when God isn't good

The title is misleading, because God is always good.

But, I certainly don't always believe that.
Even more than that, I come up with circumstances in my head where i feel the right to say God isn't good.

In God's good word, Paul speaks to the Romans in 1:22-23,
"Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."
He goes on to say in verse 25 that we have in fact served and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator.

God alone is worthy of worship, yet Paul says the unrighteous make images that look like creatures and gave them the glory that alone is due God.
We don't make images, I know i certainly don't cut down a tree, carve a face into it and worship.
But our minds and hearts have crafted more gods, than our hands could make.

Through Jeremiah, God rebukes the people of Israel in 2:27-28,
"They say to a tree, 'you are my father" and to a stone, 'you gave me birth.' For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. but in the time of their trouble they say, 'arise and save us!' But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you in your time of trouble, for as many as your cities are your gods."

Isaiah makes fun of the people of Israel, pointing out in 44:14-15,
"he cuts down cedars...he takes part of it and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and falls down before it."

Creation, the good creation, was meant to point us toward the Creator, how his invisible attributes permeate all the world (Romans 1:20).
But instead, we take creation and make it into an idol.
This is what we have done since the beginning, God says the tree is good, don't eat it.
But, we took the creation, ate and worshipped it.

As a newlywed, it takes everything in me not to worship my husband.
God created him, restored him, and he bears the image of God.
But, my husband is a creature, not worthy of honor or glory.
I make an idol of him.

I always heard the best way to determine whether something is an idol in your life is to imagine your holding this "thing" in your palm.
Ask yourself, are you holding this thing with an open or closed hand, willing or not to let it go.

Now, I'm not sure about you, but that makes me anxious.
I don't think I would be okay if I lost my husband.

But, what God revealed to me was whether or not he would still be good.

IF God took my husband, in his good and sovereign plan, would i still call him good?
That's the harder question, and that's what an idol does to our hearts.
Idols tells us they can do everything, that we don't need God.
Idols put us in control.

Maybe its your kids, job, marriage, singleness, schooling, friends...
if God took away them away, would he still be good?

creation is good, but its only good because the Creator is good...
and creation ceases to be good when it becomes better than the Creator...

Believer,
rest in the freedom of Jesus Christ. he is sufficient, he is good.
keep your eyes fixed on eternity, for it is what we were made for.
don't let this world fool you...we were meant to worship the Creator.
Worship Jesus today.
Worship the Creator.
By the grace that is poured out through the Holy Spirit, we will no worship creation.