The Goodness of God

Have you considered the goodness of God? The Scriptures tell us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Every good gift is from God. Not only is it from God, but it is perfect in its purpose and blessing, suited appropriately to the person and moment. Further, it is the unchanging nature of God to do good because he is good.

Take a moment to recount something good in your life regardless of how important or inconsequential it may seem. That good thing came from God. He gives good gifts and only good gifts. We would do well to consider with regularity the blessings of God. The Psalmist records “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). They are, indeed, innumerable. Thomas Watson, a 17th century Puritan preacher and author, reminds us “every time you draw your breath, you suck in mercy.”

God is unceasingly engaged in the caretaking of his creation. That includes each of us “for he giveth breath unto the people upon it [the earth]” (Isaiah 42:5). But our hearts are most often cold and indifferent to all his tender mercies. Even so, he does not change for “he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35).

The goodness of God demands reflection. It is his goodness that leads us to repentance. The Apostle Paul wrote “despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4)? Repentance is essential to salvation. No man or woman will ever come to Christ and be saved without repenting of their sin first. And there is no greater gift than knowing that one’s sins are forgiven and eternal life is promised.

So I ask again, a bit more emphatically, have you considered the goodness of God. Such a reflection necessarily leads to expressing our gratitude to God for his blessings. The Psalmist wrote “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing” (Psalm 107:21,22).

Finally, such thanksgiving fuels loving service to God for his goodness. Samuel, God’s prophet, exhorted the children of Israel “only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you” (I Samuel 12:24). Perhaps, as Christians, we do not serve as we ought because we have lost sight of God’s blessings. That is easy to do in a materialistic society characterized by entitlement and self-indulgence.

We do well to reflect again and again on the great benefit of sins forgiven. Christ admonished Simon, a Pharisee, “to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47). We dare not lose sight of how great a debt was forgiven through Christ’s blood on our behalf.  How can I keep that truth before me? Now, there’s something that genuinely merits consideration!

The God Who Holds History

Most of us are familiar with the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was a man of supernatural strength granted to him by the Lord to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Delilah, a woman of the Philistines, captured Samson’s attention with her beauty. She used her feminine charms to get Samson to divulge the secret of his strength and the rest is history. He was captured, his eyes were put out, and he became the ridicule of the Philistines. Even so, God granted him one last display of strength to bring down the house where 3,000 of the Philistines had gathered to make sport of him and to praise their god for giving Samson to them. The Scriptures record “the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed in his life” (Judges 16:30).

What is often overlooked in this marvelous record of Israel’s deliverer is the fact that God superintended his birth, upbringing, and preparation for this time of service to God. Probably as much as forty years prior to Samson’s death, we read “the people of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years” (Judges 13:1). Israel’s disobedience resulted in their servitude.

But God had already planned to provide a deliverer, Samson. the “angel of the LORD appeared to the woman [Samson’s mother] and said to her, Behold, you are barren…but you shall conceive and bear a son…the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:3-5).

What a testimony to God’s control of all human events past, present, and future! He didn’t pick a man alive at the time of Israel’s woes to empower for service. Rather, he chose and prepared a man years before the time he would be needed. God ordained Samson’s birth and watched over him all the years of his youth protecting and preserving him for his role as deliverer.

Samson’s story is not an isolated event in history. God told Jeremiah, the prophet, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you: I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). The Apostle Paul declared “it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me” (Galatians 1:15-16). “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). History has rightly been called His Story. Consequently, God “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). “All things” is all things, from birth to death.

Now make the divine plan of this sovereign God in human history very personal. I am here by the design of an all-knowing and all-powerful God. When Isaiah writes “he [God] giveth breath unto the people upon it [earth], and spirit to them that walk therein” (Isaiah 42:5), that includes each of us. When John writes “thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11), that includes each of us. Have you considered God’s purpose for you?

The Deceit of Pride

Pride is a deceptive resident of every human heart. Paul admonished each of the believers in Rome regarding spiritual gifts “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). He reiterated that warning of self-deception to the churches of Galatia. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3).

In the Old Testament, Obadiah, the prophet, testified against Edom “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the cliffs of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground?” (Obadiah 3). The capital city of Edom, Petra, was literally carved out of the rock high above the ground and, consequently, the Edomites believed they were safe from attack. But they did not count on God. “Though thou exalt thyself [through pride] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD” (Obadiah 4).

