God Explained

5 O Lord, You are so good (kind), so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing (abundant) love for all who ask for Your help. . . . 11 Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. . . . 15 But You, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing (abundant) love and faithfulness. Psalms 86:5, 11, 15 (NLT)  

God is celebrated as good, forgiving, and generous to all who ask for His help (Psalm 86:5). He is so freely willing to forgive our sins and failures as we genuinely confess our sins to Him (Psalm 32:5). God is full of abundant love (1 John 4:9, 16), mercy (Psalm 51:1), grace (Psalm 25:6), patience (Nehemiah 9:17), and truth (Psalm 86:15). Even more, God is compassionate (Joel 2:13), always faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9), and forgiving (Romans 3:25; see also Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8). The Holy Scriptures tells of God’s continually goodness and blessings from generation to generation (see e.g. Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). The apostle Paul teaches us that knowing these features of God should lead everyone to genuine repentance and faithfulness to God (Romans 2:4). 

God is faithful and His love is amazing (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 107; Isaiah 54:10). The love of God is higher than any skies (Psalm 108:4). God’s presence is with us everywhere we go (Matthew 28:20). If we will call upon Him, our great God will deliver us from all our problems. No problem is too great for God. Whether homelessness or starvation (Psalm 107:4-5), imprisonment (Psalm 107:10-12), self-inflicted disease (Psalm 17-18), and imminent ruin (Psalm 107:23-27), God is able to rescue those who call upon Him for help. God is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17).

God wants everyone to love, cherish, and trust Him with their heart and mind. A godly heart is a humble heart that loves God first and is faithful to Him.  (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; James 4:7-8). A divided heart that does not trust the true and living God leads only to insecurity (James 1:5–8). In the Bible, the “heart” means the whole person and not just emotions. The heart is the center of the human spirit, from which springs our emotions, thoughts, motivations, courage, and action – the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). God wants our whole heart and first allegiance to Him. In other words, God desires an intimate devotion to Him like a loyal bride for her groom (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Jeremiah 2:2; Revelation 2:4). In essence, God desires our most intimate degree of loyalty, love, and faithfulness that can exist between two people to be for Him first. 

All the more, God wants everyone to commit to a lifestyle of ethical integrity by living according to His ways and truth (Deuteronomy 5:1-22; Deuteronomy 11; Psalm 25:4; Psalm 27:11; Psalm 119:33; Matthew 22:34-40). What good would come if God helped us in time of need but abandoned us to continue to live a life of sin and waywardness? God wants everyone to be protected from outward attacks and inward attacks to our hearts from sin, evil, and naughtiness (Psalm 51:7, 10; Psalm 73:1). Finally, God wants us to imitate His love, forgiveness, and mercy to others (John 13:35; Ephesians 5:1-2). God does not want to take the FUN out of life. Instead, God wants to protect us from the destruction and harm that comes with living a lifestyle of sin and evil. With sin come God’s wrath, sadness, and destruction. But God’s grace comes to all who lives holy lives and trusts in Him.

References:
KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1994.
Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House, 2005.
New Student Bible. New York, NY: Zondervan, 1992.
NLT Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House, 2008.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.
Wiersbe, Warren W. With the Word Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. New York, NY: Zondervan, 2008.