What's Your Bar? SUSAN HARRIS

Commercials and television ads define their products with slogans.

The Coke ad says, “Coke is it.”

KFC says, “We do chicken right.”

One hairdressing salon has a sign, “Curl up and DYE.”

God has a signature mark and it is ‘GOOD’.

Jeremiah 29:11 describes God’s plan for us as GOOD, and this is echoed in the pages of Scripture. 

 The account in Genesis 1 is on creation, and God’s signature mark is consistent:

Day 1 -- on the first day God created the light ... and God saw the light, that it was GOOD.

Day 2 -- God created the earth and the seas … and God saw that it was GOOD.

Day 3 – God created the grass and trees … and God saw that it was GOOD.

Day 4 – God created the sun and the moon… and God saw that it was GOOD.
Day 5 -- God created the creatures of sea and air … and God saw that it was GOOD.
Day 6 -- God created the beasts … and God saw that it was GOOD. God created humans on the same day and they were made in His image.

Verse 31 summarizes, “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very GOOD.”

God’s slogan is IT IS GOOD. Goodness stems from His character, His flawlessness, His inability to be anything other than good. The word ‘good’ means of ‘of a favorable character or tendency.’  Hence it is consistent with God’s nature to have plans for us that are GOOD.

If you are inquisitive like I am, you might ask, “Why good? Why not better or why not best?”

A class by Himself

 In English, when three or more things are being described, the superlative adjective is used (e.g. the biggest fish.) When comparing two things, the comparative adjective is used (e.g. the bigger fish.)  When there is only one thing, the positive adjective is used (e.g. the big fish.) The positive, comparative and superlative of the adjective ‘Good’ are Good, Better, Best.

When God uses the word GOOD, the grammar rule suggests that there is no comparison, and when the word is used to describe God, it is reinforced that God is in a class all by Himself. This is totally in keeping with His attribute of incomparability (Isaiah 40:25-26.)

By being in the class of Good, God was making a statement that He is the Alpha and Omega, He is the great I Am, He is the Rose of Sharon, The Bread of Life and The Strong tower. God was announcing what all false gods know… that He is singular.

 Good is a good bar and I am contented with good. When I realized that in God "good" is the standard, I stopped striving for higher. And in so doing I've unintentionally done my best.

(An excerpt from Golden Apples in Silver Settings Chapter 1, Dream Big by Susan Harris 2011).

Find Susan at:
http://susanharris.ca
https://www.facebook.com/SusanHarrisCanadianAuthor
https://twitter.com/SusanHarris20

http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Harris/e/B007XMP4QS/

BIO: Susan Harris is a speaker and former teacher, and the author of Golden Apples in Silver Settings, Remarkably Ordinary, Little Copper Pennies and Little Copper Pennies for Kids. Her first submission to Chicken Soup for the Soul is published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What? edition which releases on August 19, 2014. The story is called "Smokey's Lock-out". Remarkably Ordinary will be released in print in the fall. Her children's picture book, Alphabet on The Farm will also be released, in both English and French. Susan was born in exotic Trinidad but now lives on the Saskatchewan prairies with her husband, daughter and the gregarious cats.