Pastor John D Jakes

Pastor, author, husband, father (the roles keep switching day by day)

Why Do Good Things Happen to Us?

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

1 John 3:17

Why do good things happen to people? That’s not the usual question, is it? Usually we ask the opposite – why do bad things happen to people? However, we should be asking the same question of our blessings. We should be asking why is God blessing us at this time and place.

Before we start asking the question, let’s make sure that we aren’t asking out of guilt. That isn’t the point. This isn’t about feeling guilty about our blessings. We ask the question so that we can use those blessings for the reason they are given.

So, why have you been blessed? We know that we are given spiritual gifts by God to bless the body of Christ. The Scripture above tells us another reason that we have been blessed: to bless others. So are we doing that, or are we using our blessing to just bless ourselves?

A final reason we find ourselves in a time of blessing is the same reason that we are sometimes tested – to prepare us for what may come next. We are told in God’s Word that we should, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2-3)

Funny thing about blessings… they too are a type of trial. They tempt us to be apathetic. They tempt us to trust the blessing rather than God. They even tempt us to want the blessing instead of God. So, is it any surprise that we should use our blessings for the same thing that we should use our trials? We should use them to prepare. We should be preparing to be God’s clear witnesses. We should be preparing for times loss where the blessing fills the gap. We should be preparing for seasons of discouragement by letting today’s blessing remind us of God’s great love.

So, what are you using your blessings for? Are you asking the question? Why have you been blessed?

Something to think about,

Pastor John

Pastor John

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2 responses to “Why Do Good Things Happen to Us?”

  1. Christine Avatar
    Christine

    This is a good question. I’ve thought on this a bit lately. When I am thanking God for His blessings, He brings to mind, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” Sometimes that makes me feel great wonderment. It causes me to realize that He is providing for me in every way. My heart surges with joy and gratefulness to Him.
    Sometimes He gives me blessings that I am to share. For instance, this week some clothes and a nice coat were passed to me from a family who lost a loved one. They wanted the clothes to bless me, specifically, for some reason. They didn’t want the clothes to go to Goodwill. This was curious to me. Yet, the clothes were not right for me. I did not know what to do with them. Then today, a woman came over. After our visit, I asked her if she knew of anyone who could use these clothes. She perked up and told me that her mother had just come to live with them and didn’t have a coat of her own! They were layering her in several shirts before going outside! The coat and clothes that were given to me were the right size for her. She could use them! I was so excited to be a part of the blessing to this woman. That blessing that I was able to share has warmed my heart all day.
    Sometimes I don’t understand my blessings, or I get anxious with the what-if’s. The sad thing is, then I am not trusting God ultimately. Last night, I had a great time of discouragement. I cried many tears out to God. After hearing my prayers, over and over again, He reminded me the rest of the night that He is faithful. Through one song after another, He spoke to my heart, reminding me of HIs faithfulness to where even in my subconscious I caught myself hearing the tune, “Great is your faithfulness to me.” (“Promises” song)
    Sometimes I don’t know why God gives me specific blessings. Sometimes I may not know the full extent of it until heaven. However, I know what you mean about sometimes wanting the blessings more than the Giver of them. God keeps reminding me that we are not to have other ‘idols’ before Him. If I’m not careful, I can put a blessing on a pedestal. I keep remembering to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. If I keep reminding myself of that, I can remember Who gave me the blessing and live in such a way that the blessing or blessings bring glory to Him! What is most important is the furtherance of the gospel. If I were to misuse a blessing so that it didn’t glorify God but rather just served my own desires, the reason for the blessing would be lost, as you say. Plus, I would probably find that, once the luster has lost its shine, it wouldn’t be so much of a blessing if it were used in the way it wasn’t intended, not for God’s glory.
    Praising God! Great is His faithfulness to me!

    Reply
    1. Pastor John Avatar
      Pastor John

      Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this. It is cool to notice how our blessings can bless others. It is also so true that we don’t always know the “why” for specific blessings. Bringing glory to Him is a wonderful desire to apply to every blessing we have.

      Reply

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