The Goodness Of The LORD

 There is a reason that we are to seek God with all our hearts, soul, and spirit; we will find Him but only because He first sought us. We must have the eyes of our hearts opened and the door of faith by the Almighty Himself.   (cf. Isaiah 65:1.  King David exhorts us to "taste and see, that the LORD is good." (cf. Psalm 34:8).  Once we do, we long to recapture the experience and make it our own  We need to own Christ as our personal Lord.  In other words, put out the fleece for God and put Him to the test as God invited it.  Find out for yourself and don't go by second-hand knowledge but know first hand.  Capture the rapture of knowing God in person.  

It can be problematic trying to recapture that unforgettable encounter with god or even describe it to others.  In a sense, it may be like chasing pots at the ends of mythical rainbows or some will-o-the-wisp. No one can adequately describe God in detail or define Him to our specs or even know Him exhaustively, but we can be content to know Him truly. God wants our faith to be a properly basic belief or one interwoven into our experience and one that cannot be taken away from us.  It becomes a personal thing.   

As Oswald Chambers said, that of maturity is not ecstasy but obedience, we must not base our assurance on our experience though but keep faith in God.   Our own experience with God is unique and personal and we know what God means to us in our own experience  This can be our own experience and differ from the individual.  To know the loved of God that surpasses knowledge!  But it is unforgettable and you associate it with something that remains in your mind and you long for it if you are deprived.  No one has our unique experience and can relate to us in this way.  The LORD is meant to be a heavenly experience but what doesn't mean we always walk on Cloud Nine or on some perpetual religious high as if everything is Pollyanna.  

God is the source of all goodness and all the good we have comes from God, the Supreme Good, as Plato called Him.  Without God's goodness, we couldn't know what goodness is, relate to it nor measure it.  We want to experience the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13).  Note that God is good to all in some ways and to some in always.  (cf. Psalm 145:9).  We all deserve a taste of heaven to know what to look forward to and in worship, we gain the experience of a personal encounter with God.  For example, we all experience the love of God sometimes in life. But we must be careful not to seek the benefits without the Benefactor!  To know God is to love him and this is what it's about: love in God. God's love reaches down to us in grace and we reach up to Him in worship.  We thank our Provider for all His provisions. This is only a foretaste of glory in heaven and gives us all the more expectation and hope to live on in aspiration doing His will.  Once we taste, we'll never "settle," we'll want Him and only Him. 

God's goodness is shown in manifold ways: answers to prayer, freedom from fear, deliverance from enemies, protection from evil, healing of broken hearts, consolation in loss and grievance, encouragement in depression, comfort in trouble and pain, victory over sin, power over sin, provision of needs, the taste of glory, justification in condemnation, presence in loneliness, and healing of broken hearts. God promises that our afflictions will never overwhelm us or overcome us as we can pass through the fire and not be burned (cf. Isaiah 43:2).  

Our Christian experience isn't just about the bye-and bye or hope in the future but in the here and now as we are called to live the more abundant life of flourishing in Christ as He prospers us and gives us success in all we do in His name and even provides the means and needs for them.  Our eternal life doesn't begin in eternity but now upon salvation (cf.. John 3:36; 5:24). We learn on a daily basis what it means to experience the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13). 

Our salvation is in three tenses: we are saved from the penalty of sin, we are being delivered from the power of sin, and we shall be delivered from the presence of sin.  Our past is forgotten and forgiven, or present is given meaning, purpose, and fulfillment, and our future is secured! How much more could goodness be than that blessed hope and salvation?  "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (cf. Heb. 2:3).   Soli Deo Gloria!

God Is Great But Also Good

 In C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mr. Beaver tries to describe Aslan the lion (and Christ figure) to Lucy who recognized him asking if he's safe, "Of course, He isn't but he's good; He's the King!"  Also, we are in awe of  God's power and might, but should be comforted that He is also good that we may fear and worship Him. David prayed in Psalm 34:8 that we should "taste and see that the LORD is good," saying that God challenges us to find this out for ourselves and not take someone's word for it; Put God to the test and put out the fleece here on this promise.  This is one of only a few experiments we can do with God.  We can experience and know God personally and find out ourselves that God will be good to us and that we do not deserve it, but only condemnation if we got only what we deserved. We must confess that only God is truly good as Jesus said, (cf. Matt. 19:17). 

I will hope to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. 27:13) and realize that our faith is not "pie in the sky," but a realistic one that stands up to scrutiny and life's pitfalls and trials. Our faith isn't just for the good times, God wants us to turn to Him in times of trouble too,  "Call unto Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me," (cf. Psalm 50:15). In evil times, we must not forsake God or name Him, for He intends good even from evil (cf. Gen. 50:20). It is so easy to forget God in good times and sometimes we need a spiritual wake-up call! God sometimes just seeks to get our attention (cf. Job 36:15) or to see what is really on our hearts and where our priorities are (cf. 2 Chron 32:31). 

