“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1).

Who’s your role model? Are they perfect? Probably not. I bet they’re better than most. But are they good? What if I could introduce you to the perfect role model for goodness? Would you want to know?

All goodness that we experience comes from God. Why? Because God is the essence of goodness. To be the essence of something means to be the source, the definition, the very embodiment of goodness. God doesn’t derive His goodness from anyone or anywhere else. God is good.

Our role models may do good things, they may have good traits, but goodness is not their character. Our goodness comes from God. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

When we know God, we know the perfect model of goodness. We have the standard against which all our words, thoughts and deeds are measured. But because God is good, He doesn’t condemn us for not “measuring up.” He gave us His Son to measure up for us. That’s what true goodness does.

By giving us His Son to die for our sins, God manifests His goodness in love. What makes God’s goodness different than anyone else’s goodness? It’s the perfect manifestation of love. And God promises that His love will never end. I don’t know of anything I’d rather give thanks for!

We can learn to emulate such goodness, even though we will never achieve the level of God’s goodness. And that’s ok. God just asks that we thank Him for bridging the gap with His Son; the embodiment of His goodness.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you define good? Are you good? How does this lesson today help you understand true goodness?

2. If God is the essence of good, then why do bad things happen? Does God’s goodness give you confidence that sometimes good can come disguised as hardship? See Romans 8:28

3. What can you do, according to this scripture, in every circumstance, knowing that God’s love for you will never end?

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for being good. Your goodness gives me confidence that all your works are grounded in love. You want what’s best for me, even if that comes through adversity. I can thank you in all circumstances because you are the definition of good!

In Jesus’ name, Amen