"Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?"

"Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?"

In ministry, I get this question a lot. Sometimes I'm asked and sometimes I just see it in the eyes of someone who is suffering pain, hurt, loss, or dismay. For many years it was a tough question to wrap my brain around! Even I didn't get it. I mean, how could a loving God, full of mercy and grace, allow cancer to plague a man who devoted his life to him? Or how could he allow a Godly woman to be raped? How could he allow children to be molested, elderly left to die, children to starve to death, mass wars, mass famine, hurt, pain, death, and so on, and so on, and........... I mean I could go on forever. 

Recently I watched a good man fight cancer. To the death, he was a warrior. He was a "good" man. As an 8 year old boy I watched my own mamma fight cancer, looking like death walking after every treatment. She won the battle but why did she have to endure such pain? She was a "good" woman!

Many times when people see bad things happen to "good" people it does one of two things, it draws us to God or pushes us away. When people don't understand, it tends to push them away. They get angry, bitter, and fighting mad. I was the opposite, as it drew me closer to God. I wanted to know Him, understand Him, I craved Him!

That's the difference, we tend to make judgments, assertions based on man's view. In my eyes my mamma was the best. An honorable woman who loved God, she had devoted herself to him and her family. She loved me unconditionally. Why would such a "good" woman have to endure such grief?

But what was God's view? Was my mamma a "good" woman in the eyes of God? That's the question it took for me to "get it." If we would look through the eyes of God we would understand so much more. The Word of God is a portal through the eyes of God, though His thoughts are far above our thoughts and His ways far above our ways, the Bible is a glimpse of the thought pattern of God. He reveals His motives, His directions, and His pleasures through His Word! So, is my mamma "good" in the eyes of God? The answer is simple, it's a resounding NO! You may think that's harsh but its reality. The truth is, ALL of us are nasty, tainted, dirty, broken, worthy of eternal damnation in the eyes of Almighty God! The Word says that there is NONE righteous, no not ONE! It also says that our righteousness is as filthy rags(that means that on our very best day, we're as good as used menstrual rags!). Not exactly what you want to hear when trying to boost your self esteem. Even the most righteous, if he has committed one sin, is worthy of far greater than anything he faces on this earth! He's worthy of Hell. And you must realize this, Hell isn't Hell because of fire, the torment there doesn't come from the eternal flame, the torment is the reality of eternal separation from the only thing good, GOD ALMIGHTY!

We ALL deserve more than hurt, cancer, molestation, famine, sickness, death, we ALL deserve HELL, we deserve to be cast away from God for All eternity because of one thing, SIN! And we're ALL GUILTY! No need for a trial, no need to plead our case, we're Guilty!

See, the question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is a self defeating question because there's no such thing as "good" people!

With that comes the greatest story of mercy and grace. Though we're worthless, broken, tainted, guilty, and rebellious toward God, He loved us! While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! He didn't die for what you might be, he died for the sinner you are! At this point, we HAVE to dive into mercy and grace! What is mercy? Mercy is when you're guilty, deserving of punishment yet you're pardoned! Being pardoned means that the penalty you deserved is paid in full, you're free from that sentence! Now mercy is enough to praise God for! If you've accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you've been pardoned from Hell! Your sentence has been paid in full, your crime has been remitted, your sins forgotten! Your record is clean! That's mercy! That's enough to shout and praise God for for ALL ETERNITY! Thank you Jesus for mercy! Thank you for paying our price, being our ransom, bearing our sin! He became sin, who knew no sin! But here's how God works, His sole purpose is to bring glory to himself, as is our purpose. How can he do that through us, using Himself to bring us back to Him! Mercy excludes us from the punishment we deserve but this great story pales in

comparison to the greatest story ever told! The story of GRACE! Mercy is nothing when we truly understand Grace! Where mercy is a candle, Grace is the sun! Where mercy is a single rain drop, Grace is the ocean! 

Grace has been described for years as "unmerited favor." This is a simple definition that leaves me unimpressed. As I sought God and read His Word I began to literally drown in GRACE! It CHANGED my LIFE! Paul was blinded by Grace himself on Damascus road and it changed his life! Paul tell us, that if we realize the depth of Grace then we will live our lives chasing God, unconcerned with the things of the world. I ask myself many times, how can people who claim to know God be so easily lured by the flesh? It's simple, they don't understand grace!

