Daily Devotions
Psalm 16:2 – I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s all good,” came the response.
No. It’s not all good. That’s why I apologized. Here I was expecting a response indicating either forgiveness or not—maybe even a shot at reconciliation. Instead, I received a reply excusing all things under the statement “It’s all good.” That just didn’t feel right to me. How does it sound to you? I guess if you wanted to be off the hook, it might be fine, but is that what the world needs today: a generic response of “It’s all good,” in response to all the wrongs we do to each other?
King David didn’t think so. He said, “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good thing apart from You.'”
I have no good apart from God. Do you believe that or do you think your life is filled with lots of good things, among which one good is God? Perhaps you place Him as the highest good. David challenges us to live a life in which God is the only good for us, for all. How would your life be reoriented if you believed that God is the only true Source of any good you have?
Jesus lived that way. He lived knowing that God alone is good. Because God was His only Source of good, because loving God was His highest good, Jesus lived love. Jesus died for us in love, and God raised Him from the dead because of His love for sinners like you and me. In place of your sin, God gives you His perfect and complete forgiveness in Christ. In contrite faith we come before God assured of the Father’s merciful gift of forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ.
So, when you repent, when you say you’re sorry, God doesn’t just say, “It’s all good.” Yes, He forgives you and He removes your sin, giving you the righteousness of Jesus Christ, but He doesn’t excuse or ignore your sin. Instead, He removes it from you for the sake of Jesus. He treats you and me as if our sin never happened at all.
God’s goodness is yours because of Jesus. And when other things in life aren’t so good, we need to place them at the foot of the cross, take them to the Lord in prayer. When we do that, our lives—blessed by God’s almighty goodness—can be lives lived in love, lives that look like Jesus in the world.
And that’s all good.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, may the life I live reflect the perfect, loving goodness You have shown me in Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
From “It’s All Good,” a devotional message from Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever felt that you let someone “off the hook” too easily? Care to share why?
2. How do we know that we have no good in us apart from God? (See Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10-12.)
3. Since God is the only true and perfect good, how should we live before Him?