If God were great but not good, he would manipulate, deceive, and just plain lie. But because he is good, he is true and he is truthful. When we say that God is true, it is so much more than saying he is accurate (like a bank statement being true or a newspaper report being precise).
Truth as a personal attribute means faithfulness. It means being consistent within oneself, and in harmony with reality. When any of the biblical authors talked about “the true God” they were saying, the Creator of heaven and earth is steady and faithful. He does not change the rules of life. All things hold together as they are “trued” to him who is true. He will always reflect reality to us, and so his words of comfort are not mere sentimental rhetoric, and his words of confrontation are not a sour disposition expressed. There is no one more true than God.
It is why Jesus said: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
It is all about knowing God. The last ten devotionals in the “Everything New” series have focussed on some of the attributes of God (see them all here). They include big words, landmark words: Holiness. Righteousness. Justice. Love. Truth. But they are not mere words, and not just theological bookmarkers.
They are themes that rise up out of almost every page of the Bible. They are God’s way of saying to you and to me that he is great, but that he is also good. His moral excellence and purity is who he is. This is why we long for something better in our own lives–to be different from what we are today (more holy), to get things right in life, to receive love and to extend it, to be faithful.
God’s majesty alone ought to interest us in knowing him. But it is a good thing if we also pursue him because of his goodness, which is always a picture of how we are to live. That’s what it means to be made in the image of God. Some of his attributes, especially these attributes of goodness, are the intended shape of our human lives. And others, like omniscience and omnipresence and omnipotence, are left to God alone.
The most remarkable thing is this: there is a God and he wants us to know him. When we feel discouraged, or wounded, or confused, or lost–God speaks to us. It is equally important for us to know that when life is going well and we have no signifiant problems, we need to connect with God, otherwise pride and self-confidence will be our downfall. At all times and under all circumstances, he is the God who is great and good. And he is the one who says, “I am making everything new.”
[Excerpt from Putting the Pieces Back Together: How Real Life and Real Faith Connect. Click for more.]
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Yes, it is so easy to turn to God in troubled times and also so easy to set prayer aside when all is going well. I need to remember that God is all-weather, all-purpose and wants to stand beside me no matter what. It is my want to have Him always with me. I pray when things are good and of course when things are rough. God always gives me something to work toward and I like that. Each day I feel He throws me a life jacket in His word and encourages me to stand WITH Him as He does with me. I rest comfortable in knowing he is consistent, good and filled with love for me. He is always there and that is my goal too!
He will NEVER fail. He’s ALWAYS & FOREVER true to His Word. He never changes. He is our Rock, the one that will NEVER crumble under the most intense pressure. We can put our COMPLETE trust in Him. If He could lie, He wouldn’t be God and we would be fools to believe in Him. Thank you Father for who you are. We love you SO MUCH.
I am one of the lonely ones, but not all the time, thank God, just most of the time.
I wish this article had been longer and more indepth. I would have liked more on the oneness of God vs the Trinity. And what that has to do with loneliness. The article was good as far as it went.