The Goodness of God

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

The covid situation was quite interesting to observe. The precious mantra of ‘my body my choice’ no longer applied. I myself ‘identify’ as double vaccinated and boosted..however, these intolerant bigots will not call me by my preferred pronouns so that I can feel like the real me, and courageously live out my own truth. They still refer to me by my birth covid inoculation status.

All joking (but not really joking) aside..I saw some vile, wicked things being said by people online who ironically fancy themselves as bastions of ‘empathy’, ‘humanity, ‘inclusivity’, ‘tolerance’, ‘love’, and all those warm, snuggly, feel good words. People actually gloating and reveling over the deaths of people who did not conform to the authorized narrative. It was sick. And these people obviously put in some time and effort looking up these propaganda pieces online featuring people who posted ‘wrongthink’ on their social media. Then they’d always be reposting these stories to a forum I used to be a member of and they’d make wicked remarks in regards to the deaths of people who disagreed with their views. Of course, the stories featuring Christians, and especially pastors who died after posting ‘wrongthink’ on social media, seemed to bring these wicked people even more sick pleasure.

In relation to the topic of the thread, the goodness of God, it just goes to show the character of God. He is willing to forgive His most devout, Christ-rejecting enemies, if they would just humble themselves before Him. People who actually dedicate their lives to opposing or denying Him, He would forgive, and has likely already thrown up many roadblocks to hell throughout the course of their lives. I know He has done so for me, I spent most of my life as an enemy of His. What makes the devil so cunning and deceptive is that he tricks people into thinking they aren’t God’s enemies as they live their lives in opposition to Him. Some of the world’s people even view it as virtuous to mock, or hate the Christian Faith and it’s adherents..which I saw a lot of during the covid fiasco. It really brought many of God’s enemies out in force.

I would say the hardest part of being a Christian for me is mentioned in Matthew 5:44 “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;” Without God it is impossible to love such people. So what secular humanist types claim is a joke to me, they aren’t genuine. There’s always some self-serving hidden agenda when they set out to do ‘good’. It either makes them feel good about themselves, or will gain them favor with someone, or obtain them some sort of benefit or status..rather than viewing good works as service to God and doing His will, and viewing it as a blessing and act of His mercy to even be a servant of His, it’s all about them in the end.

Unfortunately, I have come across professing Christians who do not believe in forgiving their enemies and will even twist scripture just like satan did at Jesus when He went out into the wilderness to be tempted. They will say ‘do unto others as they do unto you’ when the scripture doesn’t even say that in Matthew 7:12.

I also remember before I converted, a co-worker I used to talk with a lot who was a very serious Christian admitted to me ‘sometimes it is so hard to love enemies‘. She was a very soft-spoken, kind hearted person too, who seemed to be a very serious Christian and still admitted there was a struggle in regards to how we should deal with enemies. Romans 12:21 also comes to mind, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” It isn’t possible without God..without God, any attempt to do so is just self-righteousness..which is ‘filthy rags’ in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). In the Hebrew language the term ‘filthy rags‘ is much stronger, graphic, and more exact than the English translation which I won’t get into here..but that verse really emphasizes how wrong and how far off the people are whom believe they can do good apart from God.

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

The covid situation was quite interesting to observe. The precious mantra of ‘my body my choice’ no longer applied. I myself ‘identify’ as double vaccinated and boosted..however, these intolerant bigots will not call me by my preferred pronouns so that I can feel like the real me, and courageously live out my own truth. They still refer to me by my birth covid inoculation status.

All joking (but not really joking) aside..I saw some vile, wicked things being said by people online who ironically fancy themselves as bastions of ‘empathy’, ‘humanity, ‘inclusivity’, ‘tolerance’, ‘love’, and all those warm, snuggly, feel good words. People actually gloating and reveling over the deaths of people who did not conform to the authorized narrative. It was sick. And these people obviously put in some time and effort looking up these propaganda pieces online featuring people who posted ‘wrongthink’ on their social media. Then they’d always be reposting these stories to a forum I used to be a member of and they’d make wicked remarks in regards to the deaths of people who disagreed with their views. Of course, the stories featuring Christians, and especially pastors who died after posting ‘wrongthink’ on social media, seemed to bring these wicked people even more sick pleasure.

