Psalm 37:18-20

18The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
-Psalm 37:18-20

In this we have an incredible opportunity to see the heart of God in redemption. It can become very easy to think of God as being distant. We almost undermine His goodness in thinking that He makes way for us to be righteous and reconcile us to Himself simply because it is the right thing to do. While it is rooted in His goodness, He also wants to bring the upright into eternity with Him. God gave His Son because He wants to be reconciled with you. He is delighted to show mercy.

While it is His goodness and righteousness that brings us into reconciliation, it is also His goodness and righteousness that brings destruction upon the wicked. Righteousness cannot endure wickedness. In their opposition they seek to conquer one another. Wickedness does not passively oppose righteousness, and so neither shall righteousness passively oppose wickedness. God, in His righteousness, will do away with what is wicked and any who ally themselves with it.

Take a moment today to recognize the fact that God brought you redemption because He wants you. He did not do it out of obligation. He wants for you to be righteous and reconciled to Himself. Give praise to God as the One who brought you near to Himself.