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Transcript:
"Serving God When Times Are Good"
Welcome in…and I’m glad you’re here today because we’re diving into a topic that doesn’t always get enough attention—**serving God when things are going well**.
Have you ever thought about
If you’re listening today and life feels pretty good—work is steady, family is healthy, you’re feeling strong—it might seem like a strange time to talk about your need for God’s grace. But I want to share with you why these good times are **just as important** for deepening your relationship with God as the tough times. In fact, it’s often during our best seasons that we are most at risk of drifting away from our faith.
Today, we’re going to look at what the Bible says about seeking God not just when we’re desperate, but when things are just really good!!!
Let’s start with a story from the Gospels. In Luke 17:11-19, we read about Jesus healing ten lepers. They all cry out to Jesus, desperate for healing, and He heals them. But here’s the surprising part: only **one** of them comes back to thank Him. The other nine are healed and simply go on with their lives, forgetting the One who gave them that gift of grace.
This story serves as a powerful reminder. When we’re in a crisis, it’s easy to turn to God. But when things are going well, when we’re healed, when the crisis has passed, we often forget to come back to God with gratitude. We slip into a mindset of self-reliance, thinking, *“I’ve got this.”* But the truth is, friends, we still need God’s grace just as much when life is great as when life is hard.
Deuteronomy 8:10-14 gives us a warning about this very thing. It says: *“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.”* Did you catch that? *“Be careful.”* When you’re satisfied, when your needs are met, that’s when you’re most likely to forget where your blessings came from.
It’s human nature, isn’t it? When the pressure is off, when the storms have passed, we start to coast spiritually. We lean on our own understanding, our own abilities. But God is saying, *“Don’t forget Me.”* It’s a gentle reminder that the same grace that got us through the tough times is the grace that’s sustaining us in the good times.
I’ve talked to a lot of first responders who’ve said, “I pray like never before when I’m facing a difficult call or when I’m dealing with a family emergency.” And that’s great—it’s good to turn to God in those moments. But what about when the shifts are calm, when everything at home is going smoothly? It’s easy to put God on the back burner, isn’t it?
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: *“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”* Notice it says *“in all your ways.”* Not just when you’re struggling, not just when you’re desperate, but in every part of your life. That includes the good times too.
When things are going well, it’s an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God, to praise Him not because we need something, but because He deserves our worship.
Another scripture that speaks to this is James 1:17:
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