Max Lucado

At some point, we all stand at this intersection and ask the question: Is God good when the outcome is not? The definitive answer to the goodness of God comes in the person of Jesus Christ. He’s the only picture of God ever taken. He pressed his fingers into the sore of the leper. He inclined his ear to the cry of the hungry. He didn’t retreat at the sight of pain. Just the opposite. Cruel accusations of jealous men? Jesus knows their sting.

Is it possible that the wonder of heaven will make the most difficult life a good bargain? This was Paul’s opinion. He said, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). Your pain won’t last forever, my friend, but you will. Whatever we go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. You’ll get through this! God is good, even when the outcome is difficult. Hang on to this promise.

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When the cancer’s in remission, we say, “God is good.” When the pay raise comes, we announce, “God is good.” Is God only good when the outcome is? Most, if not all of us, have a contractual agreement with God. I pledge to be a good, decent person and God, in return, will: Save my child. Heal my wife. Protect my job. Only fair, right? Yet when God fails to meet our expectations we’re left spinning in a tornado of questions.

God is sovereign. James 1:17 tells us he does not change like shifting shadows. God does permit evil, but he doesn’t allow Satan, the father of evil, to triumph. Isn’t this the promise of Romans 8:28? “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called to his purpose.” It says “In all things.”

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Waiting is easier said than done. Waiting doesn’t come easy for me. I’ve been in a hurry all my life. Pedal faster, drive quicker. I used to wear my wristwatch on the inside of my arm so I wouldn’t lose the millisecond it took to turn my wrist. I wonder if I could’ve obeyed God’s ancient command to keep the Sabbath holy, to slow life to a crawl for twenty-four hours? The Sabbath was created for frantic souls like me. People who need this weekly reminder: the world will not stop if you do.

Isaiah 40:31 promises, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Fresh strength. Legs that don’t grow weary. Wait on the Lord. He will bring rest to your soul!

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God promises, “When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2 NKJV). Will your unhappy marriage become happy in a heartbeat? Not likely. Does God guarantee the absence of struggle? Not in this life. But he does pledge to reweave your pain for a higher purpose.

It won’t be quick. Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers abandoned him; he was 37 when he saw them again. Another year passed before he saw his father. Sometimes God takes his time. But remember this: you are a version of Joseph in your generation. His story is in the Bible for this reason: you teach us to trust God to trump evil. And what Satan intends for evil, God redeems for good. You will get through this!

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When Jesus traveled through the city of Jericho, half the town showed up to take a look. Short-in-stature Zacchaeus was among them, hopping up and down behind the wall of people, hoping to get a glimpse.

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. Apparently the crowd blocked his view. He spotted a sycamore tree and shimmied up. He never imagined that Christ would take a good look at him, but Jesus did. Of all the homes in town, Jesus selected Zack’s. Financed with illegal money, avoided by neighbors, yet on that day it was graced by the presence of Jesus.

Zacchaeus was never quite the same. Grace walked in the front door and selfishness scampered out the back. It changed his heart. Is it changing yours?

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The woman at the well. Decades of loose living had left her tattooed and tabooed and living with a boyfriend who thought a wedding was a waste of time. Gossipers wagged their tongues about her and her 5 ex-husbands. How else can we explain her midday appearance at the water well? Other women filled their buckets at sunrise, but this woman preferred the heat of the sun over the heat of their scorn.

Jesus wasn’t put off by her past. He offered to make music out of her garbage, and she accepted his offer. The woman on the margin became the woman with the message. No one else gave her a chance, but Jesus gave her the chance of a lifetime. He came for people like her.

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The book of Titus 2:11 (NCV) assures us that “God’s grace that can save everyone has come.” We humans aren’t prone to this “whoever” policy. We’re prone to pecking orders. We love the high horse. The affluent over the destitute. The educated over the dropout. The old-timer over the newcomer. The Jew over the Gentile.

An impassable gulf yawned between Jews and Gentiles. No Jew would have anything to do with a Gentile. Unless that Jew, of course, was Jesus. Suspicions of a new order began to surface because of his curious conversation with a Canaanite woman. Her daughter was dying, and her prayer was urgent, yet her ancestry was Gentile. Even so, Jesus healed the woman’s daughter and made his position clear. He was more concerned about bringing people in than shutting certain people out.

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What a wonderful promise from John 3:16!

Whoever. Mathew 10:32 has Jesus saying, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” Mathew 10:39: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Mark 3:35 says, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” And Mark 16:16: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” John 6:37: “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

Don’t you love the word “whoever?” God’s gospel has a “whoever” policy.

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“Jesus was full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Not just grace, but truth. Not just truth, but grace.

Grace told the adulterous woman, “I do not condemn you.” Truth told her, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Grace invited a swindler named Zacchaeus to lunch. Truth prompted him to sell half of his belongings and give to the poor (Luke 19:1–8). Grace washed the feet of the disciples. Truth told them, “Do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Grace invited the woman at the well to drink everlasting water. Truth tactfully reminded her that she had gone through five husbands and was shacking up with a boyfriend (John 4:18).

Jesus shared truth, but graciously. And he offered grace, but truthfully. Grace and truth. Acceptance seeks to offer both.

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Jesus was a likable fellow, and his disciples should be the same. Now I’m not talking debauchery, drunkenness, and adultery. I’m not endorsing compromise, coarseness, or obscenity. I am simply crusading for the freedom to enjoy a good joke, enliven a dull party, and appreciate a fun evening. Jesus was a party lover. His foes accused him of eating too much, drinking too much, and hanging out with the wrong people. I must confess, it’s been a while since I’ve been accused of having too much fun. How about you?

Jesus laughed. He had fun. He was always invited to the party because people wanted to be near him. Who could be relied on to be the life of the party more than the One who came to give life with joy and abundance?

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