 -Brandon William Peach- Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the Lord’s house as long as I live. Psalm 23:6 CEB  The Bible is full of references to God’s goodness. God is good to all [Psalm 145:9]. Everything He made is good [Genesis 1:31]. Only God is good. [Matthew 19:16]. In the last verse of the 23rd Psalm, we learn that God’s goodness pursues us for all the days of our lives—the sense of the Hebrew meaning that His goodness is on our heels wherever we go, that it’s following us doggedly. Goodness in this context feels like a very different type of goodness than we’re used to seeing or hearing about on a day-to-day basis. Think about the way we use the word “good.” When I pick up my son from his grandparents’ and I ask if he was “good,” I’m really asking whether he was bad. When I say food is “good,” I’m actually saying it was somewhere in the middle of the road; not awful or amazing, but appetizing enough that I’d probably eat it again. When my manager says “looks good” about some work that I’ve done, he’s affirming that I didn’t completely screw up. The point isn’t that we’re using the word “good” wrong on a daily basis, but rather, when we think of God’s goodness, we’ve got to recognize it for the superlative that it actually is. God’s goodness is referred to as omnibenevolence, infinitely loving and maximally good. So good that no other being could logically supersede it. That superlative goodness is chasing you every day of your life. No matter how badly your morning might be going, no matter what temptation you might have given into in a moment of weakness, no matter how hurried you are to get the next project out the door, the one constant is that God’s goodness and His love are actively pursuing you until the day that you get to be with Him forever. When we exhibit the fruit of goodness through the power of the Holy Spirit, we’re able to take an active role in transforming God’s creation. We can actively participate in the ushering in of His coming Kingdom. And by the grace of God, we can offer a lost world a glimpse of a good Father who has never, will never, stop pursuing them. - - - Lord, thank you for your goodness to me. In my pursuit of holiness, I ask that you would help me display your goodness to the world.  Brandon William Peach is, first and foremost, the husband of Kathleen O'Neill and the father of William Sean O'Neill. He is a writer with a degree in literature from Penn State University, and a frequent contributor to various blogs, magazines, and podcasts.
While his career is in marketing, Brandon's primary interests include historical Christianity, literature, art, and pacifism in practice. He lives in the heart of Amish Country in Central Pennsylvania, where "getting stuck in traffic" often means being stuck behind a horse and buggy on a windy backroad. His hobbies include reading, writing, watching good movies, cooking, and most importantly, spending time with his wife and son. He is owned by his cat Tiger and his dog Millie. |
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