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Everything that I do that is GOOD is of God.

Indeed. Only God is Good. God is Light. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. - Matthew 19:17

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. - I John 1:5

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. - I Th 5:5

I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. - John 15:5

Evidently some people are troubled that darkness (or evil) exists at all. But perhaps they are not yet familiar with God's permissive will?

His Name is Alpha and Omega, the end being God's family in the new heaven and new earth. Or in common parlance, God is raising children.

After all, children learn by seeing, hearing, experiencing, doing. How would they know health without sickness, courage without fear, light without darkness, good without evil, etc.? And some kids, like Adam, have to touch the stove to know it is hot.

How glorious, how illuminating, how intimate we are in Him - when God does a good thing through us! Truly, I cannot imagine a better way to get to know Him, to love Him more, to trust Him more, to grow up in the family, in the body of Christ.

Conversely, I can see nothing glorious or illuminating in anything I do apart from Him. It is all loss. All filthy rags.

Perhaps those who are troubled by darkness want to flip to the last page of the book, advance immediately to paradise for a quick fix? But there are children yet to be born:

And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:4-9

Maranatha, Jesus!

After all, children learn by seeing, hearing, experiencing, doing. How would they know health without sickness, courage without fear, light without darkness, good without evil, etc.? And some kids, like Adam, have to touch the stove to know it is hot.

How glorious, how illuminating, how intimate we are in Him - when God does a good thing through us! Truly, I cannot imagine a better way to get to know Him, to love Him more, to trust Him more, to grow up in the family, in the body of Christ.

Conversely, I can see nothing glorious or illuminating in anything I do apart from Him. It is all loss. All filthy rags.

AMEN!

Orthodox Presbyterian has a great saying on his homepage...

"God created the Earth to train the Faithful."

Exactly so. 8~)

Thank you so much for your excellent insights and wonderful scripture. :)

Evidently some people are troubled that darkness (or evil) exists at all. But perhaps they are not yet familiar with God's permissive will?

Yes, I see it this way as well. On this very thread it has been postulated that Armageddon is a complete myth, that satan was only a loyal servant of God, and that the modern day notion of satan came from an un-Godly source. There seems to be a lot of denial going around in this area.

After all, children learn by seeing, hearing, experiencing, doing. How would they know health without sickness, courage without fear, light without darkness, good without evil, etc.? And some kids, like Adam, have to touch the stove to know it is hot.

Excellent point. God uses everything for ultimate good, even if it makes no earthly sense to us at the time.

How glorious, how illuminating, how intimate we are in Him - when God does a good thing through us! Truly, I cannot imagine a better way to get to know Him, to love Him more, to trust Him more, to grow up in the family, in the body of Christ.

Amen. It is such a blessing, every single time.