God's nature

One thing that helps me the most as I deal with and live in a fallen, cruel and sometimes confusing world is to know what God is like.  

Knowing God helps me sort out the confusion of the world around me, to filter out all the clutter.  Knowing what God is like helps me deal with the questions I have, the questions others ask me.  Knowing God's nature gives me peace.  

There are so many facets to God, but one that is vital for me is this, it comes from Psalms 119:68,

"You are good and do only good"

God is good.  Out of his goodness he acts. 

God is always good, that never changes.  God's nature controls how he deals with us.  He is always, always good; that never changes and he's always good in every action he takes, everything he does...it flows from his nature.

Psalms continues with these words,

"How kind the Lord is! How good he is! 

So merciful, this God of ours!"

The goodness of God has side effects.  Goodness is kind and merciful as it flows out of God.  He's always this way, he never changes, this is our God.  Did I mention he never changes?

I often talk to people going through difficult days who ask, "Is God punishing me for what I have done?"  My answer is always the same, "No he isn't!"  I say that because I know God, I know his nature.  Goodness is part of the nature of God and that goodness took Jesus to the cross, paid for our sins and made us his children.  Goodness draws us to him, to his love. 

Goodness is the Father's nature and his way of dealing with us.  I'm so glad that God tells us what he is like. I'm so glad that God is good.