"According to the good pleasure of His will,"   {Ephesians 1:5b}NJKV

"In accordance with the purpose of His will- because it pleased Him and was His kind intent." {Ephesians 1:5b} Amplified Bible

God is kind. This may sound simple and basic, but many people do not know this. There is this enemy of ours who wants all people to believe that Our God is mean, self absorbed, and condescending. Christians have played into this idea by portraying God in this way. I'm not saying that anyone would misrepresent Our Wonderful Savior like this on purpose.   

Some Christians have a hard exterior when it comes to who God is.

God's intent has always been to make us like Him. That is a basic goal of our Father in heaven toward us. His goodness runs deeply through everything that He does, but His primary goal and purpose for putting us on earth is to shine forth His nature.

 Yesterday we talked about His adoption of believers, and that this is actually a drawing closer than even being sons and daughters. It is His kind intent to draw us closer, so that we can hear His voice. Hearing the sound of His voice is not an audible sound, it is a prompting in our spirits that feels different than anything else in our lives.

We sing a worship chorus that goes like this: You are good, good oh you are good good oh. As we sing this truth of His goodness, it grabs hold of my soul, and I feel complete peace. The confidence of His goodness encompasses me, to the point of rapture. It captures all of my being, in complete bliss.

As I write this now, I feel the warmth of His presence, and I pray for you, when you read, to feel His presence too. It's not about feelings alone of course, but knowing His closeness makes us courageous, like the lioness as she confidently cares for her own. She has no fear as she roams through the fields, because she knows her place, and who she is.

God's goodness is what He wants us to bring to the lost. This world is filled with those who feel that trust in God is foolish. The truth that "He is a strong tower, and the righteous run into Him, and they are safe"[Proverbs 18:10] is not known to many. Can you share the love of God with someone today? You will be doing His good pleasure. Kindness is always a winner.

Please let me know if God uses this in your life today.Blessings and love, Ann