Knowing the Goodness of God

Have you or someone you know ever blamed God when something bad happens in life?  I’m ashamed to say it, but I have blamed Him more than once. I remember when my grandson died eight years ago; I blamed God. I blamed God when my sister died many years ago. I told God, she was a good person, why did you take her? I have even turned away from God, because I believed He was mean for allowing bad things to happen to good people. I looked at kids who suffered with cancer, or little girls being beaten and molested and wondered why God would let these things happen if He was such a good God. I have done all these things, because I too did not know or understand the goodness of God. A lot of people will give God glory when something good happens, “Oh God, thank you, thank you,” but when the glory fads, they turn around and blame Him when something bad happens, “why God Why? Why did you do this or that?

Well guess what? I have some good news for you today. God is not to blame. God is good, God is love, and God is truth. The true goodness of God is expressed in the loving Man that hung on the cross, Jesus Christ. The key to experiencing God’s goodness is getting to know Him. When you learn about His character and His nature you will begin to see it for yourself.  

A long time ago in the Garden of Eden, man and woman lived in the perfect goodness of God. God created a tree called the ‘Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ He told the man and the woman that lived there not to eat of this one tree. The man and the woman allowed the devil to entice them to disobey God and eat of that tree. They questioned the goodness of God, creating a domino effect that has continued to plague us today. We as their children have the same opportunity to choose between good and evil.

When things bad happen in our lives, we have to look at the role we played in it. If it is something evil that happens to someone that we may feel didn’t deserve it, we have to look at those involved. We also have to look at the devil and his demons, because they play a major role in the corruption, destruction, evil and wickedness in the world. The devil does not want you to experience the goodness of God, because if you come to know and understand God’s goodness, you will no longer serve him, he wants you to experience the same fate as him, death. Believe me, God’s goodness is shown all around us daily, but we are the ones who have to look past ourselves to see it. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing (good) and cursing (evil); therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey his voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days (Deut. 30:19-20a NKJV emphasis mine).