God’s Goodness to All - Psalms 143-145

 Psalms 145:8-9 (ESV)

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The LORD is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Psalms 145:17 (ESV)

The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works.

As the world awakes each day they notice very little about the truths in the above verses.   The hustle and bustle of the world, especially around a holiday season, does not often, or even seldom, stop to contemplate the gracious, mercy, steadfast love and goodness of God toward them.   In the above passage we read that God is “good to all.”   We do know that God’s general goodness for mankind will expire and be replaced by His great wrath (Revelation 15-19).   But, His “common grace” is always flowing and extended to all of mankind.  God allowing man to live, even though that same man rejects God, daily, is an example of God’s common grace.   The fact that we have “good” things in our lives despite our rejection of God’s sacrifice of His Son, is evidence that God’s common grace is for all.   Notice what Jesus said about this thought when He walked the earth:

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV)

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

The farmer that needs rain for the crops receives it, despite his/her spiritual condition.    God’s goodness is great and available to all, even though they ignore and/or reject Him each day.   Notice James words:

James 1:17 (ESV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

If we have something good in our lives it flows from the righteousness, goodness and love of God, no matter our spiritual condition.   Yet, that will not last forever.   God is also a God of justice and justice will eventually also flow but will either be applied to His Son on our behalf, or to mankind directly who have rejected Christ payment for their sins.   One way or another man will know the goodness and the wrath of God.   But, either way, God is consistently good by providing His Son to even cover mankind’s ignoring His goodness.