GOD’s Love & Goodness
Seek the Truth with all your heart.
Psalm 13:5-6 ‘But I trust in YOUR unfailing love; my heart rejoices in YOUR salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for HE has been good to me.’
Psalm 29:11 ‘The LORD gives strength to HIS people; the LORD blesses HIS people with peace.’
Psalm 34:5 ‘Those who look to HIM are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.’
Psalm 36:5-9 ‘Your love LORD, reaches to the heavens, YOUR faithfulness to the skies. YOUR righteousness is like the highest mountains, YOUR justice is like the great deep. YOU, LORD, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is YOUR unfailing love, O GOD. People take refuge in the shadow of YOUR wings. They feast on the abundance of YOUR house; YOU give them drink from YOUR river of delights. For with YOU is the fountain of life; in YOUR light we see light.’
Psalm 37:23-24 ‘The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in HIM; though they may stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD upholds them with HIS hand.’
Psalm 52:8-9 ‘But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of GOD; I trust in GOD’s unfailing love for ever and ever. For what YOU have done I will always praise YOU in the presence of YOUR faithful people. And I will hope in YOUR NAME, for YOUR NAME is good.’
Psalm 63:1-5 “YOU, GOD, are my GOD, earnestly I seek YOU; I thirst for YOU, my whole being longs for YOU, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen YOU in the sanctuary and beheld YOUR power and YOUR glory. Because YOUR love is better than life, my lips will glorify YOU. I will praise YOU as long as I live, and in YOUR NAME I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise YOU.”
Psalm 86:15 ‘But YOU, O LORD, are a compassionate and gracious GOD, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.’
Psalm 103:1-14 ‘Praise the LORD my soul; all my inmost being praise HIS HOLY NAME. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all HIS benefits – WHO forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, WHO redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, WHO satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. HE made known HIS ways to Moses, HIS deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. HE will not always accuse, nor will HE harbour HIS anger forever; HE does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the Earth, so great is HIS love for those who fear HIM; as far as the east is from the west, so far has HE removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear HIM; for HE knows how we are formed, HE remembers that we are dust.’
Psalm 118:1-4 ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for HE is good; HIS love endures forever.
Let Israel say: “HIS love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say: “HIS love endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say: “HIS love endures forever.”
Psalm 145:8-9 ‘The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; HE has compassion on all HE has made.’
Psalm 145:13-20 ‘Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and YOUR dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all HIS promises and loving toward all HE has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to YOU and YOU give them their food at the proper time.
YOU open YOUR hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.’
‘The LORD is righteous in all HIS ways and loving toward all HE has made. The LORD is near to all who call on HIM, to all who call on HIM in truth. HE fulfils the desires of those who fear HIM; HE hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love HIM, but all the wicked HE will destroy.’
Proverbs 16:3 ‘Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and HE will establish your plans.’
Isaiah 46:4, 9-10 ‘Even to your old age and grey hairs I am HE, I am HE WHO will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.’
‘Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am GOD and there is no other; I am GOD and there is none like ME. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘MY purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ This was all addressed to the rebellious people in Israel, but it shows the heart of GOD.
Isaiah 64:4-5 ‘Since ancient times no one has heard, no one has perceived, no eye has seen any GOD besides YOU, WHO acts on behalf of those who wait for HIM.
YOU come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember YOUR ways. But when we continued to sin against them (our enemies,) YOU were angry. How then can we be saved?’ (Always do good. Never express hate.)
Lamentations 3:22-26 ‘Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for HIS compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is YOUR faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for HIM.”The LORD is good to those whose hope is in HIM, to the one who seeks HIM; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.’
Joel 2:12-13 “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to ME with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your GOD, for HE is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and HE relents from sending calamity.’
Jonah 3:10 - 4:11 ‘When GOD saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, HE relented and did not bring on them the destruction HE had threatened. But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that YOU are a gracious and compassionate GOD, slow to anger and abounding in love, a GOD WHO relents from sending calamity. Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD GOD provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day GOD provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, GOD provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” But GOD said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?”
Nahum 1:7 ‘The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. HE cares for those who trust in HIM.’
Zephaniah 3:17 ‘The LORD your GOD is with you, The Mighty ONE will save; HE will rejoice over you with gladness, HE will quiet you with HIS love, HE will rejoice over you with singing.’
GOD is your best friend, as well as your heavenly KING. Walk hand in hand with HIM throughout your life. Together with GOD, face whatever each day brings; pleasures, hardships, adventures, disappointments. Nothing is wasted when it is shared with HIM. HE can bring beauty out of the ashes of lost dreams. HE can glean joy out of sorrow, and peace out of adversity. Only a FRIEND who is also the KING of kings, could accomplish this divine alchemy. There is no other like HIM.
