Discovering The Goodness of God
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
At the heart of our security, as followers of Jesus, there is a fundamental truth that we must believe: “God is GOOD!” It is His goodness that continually manifests itself in the fabric of His glory and unfailing nature. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, it was the goodness of God that was revealed to him as God’s overwhelming glory passed by where Moses was hidden in the cleft of the rock.
In Psalm 23:6, God’s goodness and mercy are promised to follow us all the days of our lives. Indeed, David also declares in Psalm 27:13 that he would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. The goodness of God is inseparable from His nature. That is why we can trust that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
What is goodness? Goodness speaks of a quality of integrity, righteousness, and justice that can be trusted. It has a sense of purity, fairness, and morality attached to its character. Goodness is not selfish but always looks for opportunities to bless others. It always looks out for the needs of others so that they receive benevolence and encouragement. Goodness creates an atmosphere of trust, which represents one who is reliable, solid, and dependable. The security that comes from those who live lives of goodness will embrace those who are truly in need. This reflects the heart of God the Father and His desire that all humanity would encounter the wonder of His goodness, which results in receiving His blessing.
As we are created in His image and likeness, our hearts should be motivated by love and the goodness that is generated by it. How do we establish the fruit of goodness in our hearts? Firstly, those who are seen to be “good” are often known for the quality of their decisions. When a child or a dog obeys, we describe their response as good. Simply, “good” is born from a foundation of righteousness. My wife describes righteousness as “right–choice-ness”! What is the right choice? It is walking in obedience to God to release “hope, faith, and love” to those around you. Goodness results in blessing. Thus, making the right choices, in alignment with God’s love, will always lead to blessings on a corporate and individual level.
The blessing that comes from living a life in obedience to God will increase your wisdom and authority. By making choices for good, you will avoid temptation and the consequences that come from bad decisions. As a result, the fruit of goodness will produce a character of excellence and purity which will leave you undefiled and above reproach.
There is an important difference between self-righteousness and righteousness that flows from the goodness of love. True righteousness always treats others with esteem, releasing blessings and encouragement to promote the well-being of others. However, self-righteousness may have the appearance of goodness but ultimately will misrepresent purity and use it to create superiority and separation from those who do not measure up to an imposed standard of perfection. Such self-righteousness is often characterized by a judgmental, “holier than thou” attitude. If not recognized, self-righteousness creates a religious and pharisaical spirit and will misrepresent the goodness of God.
As you seek to produce the fruit of goodness, you are not guaranteed that life will be easy. A life of goodness is not a life void of problems. In fact, it is in the midst of our challenges that God promises to work out His goodness on our behalf. We choose to live a life of goodness and obedience not for the sake of reward or blessing. Instead, we choose to live from the place of goodness, we choose to be a blessing even despite our circumstances, because we are a reflection of the glory of God, and God is GOOD.
