In Touch - April 20, 2005

In Touch Daily Devotional 
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Wednesday April 20, 2005

Expressions of God’s Goodness

Psalm 103

We often like to think of God’s goodness in terms of tangible blessings and upbeat experiences He bestows upon us. While these are certainly expressions of His goodness, we shouldn’t interpret God’s love only through His demonstrations of love in positive circumstances. We often experience the very best of His goodness in our darkest hours—in those situations, He shows Himself to be good in deeper ways that He alone can. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

One way He expresses goodness is through mercy—His tender-hearted compassion for us. When mercy is mentioned in the Bible, it is usually in the context of God’s concern for people who are suffering or needy. Constantly, We constantly see Jesus filled with compassion and ministering to people because of this mercy. (Mark 1:41) Many people whom the Lord healed cried out to Him for mercy because they recognized their neediness. (Matthew 9:27-29) In Jesus’ parable, it was the sinful tax collector—not the sinful but self-righteous Pharisee—whom God blessed; he begged for mercy, understanding that he didn’t deserve God’s favor. (Luke 18:9-14) The Lord responds to our distress with comfort, not because we’ve earned it, but because He is good. In fact, it is through Jesus’ worthiness and self-sacrifice that we have great worth in God’s eyes. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Another expression of God’s goodness is grace. Since He is just, He cannot overlook sin, yet because of His infinite goodness and love, He chose to pay the penalty in our place. The pathway of God’s grace is paved with the blood of Jesus Christ. This extraordinary nature of God’s goodness is the greatest reality of life.

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