Drawn by His Goodness

June 29, 2015

Devotions:

        "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭3‬ KJV)

        Too often we mistake God's lovingkindness and goodness for His approval for our lifestyle. God does not approve of unrighteousness and evil but He reaches out with His lovingkindness to try to pursuade us to turn to Him for deliverance.  When Jesus performed a miracle there was a two fold purpose.  One was to demonstrate the love of God towards the person needing the miracle and secondly that people would see the glory of God and be transformed.  The religious leaders of the day refused to mix faith with what they saw and be changed.  Their hearts were hardened by their pursuit of thier own kingdoms rather than God's kingdom.  

        "And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?" (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭15-21‬ KJV)

        The miracleous feeding of the five thousand men plus women and children and the feeding of the four thousand men plus women and children was a demonstration of God's goodness, of God's glory and yet the disciples were excited about it superficially but did not understand the depth of the meaning of God's goodness towards them.  The  goodness of God had gone right past them and they did not even know it.  Their hearts were hardened by religion that said that God was a hard God. They did not expect His goodness towards them and were surprised by His mercy, so they did not believe His everlasting love for them.  God wants us to expect and experience His goodness moment by moment, daily and through it be drawn to Him closer and closer.  Start listing His goodness towards you and see how many you can come up with.