Tag: God’s Goodness

God Is Good

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 
(James 1:17, ESV)

He is the Good Giver – Every good and perfect gift is from God.  All the good you have received is from God.  Think about all good things in your life – good relationships, provisions, life, good health, work, rest, pets, hobbies, warm weather, and so much more.  Every good thing you have is a gift from our good God.  And those good gifts are coming down – not they came down in past or will come down in future or sometimes trickles down.  No, it is a continuous coming down.  God’s goodness is always flowing down.  They have a new observation deck at Tahquamenon Falls to watch the water coming down.  And it is always coming down.  It never dries up.  In the same way, God’s good gifts are always coming down from the Good Giver.  His goodness never dries up.

He is the Good Creator – Father of lights points to the idea that God is the Creator.  He is the Father or originator of heavenly lights – the sun, moon, and stars.  And when God created them, He said that it was good (Genesis 1).  He is the Good Creator. 

He is Morally Good – Father of lights might also point to His purity.  He is the Father of lights not darkness.  “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5).  There is a moral purity, a moral goodness that characterizes our God.

He is the Unchanging One – God’s creation is always in flux.  The earth moves around sun, so the shadows are always changing.  But God is not like the shadows, He doesn’t change.  He wasn’t good yesterday but not today.  He was good, He is good, and He will be good.  God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

God is the unchanging morally good Creator and Giver who continually showers us with good gifts.  Praise the Lord!

Trust God’s Goodness

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” – Luke 4:3-4 (ESV)

Behold God’s Goodness. This is what devil wants Jesus to doubt in this temptation:

The Father said He loves you, that He is pleased with you. But He doesn’t care about you. He led you out here into wilderness where there is no food. Jesus you are starving. Why don’t you turn that stone into bread? If God doesn’t care about you, then you will have to look out for yourself.

We have all been here – going through a trial, and the devil whispers in our ear:

God doesn’t care about you. If He did you wouldn’t be here, you are going to have to look out for yourself with whatever means necessary.

This was devil’s tactic in garden too. We read in Genesis 3:4-5 – But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In other words:

God doesn’t care about you, He’s keeping something from you. You have to look out for yourself. Go ahead and eat that fruit.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Seek the kingdom, and God will take care of your basic needs. But devil whispers:

God isn’t good. He doesn’t care. He isn’t going to add those things. He won’t take care of you. You don’t have time to seek kingdom, time to spend with God, time for church, time to help another. You can’t give money for sake of kingdom, money to help another. You have to look out for yourself.

The devil wants you and Jesus to doubt God’s goodness, but Jesus refuses to follow along. Jesus trusts God’s goodness. He points the devil back to Israel in wilderness, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 which reads – And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

In other words, God provided food for Israel in the wilderness, and God will provide food for Jesus at proper time. God is good.

Jesus trusted in His Father’s care and provision. And we must trust in our Father’s care and provision – His goodness towards us – so that we might overcome devil’s whisperings, like Jesus did.