Posted by sneezydog on April 05, 2002 at 02:04:19:
When you think about God, What words come to your mind? Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient? Justice, conviction, strength?
So many people think in terms of God's might and power that, although we know him as a loving Father full of kindness and mercy,we forget to dwell on his goodness.
But the Bible clearly tells us that God is good. The Psalmist wrote,"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you have wrought for those that take refuge in you. before the sons of men!(Psalm 31:19).
God's greatest expression of goodness is his love and forgiveness, exemplified in the cross of Calvery, the purest possible demonstration of God's goodness.
In his righteousness, He looked down upon a sinful world and, motivated by boundless love,
placed our sins upon his son. While you and i were hopelessly separated from Him, He made absolute redemption possible.
Sometimes, when we experience pain and difficulty, we wonder how there could be any goodness in the midst of our trials. The people living during Jesus earthly ministry, including his disciples, would likely have seen nothing worthy about crucifying a man
who had never committed any crime, a spotless Lamb of God. There is nothing good about crucifixion from a human viewpoint, however,we humans are limited by our finite perspectives. From God's Viewpoint the crucifixion was utterly good
Because goodness is an expression of the very character and nature of God, we can trust him to operate on our behalf. What he does in our lives will always work together for our benefit. (Romans 8:28) When we acknowledge and understand that God will only act toward us in ways that are good, we can rest in the certainty of His love