In relation to the topic of the thread, the goodness of God, it just goes to show the character of God. He is willing to forgive His most devout, Christ-rejecting enemies, if they would just humble themselves before Him. People who actually dedicate their lives to opposing or denying Him, He would forgive, and has likely already thrown up many roadblocks to hell throughout the course of their lives. I know He has done so for me, I spent most of my life as an enemy of His. What makes the devil so cunning and deceptive is that he tricks people into thinking they aren’t God’s enemies as they live their lives in opposition to Him. Some of the world’s people even view it as virtuous to mock, or hate the Christian Faith and it’s adherents..which I saw a lot of during the covid fiasco. It really brought many of God’s enemies out in force.

I would say the hardest part of being a Christian for me is mentioned in Matthew 5:44 “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;” Without God it is impossible to love such people. So what secular humanist types claim is a joke to me, they aren’t genuine. There’s always some self-serving hidden agenda when they set out to do ‘good’. It either makes them feel good about themselves, or will gain them favor with someone, or obtain them some sort of benefit or status..rather than viewing good works as service to God and doing His will, and viewing it as a blessing and act of His mercy to even be a servant of His, it’s all about them in the end.

Unfortunately, I have come across professing Christians who do not believe in forgiving their enemies and will even twist scripture just like satan did at Jesus when He went out into the wilderness to be tempted. They will say ‘do unto others as they do unto you’ when the scripture doesn’t even say that in Matthew 7:12.

I also remember before I converted, a co-worker I used to talk with a lot who was a very serious Christian admitted to me ‘sometimes it is so hard to love enemies‘. She was a very soft-spoken, kind hearted person too, who seemed to be a very serious Christian and still admitted there was a struggle in regards to how we should deal with enemies. Romans 12:21 also comes to mind, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” It isn’t possible without God..without God, any attempt to do so is just self-righteousness..which is ‘filthy rags’ in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). In the Hebrew language the term ‘filthy rags‘ is much stronger, graphic, and more exact than the English translation which I won’t get into here..but that verse really emphasizes how wrong and how far off the people are whom believe they can do good apart from God.

Thank you for your write up and the effort put into it. It's always good to be reminded that God is the only one who is truly selfless, so I really appreciate that about what you've written as well. That even when we do good it comes with the desire to fulfill His will and please Him in some manner (which is a good thing). God's the only being that Has everything and doesn't give in order to gain but does so out of true self-sacrificial love, which He literally personified to it's ultimate through Jesus for all of us.

God bless

 

[LoveDivine]

The covid situation was quite interesting to observe. The precious mantra of ‘my body my choice’ no longer applied. I myself ‘identify’ as double vaccinated and boosted..however, these intolerant bigots will not call me by my preferred pronouns so that I can feel like the real me, and courageously live out my own truth. They still refer to me by my birth covid inoculation status.

All joking (but not really joking) aside..I saw some vile, wicked things being said by people online who ironically fancy themselves as bastions of ‘empathy’, ‘humanity, ‘inclusivity’, ‘tolerance’, ‘love’, and all those warm, snuggly, feel good words. People actually gloating and reveling over the deaths of people who did not conform to the authorized narrative. It was sick. And these people obviously put in some time and effort looking up these propaganda pieces online featuring people who posted ‘wrongthink’ on their social media. Then they’d always be reposting these stories to a forum I used to be a member of and they’d make wicked remarks in regards to the deaths of people who disagreed with their views. Of course, the stories featuring Christians, and especially pastors who died after posting ‘wrongthink’ on social media, seemed to bring these wicked people even more sick pleasure.

In relation to the topic of the thread, the goodness of God, it just goes to show the character of God. He is willing to forgive His most devout, Christ-rejecting enemies, if they would just humble themselves before Him. People who actually dedicate their lives to opposing or denying Him, He would forgive, and has likely already thrown up many roadblocks to hell throughout the course of their lives. I know He has done so for me, I spent most of my life as an enemy of His. What makes the devil so cunning and deceptive is that he tricks people into thinking they aren’t God’s enemies as they live their lives in opposition to Him. Some of the world’s people even view it as virtuous to mock, or hate the Christian Faith and it’s adherents..which I saw a lot of during the covid fiasco. It really brought many of God’s enemies out in force.

