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“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)

As a kid I always loved going over to visit my “cousins.” They weren’t really my cousins, but since our families spent so much time together, we called each other cousins. It was fun to be at David’s house because his dad was a police officer and had really cool things to show us…such as real handcuffs! And what made David’s house even more fun was that he had a big swimming pool in his backyard.

Without fail, every time I was ready to go down the street and play at David’s house, my mom would tell me something that you have probably heard before: “Be good!” Why would Mom have to tell me to be good? She told me because she knew that my being good was a choice I had to make.

But no one has to tell God to “be good,” because He just is good. He can’t choose to do wrong.

God’s goodness is seen in His creation. Right after God finished creating the world, He looked at it and saw that He had done something good. Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” God never has to do anything over; everything was good the first time He created it.

God’s goodness is seen in His involvement in our lives. Have you ever read the story of Joseph in the Bible? Joseph’s brothers hated him, so they sold him to a group of people who were going to use Joseph as a slave. But God was being good to Joseph the whole time that all of this was going on.

Eventually God put Joseph in a very high position in a foreign country. Joseph used his high position in the land to prepare for a seven-year famine. Back in his home country, Joseph’s family ran out of food and had to go to the land where Joseph lived so that they could get more food.

When Joseph’s brothers came to him for food, what was his response? He forgave them and gave them as much as they needed. Why did Joseph do that and not try to get even with his brothers for selling him to be a slave? He didn’t try to get even because he understood God’s goodness. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

Joseph understood that God allowed all those things to happen to him so he would be in a position to help thousands of people during the famine. God is always working in your life, and it is good!

God’s goodness is seen in His gifts. Have you ever wanted to get the perfect gift for someone? Maybe at Christmas time you go up and down the aisles of the store looking for that perfect gift for Mom or Dad. When they open the gift, you are holding your breath with excitement, hoping that they just absolutely love the gift that you picked out.

God is constantly giving us gifts, which the Bible describes as “good gifts.” James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

God doesn’t have to be told to be good, because He is good. And according to Psalm 52:1, His goodness endures forever!

God is always good, and He is only good.

My Response:
» Since God is always good, do I remember that I can totally trust Him to be good in my life?

"God, who…spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds….Being made so much better than the angels." (Hebrews 1:1-2, 4a)

When I was in school I had a friend who was really smart. Every time we finished taking a test, I asked him how he did. I remember the extremely rare times when I did better than he did. I was so happy! I think all of us have a desire to be better than someone else.

Did you know that the Bible tells us that Jesus is better than anyone else who has lived? The first chapter of Hebrews tells us that He is better than prophets and angels.

First, Jesus is better than the prophets. God used men called prophets to tell the world what He wanted them to know (vv.1-3). These prophets were important people who did amazing things. For example, Elijah asked God for fire to come down from heaven, and God sent it. And Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, but God didn’t let the lions hurt him. A third prophet, Elisha, made a river split into two so he could walk across on dry land.

But the only way these prophets could do these things was because God worked through them. The first part of Hebrews 1 teaches us that Jesus is better than the prophets. Why? First, because Jesus is the Creator of everything, including those prophets! Second, because He upholds everything, He is the one who made it possible for the prophets to do their work. Third, the prophets were sinners, so they could not save anyone from his sins. But Jesus never sinned. In fact, He cleansed our sins (v. 3).

Not only is Jesus better than the prophets, but second, He is better than the angels. We know that God uses angels for special jobs. An angel warned Lot and his family that judgment was coming to their city. It was an angel who told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. It was an angel who told Jesus’ disciples that He had risen from the dead.

But for all of the supernatural power that angels have, Jesus is still better than they are. God hasn’t called any of the angels His Son – only Jesus has that honor (v. 5). In fact, God told the angels to worship Jesus when Jesus came to earth to be born as a baby (v. 6). Angels have their place, but they are under Jesus the King (vv. 7-9). Angels are to care for those who will be saved, but Jesus is the one who provides the salvation (v. 14).

If a prophet or even an angel were to die for you, it would do nothing to save you from your sins. But since Jesus is God, His death provides a way for you to be saved from your sins. That power makes Him far better than prophets and angels.

Jesus is better than anyone else, including prophets and angels.

My Response:
» Do I recognize Jesus for all He is worth?

Choices: it seems that there’s always another one to make. What to wear for school; what to have for lunch; what seat to sit in at school. Have you ever gone back and forth between two choices? You wanted to make the best decision, but you couldn’t decide which one it was.

We all want the best, whether it is the best decision or the best toy or the best score on a video game. Best is a good word to describe our God, too.

