ALL Things for Our Benefit

Now that I have come to see that God is in control of ALL things, I have also become convinced that I should be thanking God for ALL things, not just the things that I perceive to be good.
While this may seem obvious to most Christians, often our actions betray a lack of application of such beliefs.

So strong has this new application of my belief become, that I often actually feel guilty now when ever I thank God for only the things that I see as good, it's like saying to Him "thanks heaps God, but about time you turned up, where have you been?"
Despite the fact that we constantly attribute things we see as 'bad' to satan or luck and chance, our actions need to be dictated by KNOWING that God works ALL things to our benefit (Romans 8:28), not just the few things that we recognise as good. It must feel like such an insult to God when we only thank Him for what we see as good, He must feel like saying "but my child, I love you, why do you doubt that I have your best interests in mind? Trust me, haven't I already proven my fidelity?"
It feels so liberating now to praise God when things don't go my way, because I know that things have actually gone His way!!!! To KNOW that God is working things to my benefit even when they seem bad to my woefully corrupt eyes.... now that is the faith that I'm after! That is the child-like faith that God so desires!

One Thing That I Desire

After reading Psalm 27:4 "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." it made me think about what I want to achieve in life. In the past I would have had the same response as most people; pay off mortgage, career, travel......all mere worldly ambitions. But now my ambitions are more in line what the above verse describes, and probably should be for anyone who is a follower of Christ.
It's interesting how easily duped and deluded we can become by worldly secular influences, even when the bible clearly teaches something to the contrary!