The Overwhelming Importance of Knowing, Understanding and Appreciating the Wonderful Goodness of God!

30 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   30 August 2026   Mark 10:18.

Mark 10:18.        ‘And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.’

And that blessed day of Sunday is here once again, with the standing invitation to join other believers in Christ Jesus in His sanctuary, to praise and worship Him, while getting our souls refreshed with His word and the joy that comes from giving Him thanks and praise. And today’s song of worship is one that does just that; gives God much thanks and praise for His wonderful goodness to the undeserving children of men.  And it’s appropriately titled, ‘The Goodness of God.’

This is one of those great songs that are born in unique, unexpected circumstances. The story goes that in 2018, the author Jenn Johnson, a member of the worship team of the Bethel church in Reading, was driving on a long country road in northern California, freshly home from adopting her fourth child, a son, when she felt the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, picked up her phone and began singing into it. What came out was ‘a raw, grateful, overflowing declaration of God’s faithfulness in her life’ which eventually became the foundation of “The Goodness of God.”  And after being refined with the assistance of other members of the Bethel worship team, it was released in 2019 and immediately became a popular worship song. 

So now, having some background on the song’s history, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a scintillating, heartfelt, up-tempo version, evoking the very sentiments that we sing. Singing: ‘I LOVE You, Lord, for Your mercy never fails me All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head down Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. (Chorus: All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.)

I LOVE Your voice, You have led me through the fire In my darkest night, You are close like no other I’ve known You as a Father, I’ve known You as a Friend Oh I have lived in the goodness of God (Chorus: All my life…) Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me With my life laid down, I surrender now I give You everything, cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me Your goodness is running after, it keeps running after me.

(Chorus: And all my life You have been faithful All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing; yes, I will sing of the goodness of God. For all my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so good. Oh you lead me in glory … ever faithful, you are my anchor in the wind and the waves…you are my provider…Oh yeah, and you lead me in glory by your Spirit…you are my joy…my joy…every day…Oh shepherd of my soul…what a joy to know you…Oh the joy of knowing you God…you’re everything to me…so wonderful…so wonderful in all your ways…in all your ways. That’s why I will always sing of your goodness Lord…always sing of your goodness Lord.’  

Oh friends, that was wonderful! And if we sang it, then we should mean it and consequently let it reflect in our lives! Now, before we go further, let’s ascertain a couple of definitions. The first one is what’s the spiritual meaning of the goodness of God? One article defines it as: ‘Goodness in action; it’s not something we do only for the sake of being virtuous. When we strive to be “good” only for our own benefit, it is not truly goodness that we possess. In Greek, the word goodness, means “an uprightness of heart and life.’

And second question is how do we experience the goodness of God? And the same commentary as above, claims ‘It’s through the promises of God’s Word that we partake of His nature – a nature that is peace, abundance, healing, victory, guidance and protection. His promises are a pipeline that connects us with His nature. And His promises are exceedingly great and precious.’ And they reference these two verses from Peter’s second epistle, where he is urging his readers to be fruitful in the knowledge of Christ, to grow in spiritual maturity.

‘According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to (by) glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:3-4)

Ah friends, there’s so much I’d like to say about this song, but time and space don’t allow it, so we’ll have to content ourselves with a few scripture verses on God’s goodness. Beginning with this one from Exodus: ‘And the Lord passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.’ (Ex. 34:6) That’s when Moses went back up Mt. Sinai the second time to get the Ten Commandments.  

