What is Good?

(Proverbs 16:20) “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good.”

It is the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance, and yet how will a man know, unless he hears the preacher who has been sent to preach. But what will that man preach in order that a sinner may find repentance and come home? The “WORD OF GOD”! And where do we find what God has said? In the Bible! And who is the written Word always making reference too? None other than the Lord Jesus Christ; praise His blessed name!

Therefore goodness can and will only ever be found in and through the Lord Jesus.

Sure we often make reference to a good cup of coffee, or a great Cuban cigar as good and sometime we even say it is very good. In fact, that is exactly my thought this morning. This is always a good time for me, early mornings, but what makes it good? Is it because it is so peaceful and everyone is still sleeping or is it because of what I receive from the Word of God? The truthful answer would be, both! Although they both have their place in our lives, one is always good while the other may only seem good and at times overshadow our judgment calls as we push aside God’s Word for what we think is good and wholesome i.e., a clean wholesome holiday with the family, a fishing trip with friends or a trip into the Kruger National Park or Timbavati where I love to get lost in nature. And on our return from such a holiday when asked, how was it? We often reply, it was good, great or very relaxing as it was no doubt exactly that. New strength to push on once again, but this was not King Solomon’s (the author of Proverbs) intention when he speaks about “discovering good”. Let us not fall into what seems to be a harmless trap; shelving the Word of God (the Bible) for what we sometimes think is good, clean and sinless in principle; let’s face it, who would ever fault us for taking a holiday with family in some game park, where there is no TV or shopping mall that distracts us with its sinful lures.

What is the very first thing we pack when taking a holiday? Is it our bibles or do we take a break from that as well? The only true place we will ever find what is truly good is in God’s Word. I agree that nature itself teachers us that there is a God, in fact the Apostle Pauls teachers us that through it God proves His existence; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20) 

My point this morning may seem frivolous, but it is more subtle than we realise, please give it some thought. We accept certain traits or habit in our lives and accept them as good but are appalled by the other obvious sins in our lives, well I am anyway! But both mind-sets have their traps, think on these things and you too will arrive at the same conclusion; “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good.”

The bible is our life line for this life and everyday living, may we never overlook this truth; all the words in it speaks of life for the believer and when discovered it sparks its goodness into our lives. We must make it a daily priority to search it out.

If we feel that life is not very good and it is getting us down, a change for the better, can and will only ever be found in the Word of God. Moving house or going on holiday will not solve our dilemma. Goodness is available to the child of God, it is just inches away, so I implore you, reach out to it and find its goodness in and through the Lord Jesus Christ!

The beloved disciple John understood this better than most; look how he begins his gospel; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him (the Jews). But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-14)

Therefore the Word (the Bible) is full of written accounts about the Lord Jesus; everything about it points us to Him. If this is now our persuasion then we too can echo the words of David; “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalms 23:6)

They that give themselves to the Word shall find good in it and good by it. And whoever trusts in the Lord, in his Word which they attends to, is happy and will live in peace.

Praise His holy name!

Signing off

Tyrone