In books and sermons, Christians are often asked whether their faith is strong enough to withstand bad times. I'm wondering, though, if a better question is this: "Is my faith strong enough to survive good times?"

I keep hearing about people who drift away from the Lord not when life is bad but when it's good. That's when God seems unnecessary.

Too often we interpret His blessing as an indication of our goodness, not His. We assume we deserve everything pleasant that happens, and we fail to appreciate what He is telling us about Himself through the good gifts He lets us enjoy.

In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis wrote, "God whispers to us in our pleasures . . . but shouts in our pains." If we refuse to listen when He whispers to us, He may use shouts to get our attention. That happened to the Israelites. Although God had given them "a land flowing with milk and honey," they turned from Him, so He caused "calamity to come upon them" (Jeremiah 32:22-23).

The goodness of God is a reason to obey Him, not an opportunity to disobey. When we realize that, our relationship with the Lord will be strengthened, not weakened, by His wonderful bounty and blessing.  — Julie Ackerman Link