Pride is deceitful because it precludes us from seeing ourselves as we are before God. We tend to see ourselves in comparison to others. For example, I see myself as a better outfielder than others on my ball team or I see myself as a more competent accountant than those in my office. Fill in the character or physical quality of your own choosing and you must agree that we most often see ourselves as better than our neighbor. Frankly, there may be occasions where such assertions have a measure of truth, but that does not diminish the resulting deception. Paul, through the Spirit of God, warned the Corinthians “For we dare not…compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12). Such comparisons are both natural and dangerous. Why is that?

In the first place, all that we are and have comes from God, as Paul reminded and rebuked the Corinthian believers. “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (I Corinthians 4:7). Moses likewise warned the Israelites as they were about to enter the promised land and lay claim to the blessings God had for them there that they “remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Whether it be natural talents, education, skills, social standing, material blessings, or prestige, it all comes from God.

David, king of Israel, said it well. “Both riches and honor come of thee…and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength to all…for all things come of thee” (I Chronicles 29:12-14). Consequently, a more sobering and accurate view of ourselves comes from seeing God as he is. It is from that comparison that we see ourselves as we truly are. Isaiah testified that he saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple… And one [seraphim] cried unto another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory…then said I [Isaiah], Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips…for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:1-5). It is natural to compare ourselves with others, but who can compare to God?

How do you see yourself?

The Danger of Prosperity

The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, delivered a series of warnings from God to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem to turn from their sin and to keep the covenant they had with God from the time of their exodus out of Egypt. Jeremiah gave some of these messages to the kings in Judah throughout the time of his ministry. One such king was Jehoiachin.

Jehoiachin was the son of King Jehoiakim, a wicked king who lived lavishly and built extravagant dwellings at the expense of the people. God knew of his wickedness, and warned him through Jeremiah. “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; that saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled [paneled] with cedar, and painted with vermilion” (Jeremiah 22:13-14). Jehoiachin grew up with this indulgence which he learned under his father’s reign.

When his father died, Jehoiachin became king. The warnings of God through Jeremiah now came to him, but to no avail. Jeremiah records “I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice” (Jeremiah 22:21). It is evident that Jehoiachin’ s indulgent lifestyle made it difficult, if not impossible, for him to give heed to God’s admonition. In fact, his pampered youth promoted an outright rebellion to the message of God which ultimately resulted in God’s judgement. He was carried away captive to Babylon after a reign of only three months. There he spent the rest of his life.

There is a danger to be avoided in prosperity. When we are comfortable, we forget God and wrongly ascribe the blessings we enjoy as arising from ourselves. The Psalmist made this mistake and recorded his lesson learned. “In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled” (Psalm 30:6). What we have and our ability to enjoy it is by God’s good favor.

Furthermore, when we are comfortable with our circumstances, we inevitably desire greater comfort. This pursuit breeds self-indulgence that leads to greater sins. Ezekiel declares that such self-indulgence was at the very heart of Sodom and led to its destruction. “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49). Self-indulgence leaves no room for the worship of God or ministering to others’ needs. Hosea warned “whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart” (Hosea 4:11). Unbridled self-indulgence robs one of understanding and the ability to respond to truth.

Our society promotes the pursuit of lifestyles that hinge on increasing comfort and unimpeded self-indulgence. It would seem that material wealth and personal comfort are the goals we should all be striving to achieve. But Jesus said “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). What is your comfort level? Can you hear what God the Lord says?

Sin is Still Sin

Sin is never to be taken lightly, but it is. What has happened not just in America, but in America’s churches that sin receives such little attention? At one time churches could be counted upon to extol the holiness of God and man’s glaring unrighteousness. The Holy Scriptures were preached and practiced; consequently, the God of the Word was proclaimed and lifted up for all to see. We learned that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). Sin was laid bare because “all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light” (Ephesians 5:13).

It is the holiness of God that teaches men to depart from sin. “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). There is wisdom in fearing God because God is the judge of all the earth. Christ taught his disciples “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). We fear God because he is holy and we are not.

Frankly, most churches have little to say on Sunday mornings about the holiness of God. I invite you to make this consideration very personal and think about your own church services. Is the holiness of God a recurring theme? Is sin lifted up as an affront to this holy God and the dangers of continuing in sin made plain? God is not just offended by sin, but this offense mandates that he judge sin. The Psalmist reminds us “Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth” (Psalm 58:11). The Holy Spirit through the author of Hebrews declares “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement” (Hebrews 9:27) and “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

This appointment is sure; consequently, there is a wrath to flee. The fact that our churches and our society have grown comfortable with sin has not changed God’s attitude toward it. We may think that God does not see, but he does. We may believe that because he has not judged yet, he will not judge at all. But he will. We may convince ourselves that he does not care, but we believe a lie and we do so to our own destruction. God sees, God cares and God will judge! His opinion is the only opinion that counts. We remind ourselves, “all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13; emphasis added).

