So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” John 21:15.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
The disciples of Jesus each made a decision to walk away from other pursuits and follow Jesus. At the time they first did this to the worldly minded there seemed to be no gain from doing that, and at the Cross it looked like what they had hoped for had not come to pass. But it turned out to be the best decision they ever made. A decision that nothing on the earth could compare to or even come close to equaling in value, temporal and eternal value.
What was so attractive about Him that made them put down their careers and business to follow Him? Many things, including His authority, His miracles, His wisdom, His insights, His amazing teachings, His great faith and closeness with the Father, but it can all be summed up in one word: His goodness.
O taste and see that the LORD is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8
No matter what had attracted them at first, it came to point as they grew in their knowledge of Him, that they loved Him more than anything you could find upon the earth. And what made them love Him so greatly that they were finally willing to die rather than deny Him? Be put into chains, prisons, and exile rather than betray Him or back down one bit in their faith in Him as My Son and true God, one with Me? Again, there are many reasons, for in Jesus are ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and everything was created through Him, with Him, in Him, and for Him. Yes, in Him they knew they had eternal life and a Kingdom waiting for them. Yes, they knew in Him all their sins were forgiven and gone, that in Him they were healed, in His Name they did amazing miracles of healing, provision, and casting out demons that had tormented people for years, and that they had the truth that would save and set everyone free who would receive it, but again it is all summed up in one word: His goodness. For in that goodness are all the miracles, the forgiveness, the righteousness, the favor, the blessing, the healing, the provision, the prosperity, the salvation in every situation, the lovingkindness, the gentleness, the compassion, the comfort, the care, the victory, the light, the answers, the wisdom, the revelation, the impartation, the direction, the joy, the peace, and the love that surpasses understanding.
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the goodness (kindness) of the Lord. 1 Peter 2:1-3.
Everyone saw that goodness in Jesus and wanted to reach out and touch Him to bring that power into themselves. Even the rich young ruler who ran up to question Him called Him good, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?” Mark 10:17. And what did Jesus answer him?
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Mark 10:18.
Jesus directed the attention to that all good to Me, every good thing given and every perfect gift comes down from Me the Father, but I was in Christ reconciling the world to Myself not counting your sins against you but accounting them all to Him. In seeing Jesus, you are seeing Me in action among you. And I am good and plan nothing but good, shalom, for you. I have no part in evil. It has nothing to do with goodness, love, light, or glory.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
You have no business to KNOW and experience evil. Do not play around with it and certainly do not call evil things good and good things evil as many people do now. Goodness, however, overcomes all evil. You conquer evil with good.
My glory, which will cover the earth, is My goodness manifested in My presence and power.
Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” And the LORD said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.” Exodus 34:18-19.
I am known as the King of glory and My Kingdom as a kingdom of glory, a glorious Kingdom. Why? Glory is the exercise of My power in love producing goodness. It brings the imperfect to the perfect and causes all evil to cease. Evil cannot exist in the presence of glory. That is why Jesus told Pilate that His Kingdom was not here. Sin and evil were present and prevailing that day as Jesus was handed over by the priests and Pharisees and condemned to death. But I was at work as well, bringing about eternal salvation and good crushed the authority of the evil one by that one perfect sacrifice. My glory was at work—the exercise of My saving power to produce a good and perfect result for the entire human race.
The song of the Israelites that put down any enemy and gave them sure victory in battle when sung with faith was “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good, His love (hesed) endures forever!” Psalm 118:1-4.
It is good to give thanks, the voice of thanksgiving works wonders as the highest expression of faith before the manifestation of the promise in My Word (which is truth and takes down any contrary fact), but this song tells you why you are giving thanks: because I am good. And then it tells why I am good: My love endures forever.
The word for love used in this song is the Hebrew word “hesed (חֵסֵד)”, which means lovingkindness, mercy, steadfast love, loyalty, faithfulness, and goodness. My servant Paul sums it up in his Letter to the Ephesians as follows:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7.
I am rich in mercy, have great love for you for I am love and I created you in My image and according to My likeness, rich in grace, and full of kindness. And that can by summed up in the Hebrew word “hesed.”
You can spend now and forever in the presence of goodness expressed in My love that you see manifested in Jesus and now in you as you go about doing good and healing all those who oppressed by the devil.
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:12-17.
In Christ Jesus I have created you anew in My goodness and I have prepared for you to also walk in goodness to distribute My goodness upon the earth. It is a wonderful thing to live in goodness. It is the place of wonders beyond numbers. And that is all included in the good news of your salvation! Back to the beginning, the privilege of bearing much fruit to make the whole world as I intended it to be, a garden of abundant goodness.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10.
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and give glory your Father who is in heaven. Mattew 5:16.
Receiving Jesus as your Lord and following Jesus is the best decision you or anyone else can ever make. It is the best part of all. It makes everything else have meaning. Without Him, life has no meaning at all, for without Him you are still in your sins and under the judgment of Adam. In Him, all that has changed forever. And it is all because of My goodness.
And the disciples who followed Jesus, putting down everything else on their agendas to follow Him, now have their names engraved in the precious gems of the foundation stones of the heavenly Jerusalem and they are wearing the wondrous crowns of their many rewards, but that is nothing in comparison to the joy they have in being with Me and My Son forever in the great and glorious Kingdom of Heaven where there is no evil, no curse, no death, no pain, no sorrow, no illness, no weakness, no old age, no sin, and no darkness, only light, blessing, righteousness, peace, joy, love, and above all My goodness.
I love you, draw close to Me and let Me fill you with My goodness.
Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:8-9.
The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9