A Good Day...

It was a good day at church yesterday.

We had good attendance at church. People were very receptive to the sermon. Some even came to the altar to respond. I got the privilege of baptizing a little girl during our service. Another young lady shared with me that she received the Lord as her Savior earlier this week.

And yet, there were hard things yesterday too. We found out after our first service that a dear elderly lady in our church had past away during the night. Some of our congregation were actually the ones who discovered it when they tried to pick her up for church. Another young lady came to me after service and shared about some really tough and discouraging things going on in her life. Another member is having a really hard time with recovery from surgery.

But at the end of the day, after our evening service as several of us stood on the front lawn watching our kids run through the grass and having great conversation, we found ourselves saying, "What a good day!"

But was it good because of attendance or how many people responded? Was it good because things went the way we wanted them too?

In Genesis we see God looking at the things He created - the things that came from Him - and calling them good. In the gospels we see Jesus telling the rich young ruler that "no one is good except God alone." Paul tells us in Romans 8 that in all things (that would include both the salvation and the death that we experienced yesterday at our church) God works for the good of those who love Him. James tells us that every good and perfect gift is from God above.

And you begin getting this sense in Scripture that "good" isn't so much a circumstantial state of being, but a realization that God is with us. That He is in control despite our circumstances.

And if these things are all true (which we know they are) wouldn't every day be a good day?

So tell me, how was your day good yesterday?