I would say the hardest part of being a Christian for me is mentioned in Matthew 5:44 “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;” Without God it is impossible to love such people. So what secular humanist types claim is a joke to me, they aren’t genuine. There’s always some self-serving hidden agenda when they set out to do ‘good’. It either makes them feel good about themselves, or will gain them favor with someone, or obtain them some sort of benefit or status..rather than viewing good works as service to God and doing His will, and viewing it as a blessing and act of His mercy to even be a servant of His, it’s all about them in the end.

Unfortunately, I have come across professing Christians who do not believe in forgiving their enemies and will even twist scripture just like satan did at Jesus when He went out into the wilderness to be tempted. They will say ‘do unto others as they do unto you’ when the scripture doesn’t even say that in Matthew 7:12.

I also remember before I converted, a co-worker I used to talk with a lot who was a very serious Christian admitted to me ‘sometimes it is so hard to love enemies‘. She was a very soft-spoken, kind hearted person too, who seemed to be a very serious Christian and still admitted there was a struggle in regards to how we should deal with enemies. Romans 12:21 also comes to mind, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” It isn’t possible without God..without God, any attempt to do so is just self-righteousness..which is ‘filthy rags’ in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). In the Hebrew language the term ‘filthy rags‘ is much stronger, graphic, and more exact than the English translation which I won’t get into here..but that verse really emphasizes how wrong and how far off the people are whom believe they can do good apart from God.

It got so bad here, that I was actually afraid to leave my house. It's taken me awhile to recover from that mental oppression. I felt like a criminal and I genuinely feared that I might lose everything. What I think is most interesting about this time was that many seemingly normal, average people got swept up in the hate. I think it goes to show that everyone is truly capable of cruelty or hatred when put into the right situation. It's not really a mystery how genocides and other atrocities occurred in previous eras. It's really only the goodness of God and his love and restraining influence that keeps many from committing heinous acts. I think humans have demonstrated their willingness to torture each other.

What is most sad about this is that many will then accuse God for allowing these atrocities that humans inflict on each other and blame him for all the evils in the world. When in reality it is only by his goodness that we all don't destroy each other.

 

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

Thank you for your write up and the effort put into it. It's always good to be reminded that God is the only one who is truly selfless, so I really appreciate that about what you've written as well. That even when we do good it comes with the desire to fulfill His will and please Him in some manner (which is a good thing). God's the only being that Has everything and doesn't give in order to gain but does so out of true self-sacrificial love, which He literally personified to it's ultimate through Jesus for all of us.

God bless

Very true..even when we do good works, it is 1. a blessing from God we are even in a position to be able to do so. Whatever it is we have to offer whether it be ability to work, time, money, goods, sound biblical advice to someone in need, etc. it was given to us by God and 2. a blessing He put it on us to be zealous for good works as service to Him.

That was very well said about Christ being personified self-sacrificial love. Brings to mind the very well known verse 1 John 4:16. God bless you as well : )

 

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

It got so bad here, that I was actually afraid to leave my house. It's taken me awhile to recover from that mental oppression. I felt like a criminal and I genuinely feared that I might lose everything. What I think is most interesting about this time was that many seemingly normal, average people got swept up in the hate. I think it goes to show that everyone is truly capable of cruelty or hatred when put into the right situation. It's not really a mystery how genocides and other atrocities occurred in previous eras. It's really only the goodness of God and his love and restraining influence that keeps many from committing heinous acts. I think humans have demonstrated their willingness to torture each other.

What is most sad about this is that many will then accuse God for allowing these atrocities that humans inflict on each other and blame him for all the evils in the world. When in reality it is only by his goodness that we all don't destroy each other.

These verses are always very inspiring when times get hard and enemies appear to have the upper hand:

Isaiah 54:17
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Psalms 118:6
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?”

