God’s Unlimited Goodness

I was James Bond. Walking around the house in my little suit and bow tie, I looked for adventures where I could take on enemy agents and win the pretty girl. All that I needed was an official James Bond attaché case, complete with decoder book and an anti-theft explosive lock. When I found it in the catalog and showed it to Dad and Mom so that “Santa Claus” could get it for me, I anticipated joyous days ahead.

But sadly, a few weeks before Christmas, my parents informed me that Santa wouldn’t be able to bring my gift down the chimney. [They had tried every store and toy outlet, but such a “hot” item had been sold out.] With great love and kindness, they said that I could have the attaché case a few weeks after the holiday. My response? I grabbed an artificial flower and lay on my bed with it on my chest—taking the “death pose” that I had seen in movies. I was telling my parents that my life was over without my longed-for present.

Of course my Dad and Mom had done all that they could. They were very good to me and I did eventually get the case, but they were limited by the toy market that year. Years later, when I asked God for help in my life, He came through with comfort, love, and eternal life. God’s goodness is unlimited.

Our heavenly Father is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. From the beginning, His goodness has been made known.

Genesis 1:4:
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

The next verses (10,12,18,21,25) show God bringing forth land and sea, plants, heavenly bodies, living creatures, and animals upon the earth. Each time we learn that “God saw that it was good.” He made sure that the earth was full of good things for mankind to enjoy. Then in verse 31 after making man in His image and giving him dominion over all, “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Not only are the parts of God’s creation good, but when He puts them all together they are very good!

God’s Goodness All Around Us

I love seeing how the almost one hundred naturally-occurring elements fit so beautifully on the periodic table. Of those natural elements, twenty-five are essential for life, and the top six are hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and sulfur. When our son was young, we spent hours together playing with Legos, using a few basic plastic blocks to build simple or magnificently elaborate structures. I was always amazed at how many things we could make from blocks in just a few basic shapes.

God has designed the earth, life, and our very selves from these basic elements. There are so many parallels in life on grand and minute scales: the orderly arrangement of planets in our solar system and the orderly arrangement of subatomic particles, that about 70 percent of the human body is made up of water and more than 70 percent of Earth is covered in water, the similarity between plant “blood” (with chlorophyll) and human blood (with hemoglobin).

Hemoglobin and chlorophyll have similar structures. The main difference is that the porphyrin ring of hemoglobin is built around iron (Fe), whereas the porphyrin ring of chlorophyll is built around magnesium (Mg). It is interesting that humans inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide and plants do the opposite. God beautifully designed plants and animals to depend on one another.

Just look around and you will see the mighty hand of God in the creation. Our heavenly Father is unlimited in His goodness, and His wisdom has put everything together so that it still works since the time of Genesis 1. Yet, in God’s great love for us, He not only provides for our body and soul needs. He has designed man to have a spiritual relationship with Him built upon God’s unlimited goodness.

God’s Goodness in the Psalms

Our loving and all-powerful God makes known His goodness in His spoken and written Word. Jesus Christ is God’s Word made flesh (John 1:14). God’s sending His Son to redeem mankind is His ultimate act of goodness. Those who are meek will respond to God’s good Word of Life and learn from Him.

Psalms 25:8-10:
Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

We can personally experience God’s goodness as we “taste” and trust in Him. We will then lack no good thing.

Psalms 34:8-10:
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

As we delight in God’s way, we too can do good in our daily lives.

Psalms 37:23,27:
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

We can depart from evil as we turn to God and His Word. And when we cry for help, He will turn to us because of His unlimited goodness and tender mercies. His grace and glory supply all that we need as we trust in Him.

Psalms 69:16:
Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Psalms 84:11,12:
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

When we make mistakes (as we all will do at times), God forgives us by His great mercy and love.

Psalms 86:5:
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalms 107:1,21:
O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalms 109:21:
But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

We can praise and thank God for His goodness to us through Christ (Ephesians 5:19). God will deliver us for His name’s sake. He has given us His spirit which is good.

Psalms 143:10:
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

God is no respecter of persons. He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, merciful, and good to all. Whoever calls on the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:9-13).

Psalms 145:8,9:
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Making Known God’s Goodness

Jesus Christ taught by his words and deeds of God’s unlimited goodness. He encouraged his followers to walk in love and show forth our heavenly Father’s goodness.

Matthew 5:43-48:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

When we are born again, we are God’s workmanship in Christ Jesus. God helps us walk in His goodness and carry out those works that He in His foreknowledge knows we will accomplish.

Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God’s unlimited goodness spans eternity. After the return of Christ, we will be rewarded for the good that we have done in this life.

II Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat [reward stand] of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad [producing no positive results].

When it comes to our heavenly Father, we never “run out” of the good things He promises. It is the Father’s joy to care for us, His beloved children.