What Is Good?

If you asked me this question around eight years ago... What is good and what is bad?  I may have come up with a list like this


GOOD....   God, Jesus, Family, Republicans, Church, Community, Friends, Being Comfortable, Being Smart,   
                      Relationships, Pizza, diligence, being nice, truth ....


BAD...       Satan, Cussing, Stealing, War, Democrats, Atheists, Criminals, Sin, Hunger, Stupidity, Laziness,
                       Cabbage soup, Girlfriends, being mean, lies ....


although Some of the items on the BAD list are actually bad and some of the Items on the good list are actually good... there are many obvious things about them that don't really fit in either category... such as the party affiliation.


If I had to say what is Good now I would leave out everything Except for Jesus and God.


Wait.... Certainly community is good...  Certainly Friends are good...  Certainly any Christian knows that family is
              good,  and what about working hard and being smart...  


        So often we look to our culture and from there we decide what is good.   I will start off with family.   Fighting for a tight close knit family can be good... but in most instances it is not...  If you asked almost anyone in my extended family They would say we have an awesome family.  They may compare themselves to others and say we are what a family is supposed to be like.   I have seen and experienced more hurt because of how my "awesome family" interacts or doesn't...  than i have experienced anywhere else.  It may be more painful because it is closer to home.  I have seen people fighting for "family values"... And then they see another family and Gossip about them and they rip each other apart. I


It is the same with Friends... I have seen groups of friends be cruel to others...  I have participated in it...  I have also experienced much pain with broken friendships and realized how meaningless it means to be friends...  Friends often rip each other apart as much as they build each other up.


What about community... This is the big buzz word ... nowadays... community...   We have have seen communities come together and do good... and also we have seen them come together and destroy everything that comes in their way.


I guess obvious point is... most of the things we think are good... can be used for evil...  and we need to be very wary of it...  before you fight for community... make sure you are right with God first...   Before you invest yourself in a friendship... make sure your invested in God first... Before you take the side of your family... Listen to God first... 


These things can't be categorized as good things or bad things... they must be categorized as powerful yet dangerous tools that God can use Through us... but if we try them on our own... we will see nothing but pain and destruction


this post is a little dramatic