Those verses encourage us to trust Him, He will see us through times of trouble. Ahh but what is ‘seemingly normal’ and ‘average’ here in ‘The Roaring Twenties’ anyways haha. Point taken though, definitely no mystery at all why such mayhem happened throughout history. Those who reject God have no true concept of good vs. evil, righteous vs. unrighteous, since God is the standard of goodness, nothing about Him is not good, or unrighteous.

It is very backwards, those who blame God for all the wickedness in the world. They will say things like ‘where was God when ________ happened?’ ‘Why does He allow suffering’? What these types should really be asking themselves is what sort of further evil has He prevented from happening? How much patience, kindness, and longsuffering He must have to see all the wickedness everywhere which people do and still want for them to come to repentance and be saved. How grieved He must be to see such wickedness every hour every day. So much more than what we know about. These people who blame God falsely believe that God is accountable to them, as if it is His duty to meet their standard..thus they make themselves their own false god.

It is only because of God’s goodness He hasn’t turned the earth into an ashtray already. And on the day He does, He is righteous to do so.

 

[LoveDivine]

These verses are always very inspiring when times get hard and enemies appear to have the upper hand:

Isaiah 54:17
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Psalms 118:6
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?”

Those verses encourage us to trust Him, He will see us through times of trouble. Ahh but what is ‘seemingly normal’ and ‘average’ here in ‘The Roaring Twenties’ anyways haha. Point taken though, definitely no mystery at all why such mayhem happened throughout history. Those who reject God have no true concept of good vs. evil, righteous vs. unrighteous, since God is the standard of goodness, nothing about Him is not good, or unrighteous.

It is very backwards, those who blame God for all the wickedness in the world. They will say things like ‘where was God when ________ happened?’ ‘Why does He allow suffering’? What these types should really be asking themselves is what sort of further evil has He prevented from happening? How much patience, kindness, and longsuffering He must have to see all the wickedness everywhere which people do and still want for them to come to repentance and be saved. How grieved He must be to see such wickedness every hour every day. So much more than what we know about. These people who blame God falsely believe that God is accountable to them, as if it is His duty to meet their standard..thus they make themselves their own false god.

It is only because of God’s goodness He hasn’t turned the earth into an ashtray already. And on the day He does, He is righteous to do so.

I always find it puzzling when people rail on God for being unfair. If you really think he is an all powerful being who doesn't care about the sufferings of humans and makes decisions based on whims, wouldn't that make you fear him? Even if you hated him for that, it would be only logical that you would try to appease him, lest he destroy you. It makes no sense to mouth off to someone who has the power to crush you. Even pagans had the sense they should fear their gods and bring sacrifices and offerings to their idols. I think this proves that those who do this, though they may actually hate God, have some sense of his goodness and restraint and that he won't destroy them instantly for being blasphemous.

 

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

I always find it puzzling when people rail on God for being unfair. If you really think he is an all powerful being who doesn't care about the sufferings of humans and makes decisions based on whims, wouldn't that make you fear him? Even if you hated him for that, it would be only logical that you would try to appease him, lest he destroy you. It makes no sense to mouth off to someone who has the power to crush you. Even pagans had the sense they should fear their gods and bring sacrifices and offerings to their idols. I think this proves that those who do this, though they may actually hate God, have some sense of his goodness and restraint and that he won't destroy them instantly for being blasphemous.

That’s an interesting point, especially since people railing against God would likely fear a tyrannical world leader who honestly didn’t care about the suffering of mankind. A true biblical fear of God though, would lead those who rail against Him away from committing that sin, or bring them to genuine sorrow/repentance if and when they do.

Proverbs 15:33 is a wonderful verse. Unfortunately, within much of modern Christianity, fear of the Lord is not mentioned. That way the faith (or watered down modernized version of it) is more palatable and relevant to the masses. Without biblical fear of the Lord, I don’t think it is possible at all for one to come to a saving level of faith, possess a contrite heart, and come to genuine repentance truly love God, or recognize how much they truly need the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn’t need any of us, but we do need Him.

That makes sense..somewhere within them, those who do rail against God must be aware to an extent of His goodness. Deep down they must know He is patient and longsuffering toward their abuse. They’d be far more reluctant to rail against a human in a position of authority, who is much quicker to wrath.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

Psalms 118:28
“Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.”