It is true, sin is never to be taken lightly because God never takes sin lightly. He is a God to be feared, but the Scriptures teach us that he is also a God who forgives. The Psalmist gives testimony “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:4). The Judge of all the earth has provided deliverance from the wrath due our sin through his Son Jesus Christ. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

Render to God According to the Benefit

In 2 Kings 20:1-11, the Bible relates that Hezekiah, king of Judah, was “sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah…said unto him, thus saith the LORD, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die and not live.” We then read that Hezekiah “prayed unto the LORD…and wept sore…and the LORD came to him [Isaiah], saying, … tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years…”

Hezekiah, evidently overwhelmed by the word of the LORD said, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?” (v.7). Hezekiah asked that the shadow return backward ten degrees as a sign and the LORD did just that. That was quite the impressive miracle just to convince Hezekiah that God’s promise was true.

What a marvelous thing! Hezekiah prayed and God gave him a miraculous sign. He then not only healed him, but he gave him fifteen additional years. How good God is! But unfortunately, there is more to the story. 

We read in the book of Chronicles, “In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he [the LORD] spake unto him, and he gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore, there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 32:24-25). Instead of humbly thanking God for the mercy shown unto him, he became filled with pride. Therefore, God’s wrath was upon him. What a tragic end to this great work of God in Hezekiah’s life.

Before we jump on the band wagon condemning the self-destructive folly of Hezekiah, should we not examine ourselves? How often do we take the time to give God thanks for his goodness to us? The Scriptures record “blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19). We read again, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Every day God loads us with benefits; things like a good night’s rest, the ability to eat and enjoy food, the joy of family, employment that is useful to our needs and desires. The list goes on and on. Its length, however, is cut short by our own failure to pause and reflect. We need exhorted as the Psalmist wrote to not forget his benefits! This takes effort on our part, effort we seldom expend.

The New Testament reminds us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Take a moment to think of something genuinely good, something that truly is a blessing. It was given to you by God. When Jesus healed ten lepers and instructed them to show themselves to the priest, only one returned to “give God glory” for healing him (Luke 17:17). Jesus noted and asked “where are the nine”? Let’s not number ourselves among the nine but render to God according to the benefit done unto us.

Praising the Praiseworthy

The churches in Galatia were falling prey to false teachers who had infiltrated their ranks with a corrupt gospel. These teachers promoted the necessity of circumcision and other works of the law in order to be saved. Their teaching stood in direct opposition to the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galatians in an effort to expose the fallacy of their teaching and to strengthen the believers’ faith in the true gospel.

These false teachers had craftily sought to drive a wedge between the Galatians and Paul, in both his ministry and his message. Paul writes, “They [the false teachers] zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you [from Paul], that ye might affect them” (Galatians 4:17). The words “zealously affect” mean to “make much over” someone or something, to praise or commend them greatly. These false teachers were making much over the Galatians to gain their favor and have them turn away from Paul. Their motivation for making much over these believers was selfish.

Yet to make much over someone or something for the right reason is proper. “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing” (Galatians 4:18). It is right to be praised and commended for doing right things and, consequently, to be encouraged and exhorted to continue doing such things. Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that genuine, God-honoring love “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (I Corinthians 13:6). To rejoice in the truth is to seek and to praise every manifestation and expression of truth.

Truth is made manifest not just by the spoken word but, also, by our actions and attitudes. Jesus Christ prayed the Father, “Sanctify them [believers] through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Through our obedience to the word of God, we are conformed to the image of Christ and this glorifies God. Christ-likeness is praiseworthy and commended to all believers because this pleases the Father. As a result, our very lives reflect the truth of God.

This conformity to Christ is not only that which we seek in ourselves, but also that which we promote in the lives of others. It is with this goal in mind that we “make much over” others. We commend them for their faithfulness to Christ and promote adherence to his word as the means of greater conformity to his likeness. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians captures this concept. “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are be Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

We more often than not fail to praise others when the opportunity arises and, more importantly, fail to praise the evidence of God’s grace in their lives for the things that are truly worthy.

An Active God

We live in a world that denies God, his existence, his rule, his activity. Stephen Hawking, celebrated physicist and a known atheist, summed up the world’s perspective quite well. He maintained “There is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate.” We should not be surprised at that “for the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). As believers, we know otherwise!

