Bible Discussion Thread

 
  • GIGI - 1 year ago
    THE GOODNESS OF GOD

    Mark 10:17-18

    "And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

    And Jesus said unto him, "Why calleth thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God."

    This is the story of the rich man who said he had kept the commandments since he was a child.

    This verse came to mind today along with the title of my post.

    It made me think about the fact that God is good all the time. He never ceases to be good.

    He is even good when He allows or even brings catastrophic events upon people or punishments such as taking Israel and Judah out of the land when they would not cease to revert back again and again to idolatry. He was following through with what He promised would happen if His chosen people did not worship Him alone.

    He was good when He poured His wrath for sin upon Jesus on the cross. He was good when He allowed the persecution of the church under repeated Roman emperors leading to the martyrdom of millions. He is good today, even in our hardships, sufferings, and trials.

    But, His goodness extends to us in the giving of His grace and mercy; in His patience in order to bring us to Christ; in HIs providence that He supplies daily for our needs; in His protection from the many times we experience a "near miss"; in the creation of family and friendships ; and in the beauty of this natural world that we can readily enjoy firsthand and now through film and photos taken by others.

    When Jesus said that God alone is good, He was attesting to His deity in a somewhat round about way. The rich man knew to come to Jesus and kneel before him in order to find eternal life, which only comes from the goodness of God.

    So, today I think on this topic. I would love to hear from others how God has bestowed His goodness on one's life.
  • TammyC - In Reply - 1 year ago
    I love your post GiGi. It speaks to the heart. God's goodness has followed me throughout my entire life. He's saved me from terrible situations, He never gave up on me, and He opened my ears and eyes to His truth, love, and power. God saved me from spiritual death through His only Son Jesus, and I'm beyond grateful. I see God's goodness every single day, when He gives people another day, another chance to believe in His Son, to repent, and to be saved. Thank you for your post, that was awesome. God bless.
  • GIGI - In Reply - 1 year ago
    Tammy C.

    You are welcome. I am glad that you, too, are amazed at the goodness of God. Yesterday I went to our local plant nursery and picked out a group of plants that I do not have in my garden yet. Perusing the aisles of plants was so refreshing. I marvel at the variety God has created. I look for plants that add texture and unusual features. I plant my flowers in pots now. It is easier for me to manage. So, I was glad and thankful to find some interesting plants. Today, the weather will be warm, about 60 degrees, and sunny. So, I will replant these new plants today. Such a pleasure to do so. This, too, is God's goodness on display in the variety of plant life and in bringing about spring weather following a wet winter here in the PNW. Thankful for all of God's blessings today.
  • Jesse - In Reply - 1 year ago
    GiGi,

    First, let me say Amen to the fact that Jesus was attesting to His deity. But there's something about Jesus' statement ""Why did you call me good?" that had me wondering for years why He would ask this question. Of course, we know Jesus is good. But for the longest time, I took His remark "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God" as Jesus telling him do not call me good because only God the Father is good.

    But here's another reason why I love the Greek text. We see the word good in our English bible, and we know what good means, right? But in the Greek, there are several different Greek words for the word good. This word that Jesus used here is the word AGATHOS. This is a word that describes the goodness of God. AGATHOS is never applied to the goodness of man. The goodness of man would be KALOS.

    So now that I know that this is the word AGATHOS, what I see Jesus saying is "Why did you call me AGATHOS?" There is only one that is AGATHOS, and that is God. Do you realize what you just called me? You called me God. Why did you do that?

    So, how God has bestowed His goodness on my life? I think you've already touched on it in your comments. God is good all the time. Even through my hardships and difficult circumstances, or whatever I'm going through, God has given me the ability to say "The Lord is good" even when things are not so good in my life. We have a tendency to say the Lord is good when all is well in our lives, but not so when things are going bad. But yes, He is good all the time. And it's His goodness that brings us into a closer relationship with Him.

    God Bless!!!
  • GIGI - In Reply - 1 year ago
    Jesse, thanks for your response. In the text it says that the man ran to Jesus and knelt before Him. This man must have thought that Jesus was God, too, and was running to Him to obtain eternal life. We don't know if this man witnessed any of Jesus' miracles or heard Him speak before, but most likely he had.

    We can count on the goodness of God. We can count on the fact that He will always work all things out according to His perfect and good will for our good, whether in this life or the life to come. ( Romans 8:28) We can count on God giving us good things when we ask in prayer ( Matt. 7:11)



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