“And Moses said, ‘I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory.’ And He said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before thee…” Exodus 33:18,19
Dear Ones:
What is “goodness?” We get our answer from its source and the effect it has on its intended objects. From Scripture we discover, as the Apostle Paul declared, “…for I know that in me (that is in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present in me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18) Paul goes even farther back to what David wrote in the psalms, to clarify what is NOT the source of goodness: “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:12; Psalm 14:3) Sinful, fallen man is not the source of true goodness. What then, according to the Scriptures, is the source? We find it in God’s revelation of His glory to Moses, when He had put him into a cleft in the rock, covered him with His hand, and passing before him, declared: “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” (Ex. 33:6) In that revelation, God did indeed make all His goodness pass before Moses. The whole of the creation is permeated, and enveloped also in the goodness of God. Scripture declares: “And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) Goodness comes from God. It is manifested in His creation, but more so in Christ’s work of redemption. The manifestations of any “goodness” on this earth, are the faint effects of God’s workings. The great revelation of HIs goodness is revealed in the giving of that very goodness by the Spirit to the believer. The believer thus becomes the instrument, vessel, channel of God’s blessing, and the revelation of His glory to men. Sinful man is only good by virtue of God giving him His goodness in Christ. Jesus Christ is not only the source of all goodness, but the very essence of it. Goodness therefore is the expression of the glory of God.
In one of Peter’s sermons, written in the book of Acts, he said: “… God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (10:38) The Lord Jesus did good works because He WAS good. The example He set before us is that of one who has been “anointed” of God by the Spirit. It is in receiving all from the Father by the Holy Spirit, that the goodness of God is revealed in power, especially as it relates to delivering those who were oppressed of the devil. The good works testified that God was with Him.
There came to Jesus one day, a person that the Bible calls, “…a certain ruler,” seeking eternal life. In that meeting the Lord Jesus makes it very clear what is the true and enduring source of goodness. He declared: “…none is good, save one, that is, God.” (Luke 18:19) What then is the beginning point at which a sinner can know this goodness of God, experience it, live it, and give it to others? Without even knowing it, we are benefactors of God’s goodness, for “….the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” (Rom. 3:4) But how does one get this goodness to live, and to give? How can the believer live not only in the presence of infinite goodness, but be and do as Christ lived, truly going about doing good?
In John’s gospel, he writes: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (1:12) The goodness of God can only be received from God. If we see our lives as vessels, or cups, they must be yielded and surrendered wholly to Him that IS goodness. Christ then must be trusted to cleanse the cup, empty it, and fill it with Himself by the Spirit.
Dear Father, Take our cups, cleanse them, and fill them with Thy goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad