Some days I feel great but of course there are days I wish I had stayed in bed longer. Yet I am grateful every day. Gratitude is a deliberate attitude that I cultivate, not a fleeting emotion. Consequently, I do not say, “I feel grateful,” but “I am grateful.” For the most part, those words succinctly and accurately describe how I am and why I am that way, regardless of my circumstances or feelings. And if I am having an off-day, affirming those basic truths reinforce the attitude I am cultivating. These three simple phrases also are a declaration of faith. They declare God is both good and the source and giver of life. Those are great reasons to be grateful. They always remind me to look at the big picture: to focus on God, not my feelings. Let’s consider each phrase more closely. 

God is Good 

The goodness of God is a simple truth. Yet, at a deeper level, it is a profound affirmation of faith with multiple implications. Critics and cynics often question whether God can be good if he permits evil and injustice to flourish in our world. Yet, like in all religious and philosophical systems, even atheism, the foundational presuppositions, or assumptions rest upon faith. I struggled long and hard with those foundational truths and eventually concluded those basic faith affirmations (God is good and life is a gift) are both foundational truths that we can build our lives upon. They are essential for a meaningful life. I have embraced them by faith. 

Sometimes the Scriptures challenge its readers with probing questions. We need to think about these questions as we consider the goodness of God: 

⁷ What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?
1 Corinthians 4:7 

The Apostle’s first question is answered in the second question: “…everything you have is from God.” EVERYTHING you have! Think about what you have. Start with your body and all of its micro and macro components. The complexity is amazing from the tiniest parts of a cell to organs and the miles of capillaries. Or just reflect about the capacities and complexity of the human brain. What wonderful gifts from God. Consider your joyful and most meaningful experiences, your loved ones and friends, your possessions, abilities, and accomplishments. Think of the air you breathe and the food you eat and the sleep that sustains you. Think of the earth orbiting the sun and how essential the sun is to your life. Everything you have, including all of your possessions, are gifts from God. You did not pay a cent to God for life, nor did you do anything to deserve life. No, life is God’s gift to you. Each and every gift he gives confirms that God is generous, kind, loving, and GOOD. God gives good gifts, including life itself, because “God is good.” Creation, common sense, biblical revelation, and Jesus affirm this basic truth.  

We considered this basic truth in the first challenge. But let’s go a step further. Because God is completely good without a speck of evil; he alone determines what is good and evil. Following creation, God told the first human “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17). God alone determines what is good and evil. To usurp his role in determining what was good and evil (by eating the forbidden fruit) would trigger the most severe consequence: “you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:17: 3:3). But the serpent’s lie was that if they ate the fruit, they would not need God because they would know good and evil without God’s help. This lie was a direct challenge to the goodness of God. Tragically, they believed the lie and ate the forbidden fruit. And people continue to believe this lie that is the genesis of all other lies. 

To believe God is good begins with child-like faith. But for disciples to flourish, the goodness of God must become an unshakable conviction. Yes, evil is both real and pervasive, but God is not the source of any evil. The root of evil is not found in God, but in the denial of God’s goodness. God is the antithesis of evil and the embodiment of good. God hates all evil. 

Affirming God’s goodness and thanking him for his gifts increases our joy, clarifies our perspectives, and strengthens our hope. That’s why thanking God is not a rule, an obligation or a duty, but a joyous privilege. We thank him because we have been the recipients of his undeserved goodness. This is simple and yet so important. Never take it for granted. 

Perhaps we should associate God’s goodness with his love. Goodness and love are not synonyms but interdependent qualities in a symbiotic relationship. Like water is a combination of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen, so God’s grace combines goodness and love to make grace. And just as water is necessary for physical health, so the living water (see Jn 4:10) of grace (goodness + love = grace or living water) is necessary for spiritual health. Separately or together, God’s love and goodness, are foundational for spiritual life. 

Life is a Gift 

God is the living God. God always has been. He did not receive life; he is life. Without God there would be no life. God is the source and creator of all life. Human life is not accidental, nor is it insignificant. Our lives originate in God and are his precious and priceless gifts. The Triune God is all about life (Psalm 87:7). He is filled to overflowing with life. Or we could say God is bursting with life; it flows from him like an unending river. 

