“God is good … All the time! All the time …God is good!”
Familiar chants heard all around us, mostly at the beginning of say, an exhortation, testimony or simply to get one’s audiences’ attention. Funny the amount of things we say without even giving much thought to the words. The use of “God is good” has becomes so cliché that we respond accordingly (as above) because it is the right thing to say or mostly out of sheer habit. We forget the unadulterated truth of grave importance that lies within those words.
The nature of the sun is to shine. The sun’s ability to illuminate or irradiate cannot be separated from it. It is the same with God. He is by default, a good God. The more one gets to know Him, the more of His personality ones sees. He sure is one tough cookie (doesn’t tolerate an iota of compromise) but like a Jammie Dodger biscuit, he has the softest heart (loving us even unto death!).
A common answer from people that don’t necessarily believe in God to the question of what principles they live their lives by, is usually tied to the theory of being “a good person”. Aha! Now, that is relative! I don’t know how many people who out of love, would put themselves through pain, torture, shame and absolute disgrace (not to talk of dying) for a person that didn’t even acknowledge or bat an eyelid for him/her. God put His own son through that! As we have global/international standards of measurement, time, accounting principles, aquaculture and you name it; I believe there is a “God standard” of being good which we can only strive to attain through faith by His grace and grace alone.
It is amazing that we human beings that claim to be good (never mind the Bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked Jer 17:9) even murmur and complain when a good God does what he knows how to do best. Jonah was extremely angry with God when He didn’t destroy Nineveh as God had told him to prophesy. He was initially reluctant to go and in his hiding even landed in the belly of the fish as is told in the popular story. The message had been clear; God was going to destroy the city in exactly 40 days. Their king, wise as he was, put on sackcloth, declared a fast through out this large city for both man and beast, urged them to turn from their sins peradventure this God would have mercy and change His mind? (Jonah 3)
And did He not do exactly that! Imagine the relief they felt. I guess everyone was happy except Jonah. “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen” (Jonah 4:2 NLT) Do I hear Jonah testifying of God’s goodness but also sulking that He (God) decided to be Himself, the loving and caring person He is?
In Matt 20, Jesus told the parable of the owner of an estate who had hired labourers for his vineyard at different hours of the day and had agreed payment terms at the point of hiring. To be specific, he agreed to pay the first set of employees hired in the morning; a full day’s pay and told the others he hired at different times of the day “fair pay”. At the end of the day’s job, everyone received the same amount but you can be sure those who started working early in the morning didn’t give in without a grumble at the unfairness of the manager.
“When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat’(Matt 20:12 NLT) The manager responded; 15Am I not permitted to do what I choose with what is mine? [Or do you begrudge my being generous?] Is your eye evil because I am good?
When the prodigal son returned to his father’s house after collecting his inheritance and squandering it on reckless living, his father’s heart was moved with so much compassion that he welcomed him with kisses and hugs and an elaborate party with the best fattened calf, garments, music and dancing. Enter older son – “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’(Luke 15:29-30 NLT)
In all these references, God reveals His good nature to man and also make us understand that He is so full of grace and can do whatever He very well pleases with it (Ex. 33:19) Man on the other hand, has an innate characteristic to only reward good when the person “deserves” it and even complains when God doesn’t behave in the same way. We don’t understand how a sinner who only came to God on his death bed could be standing beside us in heaven. Or how a murderer is forgiven and made free to enjoy the same privileges as us while we rationalise and justify our right before God by how little the lie we just told was.
I read somewhere that if God gives grace to others, it is kindness to them, and no injustice to us. I believe is something we should always remember before we put on our self-righteous armour ready to question God’s nature. Afterall, we never ask the dog why he barks!
Happy new month! Woo hoo!!
Hugs,
Yinka B
