The goodness of God is a foundational attribute of God, as well as a description of God’s very essence. God, by nature, is inherently good, as the Psalms tell us: "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” He is the foundation of goodness and of everything good — He did not obtain it from another source. People can have good traits or do good deeds, but goodness is not in our character. Our goodness comes from God.
The Goodness of God is evident in all His creations and accomplishments. God’s goodness exudes from God’s love for each and all. It is available to us regardless of our station in life. “... He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:45) And we read in Psalm 145:9 that “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."
God’s goodness is personal. The lyrics of an old chorus say “God is so good; He’s so good to me.” We can all sing this song because He is good to each of us on a very personal level, in ways that meet our individual needs. God’s goodness provides us with benefits such as:
It gives us the perfect model of goodness. By knowing God and learning about His goodness, we can come to recognize true goodness and strive to do good things. We should pray as the Psalmist did, “You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees”. We can look to God and strive to imitate and demonstrate this goodness to everyone.
It assures us that God’s purpose for us is good. God’s goodness will not be thwarted. While there may be times, seasons and occasions where brokenness and pain break into our lives, God’s goodness will overcome. Even through and in spite of these times, we may see God bring blessing out of chaos and suffering.
It offers us security and encouragement. We can depend on the unchanging goodness of God. God will always be good. God’s character does not change. God will continue to be the creator of all things good and we can be confident God will provide good things for us.
It draws us to God. The purpose of God’s goodness is to draw us to Him. This was manifested in the highest degree when God gave God’s full self for us on the cross. Because of God’s goodness, we have been given opportunities to hear His word and to claim abundant & eternal life.
The Goodness of God is at the core of our Christian faith. It is because of God’s desire for our good that God restores us to right relationship in and through grace (God’s unconditional love). Everything God does is for our good. We can see proof of the goodness of God all around us in the life-sustaining provisions the Lord supplies — from crops that provide our food to the very air we breathe. We can have goodness in us, and even desire to do good, but true goodness comes from the One who is perfectly good and wants good things for all people. May we show the goodness of God to each and all every day
Be God’s,
Pastor Jim
Comments