Britta Lafont

Britta Lafont

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April 26, 2018 · Leave a Comment

God Gives Good

Curating the Good· Slider Posts

God is a Giver.

Here in week three of Curating the Good, we are mediating on this truth: God gives good.

Just a little recap: We started with the truth that He IS good (if anything is good, it is because of Him, it is through Him). We explored the truth that He MAKES good (we pondered all that He has made and saw more about who He is, by examining what He has made).

We call Curating the Good a “practice,” because it is a behavior we choose to adopt so we can experience Him more deeply. Like any other spiritual practice, it doesn’t come naturally for many of us—we (did you see this coming?), we need to practice, daily.

For school, I recently read about a performance improvement theory called Appreciative Inquiry. This theory is completely different from anything else we have studied. Where all of the other processes ask people to assess needs or find problems (to identify what is NOT working), Appreciate Inquiry (AI) directs organizations to determine what IS working, to find the good parts, people, and processes at work in the organization. Considering our practice of Curating the Good, Appreciative Inquiry caught my eye, but then there was this important tenet that really hit home: What we focus on, grows.

What we focus on grows

What if we remember that this week? Let’s practice Appreciative Inquiry, spiritually, and let’s remember that what we focus on grows.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Let us focus on God as a good giver.

  • He gives us His Son so we can be at peace with Him (Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1).
  • He gives us eternal life, so we can never be parted from Him and His love (Romans 8:34-39).
  • He gives us Himself, The Spirit, alive in us (1 Corinthians 1:20-22)
  • He gives us more gifts—these are to be used for the good of others and to glorify Him (1 Peter 4:8-11; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

His giving calls out the giver in all of us. We are to give, as He has given to us. We are to love, as He loves.

This is HARD. Am I right?

It’s easier to put myself first, to overlook others. It is easier to judge other, hold grudges, stoke the fires of bitterness. Some of us struggle to love our neighbors as we love ourselves because we don’t like to serve. Or we know it won’t be appreciated. Some of us set out to serve just to be recognized, noticed, and praised. This should not be surprising. God says NONE of us is righteous, not one of us does good (Romans 3:10-12; Psalm 14:1-3; Psalm 53:1-3).

So what does God do? He Gives Us Good. When Jesus died, we inherited. We received the Spirit, with the Spirit came power and truth and…gifts. He gives us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These gifts grow in us as we mature, spiritually. The gifts are always there, but sometimes they are hidden in our flesh. 

Focus on THIS

How can we access those gifts, our inheritance? If we want to see the Spirit manifest Himself in us (show Himself at work in our lives), we need to focus on HIM. Diving deeper into relationship with Him will have us repenting and humbling ourselves, drawing near to Him. His nearness is our good. He is our good. And as we move toward Him, He gives us HIS goodness, to share.

What we focus on grows. Let’s focus on relationship with the Lord, the Giver of Life.

Image Copyright: snitovets / 123RF Stock Photo

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In my typical social media introvert fashion, I re In my typical social media introvert fashion, I realize I didn’t share Gracie’s post on my feed at the time. 🤦🏻‍♀️
We are so thankful for this young man. ❤️ We are so thankful for this young man. ❤️
When the first day of school is also the day your When the first day of school is also the day your firstborn drives herself to college, it’s a lot. We moved her stuff into her dorm last week. Today she got up early to say goodbye to Dad (too early! Not pictured 😂), her brother, her doggo, her piano, and her momma. Before she left, she made blueberry scones to share with her little bro @sjoshlafont —they homeschool and relocated together, went to @westminsteroakmtn together, and have shared a love of music, Legos, superheroes (and villains), Transformers, and so much more. She played my favorite song. She even made banana bread to bring to her new roomie. @graciethenerd You are my little nut brown hare, and I love you to the moon and back. Auburn University is a better place because you are there! ❤️
Josh just started working in the bakery at Publix. Josh just started working in the bakery at Publix. Today he got his braces off. I just can’t believe it—where did the time go? @sjoshlafont
I’m a social media introvert mostly, but I’m r I’m a social media introvert mostly, but I’m reflecting today and feeling grateful for my sweet girl, my baby, my first-born. 🥰 She sure is a blessing to our family and her friends. Also, so grateful for the wonderful school where she spent the last four years—the perfect place to land after years of homeschooling on the move. “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Ps 100:5) #curatingthegood #graduated🎓 #wisebeyondheryears @graciethenerd @lafonte04 @westminsteroakmtn
Best Thanksgiving that I can remember. I am so gra Best Thanksgiving that I can remember. I am so grateful for my people!! 🤗 ❤️@graciethenerd @thecardboardqueen @lafonte04 
#Psalm8 #highlandlakes #birminghamalabama
My friend @amy_young1234 is so generous! She has f My friend @amy_young1234 is so generous! She has found a way to share her birthday with friends all year long. This past week, I had to privilege to be her #FOTW You can read about her plan to celebrate her birthday by celebrating others in the link to her blog at the end of this post. That’s SO like Amy. 🤗 https://www.messymiddle.com/52-cards-52-weeks-52-years/ #curatingthegood
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