Keys to the Kingdom

“This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.“ Blessed Assurance is one of Fanny Crosby’s 8,000 songs she penned during her 95 years as a blind hymnist. While reading Psalm 71 recently, I realized that this chapter is the epitome of my story. God’s Word is alive and powerful; sharper than any two-edged sword and my heart was pierced with His loving truth.

Although there are 24 verses to this Psalm, the following seven are the ones that specifically spoke to me that Sunday morning: “(3) Be to me a great protecting Rock, where I am always welcome, safe from all attacks. (5) O Lord, You alone are my hope; I’ve trusted You from childhood. (6) Yes, You have been with me from birth and have helped me constantly — no wonder I am always praising You! (15) I cannot count the times when You have faithfully rescued me from danger. I will tell everyone how good You are, and of Your constant, daily care. (16) I walk in the strength of the Lord God. (17) O God, You have helped me from my earliest childhood — and I have constantly testified to others of the wonderful things You do. (22) I will praise You with music, telling of Your faithfulness to all Your promises“ (Psalm 71 TLB).

As I worshipped God a few hours later in church, we sang “Goodness of God.” My heart was overflowing with the anointed lyrics because it was a perfect parallel to Psalm 71. I experienced a “God moment” with my loving heavenly Father. This revelation was my personal confirmation from Him concerning something I had been leaning toward, but now I knew I had my definite answer.

“Goodness of God” was written by Jenn and Brian Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, and Ben Fielding. I have lived this song — this is my story: “I love you Lord, oh Your mercy never fails me. All my days I’ve been held in Your hands. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head, oh I will sing of the goodness of God. ‘Cause all my life You have been faithful. And all my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able oh I will sing of the goodness of God. I love Your voice, You have led me through the fire. And in the darkest night You are close like no other. I’ve known You as a Father, I’ve known You as a Friend. And I have lived in the goodness of God.”

What do God’s promises in His Word say to you? Perhaps your past is one you’d rather forget. If so, then that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do — forgive, forget, and move on. Lay those hurtful experiences and memories down at the foot of the cross and leave them there. Never ever carry that heavy baggage again. Today is a new day chocked full of God’s loving mercy, kindness, and faithfulness. Reach out and take what God offers and freely run on the path of blessings He has for you. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).

Accept what God offers through Christ Jesus and let His mighty power work in you. Then you, too, will have your own story and song.

The Key: Sing about the goodness of God at the top of your lungs until your last breath.

When healthy, government entities focus primarily on serving their constituents, and private entities focus on their investors. This is called incentive; if an elected official does NOT focus on the public good, they should be voted out of office. Likewise, a private entity, which ineffectively represents the shareholders, goes broke. The incentive in both cases is for effective behavior.

In some cases, both incentives are needed. A government entity needs a specialized building, so they hire a qualified contractor, and negotiate a fair price to serve the public, while allowing the contractor a reasonable profit. Win/win.

In more complicated situations, sometimes it is necessary for a public entity to invest in a project owned privately, to promote the public good, and allow for the private corporation to have the control they need, within reasonable boundaries. One of the common examples of this is a Land Bank, created by a government entity to act as a connector between owners, who no longer have a viable plan for a property, and investors, who have a profit incentive, to take on the property development. The public is saved the spectacle of a dilapidated building deteriorating before its eyes, and the investors make a reasonable profit.

Bourbon County is in need of expanding these types of opportunities. We have dozens of situations in which it does not make sense for a private entity to buy a property, absorb all the costs to reverse the years of deterioration, and make all the necessary investments to turn the project into a viable income producing property. This is where government has the opportunity to step in.

Additionally, local charities have an opportunity to enhance these partnerships. Donation money invested in these permanent improvements to our community may make as much sense as routine handouts. Government, businesses, and charities need to think outside the box, get creative, and look for ways to make our communities better.

Grant money and advantaged loan programs can help. Some of these opportunities are geared to the private sector, some to government, and some to not-for-profit entities. These possibilities need to be sought out, and structures put in place to effectively deploy the resources.

The key in all these opportunities is to keep the incentives where they belong. Asking a business to only serve the public good, or for a government to produce a profitable real estate venture, is a losing strategy long-term.

Let’s all get creative, and look for ways to work together to improve our communities, while keeping everyone operating in their lane. Bourbon County REDI (formerly BEDCO) will be looking for ways to build together county-wide.