“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in him”
Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In my boyhood days, mango vendors would come to streets carrying a small basket of mangoes. They would call passers-by to taste a small piece of the fruit to know how it tastes. Before buying they would taste and decide whether it tastes good or not.
In a similar way, you should taste how good the Lord Jesus Christ is and know what He would do in our lives to bless us. Today we find that people belie their words. There is no correlation between their words and actions. They say one thing but do something else. We get cheated. But to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is good and that He would do great things, He is filled with the powerful presence of the Lord to help us and protect us.
Once a Brother with his wife came to meet me. Their hearts had been broken. I asked them to narrate the incident, but they were not able to. Then they told me the problem. It was a great loss to the family. They had lost all their savings in the form of jewels. It was more than 100 sovereigns of gold. They told me how it happened. One of his friends was suffering as he had no job. He was residing in the garage. He was his close friend from his childhood days. Seeing his plight, he took him with his family to live with them. So, he resided with them and assisted him in all things. He knew everything about the places where they kept things.
One weekend they had planned to visit a nearby picnic centre. He had also assured them to accompany them with his family. But at the last minute, he dropped out. They went out and returned that evening as they had planned. His friend had by this time left the house leaving a note that he had been offered job and so was leaving for the place. We were happy that he was placed in a job. The next Sunday they were dressing for going to church. They looked for the jewels, but found them missing. They searched everywhere, but came to the conclusion that he had cheated them acting as if he were good. We are deceived by their appearance. But the love of Jesus Christ is genuine and great. He is faithful.
I. WHY IS JESUS CHRIST SAID TO BE GOOD?
1. He is Our Fortress and Hope
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7
In the midst of trying circumstances, He is trustworthy. When confronted with troubles and tribulations, He is a sure hope. He would protect us. Nothing can harm us.
When He is with us, no enemy can act against us. No one can penetrate through His fence. The protection He gives is at the highest level. At times of trouble, He is the sure hope. We do not realize it. He can provide the right relief we need.
At a time the Israelites were expecting deliverance, they were put to hard work so that they would desist from vain thoughts of deliverance. This is recorded in Exodus 5:19, “And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.” Such thoughts of oppression rose in the heart of Pharaoh against the Israelites. Beloved in Christ, you may face such a situation in your family, in your workplace, or among your acquaintances. In the midst of it, the Lord is good to protect you and guide you. No evil will prosper against you. He is sure to open a way of hope. So do not take any decision in despair. He will protect you in terrible situations and help you and deliver you. He will uphold you. When you fall, He will lift you. As you experience His goodness in such times, it will help you to share with others about the goodness of the Lord.
2. He will Teach the Way
“Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.” Psalm 25:8
Sometimes we are clueless as to what to do in dire circumstances. We do not know the way. We remain confused. But the Lord knows everything about us and our circumstances. So He can guide us in the proper way. In Psalm 32:8 He tells us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Again in Isaiah 42:16, He assures us: “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them..” He not only shows the way but also guides us in right paths. Let us accept Jesus Christ as our Shepherd as He would lead us as said in Psalm 23 in paths of righteousness. That is why He is good.
3. He Supplies Our Needs
“You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes.” Psalm 119:68
He is good and does good things. The Bible talks about the good things He did in its pages. Psalm 31:19-20 says, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You, in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” In this world where people do wicked things, He protects us in His secret chamber from the assaults of the enemy. That is why we find that He does very great things. We will be filled with those good things. Once witchcraft was done by one family against another family. Not only that. They wrote to them that such things would happen to them. They had two sons. One of them met with an accident. They were afraid whether they would die. The Lord Jesus Christ is good. So He destroyed the works of the enemy. In 1 John 3:8, it is stated: “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” One of the reasons for the Son of God to come to earth is to destroy the works of the devil.
So, He destroys the works of the devil and helps us. Not only that. He meets all the needs of man. It includes both spiritual blessings and those pertaining to the life on this earth. We do need spiritual blessings for this life. It is needed daily. Jeremiah 31:12-13 says, “Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord— For wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together; for I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow.”