‘Thou art my God’, there is something about that which is very appealing to say to The Most High God. It is a privilege to even be able to say it. I wouldn’t have been able to say such a thing before converting, there was something that prevented it even though I was never any atheist and also always thought that non-Christian religions were total quackery. Maybe because God hates hypocrisy and He is merciful to even the wicked, despite being angry with them every day (Psalm 7:11). Now, it is so relieving and encouraging to be able to say ‘thou art my God’ or anything along those lines to The Most High God. A person before a saving faith and repentance with a contrite heart is their own god, or the prince of this world is their god, unbeknownst to them and no matter how ‘good’ they may be by our fallen mortal human standard.

I see clearly now He had mercy on me and many others around me all those years and His patience was extreme. I’ve no idea the full extent of things He spared me from which I had earned for myself. It would be very humbling to know all of it exactly. I do believe He has shown me some of those things. He will allow maybe some not so pleasant things to happen in this earthly life as a means to keep His children humble. Paul prayed multiple times for a physical infirmity to be healed and it was not God’s will to grant that healing. So that he would not become conceited about how the Lord was using him mightily (2 Cor. 12:7-9). I will praise and exalt Him, good times or hard times. My God.

It is for certain..when tough, even painful situations or times of despair do come about, there is something much different than that of the non-Christian way of living I did for so long. Reliance on the world system and pseudo-wisdom of man, or ‘self’ (which is preached so much today by secular humanists) leads to hopelessness. Or deception. Or it even leads to the sin of pride if you do manage pull your own self out of a tough situation with no reliance on God. The person caught up in difficult times who is praying to God with a contrite heart about their grievous situation is infinite times more blessed than one with all the worldly success one could dream of attaining who only pays a weak, lame, once a year lip service at Thanksgiving Day dinner.

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

Accidentally posted this in the wrong thread and thought it might fit better here .

A long time ago I did a study on The Angel of The Lord and wrote a list of when He appeared in the OT and I forgot all about it. Today Gavin Ortlund (TruthUnites on youtube) released a video response to Rabbi Tovia Singer which speaks about the topic in relation to Trinitarianism and I thought I'd put the list in the comments just in case it might help somebody. He ended up pinning the comment and someone told me they were just about to study this topic and it helped them! Something that The Lord had me do so long ago that I completely forgot about He has used to help others. It just reminds me that even the smallest thing has meaning in God and He can use it for His will at a time we can't even fathom.

His providence is so amazing .

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

Psalms 118:28
“Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.”

‘Thou art my God’, there is something about that which is very appealing to say to The Most High God. It is a privilege to even be able to say it. I wouldn’t have been able to say such a thing before converting, there was something that prevented it even though I was never any atheist and also always thought that non-Christian religions were total quackery. Maybe because God hates hypocrisy and He is merciful to even the wicked, despite being angry with them every day (Psalm 7:11). Now, it is so relieving and encouraging to be able to say ‘thou art my God’ or anything along those lines to The Most High God. A person before a saving faith and repentance with a contrite heart is their own god, or the prince of this world is their god, unbeknownst to them and no matter how ‘good’ they may be by our fallen mortal human standard.

I see clearly now He had mercy on me and many others around me all those years and His patience was extreme. I’ve no idea the full extent of things He spared me from which I had earned for myself. It would be very humbling to know all of it exactly. I do believe He has shown me some of those things. He will allow maybe some not so pleasant things to happen in this earthly life as a means to keep His children humble. Paul prayed multiple times for a physical infirmity to be healed and it was not God’s will to grant that healing. So that he would not become conceited about how the Lord was using him mightily (2 Cor. 12:7-9). I will praise and exalt Him, good times or hard times. My God.

It is for certain..when tough, even painful situations or times of despair do come about, there is something much different than that of the non-Christian way of living I did for so long. Reliance on the world system and pseudo-wisdom of man, or ‘self’ (which is preached so much today by secular humanists) leads to hopelessness. Or deception. Or it even leads to the sin of pride if you do manage pull your own self out of a tough situation with no reliance on God. The person caught up in difficult times who is praying to God with a contrite heart about their grievous situation is infinite times more blessed than one with all the worldly success one could dream of attaining who only pays a weak, lame, once a year lip service at Thanksgiving Day dinner.

