Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6 

God is good! David experienced the goodness of God in his life. But he doesn’t end his declaration there. In addition to God’s goodness, David looked forward to God’s lovingkindness following him throughout his life. In order to better appreciate these two characteristics of God, let’s divide this compound word into love and kindness, both of which can be used to describe God.

God is love. This is a straightforward truth from scripture and it is what directs everything that God does regarding mankind. Because God truly does love the world (John 3:16) and desires to see our salvation (1 Timothy 2:4), that love moved Him to intervene into our depravity and provide a way for us to be made whole (something that we are entirely incapable of doing). Consider the following: 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 

                                                                                                                     1 John 4:7-9 

God’s love for us was manifested in action on our behalf. That action was the giving of His Son for our deliverance and so that we could experience life, the kind of life impossible for us to achieve on our own. And this victorious, abundant life is not only for our time spent here on earth rather it is a life that extends on into eternity.

This amazing love of God is also the basis for our extending love to others. As believers, we have experienced the great love of God in our own lives therefore we should be demonstrating that same love to others (Matthew 7:11-12). Often the objection to loving others is that they are individuals that do not deserve our love and consideration. That very well may be true however none of us is deserving of the goodness and love of God in our lives either. When we begin to realize this truth and appreciate all that God has done for us, it opens up opportunities for us to share the love of Christ with others, even if we believe them to be undeserving.

Operating out of a heart of love is also the litmus test for Christian authenticity. Consider the words of John:

…everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

It is a simple and clear concept. When we refuse to live in such a way as to place others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4), we are exposing our sinful, fleshly, and depraved nature. Contrast that with living in the power of the Spirit of God. The very first “fruit” listed in the fruit of the Spirit is love. Operating in this kind of love verifies that we have been born again and that we know God. Of course, we all have times in our lives when we fall short of this. But for the Christian, there should be a general lifestyle of loving others as we do ourselves.

David enjoyed the goodness and love of God and it was something for which he knew would follow him all of the days of his life. As Christians, we have received the best from God in His love for us therefore we should go out and share that same love to the world!