by Tim Hall

"Trick or Treat" is a phrase I once used with gusto. In my younger years, my cousins and I would dress in outlandish garb and roam from one house to the next. After knocking loudly at the door, we would yell "Trick or Treat!" when the resident appeared. And we meant it. If a satisfactory treat was not forthcoming, we had bars of soap in our pockets with which to write messages on their windows. (We weren't like the wild ones who would overturn outhouses!)

Some view God as a Being who is full of surprises. Sometimes He might bless you; on other occasions a curse might be flung your way. The Greek pantheon was filled with such capricious gods. They regularly used humans as their playthings, seldom acting from selfless motives. Knocking on the door of these gods was a risk, for you never knew whether a treat or a trick would be given. Thankfully, that's not the God described in the Bible.

Deuteronomy is a collection of Moses' final exhortations to Israel. He knew the time of his departure was near, and he wanted to impress on the people the will and the nature of God. His statement in Deuteronomy 6:24 is worth highlighting: "And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive as it is this day" (New King James Version). "For our good always" -- Moses said a mouthful with those four words. It means that God's motives are always good toward us. We don't have to worry about the kind of mood He is in. If our lives are found in a bad spot, it's because we refused the good that the Lord wanted to give.

Jesus affirmed this image of God in Matthew 7:9-11: "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"

Or consider Jesus' words in Luke 12:32: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". Unlike the gods of human imaginations, the true God derives pleasure from giving good things to His children. If God is our Father, we can be assured that He will do only good for us -- even if we at the time question His goodness.

Paul summed up the idea in Romans 12:2: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." God's will sometimes requires great adjustments on our part. But those adjustments are worth the effort because of the resulting goodness that will come.

In many communities across our land, hospitals will invite concerned parents to bring their children's bags of treats to be scanned for hidden needles or razor blades. It's a sick mind that plays such tricks on the unsuspecting innocents. You needn't fear such handouts from God. Everything you'll receive from Him will have one common trait: It will be good for you!