Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
You can surely think of someone in your life whom you would consider to be a really good person. Maybe a parent, a spouse, a close friend… or a combination of all three. And when you think of someone who is good, you assign trustworthiness to that person.
But no one is truly, inherently good. We are human. And each of us proves our fallibility each time we falter. Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But God is perfectly good. In fact, He is the only one who can be defined as truly good.
What is true goodness?
In Luke 18:18, a highly influential and wealthy Jewish leader approaches Jesus. addresses Him as “Good Teacher,” and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus rebukes him in the following verse and says, “Why do you call me good?… No one is good – except God alone.”
Jesus’ point is that no one is intrinsically good. No one. But God.
This is such an important truth to understand. Our idea of goodness is informed by our experience. The only goodness we have experienced is limited and inconsistent. And we have all experienced someone we thought was a good person do something that was far from good.
But someone who is perfectly good can do no evil. Which means everything God does in your life is for your benefit, not His.
Why is God’s goodness important?
God is the essence of good. Not mostly or usually good. But always, truly, and inviolately good. John affirms this when he declares in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” No darkness. Zero. No potential for evil. Perfectly and inherently good. And incapable of being anything other than that.
This is critical to understand because God’s motivations always come from that goodness. Everything God does in your life flows from the fact He is good. Perfectly good!
That’s why the call of the psalmist in Psalm 34:8 is so poignant, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”
You can totally trust God today because He is perfectly good. And that goodness is what animates His every thought of you. That’s why His goodness is a powerful refuge for you from whatever challenges, disappointments, hurts, and difficulties you may face. In that refuge of eternal and unchanging goodness you will find the joy and blessing you so desperately desire. Trust Him for that!
If you’ve felt impacted by these words and want to read more, check out Rick’s YouVersion plan Perfect Trust.
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