I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living.
(Psalms 27:13)
This post is dedicated to my loving mother who never wavered or lost her faith in God. Even as she ended her journey (as she calls it) on this earth, her faith in God never wavered. She continued to worship and praise God. She acknowledged the goodness of God and thanked Him for His goodness unto her. She would often tell me how God God was to her; not only spiritually but physically and materially. And it was true; I watched her florish and grow in her faith and go from struggling financially to lacking in nothing. We don't always understand the workings of God in our lives and in the lives of others. But one thing we do know is that when we put our whole trust in Him and acknowledge Him in all of our ways, He will lead us in the path that He would have us take.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
When we think about God and His goodness we have a natural inclination to think first of the materalial or temporal things that God so graciously supplies. But we can never lose sight on the goodness of God that caused Him through His everlasting-kindness, which was born of His love for mankind to send His son as a sacrifice for our sins!
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
God, being the standard of goodness, is unlimited in its description and its impact on the lives of everyone. We must never forget this ultimate sacrifice of God. The works of God are good because they reveal His attributes of wisdom and power.
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Mark 10:18
Have you ever noticed the wide and sometimes even careless use we make of the word "good"? We use it so frequently that we do so almost without thinking. Yet a thing or experience you might consider good, someone else will consider only fair, poor or even bad or evil! "Good" has implications of some degree of excellence. What varies is the precise degree of excellence that lies unexpressed, hidden in the heart, when we use "good" as a vast generality.
The common idea in almost all of its uses is that it suggests a desirable quality, something commendable, reliable, welcome, enjoyable, beneficent, kind, noble, admirable, propitious, exemplary and very much welcome. In the word "goodness," the inner qualities of virtue, excellence of character, morality and attitude that we see in a person's behavior come to the forefront.
Apostle Paul acknowledged the goodness of the brethren in Rome:
And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Romans 15:14
The commands of God are good because they express the righteousness of His character, teaching us, and helping us to grow in understanding His goodness.
God's goodness is a fearful attribute, but that fear has a positive effect on us when we obey Him because it produces good spiritual fruit. Those who yield to God's commands profit by it while those who refuse to acknowledge His commands are faced with the consequences. Apostle Paul told Titus to remind the church to maintain good works:
This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:8
We do have a personal responsibility in what we do with the goodness that God sends toward us. This seems like a tall order, but God, who is faithful and true, promises to help us with it. This too is part of His wonderful goodness.
The word of God enlightens and encourages us in this way:
Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in you in the presence of the sons of men! Psalm 31:19
God's commands expresses the moral perfection of His character and shows us how to please Him, while marking out the path of blessings. In our obedience to God's commands He bestows upon us blessings while teaching us how to be good like Him. Just as He loved us first He also showed goodness to us first.
The six declarations in the account of God's creation of this world are built around the theme of what is good. Six times it records that "God saw that it was good."
The account culminates in a seventh statement that says:
God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31
The Apostle Paul spoke of the goodness of God in this way:
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy 4:4
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Mark 10:18
Have you ever noticed the wide and sometimes even careless use we make of the word "good"? We use it so frequently that we do so almost without thinking. Yet a thing or experience you might consider good, someone else will consider only fair, poor or even bad or evil! "Good" has implications of some degree of excellence. What varies is the precise degree of excellence that lies unexpressed, hidden in the heart, when we use "good" as a vast generality.
The common idea in almost all of its uses is that it suggests a desirable quality, something commendable, reliable, welcome, enjoyable, beneficent, kind, noble, admirable, propitious, exemplary and very much welcome. In the word "goodness," the inner qualities of virtue, excellence of character, morality and attitude that we see in a person's behavior come to the forefront.
Apostle Paul acknowledged the goodness of the brethren in Rome:
And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Romans 15:14
The commands of God are good because they express the righteousness of His character, teaching us, and helping us to grow in understanding His goodness.
God's goodness is a fearful attribute, but that fear has a positive effect on us when we obey Him because it produces good spiritual fruit. Those who yield to God's commands profit by it while those who refuse to acknowledge His commands are faced with the consequences. Apostle Paul told Titus to remind the church to maintain good works:
This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:8
We do have a personal responsibility in what we do with the goodness that God sends toward us. This seems like a tall order, but God, who is faithful and true, promises to help us with it. This too is part of His wonderful goodness.
