The Shepherd and MeSample

THE LORD’S GOODNESS FOLLOWS ME

David was a man of violence and deep passions. He was deeply flawed and committed many grievous sins against the Lord his God. Yet David does not doubt the goodness of the Lord for he knows that God’s goodness and mercy does not depend on his faithfulness or sinlessness but rather wholly upon the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant. Even if we are faithless, God remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself (II Timothy 2:13). The Lord’s goodness is not like the ocean waves ebbing and flowing, but rather it is a constant, never-ending, bubbling spring. Therefore all things that happen to a child of God – joy and tragedy, health and sickness, laughter and tears, loss and gain – work together for good (Romans 8:28), for those who fear Him lack nothing (Psalm 34:9).

The Lord’s goodness towards His children never ends and their cup forever overflows for from Jesus they receive grace upon grace (John 1:16). For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s steadfast love toward those who fear Him and as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11). There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh by nailing His beloved to the tree on Calvary (Romans 8:1, 3). Jesus suffered the vicious wrath of God for sinners so that wretched sinners may experience goodness and mercy all the days of their lives. 

By this great atonement of Jesus, sinners who cannot stand in the presence of a holy God are given an opportunity to come and dwell in the house of the LORD forever, with the good Shepherd Himself. The curtain of separation is torn down (Matthew 27:51) and we have perfect access to our God. Our good Shepherd has gone ahead to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house where one day all of God’s flock would dwell forever (John 14:2-3).