Jesus went a step further when he said, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26). This has wonderful implications. Jesus, along with the Father and the Spirit, is both a source and distributor of life. Thus, he described his mission in this way, “I came that they [those who follow him] may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, NRSV). Jesus came to give us abundant life. Everything he said and did, his incarnation as a human being, his miracles, his teaching, his example, his crucifixion, and then supremely his resurrection were all part of his mission to bring life to us—the life that fills and overflows from God. To do that, he conquered the twin enemies: sin and death. 

John’s gospel describes this kind of living as “eternal life,” which is more than life beyond the grave. He gives us life without measure, both in quality and quantity. Eternal life begins now, when we find the Jesus Way, and continues forever. Disciples are “apprentices of Jesus in kingdom living”—tasting and experiencing God’s abundance of life. Disciples are learning to live on this side of the grave what life will be like on the other side of the grave. Eternal life and Kingdom living are inseparable. If you have one, you have the other too. We taste what it will be like then and there in the here and now. 

Make no mistake, the Christian faith is about life, abundant and eternal life: life filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit—the “life-giving Spirit” (Romans 8:2, 10-11). Abundant life is living with joy, ever-increasing hope, and peace. This way of living brings purpose and meaning because everything we think or do has eternal consequences. “Kingdom living” is a synonym for both “eternal life” and “abundant life.” It is living under the rule of the God who loves us continually and unconditionally and extends inexhaustible grace to us. He forgives our failures. But we only experience this type of living as we follow the Jesus Way. We surrender to him, for he is the only source and giver of life. No one or nothing else can generate or create life; we can only receive it as a gift. There are no substitutes. 

A popular caricature of the Christian faith is that our God is stingy and joyless, a God who wants to make us miserable. I remember two young friends who believed if they went all in for God, God would send them as missionaries to some terrible place they didn’t even want to visit. They sincerely believed the lie that God wanted to them to be miserable. They concluded God didn’t want them to enjoy life or to have fun. This lie is the opposite of the gospel truth—literally a lie from the pit of hell; the lie that Adam and Eve believed and that Satan wants us to believe as well. To believe that lie is akin to believing Jesus turned wine into dirty water instead of turning water into wine (John 2:1-12). Jesus is not a killjoy, wanting us to be miserable, but the source and giver of life and joy. He claimed to be life (Jn 14:6). 

Any teaching that turns the good news into bad news cannot be gospel truth. Anything that diminishes life is not from God. Yet embracing the life Jesus gives comes with a cost. You must surrender your present life and receive something much better from him—abundant and eternal life. Much like trading in an old, broken-down car that barely runs for the automobile you always dreamed of having. But if you believe the lie that God wants you to be miserable, you cannot receive the life Jesus wants to give you. Jesus pays for it, but you must give him the title to the old vehicle before you can receive the new. 

I am Grateful 

If you believe the first two phrases, “God is good” and “ life is a gift,” gratitude will follow. We cultivate thankful hearts by reflecting on God’s goodness and his life-giving gift of Jesus. The more we realize and recognize God’s goodness and his desire to bless us with abundant and eternal life, the more grateful we become. That gratitude is inevitably expressed by giving thanks to the Giver. Giving thanks for the gift is to share the joy the gift brings us with the One who gave us the gift. Sharing our joy through giving thanks multiplies and deepens our joy. That is how life works in the Kingdom of God.

Get a Life 

¹¹ As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. ¹² As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, ¹³ crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴ He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” ¹⁶ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
Luke 17:11-19 

Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Lepers were also ostracized and required to live as outcasts in leper colonies, far from family and friends. Their disease also led to horrific disfigurement. They frequently lost their ears, noses, fingers, and toes. Various substances oozed from their open wounds. Not surprisingly, lepers were considered “unclean,” meaning that anyone who had contact with them also become unclean. They could not enter the Jerusalem Temple or the local synagogues. When someone approached them, they were expected to shout “unclean” to prevent accidental contact. They were rejected, lonely, miserable, and without hope for a better future. There was no cure. We could characterize them as not having a life. 

