For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20
In this season of Thanksgiving, we are surrounded by countless reasons to be thankful. The sky shouts His name, and even if the season brings sorrow or our lives are plagued with trials, the sky alone should give us reason to be thankful because it is an ever-present tangible reminder of God. Paul’s letter to the Romans offers believers a strong foundation for faith in Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving emanates from a strong foundation of knowing God and His attributes and forms the basis of all thanksgiving and praise. Our life’s endeavor should be to know God as a God who is sovereign, trustworthy, faithful, and good. The psalmist captures the yearning we should all possess, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2).
The word “good” seems too simple to describe God, and the auto-correct dictionary wants to replace it with many other synonyms, but good is the perfect word. As children, we learn God is good through the simple “God is great, God is good” prayer before eating. As adults, we read His Word filled with His goodness, we see nature that sings of His goodness, and our lives are a living testimony to His gracious goodness. We have much to be thankful for! He is with us in the trenches of life, and He is good. He is with us on the mountaintops of joy, and He is good. As believers, if we can grab hold of the simple reality that God is good, our perspectives on many of life’s twists and turns will change.
In Mark 10:18, Jesus declares, “No one is good except God alone”. He doesn’t say God is the greatest or the most awesome; He says good. The Hebrew word for good in these passages is “Tov,” and the meaning goes beyond not bad or lower than great. It is a complete goodness encompassing not just moral characteristics of kindness and faithfulness and is often used to refer to God alone. God is the source of all things good and all good in us. God is good all the time, in all circumstances, and in all seasons. Give Him praise and thanksgiving for His infinite goodness. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.