November 22, 2024

God’s Goodness

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Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare His praise?
Psalms 106:1-2

I love the Lord for His love endures forever. In verse 2 of Psalm 106, the psalmist had come to a point of failing to understand the manner of love the Lord has for His people.

Why all that love? It is because He is good.

The goodness of God endureth continually
Psalm 52:1

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5

The “goodness” of God refers to the perfection of His nature.  There is such an absolute perfection in God’s nature and being that nothing is wanting in it or defective in it; and nothing can be added to it to make it better.

He is originally good —good of Himself—which nothing else is; for all creatures are good only by participation and communication from God.  He is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself.  The creature’s good is a super-added quality, but the goodness of God—it is His essence.  He is infinitely good; the creature’s good is but a little drop, but in God there is an infinite ocean or gathering together of good.  He is eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is.

The goodness of God appeared most illustriously when He sent forth His Son “…made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might received the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5). Then it was that multitude of the heavenly host praising their Maker and said, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good-will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

The goodness of God is the life of the believer’s trust. It is this excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His goodness endures forever, we ought never to be discouraged.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him.
Nahum 1:7

When others behave badly to us, it should only stir us up the more heartily to give thanks unto the Lord, because He is good.  And when we ourselves are conscious that we are far from being good, we should only the more reverently bless Him because He is good.  We must never tolerate even an instant’s unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord; whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain—that Jehovah is good; His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always the same.

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Father, we thank You for Your goodness.  The love that You show us is so great that we always give You honor.  May You receive all the praise and honor in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!!