The Goodness of God Part 8

Deuteronomy 26:11 NKJV

So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.

 Gratitude is important and beneficial in many ways. The Israelites were instructed to rejoice in every good thing the Lord had given them. In Deuteronomy 8:10, they were told to bless the Lord after they ate and were full. We are used to praying over our food before we eat, but here we see that God’s people were told to do something after they ate. The gratitude shown after the meal would keep them mindful of where all good things come from. If we choose to do the same, this should not eliminate the prayer we offer before the meal, but it would be good to add thanksgiving afterward also. We can’t do too much to stay grateful and remind ourselves that the God we serve is good to us.

The Goodness of God Part 7

Numbers 10:29 NKJV

Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

Moses invited his father-in-law to travel with Israel to the Promised Land. He told Hobab that the Lord has promised good things to Israel. The late Oral Roberts had a saying that many people are familiar with – “Something good is going to happen to you!” That saying is based on the scriptural belief that God is a good God and His promises to His people are good.  Jesus told an audience in a Nazarene synagogue that the Spirit of the Lord was on Him to preach good news to the poor and to bring healing and deliverance to those who needed it. God always wants to do good things for humanity. We see it in the beginning. We see it in what is prophesied for the end of this present age.  So we must learn to have the attitude Oral Roberts tried to instill in the church. Expect miracles from God. Believe and declare that good things are coming your way. Look at all the things God promised you. They are all good. Since we receive them by faith, let’s begin to talk and act like we believe it’s true.

The Goodness of God Part 6

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

God told Joshua that speaking and studying the teachings of the Lord for the purpose of living by them would bring him good success. There are many people that the world calls successful. However, not all success is good success. Satan offered Jesus success if Jesus would fall down and worship him. Those who have bowed their knee to Satan in order to be successful have been very disappointed. Some have actually attained huge success by worldly standards, but it has been bad success – success that cost them their marriage, family, peace and/or health. God can only offer good success because He is all good, and His Word is all good. Everything He tells us to do is good. Everything He offers us is good. So we need to cooperate with Him for our own good.

The Goodness of God Part 5

Exodus 33:18-19

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 

When Moses asked the Lord to show him His glory, God responded by telling Him that He would make His goodness pass before Moses. The Lord talked about His graciousness and compassion. Someone’s glory is what makes that person look good. Although God is almighty, omnipotent and invincible, that is not the main thing that makes Him look good. It is His goodness, His grace and His compassion. No other god or entity that is worshiped by mankind can be compared. There is none other who is so good, compassionate and full of grace. Think about it. Most other religions force their followers into submission. Can you imagine how many heathen would leave their religion or flee their countries if they could do so safely? People follow our Lord because they want to, not because they are forced to. They respond to His love and kindness toward them. Our God is the greatest because of His goodness.

The Goodness of God Part 4

Exodus 18:9

Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel, who He delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

 Jethro, Moses father-in-law heard about the goodness of God toward Israel and he came with Moses’ wife and sons to reunite them at the mountain of God. Moses shared with Jethro details about the stories Jethro heard before coming to meet Moses. Jethro was impressed and offered a sacrifice to God, acknowledging that the Lord was greater than all other gods. Everything that the devil did to Israel through Pharaoh was bad. All that the Lord did for Israel was good. The devil is all bad and God is all good.

The Goodness of God Part 3

Exodus 3:8

So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey….

When God saw His people in bondage in Egypt, He was not satisfied. He came down personally to orchestrate their deliverance and escort them to a land He would be satisfied with. What kind of land was it? It was a good land – spacious and with an abundant supply of food. That is what our Father is like when it comes to caring for His children. He wants us to have a good space with an abundance of food. He wants us to live large and have more than enough. He wants us to have what we need and then share with someone else. The land He gave Israel was not just one that contained milk and honey; it flowed with milk and honey. God is good!