One thing we must realize that the goodness of God isn't the whole picture for the unbeliever. He is blessed by association as God blesses them that bless Israel by analogy. The unbeliever and even apostate Israel is experiencing the sternness or severity of God in these days,  "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of the LORD," (cf. Romans 11:22).  Some mistakenly believe God is all --good or omnibenevolent and can't curse, for instance,  

A cursory reading of Deut 28 will change your outlook there. The Old Testament ends with a curse!  The goodness of God, as far as the sinner is concerned, is meant to lead one to repentance (cf. Romans 2:4).  We ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and have been sinners ever since. "Surely the goodness of the LORD will follow me all the days of my life," (cf. Psalm 23:6). But God is good to all in some ways and to some in many ways but no one can deny His goodness (cf. Psalm 145:9). We do not call Jesus the good Lord for nothing!  

What else is worship but the recognition, cognition, appreciation, and praise of God's goodness; both in who He is and in what He does for His children and to His glory. We shall behold the beauty of the LORD known as the beatific vision--we shall be satisfied with seeing the glory of God as Moses did on Mount Sinai.  God is not only good but desires to share His goodness with us and He will not withhold any good thing from him who walks uprightly (cf. Psalm 84;11) 

Plato called God the Supreme Good, meaning we would have no concept or perception of goodness if there were not some standard to judge by--some perfection which he called God.  James 1:17 says that all good things come from God.  He is the source of all blessings!  We rarely give Him the thanksgiving glory,  recognition, and worship He desires and deserves. For God said after creation that it was all very good and it has been us that have tainted and corrupted the world.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

God Is Good!

What is meant by God being good?  the phrase "God is good all the time..." is too simplistic and is open to interpretation and misunderstanding.  Does this mean He is incapable of being anything but good?  God is good is only part of the story and description of His nature.  Romans 11:22, KJV, says to "behold the goodness and severity of God...."   "Therefore, consider God's kindness and severity..." (HCSB). There are multiple criteria for determining goodness! He is able to withhold His goodness. We believe that we shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13).

All of us have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil--it's in contrast to evil that we behold good.   Being good can be interpreted in many ways, for it's one of those words that is relative to what it describes:  a good dog is merely one who is housebroken and does tricks,  not a virtuous one! Sometimes we say we are having a good day!  A good mother can always be counted on in times of need and to love you no matter what!   A good housekeeper is one who keeps the house in order, relatively.  A good movie may be entertaining and worth the investment.  Do you see my drift?

NB:  Something cannot be good without something to compare it to--a perfect standard; everything is good compared to an evil standard!  That's why it's only in contrast to evil that we comprehend good and the knowledge of the two come in a package (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and we all see ourselves as good compared to Hitler, but the standard of good is Jesus, and compared to Him, we all fall short.

When God created the earth He said that it was all very good, and then rested!  Man was created good, not perfect--if he were perfect, God would be creating another God.  Now, good doesn't necessarily mean perfect--wouldn't you rather get a perfect score on a paper than a good one, which may just be mediocre?  If the earth was perfect at creation, it couldn't have been made corrupt or vulnerable to change.  When God's nature is defined in terms of goodness, it's relative to Him and Jesus said that only God is good in this respect--no matter how good we think we are.

God is perfect needing no improvement and incapable of losing any perfections.  God's goodness is the standard, for even Plato called God the Supreme Good and we would not know good except for Him.  After all, where did this idea come from, except from God?  Every rating, criticism, or standard must be weighed against a perfect standard to make any sense!  In other words, it's only because of a Supreme Good that we can measure or assess any good at all. Even people compare themselves with themselves and congratulate themselves when they feel superior or holier---they like the "let's compare game."

Now, God is good for a reason!  The goodness of God is meant to lead us to repentance according to Romans 2:4.  But in reality, God is more than good--He's perfect, in that His goodness cannot be improved upon and cannot diminish!  It goes back to the old philosophical axiom that "whatever is, is!"  If God were to change or if He weren't immutable, He wouldn't be perfect, but vulnerable like His creatures,.  God's goodness is that standard by which we see all good!

On the other hand, we must never accuse God of being vindictive, mean, cruel, imperfect, less than divine in any way, because God is good and He invites us to find out for ourselves!  That's why He says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good!" in Psalm 34:8.   A full comprehension of God's goodness is comprehended with an awareness of our depravity!

We don't just have to assume it or take it by faith, but have the opportunity to find out by giving God a chance to prove it to us.  You could say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating,  Those of us who know the Lord know that His goodness is far more than we can imagine or think--it blows our minds as to how and why He can or is so good--He doesn't know how to be bad, you could say; and yet we are bad inherently or basically by nature--just the opposite.  Man used to be inclined to good before the Fall and now he's inclined by nature, by choice, and by birth, to be evil or bad and in need of someone to be good to us as ambassadors of goodwill!  Grace is goodness in action and the way God reveals it to us in salvation:  we don't deserve it, we cannot pay it back, we cannot earn it, and we cannot even add to it!   

One mystery we must meditate on in awe is not that God is good to His children, but why is He good to all, even the bad--He's good to some people in all ways (cf. Psalm 145:9) but God is good to all in some ways--no one will be able to deny His goodness in the end.  It is by grace, realizing our unworthiness, that we understand God's goodness to us in His provision and blessings.  As Joseph told his brothers, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (cf. Gen. 50:20).      Soli Deo Gloria!