God is the best friend we can have. Do you have a best friend? As a kid, I always wanted a best friend and wanted to be someone’s best friend. Proverbs 18:24 says, “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” God proved that He is that friend when He said, “I am with you always” and “I will never leave you or forsake you.” No matter what is happening in your life, God will always be there for you. You cannot travel to a place on this earth where God will not be. You can’t hide from God. He is always there and will never leave you. He is the best friend you can have.

God is the best God. “Wait a minute!” you might be thinking. “I thought that there is only one God!” There is only one true God, but there are many false gods. That is why one of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt not have any gods before me.” Paul often talked about the false gods that people worshipped in the cities he visited.

The Bible teaches that anything we think is more important than God is a false god to us. It can be anything – TV, school, friends, games, or a musical instrument. If we are so busy with those things that we are not spending time with God, then we are worshipping a false god.

We know that God is the best God, because He is the only true God. The gods many people worship cannot help or even hear their worshippers. But your God hears you and helps you every day, even if you don’t see His help.

God is the best choice. Joshua told his army to choose whom they were going to serve: the false gods of the land or the true God. You have to make that same choice each day. Who are you going to serve? God is the best choice.

God is best.

My Response:
» How can I serve God today?
» How can I serve God with the rest of my life?
» How is God my best friend?

One night as my family was walking into a store, we heard a woman yelling that her purse had been stolen. Just then, we saw a man in a green jacket run right past us carrying the stolen purse! Immediately my dad and another man took off chasing after the thief. Realizing he was going to be caught, the thief threw the purse underneath a parked car and continued fleeing the scene. My dad and the other man finally caught the thief and turned him over to the police.

While my dad was busy trying to catch the thief, a few kids found the purse and returned it to the woman. She was so happy to get her purse back that she started giving out money to reward the kids. But by the time my dad came back with the police the woman was all out of money, and my dad didn’t get anything as a reward!

Later I asked Dad if it bothered him that the kids got reward money for returning the purse when he didn’t get anything for catching the thief. I’ll never forget his answer. He said that it had bothered him for a minute, but then he remembered that we are here to serve God and that God gives rewards for service to Him.

Throughout the Bible, God’s rewards are often referred to as crowns. Let’s look at what the Bible says about God and His rewards.

God rewards those who are waiting for Him to come back (2 Timothy 4:8). Jesus is coming back someday. You need to be looking forward to that day and be ready for that day to come.

God rewards pastors (1 Peter 5:4). Your pastor has the responsibility to protect you from danger and to teach you God’s Word. It is a tough job – you need to pray for him.

God rewards those who don’t give in to temptation (James 1:12). First Corinthians 10:13 teaches that everyone is tempted. In fact, the verse says that temptation is common to all. But God will not allow you to be tempted to the point that you cannot resist the temptation. God always provides a way of escape. And when you do resist temptation, God gives a reward!

God’s reward will last forever (1 Corinthians 9:25). Paul says that people who win a footrace get a prize that will not last forever. But when God rewards us, His reward will last forever.

Remember that money that the woman gave to the kids who found her purse? That money probably didn’t last the kids more than a week. But remember the reward my dad reminded me about? When he gets that reward, it will be forever!

God gives rewards to those who follow Him and obey His Word.

My Response:
» At the end of life, will God be able to give you any rewards? Why or why not?

“I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20b)

Have you ever had such wonderful news that you were just bursting to tell someone else? Maybe you got a good grade on a test, or perhaps you won an important ballgame. Good news is something you always enjoy sharing, isn’t it?

But what about the Gospel – the Good News about Christ’s death and resurrection? Do you enjoy sharing that Good News?

For some reason, it’s easy to talk to other Christians about what Jesus Christ has done and is doing in your life. But when it comes to talking to people who don’t know Him, it just seems a lot harder. What if they think you’re weird? Or what if they make fun of you? Or what if they just don’t understand? Because you don’t know how they may respond, there are times when you might feel afraid, or even pretend that you don’t know Jesus.

But Jesus wants you to share Him with others! In fact Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20a, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” These are words that Jesus spoke to His disciples, in His last earthly message, before He ascended to heaven. Jesus told them that they should teach others about Him and show them how to be followers of Him. If you are serious about being a follower of Christ, then this command is for you, too.

Wow, what a big task! Maybe even a scary one as well! But the best part is that Jesus offers you a promise with His command: I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20b). Always – that includes when you speak to others about Jesus! Even though you may feel afraid and even outnumbered at times, Jesus is always with you. You can be confident because Jesus has assured you that you are not alone!

Jesus is with me when I talk to others about Him.

My Response:
» Am I obeying God by sharing Jesus with others? Am I trusting Him to help me tell others about Him?