During my undergraduate years I attended a small Baptist church, where there was a man who didn’t miss an opportunity to say, “Thank God that God is good; if he were not, we would not be here.” At the time, I wondered why he would specifically call out this attribute of God, his goodness. implying that without it we wouldn’t be standing. Fast-forward a few years to when I read The Attributes of God, by A. W. Pink. For it was through that book that I began to understand God’s goodness. In the years since that reading I’ve learnt more about God’s character, such as his sovereignty and faithfulness. Currently I’m intrigued by the joys of serving God in light of these attributes, perhaps especially his goodness.
In this article, I explore how God’s sovereignty, goodness and faithfulness shape our understanding of Christian service and enable us to serve him with joy.
A God Who Works All Things Together
I often think of the story of Joseph when I think about God’s goodness, intertwined with his sovereignty. When we look at that story, we see how God’s goodness operates within his providence. For even though Joseph underwent several hardships—being sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongly accused of attempted rape by his master’s wife, and imprisoned for years—he was later released from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and received a position of power. The Bible records Joseph’s faithful service to God not only as Pharaoh’s appointed minister, but also as a slave and prisoner.
Our joy should be that our sovereign God will work all things together for our good.
Do you remember what Joseph says in Genesis 50:20? He tells his brothers that God meant it all for good. All of it. Their actions of selling him into slavery are what led to Joseph’s rise in Egypt and the salvation of his father’s household. Our joy should be that our good and sovereign God will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Even when our story is uncertain and difficult, our joy should be in knowing that God’s goodness operates in the realm of his sovereignty. He isn’t incapable of executing goodness. Nor is he late.
A Master Faithful to His Servants
Our God is eternal, therefore so too is his goodness. There will never be a moment when he ceases being good. This is the foundation on which we stand as those who live to serve him. In today’s world, we have managers or organisations whose terms and conditions change with socio-economic factors. Yet our God remains constant. He is good. So when we serve him and walk with him all the days of our lives, we can trust his word when he says that he’ll welcome us as “good and faithful servants” (Matthew 25:21).
We can be joyful in the confidence of a good master who rewards those who seek him.
He will justly reward his faithful servants with a sure reward (Proverbs 11:18; Colossians 3:24). Our work and service aren’t in vain. Therefore we can be joyful in the confidence of a good master who rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
Nothing Good Is Withheld
All good and perfect things come from our Father, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17). Someone once commented on this verse that God isn’t shady. He doesn’t change in his faithfulness. As such, we can trust him. God’s goodness is tied to his nature of faithfulness. He isn’t like man, who can lie (Numbers 23:19). He fulfils his word and it won’t return to him void (Isaiah 55:11).
Joy stems from knowing that God will never withhold what is truly good from those who walk with him.
When I think of God’s goodness, I’m amazed that we can experience his goodness both now, in the land of the living, and in eternity. As David states, God’s goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6); and, in the words of another psalmist, “the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). This doesn’t mean that those who serve God won’t experience hardships. They will. We all experience the pain of trials. Only God’s goodness will be present as well, refining our faith and character. This is the only way we can count it all joy when we face various trials (James 1:2).
This joy stems from knowing that God will never withhold what is truly good from those who walk with him. This is the gift of salvation and an eternity with our good Father.
Thank God That He Is Good
So God’s goodness isn’t a fluke. It isn’t by chance or happenstance. It is perfectly embedded in his nature. Without the goodness of God we wouldn’t be standing. For sovereignty without goodness would be tyranny. Oh what a joy it is to serve a sovereign and good God, one who is faithful and has promised to reward those who faithfully serve him. Oh, what a joy it is to serve God, who gave us his ultimate goodness, salvation through Jesus Christ. Indeed, God has withheld no good thing from us.