The word of God enlightens and encourages us in this way:
Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in you in the presence of the sons of men! Psalm 31:19
God's commands expresses the moral perfection of His character and shows us how to please Him, while marking out the path of blessings. In our obedience to God's commands He bestows upon us blessings while teaching us how to be good like Him. Just as He loved us first He also showed goodness to us first.
The six declarations in the account of God's creation of this world are built around the theme of what is good. Six times it records that "God saw that it was good."
The account culminates in a seventh statement that says:
God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31
The Apostle Paul spoke of the goodness of God in this way:
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy 4:4
Because of the link between God and His creation, human life in this world is viewed in the Bible as good in principle. God does not just create things good and then walk away from it, but He continues to maintain it throughout its existence. Goodness is used in this context to convey the pleasant, joyful, and overwhelmingly positive effect of blessings on the people of Israel after their exile and captivity:
"Behold, I will bring it [Israel] health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth." Jeremiah 33:6
A peaceful and secure life is the proverbial good life,
with God and people in harmony and people rejoicing in both God and the human blessings that He bestows.
The goodness of God is not isolated from life but is the basis for what is good in it.
Some of the good things that are mentioned are obviously moral and spiritual phenomena:
* Giving thanks to God, being near to God, the hand of God upon a person,
* God's statutes and commandments, the promise of God, the godly life,
* Doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God,
* Brethren, dwelling together in unity
* A word spoken in season
These are all items mentioned throughout scripture as being good. The list of things keeps expanding into less obviously spiritual areas of life. A pasture can be good, for example. So can the work of building a wall and finding a spouse. Brethren, dwelling together in unity is good as is a word spoken in season. So are eating, drinking and finding enjoyment in work; along with wisdom and a conscience free from guilt. So, we see there that the word 'goodness'; the adjective 'good', covers a wide spectrum of areas of life. Any area that God has an impact, which is everything, is impacted by God's goodness.
The English word "goodness" includes many pleasing qualities. It is more than an excellence of character; it is character energized, expressing itself in active good.
Goodness does not spare sharpness and rebuke to produce good in others.
Thus God can correct, sometimes very severely, and it is still goodness in action. Thus parents can correct their child, and it is good because it helps produce a responsible adult.
Apostle Paul links goodness with full knowledge and admonition of each other. This gives us insight into what he knew of and expected from the believers in Rome, placing before us a target to shoot for in our relationships within the fellowship of the church. Goodness are acts of holiness or righteousness. Goodness is a quality of God:
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Psalms 52:1
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. Psalms 107:8, 15, 21, 31
My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. Psalms 144:2
The goodness of God is shown to sinners to lead them to repentance:
Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4
King David said that he would have fainted had it not been for the goodness of God:
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalms 27:13)
King David also said God's goodness is laid up for us:
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men. Psalms 31:19
As a believer, the goodness and mercy of God follows us:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalms 23:6
Did you know knowledge combined with vanity can spew a torrent of self-righteous offense, but goodness will hold such a display in check and guide knowledge to build up rather than destroy? Biblical goodness is always, under every circumstance, beneficial. Though he had not yet been to Rome at the writing of his epistle, Apostle Paul evidently understood that he was writing to an unusually strong congregation. He was so confident that they had a strong and sincere desire to do the right thing that he wrote that they were "full of goodness [and] filled with all knowledge." They were far different from the recipients of Hebrew, whom he tells, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God":
For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God's utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. Hebrews 5:12
The Romans' full knowledge was an intelligent and comprehensive understanding of the faith and believer's responsibility. Strong faith is not built on weak understanding. They had given honest, serious thought to applying their faith to the sometimes bewildering tangle of life in this world. They were living it.