That's a beautiful meditation. Thank you for posting it

 

[LoveDivine]

Good points @Tranquil Bondservant and @GodBeMercifulToMeASinner

One passage that really spoke to me recently was in Romans 11. Earlier in this thread, it was discussed that many do not understand God's actions or judgments and often accuse him of unfairness. I really like how this passage shows how little we can understand God's reasons for his actions and that the very action that man may see as being unfair or severe, has actually been prompted by God's mercy

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

Good points @Tranquil Bondservant and @GodBeMercifulToMeASinner

One passage that really spoke to me recently was in Romans 11. Earlier in this thread, it was discussed that many do not understand God's actions or judgments and often accuse him of unfairness. I really like how this passage shows how little we can understand God's reasons for his actions and that the very action that man may see as being unfair or severe, has actually been prompted by God's mercy

View attachment 334454

One thing that's always struck me and which agrees with and speaks to the truth of what you've written here, is that God did not instantly delete the Angels who rebelled against Him and produced abominable giants, or man after Adam sinned. Instead He in His grace & mercy allowed them to exist for a time and has united everything in and through Christ. Whenever I get sad about the evil in the world and think about Jesus's return wondering why He hasn't yet come to remove the evil for good, I remember that I wouldn't exist if He wasn't so faithful and patient. God values us so much that He endures things that grieve Him to the core just so we can exist.

 

[LoveDivine]

I really like Psalm 103. I think it's a very comforting Psalm that describes how much God is aware of our frailty as humans and how much compassion he has for us. There are so many great verses within that Psalm, but the ones that I really like ( it was the verse of the day on my app) is verses 13-14: Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust.

The entire Psalm is a reminder of the goodness of God and how much he loves his own creation. I think it is really amazing how much God as an all powerful divinity can understand the sorrows of humans and their frailties and have compassion on them. The ultimate fulfillment of his compassion being the incarnation of Christ. I've often thought about that. That he chose to take on the form of man and experience the frailty and sufferings of man such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, etc as part of his atonement.

 

[LoveDivine]

I don't have a lot to comment, but I wanted to share this verse. The verse pretty much speaks for itself:

I think we have no idea of the blessings and spiritual richness that awaits for us in Heaven.

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

I don't have a lot to comment, but I wanted to share this verse. The verse pretty much speaks for itself:

View attachment 334569
I think we have no idea of the blessings and spiritual richness that awaits for us in Heaven.

Paul has a way of just condensing deep truth that has so many implications into such a small amount of language. To add to your point I think that because our flesh and sin in general force us to look through a window darkly, we also don't have the full implications and effects of our own sin in view. I think that when we die and are freed from this body of death that not only will the grace, love & patience of God be apparent in the blessings received that are mentioned here but also it will be apparent in realising how much our own sin caused evil for others (Matthew 12:36).

As a side note, while writing this out I've just realised the harmony of Matthew 12:36-37 with Romans 10:9.

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

"The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” -Genesis 13:14–17

Our loving Father encourages Abraham here. He didn’t need to come down to say this to Him for He already had promised Abraham the land (Genesis 12:7), but He did it on His own accord because of His great love. He desired out of His love to encourage Abraham. Stop and meditate on the implications of the fact God DESIRED to encourage. God Himself is immutable, If He did this for a pagan man how much more will He, in an overwhelming love, strengthen His children?

