Have you gotten a taste of the Lord’s goodness?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
(Psalms 34:8a (NIV))

Have you ever asked yourself why this passage uses the word taste?

Think about the process of tasting and eating and drinking. We slowly put something into our physical body via our mouth to see if we will like it and if it will be good for us. In essence, we are taking something that is foreign to our bodies and putting it inside of us. It becomes a part of us! We become intimately familiar with what we are tasting.

Ever since the fall from grace, God’s goodness has been foreign to our spiritual being. Due to our sinful nature, we are not sure what to do with what is good and pure. We sample, or taste, just as we do with physical food and drink to see if it is good. We taste of the Lord and find that His love and mercy is sweet and very good for our lives. We ingest bits of His Word and find that it is very palatable and we soon find ourselves wanting more. Just like physical food that tastes good, we find ourselves feeding on the Word of God and we find that it becomes integral to our lives. The more we taste, the more we want.

David wrote much about the goodness of the Lord. He understood it. He longed for it. He never wanted it to end.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Psalms 23:6 (NIV))

David had gotten a taste of the goodness of the Lord. As a result, he followed the Lord all the days of His life.

Have you gotten a taste of the Lord’s goodness?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Which side do you choose to be on?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

The LORD is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
he will pursue his foes into darkness.
Whatever they plot against the LORD
he will bring to an end;
trouble will not come a second time.
(Nahum 1:7-9 (NIV))

God is good all the time! Those who trust in Him will be rewarded with safety and refuge. Those who do not place their trust in Him will be brought to an end.

Yet, the Lord does not wish for any to perish. It is not too late for those who plot against Him to turn from their ways and turn towards God. Then, they too will find refuge in His Will.

No one is forbidden to come to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. All are welcome who acknowledge and accept that Jesus Christ is their personal Lord and Savior and that He died for their sins.

In this simple act, someone chooses to change sides and accepts the refuge of God.

Which side do you choose to be on?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Have you found goodness, refuge and peace?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

The LORD is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
(Nahum 1:7-9 (NIV))

How many things in this life can you honestly call good? Think about that question and then think about how Jesus responded when he was called “Good teacher.”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.
(Mark 10:18 (NIV))

Jesus did not even consider Himself to be good. Even He drew His strength and His grace from God. If Jesus, who was God with us, drew His strength from God, why do we turn to any others to fill a void that only God can fill? Why do so many people turn to other things or to other people when they need help? Why do they turn to others when they need grace and mercy? No one can grant these things except for God.

Who can grant complete refuge? Who can grant complete grace and mercy? Who can be trusted completely?

In our frail human condition, we turn to many things to try to fill the void that seeks goodness. For many people, instead of finding refuge, they fill the void with the wrong thing and find the trouble that they seek to avoid. The only true goodness is God. The only true refuge is God. The only true peace is God.

Have you found goodness, refuge and peace?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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