Thankful, Day Twenty-Five

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Remember this?

PASTOR: God is good!

CONGREGATION: All the time!

PASTOR: All the time!

CONGREGATION: God is good!

I remember hearing a story one time, in the climate inspired by such back-and-forth, about a pastor who exclaimed during his sermon, "God is big!" To which a lady in the congregation responded, "All the time!" True, but it illustrates something that is often all too true. Sometimes we get so familiar with a pattern or concept that we don't truly give it our fullest attention. God is good, and it would be good for us to remember just how good He is.

When asked how we're doing, we often reply, "Good." We tell our children (and our pets) "Good boy!" when they do something right. We enthuse over a delicious meal or an entertaining movie, "That was so good!" We tell workers who perform well, "Good job!" And win or lose, we speak well of our favorite sports team when we say, "Good game!" My own vocabulary is often marked with an exclamation of "Good-NESS!", sometimes in frustration, sometimes in dismay. But do we really understand the goodness of God?

When someone called Him "Good teacher," Jesus replied with: "Why do you call me good? Only the Father in heaven is truly good." I've often thought that was a curious way to respond. After all, Jesus was a good teacher--both in his character, and in his abilities. But Jesus addressed the heart of a flatterer, a charmer, someone who wished to get something in return for his good words.

I am thankful this morning that God is good in terms of His character. There is none righteous here on earth, not one. But we serve a God who is completely good, righteous, holy, justice, perfect, amazing, wonderful...and did I say good? He is the high standard to which we are measured, the stature of Jesus Christ, and in Him there is no fault. I'm glad we don't serve the ancient pagan pantheon of gods who were neither sovereign in their abilities nor divine in their character, but rather acted like mortal man moved by their passions and lusts. The One True God is governed by His own glory and goodness, and I'm grateful to be serving that kind of God.

I am also thankful that God is good in terms of His treatment of us. He is good to us, and He knows how to give good gifts to His children. I'm glad we don't serve one of the countless millions of eastern gods who act arbitrarily toward mere mortals and have to be bought off with gifts to insure their goodness toward those who serve them. Instead, we serve the Only Wise God who is patient and forgiving, full of love and abounding in mercy, who desires to bless and not curse, and has provided everything necessary to bring us into right relationship with Him. He is the God who reaches out and fills our mouth with every good thing!

And I'm thankful today that God is good as He lives in and works through His creatures and creation. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and my own personal righteousness is garbage compared to His infinite goodness. But the Bible says that He Himself is our righteousness. When His people are abiding in Him, His goodness is imparted to and abides in them. It's only in grace that I am able to stand complete, perfected and holy, before Him. Only by His grace, only in His goodness, can I truly be good.

Thank you Lord for your goodness!