2013-02-07 If God is good…?

Q: I know that God is really good!! How does what is “good” for me as an individual weigh up against what is “good” for the church community or our local community as a collective? Also how do I know that what I may interpret as good for me, is also good for His Kingdom? I know He is committed to me as an individual, but He is committed first and foremost to His own glory. In the same way I know He will be good to me, but I want to glorify His Name above all other things! In other words, can what I think is “good” for me sometimes not be what is “good” for God or “good” for the Kingdom?

RESPONSE: This is a great question. We are often so individualistic that we fail to comprehend the impact of our choices on the lives of those around us.

Firstly, God blesses us not so that we can build bigger barns, but that we can be a blessing to others. This was at the heart of the call to Abraham which Paul actually calls the Gospel (Galatians 3:8). So if our motivation for God being good to us is only to keep it to ourselves, we have missed the point. His blessing of us should translate into us being a blessing to others.

Secondly in terms of our good and the glory of God, this is honestly a truth that I have wrestled with myself. How do we reconcile that FACT that God is good all the time, and yet He is always working out things in accordance with His will such that His name is glorified?

To answer this question I must begin by saying that the truth is, God is committed to His glory above everything else, and that He asks us to be committed to the same thing – to live for His glory. The AMAZING (and I wish I could write this in a bigger font) thing is that when we live for His glory, we also at the same time are living for our greatest joy. What I mean is that, when all our desires for recognition, approval, love, acceptance, purpose and meaning, intimacy, and every other desire within the heart of mankind, finds their resting place in God Himself, those desires are ultimately fulfilled and God is most glorified. John Piper has written extensively on this connection between God’s glory and our joy, and I think he coined the phrase: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

The way I understand it is that the goal of God is to glorify Himself – but the question is how does He do it? How does He glorify Himself? I believe one of the greatest ways is through being good and showing love to His people. God glorifies His name through you and me. So what I end up with is that God is committed to glorifying Himself by loving and expressing His goodness to those He has redeemed. The effect of this is that we may find our highest joy & deepest delight in Him, and when we do, we naturally live for His glory. Our joy and His glory are not separate – they are vitally linked.

So God is glorified when a sinner is saved because His mercy is magnified. He is glorified, we are loved and forgiven which is exceedingly GOOD. God is glorified when someone is healed (emotionally, mentally, physically, etc) because His power is magnified. He is glorified, we are made whole which is exceedingly GOOD. God is glorified when someone gets a job, or financial breakthrough comes, or a marriage is restored, or even when we encounter His presence in a sweet moment of worship. In all these things He is glorified, and we enjoy His goodness. I think John is right: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

To answer your question then: yes there are times when what we think is good for us is actually not good for us. We may pray and God’s answer may be “no,” or “not now.” However, Jesus says in John 15:16 and John 16:24: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you…. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (ESV) There is a link that Jesus makes between bearing fruit by asking the Father, and when we do this He is glorified: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8, ESV). When we ask and receive, we not only glorify God, but our joy is made FULL.

I hope this answers your question.