Quotes about Goodness

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. PSALM 23:6 NKJV

Here's a salute to a long life: goodness that outlives the grave, love that outlasts the final breath. May you live in such a way that your death is just the beginning of your life.

Here is something that helps me stay in step with the Spirit. We know that the "fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22—23 NASB). God's Spirit creates and distributes these characteristics. They are indicators on my spiritual dashboard. So whenever I sense them, I know I am walking in the Spirit. Whenever I lack them, I know I am out of step with the Spirit.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11).

We prefer to get salvation the old-fashioned way: We earn it. To accept grace is to admit failure, a step we are hesitant to take. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is.

Isaiah 57:1—2: "The good men perish; the godly die before their time, and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from evil days ahead. For the godly who die shall rest in peace" (TLB).

How is your eyesight? Are you able to see beyond your problems to the goodness and love beyond? This is where God lives—behind the scenes, at work, arranging your troubles of today into a brighter tomorrow.

God's unrivaled goodness undergirds everything else we can say about prayer. If he is like us, only slightly stronger, then why pray? If he grows weary, then why pray? If he has limitations, questions, and hesitations, then you might as well pray to the Wizard of Oz. However, if God is at once Father and Creator, holy—unlike us—and high above us, then we at any point are only a prayer away from help.

Celebrate God's goodness. "Rejoice in the Lord always" (v. 4). Ask God for help. "Let your requests be made known to God" (v. 6). Leave your concerns with him. "With thanksgiving…" (v. 6). Meditate on good things. "Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise" (v. 8 NCV). Celebrate. Ask. Leave. Meditate. C.A.L.M.

If I'm not saved by my works, then why work? If I'm not saved by the law, then why keep the law? If I'm not saved by what I do, then why do anything?" You've got to admit, grace is risky. There is the chance that people will take it to an extreme. There is the possibility that people will abuse God's goodness.

Celebrate God's goodness. "Rejoice in the Lord always" (v. 4). Ask God for help. "Let your requests be made known to God" (v. 6). Leave your concerns with him. "With thanksgiving . . ." (v. 6). Meditate on good things. "Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise" (v. 8 NCV). Celebrate. Ask. Leave. Meditate.