You're No Good? The Truth About Cookies

One of my favorite songs is "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt. I remember the first time I heard it. I was probably ten years old and one of my aunts had let me borrow her "Heart Like a Wheel" album. The song has a great bass line and Linda, as always, sings it with a lot of umph.

Although the lyrics are directed to some crummy guy out there, I sometimes find I'm singing this song to myself.

I spent a lot of years feeling good about me if I could keep my hand out of the cookie jar. If I had a "good" eating day, then I was good. But, if I didn't feel proud of the way I'd eaten, I was "no good."

I could have gone on for years this way. The only problem was that most days I couldn't keep my hand out of the cookie jar. I was sure that this indicated some deep failure within. I couldn't keep myself from doing this bad thing so therefore I must be a bad person.

Have you ever felt this way?

A year ago I joined Weight Watchers and as I got my eating under control, I realized that sometimes I was lured to the cookie jar because I was just plain h u n g r y!! I hadn't paid attention to my tummy's voice in so long that I had forgotten that feeling full meant I should stop eating. I realized that having a few fruits and vegetables each day wouldn't kill me and might actually make me feel better than my beloved cookies.

Sometimes I've thought that God subscribes to my cookie standard. If I feel good about what I've done that day, then I figure God must be pleased. But, if I don't feel good about my actions, then I decide that God is probably sick of me.

The word of God is clear in Romans 8: There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you have told God that you repent of your sins and have accepted His free gift of salvation through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, then nothing you do -- N O T H I N G -- can make Him love you any less OR any more.

Think on that for a moment.

Outside of accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can't do a thing to earn more of God's love or lose any of His love.

This is incredibly good news. I can keep the lines of communication open between me and God because I know we can talk about whatever I've done -- good or bad. I can follow where He leads me knowing that nothing I've done can keep me from being used for His glory and my good.

I'll still keep Linda's song on my iPod. But, I won't be singing it to myself any more. The Holy Spirit is working to sanctify me through and through. And I am committed to memorizing key verses in my Bible and asking God to help me act as He wants.

Maybe next time I should sing these words instead, "He's so good, He's so good, He's so good. Jesus, You're so gooooood!"

Ah, Lord God,
Thank you for loving me. Thank you that nothing I do can separate me from Your love. Please help me apply Your word to my life. I want You to change any of my thinking that doesn't line up with Your truth.
You ARE so good and I love you.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen