I often hear the phrase "God is good," and yet I rarely read this simple phrase biblically. Okay, yes, David says it many times in the Psalms, "Taste and see that the Lord God is good" (Psalm 34:8 & 86:5 & 119:68). It's there in Scripture, and it's also repeatedly inferred, but think here with me more deeply about The LORD's goodness. Let's explore His goodness a bit more. There's so much more to it.
Of course God is the epitome of all that is good; there is no evil in Him and this is Biblically assumed and stated. But how we perceive good from the confines of our earthly viewpoint is very different from 'good' when it comes to heaven's perfect vantage point. For example, a cut through my skin that causes me to bleed may not seem good when I'm opening kids packages on Christmas morning (yes, this happened, lol), but it would be considered 'good' by the hand of a skilled surgeon operating on me in necessary surgery at the hospital, right? God who is the Surgeon of your life isn't any less good when your circumstances seem "less than (your) ideal." Why? Because He, our LORD God, is working all things (operating) toward and 'for the good' of them that love Him (Romans 8:28-30). Does that mean that good isn't a moment or the means, but the end goal? God doesn't cease in goodness when He judges and condemns sin in unbelief. He is good even when He renders demonic angels, false teachers, and unbelievers to an eternal hell. He doesn't cease to be good when His Surgeon's Blade goes to work on the soul of my inner spiritual heart either. He actually ALWAYS operating, isn't He? He's a good physician. Always. YES, ALWAYS.
Good isn't a situation nor only moments in history; Good IS Him, our LORD - Him in our pain, Him in our deepest grief, Him in our confusion, Him in our changes, and Him in our circumstances that we cannot control.
When Joseph's brothers feared his revenge after their father Jacob had died, Joseph replied, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). Everything matters FOR GOOD, even evil. This is no excuse for evil, ever. Evil is differentiated from good. But it's His chosen pathway toward good sometimes. Everything He created was called good (Genesis 1-2; 1 Timothy 4:4). And though the world of evil is a tooled platform for His purpose(s), He will recreate it unto Eternal Good. Yes, our God is "good all the time," but His goodness is more than a cliché or a magnet or a bumper sticker or a movie line or a text message or a social media post. Real ‘good’ is bigger because the Gospel Good News is the big everything. Good is not a concept; it's a person. There is only one who is good (Matthew 19:17); for He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and His name is Jesus, the Christ (Messiah). This Gospel isn't just for Easter people; it's everything. The good God became incarnate man to destroy evil and the devil through His death and resurrection. It's a completed yet incomplete work. It's already; but not yet. For good.
This same Jesus will return like a lion for goodness sake. Praise Him! Are you ready? Have you embraced this Good News Gospel? Paul said that he wasn't ashamed of this Gospel (Romans 1:16; 15:16 & 1 Corinthians 9:16). If some of you think I'm repeating myself, yes, I am doing just that. Praise Him, our Christ the LORD who defeats death (death is not good) and who gives us the hope of resurrection (resurrection is totally good). He our God is good; and for our good He aims unto good. Spread the good to a world that needs this good. I see a lot of good without Good News. There's no greater good than the Good News of eternal hope and eternal assurance and eternal resurrection. And all that is good is of Him, by Him, and for Him. God isn't defined by good; For He the LORD by His character and name lends definition to all that is Good. It's in His name. It's His heart. And it's more than a popular tagline. The next time you want to declare that “God is good," maybe just explain this by example. It may cause you to stop and think about what you say. And that's a good thing!