Then in Psalm 27, Bruh David made this very poignant but true statement: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps. 27:13) And in Psalm 31, Bruh David again talks about the Lord’s goodness. ‘Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust thee before the sons of men!’ (Ps. 31:19) Meanwhile in Psalm 107, the psalmist strongly advises: ‘Oh that men would praise (give thanks to) the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (joyful singing).’ (Ps. 107:21-22)

And all through the Bible we hear this verse: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (1 Chr. 6:34) Then Jesus, when talking about asking and receiving in the Sermon on the Mount, says to the multitude: ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt. 7:11) And last but least, this verse from the story of the rich young man who is seeking direction for eternal life, and calls Jesus ‘Good Master.’ ‘And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.’ (Mark 10:18) And friends, if Jesus says it’s so, then it’s so! No doubt about it. (smile)

Now, let’s go home with some interesting comments about God’s goodness, from an article on the website globaldisciples.ca, that declares: ‘God is good. This simple statement holds profound meaning for many people around the world. Understanding God’s goodness can offer comfort, guidance, and hope. It’s about recognizing His LOVE and the blessings He provides every day. God’s goodness isn’t just evident during happy times. It’s also present during challenges and hardships, providing us with strength. Even when things don’t go as planned, His LOVE and support can often be felt if we look closely. Through faith, we can find peace and assurance in knowing that God is always good.’

And that’s the gospel truth! So, it’s in our best interest to concentrate on God’s goodness today, and every day, as we step out to do His work! Much LOVE!

…God’s goodness…can never be matched by any other being…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

A few Reasons why the Holy Spirit is of the utmost importance in a Believer’s Life!

21 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 5:6.        Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Another Monday; another beautiful, sunshiny summer-like day in my neighbourhood! As the Good Book says: ‘Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever… Oh that men would praise the Lord  for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:1, 8-9) 

Yes friends, that’s exactly what our good and LOVING God does for us! When our souls are dissatisfied and frustrated, hungry and lost, He comes and fills us up with His Spirit. The prophet Isaiah wrote it thus a long time ago: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight in fatness (abundance). (Is. 55:1-2) 

Oh my people, as the scholars explain there: ‘God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (freely).’ Now who else offers such freedom spiritual hunger and thirst eh? No one! As Mary, Jesus’ mother says in her song, the Magnificat: ‘He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.’ (Luke 1:53) 

That reminds us of Jesus’ own words from the Beatitudes, in particular this one: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) And the Lord, in His awesome power, made a big showing of just how He can fill hungry souls with His Spirit on that most memorable day of Pentecost when He filled the hundred and twenty souls sitting in the upper room waiting for something to happen. 

The Bible tells us: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) Oh my fellow believers, when our God desires to put on a show, no one can best Him! And from that day henceforth, every believer has been filled with the Holy Spirit as soon as they believe. 

Unlike that first filling though, the Lord doesn’t make a big show of it, but does it quietly, without you even knowing, until sometime later you experience this new and different feeling, of a still small voice, talking to your spirit, trying to lead and guide you in the way Jesus desires. And one of the things that Jesus often spoke about was spiritual hunger and invite us to come to Him to satisfy it. 

Listen to Him with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be a well of water (fountain) springing up into eternal life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ (John 4:13-15) She thought that Jesus was talking about real water, but the living water referred to the Holy Spirit, which Jesus again spoke about later on. 

The Good Library tells us: ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:37-39) And we saw that happen above on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’s resurrection. 

But the Holy Spirit is so important that there are several things we are commanded not do to it. First off is to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Bruh Paul instructs us: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) That’s don’t make the Holy Spirit unhappy by not listening to Him and doing ungodly stuff. Then later on He says: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.’ (Eph. 5:18-19) 

It’s thus necessary to keep the Holy Spirit alive and kicking in our lives. And being filled by it means  being “continually filled” with it. It’s a repeated experience, not like the first indwelling which came once and for all time. And the scholars put it quite nicely. ‘God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God. Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Holy Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints! What we need is to be more obedient and open to the workings of the Holy Spirit as the Lord desires of us. Now, that’s just a brief recounting of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we hope it perks us up on this first day of our new work week. So, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to handle our problems. 

Altogether:  ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

But please remember that nothing positive will happen until we begin sincerely seeking God, and turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…unless the Holy Spirit is truly guiding our lives…we’ll never reach our full potential…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien