Growing Together – Day 18: Goodness
READ:
Genesis 1:3-4 -And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good.
Genesis 1:11-12 - And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation…” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24-25 - And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds…” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:26-31 - Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth…” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
REFLECT: All of creation, everything that we experience around us, is a product of God’s goodness and reflects His goodness. None of it has any goodness from itself – all of the goodness of creation comes from the Creator, and is good because it reflects the God who is good. And there is no thing in all of creation that does not bear the stamp of His goodness.
Given this truth, it is interesting that God’s goodness is the first thing we question when life gets difficult.
Let’s cement this truth in our brains, firm and immovable – God is good. Look around today, this week, every good thing you see, touch, taste and experience flows from God’s goodness, and would not be considered good without God’s stamp on it – and on you!
I found an old Presbyterian hymn that reflects this idea. It was either this or Morning Has Broken sung by Cat Stevens, so… you’re welcome.
Hail! Great Creator, wise and good!
To thee our songs we raise;
Nature, through all her various scenes,
Invites us to thy praise.
Thy glory beams in every star
Which gilds the gloom of night;
And decks the smiling face of morn,
With rays of cheerful light.
The lofty hill, the humble lawn,
With countless beauties shine;
The silent grove, the awful shade,
Proclaim thy power divine.
And while, in all thy wondrous ways,
Thy varied love we see;
Oh! May our hearts, great God! Be led
Through all thy works to thee.
(Church Psalmist, Psalms and Hymns, #45, 1842)
If you’re still singing ‘Morning Has Broken’ – I win!