What are the blessings stated therein? The first three pertain to spiritual blessings. Wheat refers to the Word of God and His promises. Oil denotes the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Wine is the reference to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The reference to the young of the flock and of the herd indicates the riches of this life. The Lord is good because He supplies all our needs in plenty and makes us live life in its fullness.
4. He Forgives Us
“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” Psalm 86:5
The Lord is merciful to those who call upon Him. He forgives them – their sins, trespasses, wickedness and faults. In this world even close relatives like spouse and children may not forgive. But the Lord forgives. As He forgives, we are cleansed by His power, and our relationship with Him is renewed. Jesus Christ is good as He forgives and transforms us and blesses us.
Then there arises the question: to whom He is good?
II TO WHOM IS THE LORD GOOD?
1) Who Wait for Him
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:25
He is good to those who wait for Him. To enjoy the goodness of the Lord we should wait for Him to act on our behalf. We need patience. The one who was on bed for 38 years was in pain. Only when Jesus Christ met Him, He was healed. A miracle happened to him. In the life of the women who was suffering for 12 long years, a miracle happened when she came to Jesus Christ. All her afflictions came to an end. There was a woman who was bound for 18 long years. She was bent and could not look up. Yet she came to church. She did not grumble against going to church. She was a worshipper at a church.
Dear Brother / Sister, we should learn to wait in the presence of the Lord. We may have to wait for the miracle to happen at the right time. Isaiah 40:31 states: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Lamentation 3:25 says that He is good to those who seek Him. When we seek Him truly, He does great things in our lives.
So, we should wait for Him and also seek Him with a true heart. How do we seek Him today? For the wealth of this world we spend a lot of time. We are vigilant. We make a lot of efforts. We work day and night. But do we have time for seeking the blessings of the Lord and His exaltation? People seek Him only for a minute or two. Then they leave Him. If we miss a treasured possession, what do we do? We seek it till we find it. We have happiness only after finding it.
Once a young man lost his gold chain while playing. He did not know that till the time he took bath. Immediately he left his home to the ground where he had played. It was night time. He searched the ground, every inch of it with a torch. The Lord helped him. He found it. As he found it, he returned home happily. Similarly, in our life we need to take efforts without giving up. We should seek till we obtain the blessings. Then only can we taste that the Lord is good.
2) Those Who Have Clean Hearts
“Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.” Psalm 73:1
We need cleanliness at heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ tells us that those who have clean heart are blessed. How is our heart today? Is it good in the sight of God? Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” The heart is wicked. It is the source of all evil thoughts. They corrupt the man. Jesus Christ also spoke about it when his disciples were accused of eating without cleansing their hands. Food enters mouth and leaves the body without tainting it. But the evil thoughts corrupt a man and lead him to commit sin. So, the heart has to be cleansed to live as God’s children. In the lives of those who have a clean heart, the Lord God is good.
3) Those Chosen by the Lord
“Truly God is good to Israel . . .” Psalm 73:1
Israel is the chosen people of God. It does not refer to the present people of the country, Israel, but all those who are born-again and are transformed in Christ. Isaiah 43:1 says, “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” Jacob is the original man in sin. The name means that he is a cheater. He cheated his own father and his brother. He had no real love for his brother. He was selfish to the core. He had no good qualities. But he was transformed into Israel. He was redeemed by the Lord. Dear Brother / Sister, how are you today? Are you a cheat? Are you one loved by the Lord? Or are you seeking wealth and acquiring it by wrong means cheating others? Do you have evil designs in seeking wealth as the other worldly people?
We find everywhere people who cheat others. Jacob was transformed as Israel by the Lord. Jacob wrestled with the Lord and sought His blessings. He would not leave the angel of the Lord unless he blessed him. Then the Lord changed his name to Israel. Today we also should become one like Jacob to stand before the Lord in prayer seeking His blessings. We should praise Him in His presence. We should stand against the devil. When we become so, we will be blessed by the good Lord. Let us seek him right now.
May the Lord bless us!
In the service of Christ Jesus,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.