Article July 12, 1999 Issue

Good luck who needs it?

You can bank on God's goodness.

By Beverly Goldsmith

"Would you be interested in buying a raffle ticket to raise money for my daughter's softball team?" A hairdresser asked me this as I was leaving her salon in my hometown in Australia. I replied that I didn't wish to enter the draw but that I would like to support the team with a donation. She kept pressing me to take a ticket, but I politely refused.

As I drove home I thought about why I had declined to enter the raffle. Lotteries, raffles, bingo, betting, casino games, and poker machines appeal to the hope that one might get lucky and win. But if you buy into the notion that there is good luck, you consequently accept that bad luck could come your way. Believing in fortune and mishap presumes that life is nothing more than a series of random, unexpected incidents. According to this view, people get lucky for no apparent reason, and good is accidental. Actually, though, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Bible teaches that God is good. He is both the source and supplier of all that is right, wholesome, and beneficial. Man and the universe are subject to God's rule and are always under His constant, loving care. In His kingdom there is no such thing as fate or chance. God's goodness is always present. It never fluctuates, nor is it subject to accidents or flukes. Good doesn't occur only for some people and not others, nor does it take place outside the usual course of events. In fact, peaceful living, accompanied by good health, agreeable pastimes, useful work, and harmonious relationships, is actually natural for everyone to experience.

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