These lepers, however, had heard about Jesus and his miraculous powers. Yet, as social outcasts, they had little chance of ever meeting him. However, when the ten lepers in our story recognized Jesus, they knew this would likely be their one and only opportunity to ask him to heal them. But first they had to get his attention because they could not go to him. He had to come to them. So, they intentionally raised a ruckus, shouting as loud as possible. Verse 14 says, “He took a good look at them” (The Message). They were used to people staring at them in disgust and then turning away, horrified by what they saw. Jesus did not look away; he looked at them. He saw their depression, despair, and hopelessness. He also saw their desperate desire for life. 

Jesus responded, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” Lepers were not permitted to return to their families and homes and to resume a normal life unless their healing was authenticated by a priest. It was the only way the outcasts could be restored to living as valued members of their former communities. That was their dream. Apparently, they believed his words because they left immediately and “as they went, they were cleansed” of their leprosy.” They were healed! 

Their wildest dream had been fulfilled! Like the gospel, it seemed too good to be true! Joy flooded their hearts. They saw and felt their regenerated fingers, toes, and noses. Amazed, they likely laughed and cried simultaneously and pinched themselves to make sure they were not dreaming. I visualize them running and shouting with joy as they race to find a priest or to return to their homes. They had received what they wanted above all else, healing—which for them meant getting a life. 

Suddenly, one of them stopped, looked back, and remembered. He alone turned and ran back to find Jesus. When he saw him, “He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done.” THANK you! Thank YOU! THANK YOU!” he panted. He was expressing his heart which was overflowing with gratitude. He could not contain it. He had to express it. As tears streamed down his face, thanks and praise poured out of him like water out of an artesian well. “This man was a Samaritan.” None of the Jewish lepers had returned. 

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” 

Jesus did not ask why the others had not returned to thank him because his ego needed a boost. No, he was concerned about the hearts of the other nine men he had healed. He knew they needed to express gratitude by saying “thank you.” Their leprosy was healed, but their hearts were unchanged. 

The returning Samaritan knelt before Jesus, deliberately humbling himself before thanking Jesus for what he had done for him. The man realized his good fortune wasn’t about him and acknowledged that by kneeling. He was giving thanks to Jesus. He realized he had done nothing to deserve the wonderful gift of life he had received. He knew he was loved. He knew his new life came from Jesus. That’s gratitude. I’m confident when he left Jesus, his heart was overflowing with joy because he was healed, but also because he had encountered Jesus in a life-transforming way. Giving thanks to Jesus sealed a deep and unbreakable bond between them. They had connected at heart level. He had received both living water and healing. 

The story ends with Jesus’ words to the Samaritan, “Your faith has healed you.” The Greek for “healed” (sozo) literally means saved or delivered. The Samaritan went away a new man, for he had received much more than physical healing. Jesus gave him life. He had a new and living faith, a new living hope, and a new relationship with the living Lord of all. 

I imagine from that day forward, as the former leper walked the streets of his village, people greeted him by name and asked, “How are you doing?” And he may have replied in a way that communicated, “Jesus is so good, my life is a precious gift, and I can’t stop thanking him!” 

That is a description of the big picture. Without a firm understanding of the big picture, life begins to feel heavy and burdensome. The big picture is the framework through which we consider our current circumstances. Our circumstances change quickly, but the big picture is what we build our lives upon. Do you believe something like that? Can you affirm those simple truths with conviction? If so, you are cultivating a thankful heart! 

The big picture is the framework through which we consider our current circumstances. Our circumstances change quickly, but the big picture is what we build our lives upon.

THINKING IT THROUGH

“God’s way is perfect.” 2 Samuel 22:31

THE TRUTH: The Lord has given us myriads of priceless gifts. 

THE CHALLENGE: Disciples respond by cultivating thankful hearts. 

Each part of every four-part challenge concludes with a “Thinking it Through” segment which consists of a list of Scriptures related to the topic being considered, questions for group discussion and personal reflection, and notes. Each of the twelve challenges will end with an exercise to guide you through the process of naming lies, believing the truth, and clarifying the personal implications and applications of the truth to your life. Truth, if believed, must be lived, and living the truth brings personal transformation (Kingdom living). Please consider this section as a tool to help you to understand the truth, not as a test or as busy work. 

Related Scriptures 

Psalm 136:1, Psalm 107:1 ¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) ¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

Colossians 2:6-7 ⁶ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. ⁷ Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Psalm 28:7 ⁷ The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. 

Romans 1:21 ²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 

2 Corinthians 4:15 ¹⁵ All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 

John 14:6 ⁶ I am the way and the truth and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…. 

