Tasting God’s Goodness and Kindness

It’s funny, but at some of the more challenging times in my life, ice cream has helped me. When I had a severe case of the measles, my Mom tenderly cared for me and gave me medicine with a nice bowl of vanilla ice cream. Every time we drove to my Grandma’s house, we made the long drive better by stopping to get a little cup of ice cream, complete with its own wooden spoon. When I was in college, living in the basement of a Dairy Queen helped me financially and also gave me hours of comfort with the tasty treats there. When we lived on Guam, I was known as the “ice cream man” on Majuro, Pohnpei, Truk, Saipan, Rota, and Tinian.

Sherry has fond memories of one ice cream parlor that offers 31 different flavors. You could have a different flavor every day. Well, God’s goodness and kindness is much sweeter and even more refreshing than ice cream. Here are “31 favors”—scriptures that show our heavenly Father’s favor to us as He is so kind and good. Enjoy!

1. Psalms 69:16: Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. God’s lovingkindness is good. His many mercies are tender.

2. Isaiah 63:7: I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness…which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. We can praise and thank God for all his goodness and kindness to us.

3. Luke 6:35: But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. We do good; for our Father is kind.

4. Genesis 50:20: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. God can even turn evil into good as we do His will.

5. Exodus 34:6: And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Our Father is merciful, gracious, patient, and abundantly good.

6. Deuteronomy 6:24: And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear [respect] the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. It is always good for us when we trust our Father!

7. Nehemiah 2:18: Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.When God’s good hand is upon us, we can do good works for Him.

8. Psalms 84:11: 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. Our Father’s glorious grace provides all that we need!

9. Isaiah 61:1: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.We have a mission, like Jesus Christ did, to preach good tidings and show forth our Father’s goodness.

10. Mark 10:18: And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Jesus Christ knew that His Father was the source of all goodness.

11. Acts 10:38: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost [holy spirit] and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. We can do the good works of Jesus Christ, and greater, for we have God’s spirit.

12. Romans 2:4: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? It is by showing God’s goodness in our lives that we can help others have a change of heart for the better.

13. Romans 8:26,28: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Praying in the spirit, God can work things out for good.

14. II Corinthians 9:8: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. It is only by God’s grace that we can do His good works.

15. 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 already knows, in His infinite knowledge, the good works that we will do today!

16. II Thessalonians 1:11: Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would…fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power. We pray that God’s children will allow Him to work in them mightily.

17. Psalms 23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Each day, our heavenly Father takes care of us with His goodness.

18. Psalms 34:8: taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Our days are blessed as we trust in the Lord and taste His goodness.

19. Psalms 100:5: For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Our God is good; His mercy and truth last forever.

20. Psalms 36:7: How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. We can trust our Father who protects us with His lovingkindness!

21. Psalms 42:8: Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. Throughout the day and into the night, He is the “God of my life.”

22. Ephesians 4:32: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. We can be kind to each other, even as God has graced us in Christ.

23. Titus 3:4-6: But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit]; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. God saved us in His loving kindness, being born again through Jesus Christ.

24. Romans 12:10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. We can have God’s kind affection toward each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

25. I Corinthians 13:4: Charity suffereth long, and is kind. God’s love is patient and kind.

26. Ephesians 2:6,7: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  Our Father’s gracious kindness toward us in Christ will be shown forth throughout eternity!

27. II Peter 1:5-7: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. We can put on God’s love and kindness in our lives each day.

28. Galatians 5:22,23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance. We can show forth our Father’s gentle goodness and kindness as we walk by His spirit.

29. Galatians 6:10: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Doing good to all becomes our way of life, and especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ!

30. Ephesians 6:7: With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men. With good will, we serve our Lord Jesus Christ. 

31. II Corinthians 13:11: Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. We have good comfort in God’s love and peace. 

I still enjoy a good bowl of ice cream on occasion. But God’s goodness and kindness is still my favorite treat.

Psalms 34:8:
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.