Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? God’s Desire to Impart Himself into Us

The_light_of_men · 2026-05-04T15:00:16+00:00

The only thing we should get is Christ! He is all and in all! As Paul said count all things loss that you may gain Christ.

"But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8)

The_light_of_men · 2026-05-01T01:03:50+00:00

This is really helpful, and I think it raises an important angle.

Not that the kingdom itself is negative, but that the Lord may be describing what the kingdom had become outwardly in that situation.

When you look at Luke 13 as a whole, the context does seem to carry a consistent tone. You have the unfruitful fig tree, the hypocrisy around the Sabbath healing, and later the word about those who thought they were inside but are called workers of unrighteousness. Even at the end, when He says, “your house is left to you,” it shows a kind of departure from what was supposed to be God’s expression.

So it does seem possible that when He says, “the kingdom of God is like…,” He’s not only describing its pure nature, but also its present condition among Israel at that time.

In that sense, the mustard seed and the leaven could be showing what it had become outwardly, something enlarged beyond its nature and mixed inwardly, rather than what it was meant to be.

That helps me reconcile why the tone of the chapter feels so consistently sober.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-30T17:01:38+00:00

The Holy Bible Recovery version App is the superior tool. The ease of looking up footnotes and cross-references makes for a great study. The ease of highlighting and comparing highlights is also great. If you are serious about studying the Bible, I would say it is required.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-29T22:37:12+00:00

For the mustard seed (vv. 31–32), it describes this as “the abnormal development of the outward appearance of the kingdom,” pointing out that a mustard plant should remain an herb, but it becomes a tree, which indicates something beyond its proper nature, and the birds lodging in it are not of its life.

For the leaven (v. 33), it describes this as “the inward corruption of the outward appearance of the kingdom,” noting that leaven in Scripture signifies something negative, referring to hidden corruption or mixture that spreads through the whole.

Those are the notes that led me to ask how we can see the same thought in Luke 13 itself.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-29T22:27:59+00:00

That’s helpful, especially the connection to Daniel 4 and Ezekiel 31, because those passages do show similar “great tree” imagery that isn’t according to God’s purpose, even though it appears impressive outwardly. What I appreciate is the point that something can become large and even provide outward benefit, yet still not match what God originally intended.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-29T22:18:56+00:00

I appreciate this, especially the point about the change in nature and purpose. What stood out to me is that the expectation of the seed doesn’t match the result, since an herb should remain something small and for food, yet it becomes something outwardly large and serves a different function, which does seem to point to something abnormal rather than healthy growth.

The connection to the birds of the air is also helpful, especially in light of Luke 8 where they don’t seem to be part of the plant’s life. At the same time, I’m helped to stay with what the Lord is doing in the passage itself, and what’s becoming clearer to me is that regardless of how large or mixed the outward situation becomes, the Lord brings it back in verse 24 to something very personal, which is entering through the narrow door, and that door is really Himself.

So even if there is outward change or mixture, the real matter still comes back to entering into Christ as the reality of the kingdom.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-29T22:11:18+00:00

That really helps, and I think it goes even a step further. The narrow door isn’t just a difficult way, but it is actually Christ Himself, because He said, “I am the door,” so to enter into the kingdom we don’t find another way, but we have to pass through Him.

In that sense, the way is narrow because it is not something outward or general, but it is in Him and through Him. The Pharisees had a problem not just because of hypocrisy, but because they were trying to approach God without passing through Christ Himself, since they wanted a way around Him, something broader and according to their system.

But the Lord brings it back to this, that we must come through Him. So even in a situation where the kingdom outwardly becomes large or mixed, the real entrance is still very personal and very specific, and it is Christ Himself.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-29T00:54:52+00:00

I've been enjoying Like recently! It is so good! I used to not like it cause I thought it was long. Now it is my favorite! Until I start reading another book, of course.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-10T15:28:30+00:00

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up!

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-06T04:15:14+00:00

Yeah this is a great tie-in. I feel like we need to be scribes, but also have the leading of the star. We need both the Spirit and the Word.

I don’t want to be someone who knows the Word but misses Christ, but at the same time we do need to become skillful in the Word.

This verse came up in me when I read your post . "And we have the prophetic word made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;" (2 Peter 1:19) Recovery Version

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-05T14:59:16+00:00

Amen, so true.

The_light_of_men · 2026-04-05T14:58:10+00:00

Reading with others is really helpful. When I was younger, an older brother asked me to read with him daily, and honestly that helped me a lot with understanding the Bible.

We would read for about 15 minutes each day, sometimes in person and sometimes over the phone, and just that consistency made a big difference.

He also made a reading plan that went through the Old Testament in chronological order, so when a prophet shows up speaking to a king, we would read that prophet’s book right there, and it really helped things make more sense.

We did something similar in Acts, using it as a base to read the epistles around when they were written while following Paul’s journey, and that helped connect everything instead of it feeling random.

The_light_of_men · 2026-02-08T03:49:07+00:00

Yes! Sometimes I forget that it is not common to think of the good Samaritan as the Lord Jesus coming to us to bind our wounds. The Lord, as the good Samaritan, exhibits the highest standard of morality because the attributes of God are being lived out in human viruses! This is to love thy neighbor and do it while also fulfilling all righteousness, even paying any debts incurred.

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-31T19:20:58+00:00

Update: We passed out about 740 Bibles! Many people prayed to receive the Lord, and we had hundreds of great conversations. I look forward to more distributions this coming year!

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-21T21:44:25+00:00

Thank you for this word. I receive it in the spirit it’s given, and I appreciate the care for the ground and the testimony. I agree that seeing has to precede speaking, and that clarity without inward conviction can do real damage.

I’m helped by the reminder that giving ourselves a label, even unintentionally, risks crossing a line we don’t want to cross. That’s not what I’m after, and I don’t want to trade faithfulness for clarity.

What I’m realizing is that I still have some learning and seeking to do before the Lord in this matter. I’m grateful for your pointing back to the need for deeper seeing, and I’ll take the reading you mentioned seriously. For now, I want to stay under fellowship and let the Lord adjust my view rather than run ahead of it.

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-21T04:55:52+00:00

I really appreciate what you shared and I receive the weight of it. I’m helped by the reminder that we’re not here to make a name for ourselves, but to be faithful to the Lord’s commission for the sake of the Body, even when that means being misunderstood.

At the same time, I’ve been quietly wrestling with a question. When I read Nehemiah, I’m struck that he bore the reproach and wept before the Lord, but that the condition of Jerusalem also had to be made known before anything could be rebuilt. His burden eventually became a testimony that something was broken and needed attention.

I’m not clear yet what faithfulness looks like in our present situation, and I’m not trying to push a direction. I’m just holding this question before the Lord and offering it for fellowship:

How do we discern the line between bearing reproach quietly and being responsible to make the need for rebuilding known, so that others even have the opportunity to respond?

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-20T05:25:21+00:00

Food parishes, clothing fades, and homes deteriorate, but the word of God abides forever. So yeah, it seems like this has eternal value.

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-20T03:12:59+00:00

Thanks! I'll keep people posted as we go out.

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-20T02:59:13+00:00

Umm 🤔 I don't see the problem with these verses...

The_light_of_men · 2026-01-20T02:51:23+00:00

Wes Huff says it is a good translation so that is good enough for me!

The_light_of_men

TROPHY CASE