1 John 5:11 ¹¹ And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 

John 17:3 ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 

2 Chronicles 5:13 ¹³ The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord…. 

2 Chronicles 7:3 ³ When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 

1 Chronicles 16:14, 16 ¹⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

¹⁶ Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; Gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” 

Questions 

You are encouraged to use these questions for group discussion or personal reflection. Respond to the questions that are most relevant or interesting to you (I urge you to write your responses in a journal or notebook). 

1. Challenge 3, Part B, repeatedly refers to this faith statement: “God is good, life is a gift, and I am grateful.” Is this a helpful and trustworthy declaration? How would you edit it to improve it? Underline any part that you reject or struggle to understand. 

2. What parts of this faith statement would a militant atheist most vehemently reject? 

3. What are the consequences if someone believes in God but does not believe “God is good”? 

4. What are the potential consequences if someone denies the truth of “life is a gift”? 

5. What are possible consequences if someone cannot honestly say, “I am grateful”? 

6. At one point in Part B, this phrase is described as “gospel truth”. What does “gospel truth” mean?

7. What is the role of the good news (gospel) in cultivating an attitude of gratitude? 

8. Is the assertion that God is the “source of life” a new concept for you? What else or who else could be the source of life? 

9. If one believes life is a precious gift, how will that belief shape their attitudes and actions? 

10. Some people think God is like a grumpy old man—a stingy miser without joy, humor, or enthusiasm. In their view, God is incapable of smiling or feeling joy. They assume if you were to submit to him, he would make you miserable and probably send you somewhere you don’t want to go. To them, God represents the antithesis of what they think life should be. How do you think about God? Does he smile and laugh and or does he constantly frown and criticize? 

11. How does our understanding of God shape our perceptions of the meaning and value of life? 

Notes 

The Torah 

The Torah is the first five books in the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch or the Books of Moses. Torah is translated as law or instruction. These five books are the foundational books for all that follows. Salvation history began with God’s call to Abraham to leave almost everything he was familiar with and to journey to an unknown destination. His faith journey is a pattern of many more biblical journeys that followed, including what I am calling the Jesus Way. 

God promised to bless him, to make him into a great nation, and ultimately to bless all people through him (Genesis 12:1-3). This promise had many components, but ultimately it would be fulfilled through Abraham’s descendant, Jesus. Abraham’s family flourished and his grandson Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs/tribes of Israel. Eventually they journeyed to Egypt where they were enslaved by the Pharaohs (kings). God liberated them centuries later through Moses and ten plagues which culminated in the first Passover. God “passed over” the Hebrews (descendants of Abraham) but first-born Egyptian sons died. The Hebrews fled Egypt, Moses parted the Red Sea, and the descendants of Abraham passed through. The Egyptian army pursuing them drowned when the parted waters returned to normal. 

The people journeyed to the base of Mt Sinai, where the Lord (Yahweh) revealed himself to his people in miraculous ways. God called Moses to meet with him at the summit of the mountain and gave him the Ten Commandments, but while he was there, the people began to worship the idol (a golden calf). But God was merciful and entered into a covenant relationship with the Hebrews who became Israel (Israelites) at that time. Their identity was tied to the covenant.

God had saved Abraham’s descendants, not because they were worthy but because he loved them. Grace preceded the law (God's instructions to his people). The Lord clarified his expectation for the people through the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue). They were his instructions or guidelines on living freely as his people. He would lead, provide for, protect, and bless them and in return they would trust and obey him. While they were at Mt. Sinai, God instructed them on how to build the Tabernacle. When the construction was completed, the people resumed their journey to the land God had promised Abraham and his descendants. But they faltered, overcome by fear, and refused to enter the promised land when commanded to do so. As a result, their journey in the Sinai Desert was extended and became a forty-year endurance test. 

Yet God continued to feed them each day with manna, gave them water to drink, and protected them from powerful enemies. The next generation, who had been born during this extended journey, were finally instructed to enter the land promised to them after Moses had died, under the leadership of Joshua. The conquest of the land under Joshua (“Joshua” is the Hebrew name that in the NT is translated into English as “Jesus”) begins the second major section of the Old Testament, the historical books. 

Copyright © 2024 Don Waite

All rights reserved.

Previous

Next