A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. Luke 18:18-20 NIV

How are you today? Are you good? 

We are taking our vacation in the English Lake District at a Christian Conference — the Keswick Convention—this past couple of weeks and the weather has been ‘not good’. 

Being English, we like to play down the sheer misery of the weather that has been mostly around 57 and the rain has hung about us incessantly making nice hair, make up or even a pretty outfit nigh on impossible to achieve! This is why the rest of the country has vacated quite literally and gone to the Mediterranean. There, the weather is good. There, a good outfit and good hair and good make up can be complemented by a good book on the beach, a good meal out in the open air, a good time might be had by all.

The Meaning of Good

What does it mean to be good? We might use it as an evaluative measure. I asked a group of middle schoolers about grading in the southern Boroughs of London. They described a grading system which defines competence on a scale from inadequate and through a range of adjectives which put ‘good’ at a mid point to go on to ‘above average’ and excellent! Since when is ‘good’ average? Since when is good not the absolute example of perfection?

Jesus’ own words were to deflect the accolade of ‘goodness’ away from himself and back to God, who alone is good.

Once we get the right measure for our appreciation of the world and who we are, we know confidently that good is sufficient. Being good lacks nothing. It is exactly as God purposed and intended. Creation is good because God made it and declared it so. You are good because Jesus is, in fact, good and we are found in him, recreated in the image God intended for us. Nothing surpasses God and God alone is good. The measures of this world that tell us that good is average are false measures and are designed to trick God’s people into feeling perpetually inadequate. You are good. God says so and this is all you need. That is everything.

Self Evaluation

So, today I genuinely am good! It is good to be here and good to write. It is good to love and it is good to worship. The measure of good is the measure of God’s own holiness; unfathomable and ungradable. God is good and that ‘good’ is absolute. 

If we want to be good, we must find our measure in God.

Last night, we saw a sunset in shades of crimson, rose golds and deep pinks. It was good. It came after the storm had dumped a load of water on the tent where we were worshipping, rattling the roof so that the speaker was all but inaudible. God was in the place and it was good. 1500 people exited the tent of worship at the close of the meeting and stopped to gaze upon that good sunset. 

How are you? What is good with you? How is God, who alone is good, blessing you today?

Meet Catherine…