Day 11 | Goodness Definition

Read Genesis 1:1–31

“Good” is an oft-repeated word in our culture. We flippantly say both “God is good” and “Hamburgers are good” (especially today if you are fasting meat). The toddler who shares their colorful wooden blocks? They are good. The book we can’t put down even though it is midnight? It’s also good! But when we talk about the goodness of God, it is something more than a juicy burger or the “I’ll-just-read-one-more-chapter” book.

Goodness is simply the quality of being good, and the goodness of God is the standard of good in the world. Like Mary Poppins’ tape measure, it is the degree by which all things are measured. Since goodness is something worth approving, like the hamburger and the nice toddler, God’s goodness means everything He does is worthy of approval (see 1 Timothy 4:4–5).

The perfection of the Garden of Eden displayed God’s goodness. The author of Genesis notes that God saw what He created was good. He saw His creations— the insect with the brightly-colored exoskeleton, the blooming flower with layers of silky petals, the coarse nutrient-filled soil scattered across the earth— and approved. God reveals Himself through creation (see Romans 1:20) and creation expresses His goodness. The veins of a white oak tree’s leaves, the uncountable stars in our universe, and the mirroring of a monarch butterfly’s wings all proclaim that God is worthy of approval.

When we think of God’s goodness, it can be easy to believe when something is hard, sad, or trying, it is not from Him. However, goodness pairs with other attributes of God, like justice, wrath, and sovereignty.

Our circumstances do not determine God’s goodness. Unlike the burger whose goodness is subject to change, based on the quality and maybe the hunger of the consumer, God’s goodness is constant and not dependent on our circumstances. He is our anchor—unchanging, reliable—and always trustworthy (see Hebrews 6:13–20; James 1:17; Numbers 23:19). As the gospel song says, “God is good, yes He is. He’s good all the time.”

Pray for 10 minutes