Godlythinking         

God’s Glory in his Goodness

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalms 19:1

Why is it that the word of god can be read in public and one man is enriched by the spoken word while another man can’t wait till its over? When you think of God’s glory, one can see with his or her own eyes the scope and wonder of God. One can stand on the Ocean shoreline and see nothing but water as far as one can see. From a mountaintop one can see miles of hills and valleys in awe of the sheer size of the world. At night gaze at the stars and think how trivial you are to God’s creation and ponder why would God want a personal relationship with you when his creation is so huge?

The designer of the creation can not be denied because the earth declares the glory of its architect and builder. From the beginning of time the whole creation has been groaning as they wait for the sons of God to be revealed. The vastness and order of creation has spoken to every man on the face of the earth giving glory to God. What on earth would men do if the sun stop giving light and heat the earth? Ironically that is what God has planning to do.

God has foretold what would come to pass in the future.

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

God has made the end of time known before it will come to pass. On the day Jesus Christ returns he will be glorified among all those who have believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 Because of God’s unsurpassing power every Christian expects to be raised from the dead and live in heaven with God. That may be the day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord. On that day he will be coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. Revelation 1:7 Colossians 1:27 speaks of another glory, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Just as Christ had the fullness of God dwell within him, you have the fullness of God dwelling in you.

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. John 14:23

From the moment Jesus Christ comes into your heart you will be indwelt by the fullness of God. Through Christ you become members of God’s household and have access to the father. Jesus Christ becomes the cornerstone of your life and in him the promises of God are fulfilled. God reveals his glory to you by making you holy and in him, your body becomes a tabernacle which God lives by his Spirit.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus promised I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. John 10:27-29

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:18

God receives glory when each one of his promises comes true in your life and God’s children benefit when God’s promises are fulfilled. Every one of those promises was given from the generosity of his heart and his desire for you to partake of his divine nature. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but his divine nature will help you to overcome the moral corruption caused by evil desires.

The glory of God is an outcome of his disposition for holiness. Goodness is a praise worthy attribute that desires moral excellence. In reality goodness is an act of being good to others without considering how others are to you. Jesus gave man a basic rule to live by when commanded God’s children to unto others what you would have them do to you. When you consider what goes around, comes around, it’s an excellent principle to live by. Being good to others is sowing the seeds that reaps a harvest of integrity in return.

God disposition of love and his moral ethics go hand in hand with decency. God wants you to become aware that your love and morality must consider how your actions effect your relations with others. When you consider the Ten Commandments, they tell you how to treat others with respect and how to demonstrate love for one another? Respect is an important ingredient in relationships and by showing respect you will gain the respect of your friends. In the same regard, showing respect to everyone is respecting God.

Jonah knew that God was a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love and relents from sending calamity. God also said, I will have mercy on those I will have mercy on, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Out of his goodness he maintains his love to thousands, forgives our wickedness, rebellion and sin. At the same time, he won’t let the guilty go unpunished.

Out of his goodness God has spoken about the behavior of certain men he detests and that he would reward man according to his deeds. On the other hand, he has rewards for men that pursue his face by faith. However, it is man’s responsibility to seek, find, and adopt the precepts that leads to the deeds that God appreciates. When you live according to God’s will, the quality of God’s goodness will follow and be seen by God.

By doing God’s good and perfect will, you will receive God’s blessing.

You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers. Deuteronomy 30:8-9

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

God wants you to become prosperous so you may be a blessing to those in need. God does not want his children to give grudgingly and delights in giving generously expecting nothing in return. According to his instruction God expects his children to give generously. Like father, like son. God wants his children to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

Having the fullness of Christ dwell in you gives you a responsibility to live by God’s standards and through those standards lead sinners into the love of God. God has instructed you to walk according to his will and by doing God’s you will be able to share your experience with people that don’t know him. Your experience may give you a lump in your throat every time you tell it, but your story can give hope to the lost and the joy you have with Christ.

The glory of God comes in many forms and is as diverse as God’s character. Gaining the knowledge of God’s character gives you a foundation to imitate Christ in you. God is able to make a distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous but has chosen to love his entire creation. Out of the goodness of his heart God sought a way to reconcile the unrighteous man to him and through Jesus Christ canceled the debt of sin once and for all. Even then God would not force his way of life onto others but offered man a choice to accept life through his Son. Though many refuse the life God wants to give and though God may not agree with your choice he will accept the choice that you make.

You may not think that life treats you fairly, but as God’s child you are taught to overcome evil with good. Inside, you may be churning with the desire to get even, but peace is your priority because vengeance belongs to your father in Heaven.

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Romans 12:20

Developing the goodness of God takes time but is well worth your time and effort. In the long run you will develop your father’s nature and reap benefits beyond measure. Being effective for your father requires that you improve your character while overlook the faults of others. By working with God he will develop your character to reveal the glory of God.