11/29/2020
Sunday Devotion:
—The Goodness of God—
With everything we’re facing this day and age, I wanted to talk about the goodness of God. When things go wrong, even terribly wrong, we can begin to question whether God is really good or not? After all, if he was good, why would He allow bad things to happen to His people? So, is God good? And does He treat us any different than someone who isn’t His? These are good questions and need to be answered.
First, let’s take a look at the gospel of John 3:16-18. In this passage we learn that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. With that thought in general, we can understand that at God’s core, He is a God of love, a God of mercy, and a God of great kindness. Generally speaking, God is good. But if you read further, you will learn that God’s great act of goodness has a condition attached to. For us not to perish and for us to have eternal life, we must believe on the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. Believing in Jesus means we are not condemned. But if we don’t believe, then we are already condemned because we didn’t believe. So believing in Jesus and living your life in Jesus, in the light, in the Spirit, means you are not condemned. In Christ, you are now in a position to experience the goodness of God.
Now, let’s move to Romans 8:1. In this one verse, we learn that if we are in Christ, if we are living our lives under the direction, the leadership, and control of the Holy Spirit, there is no condemnation. We are in a position to experience the goodness of God. If you read the first 13 verses of Romans 8, you’ll learn that we have a responsibility and a debt to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh. If we live in the Spirit...if we walk in the light as He is in the light, then we have fellowship one with another...see 1 John 1:7.
So again, God is good and He wants to share His goodness with us but it’s conditional that we believe in Jesus and surrender our lives to His Spirit so that we can experience His goodness.
With all that said, can bad things happen to God’s people? The answer is yes. But wait, isn’t God good? Aren’t we His people? Yes and yes! So what’s happening here? What are we promised when it comes to experiencing God’s goodness?
Go back to Romans 8. Take the time to read all of chapter 8. But right now, I want to focus on verses 18-39. In this passage you learn that we are living in a time where suffering is possible and certainly going to affect us at different times in our lives. We learn that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us when Jesus comes back to set things in perfect order. Until then, we are living in an age where we will experience suffering. But because we are the children of God, we have several specific promises that we can hold on to.
First, the Holy Spirit in us, making intercession for us according to the will of God, for the Saints, who are the children of God who believe and follow Him.
Second, because of this, we have the assurance that even if we go through a bad time in our life that the Holy Spirit is actively working on our behalf to bring even the bad and turn it ultimately into something good.
Romans 8:28: For we know that all things work together for the good, to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.
Thirdly, if the Holy Spirt is making intercession, praying for us, actively working with Jesus and God the Father to work even our worst moments in life, to work them out for our good, then we know the rest of Romans 8 is true when it says that if God is for us, who can be against us? If you’re a child of God, if you’re in Christ, walking under the direction of the Spirit, then you are His, God is working in your life for the good, and God is for you, not against you.
The rest of Romans 8 goes into great detail about how complete and total the love of God is in Christ Jesus for us, His children.
So, is God good? You better believe it!
Does God work all things out for the good for His people, those who are the called according to His purpose? Of course, He does, but that doesn’t mean we won’t experience suffering in this present age. It does mean that God is with us, even at our weakest moments of suffering, to work His goodness out in our lives.
However, we need to understand that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His purpose and goodness are carried out according to what He sees best for our lives with eternity in mind. Sometimes, we can see the goodness of God plainly after we go through a trial or experience suffering. Sometimes, that goodness may not be ultimately seen until we step over into eternity. Believe it or not, there are people who have died from the Coronavirus who are God’s people, and if they’re God’s people they’ve received the ultimate gift of His goodness in eternal life.
This virus isn’t the first thing that’s taken the lives of God’s people. Car wrecks have. Wars have. Murders and injustices have. But God is still good, and He’s still working His goodness out in the lives of His children. Remember, even in tough times of suffering, God is praying for you, God loves you, God is working all things for your ultimate good, and He is for you!
God is good! All the time in all things. I hope and pray this devotional helps and gives you hope, and turns your heart to the God who loves you. Don’t allow sufferings to turn you away from God, but let them turn you to Him wholeheartedly as He works things out in your live according to His goodness, His purpose, and His will.
May God bless you with the truth found in His Word! I hope and pray to see you soon in church!