These two qualities—goodness and knowledge combined—presents a sound vehicle for instructing us in the best ways to "walk the walk" despite the pulls of this world. Goodness provides the right disposition and motivation, and knowledge and the correct instruction. One devoid of the necessary knowledge cannot teach; anyone destitute of goodness will not even try because they lack the impulse to help others in the right spirit. Even if they make the effort, only a spirit marked by active love; another fruit of the spirit, will win the response without which no true education in God's way is possible.
I thank God for my mother. She was a living, shining example of a true child of God. She thanked God readily as she acknowledged that without the goodness of God on her life she would not have been able to complete her journey. She shared with me how her journey had not always been easy. When her and my father married they had a very difficult beginning and for many years endured financial hardships as they struggled to raise their children. However, they never neglected to raise us in the reverence of God. My mother told me that God had blessed her with everything she could possibly imagine and continued to bless her after the murder of her husband of 45 years.
The last time this blog was posted, 12/18/18, my mother had just been diagnosed with lymphoma on my birthday; 09/21/. She passed away, 10/10/19, 13 months from the date she was diagnosed. She never lost her faith in God, never wavered in her faith, continued to worship and praise God and to encourage her children to stay strong in her faith. She did not faint and she did live to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. She had fulfilled her purpose in God in this life; raising 4 ministers (1 Bishop, 2 pastors, 1 Dr.), a minister of music, a prayer warrior; to name a few. Before my father was tragically taken, he also was able to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. We, their children, continue to walk out the legacy of their lives and believe that we too will see and be able to testify as she did of the goodness of God in the land of the living.
(Biblical Studies)
12/04/14
02/22/16
03/25/17
12/18/18
06/04/20
King David also said God's goodness is laid up for us:
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men. Psalms 31:19
As a believer, the goodness and mercy of God follows us:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalms 23:6
Did you know knowledge combined with vanity can spew a torrent of self-righteous offense, but goodness will hold such a display in check and guide knowledge to build up rather than destroy? Biblical goodness is always, under every circumstance, beneficial. Though he had not yet been to Rome at the writing of his epistle, Apostle Paul evidently understood that he was writing to an unusually strong congregation. He was so confident that they had a strong and sincere desire to do the right thing that he wrote that they were "full of goodness [and] filled with all knowledge." They were far different from the recipients of Hebrew, whom he tells, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God":
For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God's utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. Hebrews 5:12
The Romans' full knowledge was an intelligent and comprehensive understanding of the faith and believer's responsibility. Strong faith is not built on weak understanding. They had given honest, serious thought to applying their faith to the sometimes bewildering tangle of life in this world. They were living it.
These two qualities—goodness and knowledge combined—presents a sound vehicle for instructing us in the best ways to "walk the walk" despite the pulls of this world. Goodness provides the right disposition and motivation, and knowledge and the correct instruction. One devoid of the necessary knowledge cannot teach; anyone destitute of goodness will not even try because they lack the impulse to help others in the right spirit. Even if they make the effort, only a spirit marked by active love; another fruit of the spirit, will win the response without which no true education in God's way is possible.
I thank God for my mother. She was a living, shining example of a true child of God. She thanked God readily as she acknowledged that without the goodness of God on her life she would not have been able to complete her journey. She shared with me how her journey had not always been easy. When her and my father married they had a very difficult beginning and for many years endured financial hardships as they struggled to raise their children. However, they never neglected to raise us in the reverence of God. My mother told me that God had blessed her with everything she could possibly imagine and continued to bless her after the murder of her husband of 45 years.
The last time this blog was posted, 12/18/18, my mother had just been diagnosed with lymphoma on my birthday; 09/21/. She passed away, 10/10/19, 13 months from the date she was diagnosed. She never lost her faith in God, never wavered in her faith, continued to worship and praise God and to encourage her children to stay strong in her faith. She did not faint and she did live to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. She had fulfilled her purpose in God in this life; raising 4 ministers (1 Bishop, 2 pastors, 1 Dr.), a minister of music, a prayer warrior; to name a few. Before my father was tragically taken, he also was able to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. We, their children, continue to walk out the legacy of their lives and believe that we too will see and be able to testify as she did of the goodness of God in the land of the living.
(Biblical Studies)
12/04/14
02/22/16
03/25/17
12/18/18
06/04/20
04/18/22
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