The friendship GOD offers you is practical and down-to-Earth, yet it is saturated with heavenly glory and Love. Living in HIS presence means living in two realms simultaneously; the visible and the invisible eternal reality. GOD has equipped you to stay conscious of HIM while walking along dusty, earth-bound paths.
Luke 11:11-13 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your FATHER in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask HIM?”
Romans 8:28-39 ‘And we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM, who have been called according to HIS purpose. For those GOD foreknew HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of HIS Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters, And those HE predestined, HE also called; those HE called, HE also justified; those HE justified, HE also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? if GOD is for us, who can be against us?’ HE WHO did not spare HIS OWN Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will HE not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom GOD has chosen? It is GOD WHO justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one, Christ Jesus Who died – more than that, Who was raised to life – is at the right hand of GOD and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death or life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD that is in Christ Jesus our GOD.’
John 3:16 “For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 15:9-14 ‘As the FATHER has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My FATHER’s commands and remain in HIS love. I have told you tis so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends. You are My friends if you do what I command.’
John 15:13-15 “Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know their master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My FATHER I have made known to you.”
Acts 10:34-35 ‘Then Peter began to speak: ”Now I realize how true it is that GOD does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears HIM and does what is right.”
1 Corinthians 8:3 ‘But whoever loves GOD is known by GOD.’
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ‘Praise be to the GOD and FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER of compassion and the GOD of all comfort, WHO comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble, with the comfort we ourselves have received from GOD. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.’
Ephesians 1:1-14 ‘Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of GOD, To GOD’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from GOD our FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the GOD and FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For HE chose us in HIM before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in HIS sight. In love HE predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with HIS pleasure and will – to the praise of HIS glorious grace, which HE has freely given us in the One HE loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of GOD’s grace that HE lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, HE made known to us the mystery of HIS will according to HIS good pleasure, which HE purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on Earth under Christ.
In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of HIM WHO works out everything in conformity with the purpose of HIS will, in order that we who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of YOUR salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are GOD’s possession – to the praise of HIS glory.’
Ephesians 2:4-10 ‘But because of HIS great love for us, GOD WHO is rich ion mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And GOD raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that in the coming ages HE might show the incomparable richness of HIS grace, expressed in HIS kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of GOD – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are GOD’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which GOD prepared in advance for us to do.’
(Transgressions – sins – disobedience - all refer to similar types of behaviour that are wrong in GOD’s eyes.)
Colossians 1:12-14 ‘And giving thanks to the FATHER, WHO has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For HE has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son HE loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’
2 Timothy 4:18 ‘The LORD will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to HIS heavenly kingdom. To HIM be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’
1 Peter 5:6-7 ‘ Humble yourselves, therefore, under GOD’s mighty hand, that HE may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on HIM because HE cares for you.’
1 John 2:15 ‘Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the FATHER is not in them.’
This means that loving GOD should be your first priority above everything else. Love for your wife should be secondary to love for GOD. Setting such priorities means that your love for, and relationship with, your wife, and children, will be blessed and better than it would otherwise be. Any loving type feelings for generally worldly things should not be of true love. We are travelling through this place on the way to somewhere far superior.
1John 3:1-3 ‘How great is the love the FATHER has lavished on us, that we should be called children of GOD. And that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know HIM. Dear friends, now we are children of GOD, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in them purifies themselves, just as He is pure.’
1 John 4:7-21 & 5:1-5 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from GOD. Everyone who loves has been born of GOD and knows GOD. Whosoever does not love does not know GOD, because GOD is love. This is how GOD showed His love among us: HE sent HIS one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved GOD, but that HE loved us and sent HIS SON as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since GOD so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen GOD; but if we love one another, GOD lives in us and HIS love is made complete in us.
This is how we know that we live in HIM and HE in us: HE has given us of HIS Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the FATHER has sent HIS Son to be the Saviour of the world. ‘If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of GOD, GOD lives in them and they in GOD. And so we know and rely on the love GOD has for us.
GOD is love. Whoever lives in love lives in GOD, and GOD in them. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like HIM. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because HE first loved us. If anyone says, “I love GOD,” yet hates their Christian brother / sister, whom they have seen, cannot love GOD, whom they have not seen. And HE has given us this command: Whoever loves GOD must also love their brother / sister (meaning everyone.)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of GOD, and everyone who loves the FATHER loves the children of GOD: by loving GOD and carrying out HIS commandments. In fact, this is love for GOD: to keep HIS commands. And HIS commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of GOD overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of GOD.’
1 John 5:11-12 ‘And this is the testimony: GOD has given us eternal life, and this life is in HIS Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of GOD does not have life.’
Footnote. ‘Brother or sister’ means anyone who is within the family of GOD-loving people.
‘Life’ means ‘eternal life,’ because this life is only a temporary existence.
Revelation 21:4 ‘HE (GOD) will wipe every tear from their eyes, There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’