“No one is good but One, that is, God.”
Luke 18:19

Consider for a moment the truth that Jesus declared in today’s verse – God is good. 

• God is originally good: Meaning that all goodness originates from Him! There is no other source from which it comes. As we already read in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
• God is essentially good: He is not only good, but goodness itself! Psalm 119:68 declares, “You are good, and do good…”
• God is infinitely good: There is no limit to His goodness! His goodness is an ocean without banks or bottom. Psalm 52:1 reminds us that “The goodness of God endures continually.”
• God is immutably good: His goodness cannot diminish or change because He cannot change!

We ought to be encouraged by the goodness of our God. I have always been amazed at the book of Nahum. It is a book that deals with the darkness of Nineveh. Nahum is a book of judgment, and in the midst of all that darkness and judgment, there is an amazing statement in verse 7: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Since He is good, He is a stronghold for us even in difficult days. The key is to trust Him.

Psalm 84:11 encourages us in much the same way: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

As Christians, we are to imitate God (Eph. 5:1). While we could never fully imitate His goodness in our lives, it is to be seen in the lives of those who have tasted and seen that God is good! We are reminded that we are to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What is that fruit? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Here we see that one of the evidences of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is goodness. This is love in action, and it is actually a sacrifice to God, as recorded in Hebrews 13:15-16: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Romans 15:14 teaches us that, in order to be effective servants, we need to be full of goodness, just as our Master was!

But we are not only to display this goodness to our fellow brothers and sisters, but also to the lost, even those who may not like us as Christians! Paul wrote in Romans 12:20-21, “Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” He then adds, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

In Galatians 6:9-10, he encourages us to “not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” He continues, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Anchor For Today:
May we constantly be those who taste and see that the Lord is good, and may His goodness be assimilated in such a way that it spills over into the lives of others for His glory!