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Christlife Posture: Trusting God's Wisdom

Topic: Is God Really Good? 

 

Suggested Approach: Choose 1 thing from each of the three boxes

OR Choose 1 from Media or Reflection + 1 from Scripture 

Media Excursions Watch/read/listen and be ready to discuss Q's

Still Image/Painting

  •  Return of the Prodigal Son (Murillo, Bartolomé) How does this painting speak to you about the goodness of God toward His children?

  • Sketch: Jesus Heals a man with Leprosy (unknown) Based on Mark 1:40-45.  The man says "if you are willing, you can make me clean." Meditate on Jesus' response and how the artist depicts the face/attitude of Jesus. 

Video Clip

  • Skit: Cards You’ve Been Dealt (Skit Guys) How does this video help you think about whether God is good or not?   Why do you think God allows us to have a mixture of “good and bad” cards?

  • Is God Good? (Zangomatic) Does the logic of this video make sense to you? What evidence is there that God is good even though bad exists? 

Songs

  • Listen to either or both of these songs: Forever Reign (Hillsong) / King of My Heart (Sarah McMillan) How does believing God is good create a place of safety or security for those who dwell there?

Article ​

  • Is God Good? (Jennifer E. Jones) Were any of these definitions of "good" a surprise to you? How well does the author support her conclusion that God fits those definitions? 

Online Teaching

  • Life Questions (I Am Second) Look at the question on this page, “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” There are four short videos here.  Listen to the answers given in the videos of John Meador and Jeff Jones.  Try to restate their answers in your own words.  How convincing do you find those answers to be? What questions do you still have about His goodness?

Reflection Options  

Journal  (reflect on one or more of these questions)

  • What kinds of things make you question God’s goodness? What kinds of things help you trust His goodness? Compare the lists.

  • What areas of life do you take for granted which may truly be God’s gifts or goodness to you?  What would it look like for you to become more aware of His goodness?

  • What messages have you received over the years that have indicated that God is not or cannot be good (media, family, internal voice, friends, school…)? After looking over the other options you chose from this page, how would you address or affirm those messages?

Quote Interaction (Interact by agreeing, disagreeing or otherwise engaging with the quote/quotes)

  • God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them. (Augustine)

  • God often takes a course for accomplishing His purposes directly contrary to what our narrow views would prescribe. He brings a death upon our feelings, wishes and prospects when He is about to give us the desires of our hearts.  (John Newton)

  • God’s mercy is His goodness toward those in distress, His grace in His goodness toward those who deserve only punishment, and His patience in His goodness toward those who continue to sin over a period of time. (Wayne Grudem)                     

  • Acknowledging God’s good in our lives, in turn, brings a renewed ability to trust and surrender to the Father’s wisdom and leadership. (Dunn & Sundene)

Reading & Reflection from the book, Shaping The Journey of Emerging Adults: 

  • Read “Listening for God’s consent” (pp. 86-88). If you can relate to unthinkingly rejecting God’s good for you, what has that looked like? What are some ways God might be trying to communicate His good to us that we haven’t paid attention to?

  • Read “The Christlife in Identity and Purpose” (pp. 114-117).  How have you experienced life’s challenges, obstacles, circumstances or disappointments as threats rather than potential gifts?

  • Read “Spiritual Casualties from the Sexual Front” (p. 168-171).  How have you seen God’s intention for good in sexuality get re-interpreted as God being restrictive or holding back good? What results have you seen from that?

  • Read “The Christlife in Daily Life” (pp. 197-199). What keeps you from experiencing God’s gift of “the enjoyment of daily life”?

Explore Scripture

Meditate on one or more of the following passages. Always look them up in context.  Take some time to really explore the verse in relation to this topic.  What do you learn about God's goodness from this passage?  Make a note of what you discover to share later.  See "Learn More About Ways to Study Scripture" below for help in getting the most out of the verse.

  • Nehemiah 9:20

  • 1 Chronicles 16:34

  • Psalm 34:8, 69:16, 86:5

  • Psalm 145:9

  • Lamentations 3:22-25

  • Nahum 1:7

  • Matthew 7:11

  • John 3:16-17

  • Romans 2:4

  • 1 Timothy 4:4

  • James 1:17

  • 1 John 4:8-10

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