What is grace? Well let me ask you this question first (if you don't have children, imagine you do), what would you do if someone murdered your beloved child? That's a question that cuts to the deepest part of the heart huh? The least I could hope to do as a Christian is to forgive right? That would be the hardest road to travel as a parent, forgive the one who took the life of my baby. Well, when or if we would forgive, would be mercy! It was our sins that placed the son of God on the cross, our wrongs caused his pain, our rebellion cut him, whipped him, crucified him, we murdered the only begotten son of GOD! That's right, you're guilty! Yet God in His mercy pardoned us from our punishment of eternal separation from Him. But where mercy could not go, Grace travelled on! GRACE says, even though you murdered my beloved son, I'm giving you everything intended for Him! You're now my son, you're now my daughter! I'll give to you everything I give to Him! You are now joint heir to my throne! WOW, WHAT? That's right, you murdered my son, I give you everything! All I see in you is the one you murdered, yet instead of hurt it brings me joy, instead of grief, it brings me satisfaction! Why? Because it brings Him glory!

Now back to the topic at hand. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The reality is that there's no such thing as "good" people. Bad things simply happen, all because of this broken world we live

in, which is a direct result of sin! It's the consequence of rebellion toward our creator! But God is so amazing that he takes what is bad and uses it for his own glory!

All these "bad" things have purpose. The question is, do you search for the purpose, learn from the purpose, and allow the "bad" to be used of God for good? I'll end with this. Twenty three years after my mamma had cancer, I finally "got it." I was praying and meditating one day and it hit me! If my mamma would've never had cancer, I wouldn't be a Pastor, Singer, Teacher, and Preacher! I wouldn't be fulfilling God's purpose in my life. You see, each time mom had a treatment a friend of the family would come to the house and sing her a song. Throughout my own life I have suffered from social anxiety and a panic disorder. I didn't do public speaking, hated crowds, and definitely hated being the center of attention! At the age of 21 I wanted to pay homage to my mom and her stedfast faith, so the night I was to be baptized I decided to sing that song for her! A one time thing resulted in a life of singing. Which lead to teaching, servitude, preaching, and now pastoring. It all lead back to mom having cancer! I asked her once, "was it worth it?" Her reply was simple, "I'd do it all again!" Now friend, that's what I call Grace!

I hope I've answered this tough question for you and I pray God draws you in and drowns you in his infinite, amazing, beautiful GRACE!

"I Want To Be Close To God!"

"How Do I Get Close To God!"

Piety........

Humility....... Love.......

Joy....... Peace...... Long-suffering .......

Gentleness......... Goodness.......... Faith........ Meekness....... Temperance.......

I get asked often, "Pastor, how do I get closer to God?" I "do" the "right" stuff, I don't do "bad" stuff. Then they reveal the checklist they've kept and claim approval before God based on merit and ask, "Why does God feel so far away?" Isn't it strange that we quote Ephesians, "for by grace are ye saved through faith. Not of works lest any man should boast." Yet turn right around and base our standing with God on what we do. Now understand this, a true disciple of Christ will bear fruit in action and deed but its not in the form of a checklist. It doesn't lie in how many hours you volunteered, how much money you donated, how often you go to church, how many times you say the name Jesus, how little you drink, how little you cuss or blah, blah, blah! It has NOTHING to do with you! The fruit of the Spirit is revealed in us when Christ is everything to us! As John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!" Your value doesn't come in what you can do for God but in what God did for you in the redemptive power of the cross and the blood Jesus Christ shed! When he said "It is finished!" He meant just that, stop trying and simply be satisfied in Him! Then the Spirit will perform its purpose, and flourish and the flesh will die. And the things you wanted to do but couldn't will begin to take place and the things you tried to abstain from but couldn't will be easy to resist when you're blinded by grace! Can a good tree bring forth evil fruit? Not at all. You claim Christ yet have arrogance, you claim Christ yet you're just like the pharisee, praying "thank you lord that I'm not like the publican." See, scripture teaches that God is near unto the humble and contrite spirit, He's near unto those who understand that their righteousness is as filthy rags. He's close to those who are broken, torn, tattered, and bruised. He's near unto those who realize their insignificance outside of him! He's near unto those who humbly resist their own efforts and solely trust in Him! Do you really know what these words mean or do you just read over them and think yea, thats me?

Humble :having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc. 

low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly:

Contrition:  sorrow for and detestation of sin with a true purpose of amendment, arising from a love of God

Love: An unconditional commitment to positive action toward someone without the expectation of return.

Joy: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something 

exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation:

Peace: freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquillity; serenity.

Long-suffering: enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.

Gentleness: not severe, rough, or violent; mild:

Goodness: moral excellence; virtue.

Faith: the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Meekness: humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others.

Temperance:  moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.

These are the eleven steps to communion with God!

Galatians 5:22-23King James Version (KJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Psalm 34:18King James Version (KJV)

18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Isaiah 57:15King James Version (KJV)

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.