 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk blameless†(Psalm 84:11).
David said, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing†(Psalm 16:2). Have you ever envisioned what life would be like if God were to withdraw all His goodness from us?  Would it be chaotic with utter confusion? Desolate and empty? Evil and harsh? Purposeless?   Insecure? Â
Every raindrop, every star-filled night, every full night’s sleep, the food we eat, the air we breathe, good health—all things that make us happy and sustain us—are gifts from God and reveal His goodness in its purest form.   And even greater than this is His remarkable blessing of generosity toward us as sinful beings—our redemption purchased by the sinless blood of Jesus Christ.
Roy Lessin writes:
Because God is good, everything that comes to us from Him is meant for our benefit.  God’s good is the highest good; after His goodness there is no better or best.  The Gospel is the “Good News†because it comes to us from God.  We are also assured that He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly before Him.
Jesus said, “There is none good but One, that is, God†(Matthew 19:17 KJV). His works are perfect, and His ways are just. He is our faithful God who can do no wrong (Deuteronomy 32:4). We honor Him for being totally blameless in His character.  He always has His best purposes in mind for whatever He brings or allows into our lives. That gives us stability!Â
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. For Him, good and goodness were not passive concepts but were active involvement and proved to be extremely costly. As His followers, we strive to imitate Him: The good man out of the treasure of his heart produces good (Matthew 12:35; Luke 6:45).
God’s goodness provides the foundation for developing this fruit in our own lives. May we celebrate His abundant goodness and joyfully sing of His righteousness (Psalm 145:7).
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A THANKFUL RESPONSE
The beauty of twilight, the freshness of dawn,
The coolness of dew on a green velvet lawn—
Great is our loss when we no longer find
A thankful response to things of this kind. –Helen Steiner Rice
The words of the Doxology come to mind. “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow…. Amen.”
Ruby,
Thank you for helping us to realize how unhappy we would be and how terrible the world would be without God’s goodness. I especially liked what you said about God’s goodness being the foundation on which Christians produce fruit.