God Is Good
Open Your Bible
1 Chronicles 16:34-36, Psalm 119:57-68, Matthew 7:7-11, Romans 8:28, Revelation 21:1-7
BY She Reads Truth
God is the standard of beauty, faithfulness, kindness, and truth. He is the source of all goodness.
To say God is great is to focus on His power: He speaks creation into existence, makes the skies thunder and rain, and sets the planets in their orbits. But to say God is good is different; it is not just another way of recognizing His power. The goodness of God speaks to His personal character—who He is in relationship to us. In all ways and in all things, God is good. He is never absent, disinterested, careless, ill-tempered, petty, spiteful, or mean. He is set apart from all evil and does what is right, faithful, kind, and true. Always.
True goodness is defined by who God is. He doesn’t just do good—He is good. In Psalm 119:68, the psalmist prays, “You are good, and you do what is good; teach me your statutes.” The key to understanding the goodness of God is learning who He is through His Word. If we don’t learn His statutes, we will bring our own definitions and impose them on God. And when He doesn’t do what we think He should, we will accuse Him of failing to be “good” by our own standards—not His.
In His goodness, God gives us what we need and withholds what we do not. If we ask for bread, He will not give us a harmful serpent or a useless stone, He will give us what we need (Luke 11:11; Matthew 7:9). The God who withholds no good thing is the same God who gives no bad thing. Sometimes we don’t realize that we ask God for stones and serpents. When we ask God to give us things that are useless or harmful, the good Father refuses. As sure as He will not give a serpent when His children ask for fish, neither will He give them a serpent when His children unwittingly ask for one.
Yes, God is great, but He is also good. All the time and in all things. He does good because He is good.
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This was written by my best friend. The Lakey family is very precious to me. Please pray for them and share this post with your friends. It may be just what someone needs to be saved.
Precious Memories!
Written by- Sonya LakeyWe had no idea that the evening of September 24th, 2021, would be the last night our family would be complete. We laughed together, played games, sang, and enjoyed listening as our oldest son played the piano for us. I packed a lunch for him (which he usually did for himself) for the church hike he was going on the following day.
My mom, who was visiting from out of state, and I got up early with him on Saturday morning to hug him and see him off. He hugged me and smiled, never pulling away or rushing me. He got in the car, waved, said he’d see me later and he loved me. It was hard to watch my “new driver” heading out on his own.
As he pulled out of the gate, I turned to my mom and said, “It’s just so hard letting go.” Little did I know how much “letting go” I was really doing. That was the last time I saw our 16 year old son. He did not make it home that night.
That afternoon, a friend had tried to contact us, leaving a message on the phone to call back due to an emergency, but we really had no clue what was going on. And though we tried several times to return the call, we were not able to make a connection. As I helped prepare supper, an overwhelming feeling of deep concern for Ethan and dread filled my heart, and I quietly blinked back tears. I looked out the window, half expecting to see a police officer pulling in, but no.
However, within minutes, a police car DID pull in our driveway. In my heart, I feared the worst, but I went outside to speak with him. He confirmed who I and my husband (who followed me out) were, then hesitantly told us our son had fallen off a bluff and had succumbed to his injuries. Our hearts were crushed…. Still are.
Yet, in all of our brokenness, deep, continual grief and loneliness, we have such a blessed Hope and assurance that we will see our dear son again. You see, even as a young boy, Ethan realized some very important truths from God’s Word.
He had sinned against a righteous, holy and just God. The Bible says:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ” (Romans 3:23)
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12)He understood that his sin separated him from God, and he deserved to spend eternity in Hell.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)He understood he could not pay the price for his sins.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)Ethan realized that, ‘though he could not pay the price for his sins, the price had already been paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life. He had no fault of His own. But Jesus was crucified for our sins, and He took on Himself the sins of every person in the whole world. He was beaten, spit on, whipped, mocked, scourged, and nailed to the Cross of Calvary. He shed every drop of His righteous blood – because that was the only thing that could satisfy the just demands of a righteous God – so we could be made righteous in Him. He suffered all of that so Ethan – and you and I – would not have to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, but so we could spend eternity in Heaven with HIM! THAT is a great LOVE.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)Jesus did not stay on the cross, nor did He stay in the tomb where His body was buried. Three days later, Jesus arose triumphant over sin and death and the grave. Ethan believed this with his whole heart, asked Jesus to forgive his sins, and he put his faith in Jesus Christ ALONE to save him from sin and eternal death and to take him to Heaven someday.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)Because of this great salvation, Ethan lived his life serving Jesus and others. He worked hard to spread this Good News to the world. We know he is alive in Heaven with Jesus today, and we know we will see him again soon, not because he was a great kid, but because of his faith in the great Saviour!
What about you? What if you had fallen to your death that day? Would your family, though grieving, be able to rejoice in the knowledge that they would see you again in Heaven, or would you be burning in Hell today?
The Word of God is very clear that there is only One Way to Heaven. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
Have YOU trusted Jesus as YOUR Saviour? Have you repented of your sins? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you so you can go to Heaven & not have to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire? Tomorrow may be too late. As Ethan pulled out of sight that morning, we had no idea we would never see him again in this life. None of us have the promise of tomorrow! Repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus alone – today!
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14
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Father, thank you for another day. You know me God. You wrote a book about my days before there was even one. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your provision and for my family and friends. Thank you for my job, for our car and a place to live. You are Good God. You showed your love for us in sending your Son. Thank you for saving me out of the pit God. Help me to live for you today. In Jesus Name. Amen
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I’ve found that the most helpful part of this study has been the comparisons between God and myself. It’s really helped me grasp the reality and significance of who God really is, because it’s no longer just “Christian” words that I hear all the time, I now see how far I fall from that definition and by contrast how God does not. God is good, and just, and holy. He always was and he always will be. Amen!
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One thing that made me stop and consider was if I have been judging God by MY standards of good and bad. I am definitely repenting of that mindset.
Oh Lord, forgive me when I can Your good bad and Your bad good. Help me to trust You more.
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