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." -Romans 8:15-18

The language used here "as sons" also includes women. Sons had a prominent place in the family and in the inheritance. While in the new Covenant women have been called to equally inherit and be equally prominent with the men (though in their own unique way as women). They're inheriting as sons. If you understand the history of the time period this fact alone of God's love would blow your mind. It's so contrary to thousands of years of history and abuse, it was the case across 99% of cultures that the sons were the inheritors. But God's spirit of love is that which is given to everyone no matter who or where they are, no matter their appearance, age, race and gender. The abuse I mentioned was that of the Roman Pater Familias, the ruling father of the household who had dominion over the life of every person within it. Which means that the sons who inherited, by necessity, had a far greater worth & prominence to the Pater Familias and therein within the family, household, society, life and existence in general. Women while holding a place of honour were still in actuality no better than slaves. Pawns to be used for the prosperity of the household, able to be killed with full legal backing if they disobeyed the Pater Familias. God in His love, by revealing His love to all of man for all time utterly & perfectly in Christ, changed this. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." -1 John 4:9

 

[LoveDivine]

Paul has a way of just condensing deep truth that has so many implications into such a small amount of language. To add to your point I think that because our flesh and sin in general force us to look through a window darkly, we also don't have the full implications and effects of our own sin in view. I think that when we die and are freed from this body of death that not only will the grace, love & patience of God be apparent in the blessings received that are mentioned here but also it will be apparent in realising how much our own sin caused evil for others (Matthew 12:36).

As a side note, while writing this out I've just realised the harmony of Matthew 12:36-37 with Romans 10:9.

I really like your point about sin. I don't think we can fully comprehend just how bad and destructive sin is while we are on the earth. We are still somewhat desensitized by evil around us. I find it interesting how quickly people will condemn God for punishing sinners. They don't see why sin deserves eternal death. The reason they don't is that they can't comprehend just how evil sin truly is. When you havbitually sin you become so dull of heart. You can't recognize how much it perverts and twists your own soul and damages those around you.

The point you made is very sobering. It is scary to think how much damage each one of us has caused through our sins.

 

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

I really like Psalm 103. I think it's a very comforting Psalm that describes how much God is aware of our frailty as humans and how much compassion he has for us. There are so many great verses within that Psalm, but the ones that I really like ( it was the verse of the day on my app) is verses 13-14: Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust.

The entire Psalm is a reminder of the goodness of God and how much he loves his own creation. I think it is really amazing how much God as an all powerful divinity can understand the sorrows of humans and their frailties and have compassion on them. The ultimate fulfillment of his compassion being the incarnation of Christ. I've often thought about that. That he chose to take on the form of man and experience the frailty and sufferings of man such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, etc as part of his atonement.

Psalm 103 is perfect for the thread title, so much of the goodness of God is exclaimed in that chapter. Verses 13-14 I do remember got my attention a while back. This verse in particular stands out as well:

Psalms 103:8
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”

Truer words were never said. Takes me back to the day which I converted. So many sins committed over the years flashing into my mind one after another, and feeling increasingly small and pathetic with each passing one..even angry and disgusted. At myself. When it became very clear without a doubt the Lord had seen it all. Never gave that much thought or care at all before. I was living the Joel Osteen ‘your best life now’ mentality except I wasn’t even Christian enough to set foot in a mega church LOL. I remember saying to myself that day, yes, I deserve to go to hell. I was fine with that, fully accepted that and took responsibility. I never thought that once before, I may have said it jokingly, or in a self-depreciating tone but this time it was so obviously true to me, undeniable. I wasn’t scared of going there at that moment either, it was the pain of living in defiance to God which bothered me most. Especially after seeing clearly how merciful He was to me over the years. And His mercies to us are brand new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Those verses bless us with hope and confidence in our Lord. His mercies are always there for those in need.

 

[GodBeMercifulToMeASinner]

One of my favorite Psalms I was reading today, and thought maybe these verses would be encouraging or edifying to someone. I found them to be pertinent to this thread, ‘The Goodness of God. The whole psalm is great but I didn’t post all of it. The first few psalms of 34 are about praise, and exalting Him. Which we should always do whether faced with good times or bad. I posted a few from the middle, which should be of encouragement to those enduring through afflictions or trials. The psalm ends with God’s promise to take care of His people, which reminds me of Matthew ch. 6 towards the end, where Christ assures that the Father will provide.

I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 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.
Psalm 34:4-9

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Psalm 34:15

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
Psalm 34:17-19

 

[aNewMan]

Many many times has God saved me from a hot stove like some toddler that was about to burn his hand, and i never see that right at that time because I was selfish. Its only when i look back on it. I'd like to think I am better now but thats not my doing and i won't take the credit for that.