Relentless Kindness

12/05/2007

What if I told you that from the moment you wake up tomorrow only good things will happen to you for the rest of your life? Not one single bad thing will ever happen to you again. You’ll be stalked by kindness and blessings. Would that put a little zip in your step?

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. Jeremiah 32:40

What an astounding promise. God has made a covenant to never cease doing good to his redeemed children. And Jesus Christ has instituted and sealed this covenant with his blood.

No expiration date

God’s promise doesn’t have a limited warranty. There’s no expiration date. God doesn’t do us good until we’re tough enough to take him doing some bad to us. His covenant will continue throughout the ages. God will do us good all day today, tomorrow, next week, next year, and from age to age.

This means that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, God is relentlessly blessing us who have called on Christ to save us. He’s blessing us while we’re munching on our morning toast and sitting in rush hour traffic. He's heaping good on us while we’re feeding the kids and sweeping up the Cheerios around the baby’s high chair. He's lavishing grace on us as we lug the millionth basket of laundry up the stairs for the week or plunge out the kids’ tissue-clogged toilet. He even does us good as we slumber in our beds each night. While we are blissfully snoring away, God is providentially orchestrating his universe to bring us good - directing his angels, moving nations and world events, shifting the weather, working in both righteous and evil people, and causing even the demons’ evil schemes to bring us blessing.

Bound and determined

God never tires of blessing us. He doesn’t take a break or change his mind. Nothing turns him away, not even our sins, failures and weakness. His kindness is not contingent on our performance but on his grace. He is unflinching, dogged, bound and determined to shower his love on us.

A couple years ago I visited Niagara Falls. 35 million gallons of water cascade over the edge every minute. No one could possibly resist the sheer force and volume of this deluge. Blood-bought believers stand beneath the torrent of God's goodness every moment. We can't turn his goodness away any more than we could turn Niagara Falls away.

Heavenly bounty hunter

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ, God’s kindness and mercy are chasing you like some kind of heavenly bounty hunter. They're going to find you. God will not be thwarted. He’ll never deviate or desist from persistently blessing you. He’s stubborn in his goodness. God even designs the seemingly “bad” things that happen to us for our ultimate good. While Joseph’s brothers intended to harm him, God intended to bless him through their sinful actions. Ultimately, nothing bad can happen to you who belong to Christ, because God is covenant-bound and determined to do you good day after day, moment by moment.

Believe it, and give him abounding thanks.

Posted by Mark Altrogge at 8:00 AM  

7 comments:

thanks for this dad.

Anonymous said...
December 5, 2007 at 2:38 PM  

I just wept reading that. I love this verse. I think I will print that out and read daily!

Briana Almengor said...
December 5, 2007 at 4:12 PM  

great post....i'll forward this to my husband...who is a song writer too (michael ledner)...blessings...

Lylah Ledner said...
December 5, 2007 at 9:57 PM  

i noticed your myspace...
here's my hubby's :-)...

http://myspace.com/michaelledner

Lylah Ledner said...
December 6, 2007 at 12:07 AM  

Thanks lylah, I'll check out your husband's MySpace...

December 6, 2007 at 8:17 AM  

Hi Briana! I love this verse too. It regularly encourages me. Thanks for your comment. Please give my love to the fam...

Mark

Mark Altrogge said...
December 6, 2007 at 9:37 AM  

Thanks Lylah,

If your husband writes a song using this verse, I'd like to hear it. I'll check out his myspace.

Mark

Mark Altrogge said...
December 6, 2007 at 9:38 AM  

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