2 Ways to Guarantee God's Presence and Power in Your Life (Part 1)

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone."  Luke 18:19 NIV

 

I see a picture on the wall of a father and son hand in hand.  It shows them from behind--a baby boy holding his father's hand, his right foot lifting as his father's does, his left foot in step with his father's left foot.

 

A Corrections Officer hears inmates argue about the TV.  He listens and decides how to resolve it.  "Who was here first?" he says.  "His crew came over to the TV and voted for this channel, then all of them left except two."  "That's not how it's supposed to work gentlemen."  "The majority rules, Officer James."  "For the majority, not for two inmates.  Either first come first served, majority rules, or take turns."  "Alright Officer James.  We hear you." 




The officer realized a power the inmates lacked, the power of basic fairness. It was a foreign language.  They needed an unbiased third party with the power to bring order.  In this realization, Officer James found his power.

• Seeing the inherent goodness of a connected father and son gave me a glimpse of the goodness of the union of God The Father and God The Son.
• Seeing the inherent goodness of an officer's establishment of order gave me a glimpse of the power of God, who "is not the author of disorder, but of peace."

Being good, and doing good, are the two ways to guarantee the presence and power of God in your life.


BE GOOD.
We all know what this means.  The reason it guarantees God's presence is because true goodness only has one source as Jesus said.  God alone is good, and therefore being good can only happen in connection to Him.  When you act in ways that are inherently and obviously good, the goodness of your presence will manifest the God who alone is good. 



DO GOOD.
Again, you know when you are doing something inherently good.  Officer James established order.  The Apostle Paul said that "God is not the author of disorder but of peace."  So when Officer James does what God Himself does, he will in that moment have the power of God at his disposal.

In other words, God doesn't simply join in with those who do good.  He is goodness.  So doing good is really you joining into what God is already doing.

 

click HERE for part 2