A “Good” Day
Did you have a good day yesterday? Are you having a good day today? We have all asked and been asked such questions. They are so commonly asked that we can take them for granted and thereby reply with little depth of thought.
The prevailing thought that the god of this world sends through the air is that today is only good if everything is falling in place for my benefit and according to my own self-invested will. It is very easy to fall prey to such thinking. But is that the frame of mind that God expects to see in His faithful?
The Apostle James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2–4). His point here is that every trial we go through is testing our faith and patience so that we can become perfect in the end. With maturity of thought we can come to see that having everything fall into place according to our own selfish will is not truly good at all. Growing past our selfish immaturity in the moment is what having a really good day looks like.
Such joy as James wrote about should be spontaneous. Christ said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12). When such things as these happen, we can know right in that moment that something really good is happening. We are growing to be able to see a godly transformation taking place within us and be certain of it on the spot, not a week, month or year down the road. Christ says we are blessed – made happy — in such circumstances.
The gladness and joy in trials that Christ spoke of gives us daily drive as we allow the mind of Christ to dwell in us. The Apostle Paul makes the point after Christ chose not to heal him of his infirmity. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). Paul took pleasure in all his difficulties because then he was spiritually strongest. In that state, he could serve the people of God in a greater way than he had previously.
The days that we can glorify God and help each other the most are our truly good days. If such understanding is difficult for us, we should follow the admonition of James. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5–6).
With maturity, every day can be a truly good day.
Marshall Stiver