Yet we are often tempted to question whether God is really present. We do not see evidence of his activity among us (or so we think); consequently, we become like the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness who “tempted the LORD, saying, is the LORD among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). Be assured from the Scriptures that he is very much among us and is active. David wrote “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalm 40:5).

Not only is God active, but he is actively good. The Psalmist reminds us “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee” (Psalm 31:19). In fact, everything that is good in this darkened, sin-cursed world comes from the hand of the “Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). This is true for all men “for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35). Therefore, we are admonished “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing” (Psalm 107:21-22).

God is indeed present and active among us. We often strain to see his working but, for the child of God, what he has said is sufficient. Faith requires no more proof than the testimony of God’s word. Job struggled to understand the ills that befell him and was overwhelmed by what he perceived as God’s absence. “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him” (Job 23:8-9). Even so, his faith knew what his eyes could not see! He declared “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

We, too, as dear children of God, are called upon to rest in his promises even when we cannot discern his presence or performance.  Jesus said “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). However dark things may seem to be, he has not abdicated his throne. As the words to an old hymn remind us, “This is my Father’s world, Oh, let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” As the Psalmist reminds us “Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth” (Psalm 58:11).

While his promise to judge stands, there are many that deny God’s presence because they do not see his working. They remain willfully ignorant of his revelation concerning himself. May we not be counted among them. Those that deny him now shall one day assuredly bow the knee and “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).

The Praise of Zacharias

Zacharias was an elderly priest in Israel. While performing his priestly duties in the temple, the angel Gabriel announced unto him that his wife, Elisabeth (also, elderly), would give birth to a son. Because of his unbelief, Zacharias was dumb and unable to speak until the day the child was born. This child through his ministry became known as John the Baptist (Luke 9:19).

When John was born, God restored Zacharias’ speech and he immediately offered praise to God focusing on the promised deliverance of His people, Israel. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68-69). God had promised David a descendant that would reign over the people of God (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The angel Gabriel speaking of Jesus to Mary confirmed this promise. “He shall be great…and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32-33).

Zacharias’ praise also acknowledged this promised deliverance was in keeping with the “oath which he [God] swear to our father Abraham” (Luke 1:73). God had promised Abraham “I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing…and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). The angel of the Lord who appeared to the shepherds repeated this promised blessing in Christ. “And the angel said unto them, fear not: for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10; emphasis added).

John the Baptist had the great privilege of preparing the people for the arrival of this very special Person, Jesus Christ. Zacharias declared of John “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our God” (Luke 1:76-78).

John’s ministry prepared the people to receive the Messiah by leading them to repentance. John said of himself “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah” (John 1:23). The Apostle Paul confirmed this testimony of John declaring “John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus” (Acts 19:4).

The redemption of which Zacharias spoke was to be provided by the Messiah, Jesus. He was so named by command of the angel “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Christ came to save sinners and salvation begins with repentance from sin. This message of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” was central to the message of Paul (Acts 20:21). Look beyond the manger to the cross; repent of your sins and trust Christ. This is the message of Christmas.

His Name is Holy

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). This verse teaches many things, but perhaps the most significant is that it teaches us God is holy. In fact, we are reminded that his very name is Holy!

We do well to reflect on the implication of that truth. The prophet Isaiah wrote “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims…and one cried to another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the smoke was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:1-5). One truth is prominent. God is holy and we are not!

Only when we see God for who he is can we see ourselves as we really are. Yet our sin leads us to hide ourselves from him even as Adam hid himself from the LORD in the Garden of Eden after he had disobeyed (Genesis 3:10). But there is no hiding place for “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13). The Psalmist reminds us “whither shall I flee from thy presence…yea, the darkness hideth not from thee…the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:7-12).

We are all as Isaiah was, undone before a holy God! “God reigneth over the heathen [nations]: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness” (Psalm 47:8). “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men” (Psalm 11:4). There is no escaping his view nor our accountability to him. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Even so, this holy God has given us hope. He says “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit” (emphasis added). A right view of God then is the first step in preparing to meet this Holy One. He does not crush us by the weight of his holiness, but tenderly invites us to repent of our sin (the evidence of a contrite spirit) and to humbly trust in him for a righteousness that is not our own.

When is the last time you paused to reflect on the holy character of God Almighty? This is the first step in knowing his tender love. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews makes a thoughtful and provoking admonition. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Remember, God is holy and we are not. He alone can bridge the gulf between us.