In Good Times and Bad by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

It has been an excellent stretch.

This week, our POP Talk team is attending the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. Our TV show is a finalist for an award, and our new documentary to fight Holocaust denial, Their Blood Cries Out, was selected for the NRB TV Showcase and is up for an award. Today, I am praising God for these blessings.

But why is it that when we experience good times, we often drift from God? Why is it that hardship is what draws us closer to the LORD?

I’ve had enough years in television to know that success can cause haughtiness, and I am praying against that for myself, and our team. Yesterday, our POP Talk co-hosts prayed on Zoom about this upcoming week and one of our prayers was for the LORD to flow through us to everyone we meet and that we would never be too busy to be kind and loving. We are only doing television and radio because our Creator God placed us in this position, and He is using us as His representatives. He can take it away tomorrow if He wants. We must hold onto these assignments loosely but should be diligent in the work.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

Yes, these are good times, and all glory and honor go to the LORD for the good, but we should be as close to God during the mountaintop moments as we are in the valleys. We must constantly give Him praise for all that is going right as well as all that is wrong because we know God loves us and uses both good and bad for our refining and His purpose in the world.

What season are you in? No matter what is happening, will you lift up hands of praise to the One who is by your side 24/7? Stay close.

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If you have not purchased our new devotional book, Treasure, it is not too late! Lane Jordan Burday and Lisa Burkhardt Worley, along with the POP Team, combined their talents to write the book, which is full of wonderful inspiration. You will be inspired by the messages, and receive daily treasure as God will speak to you through His Holy Spirit. To buy Treasure just click on the Amazon link that takes you directly to the page. https://tinyurl.com/2uj9sn5x.