FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: GOODNESS

Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked…far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? – Genesis 18:25

REFERENCE
Genesis 18:20-26

A particular pastor used to say, “God is good,” and the church responded, “All the time.” It speaks of a core nature of God – ‘goodness.” Goodness is virtue, generosity, and holiness. God cannot be accused of wrongdoing; He has no capacity for evil or wickedness, and only good comes from our God. If we understand this about God, the devil will no longer be able to lead us to pin certain evils or errors in our world on God. God is good, but the devil is bad!

Creation reveals the nature of our God. By His assessment, everything God created was good. The only thing that was not good was Adam being alone. He proceeded to make it good by creating Eve. When he finished the work of creation, Genesis 1:31 records, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” That is God at work!

Abraham understood God’s nature of goodness when He interceded for Sodom. He said, “Far be it from You…to do what is not right or not good.” He was telling God that He couldn’t do evil; it was contrary to His nature, and He was too good to do what is considered unfair, unjust, and unacceptable. If we saw God similarly, our prayer life would change.

The Holy Spirit has planted the seed of goodness in us. Let it shine forth in all our dealings. The flesh naturally wants to be unkind and unloving, but we cannot afford to hide the ‘lamp’ of goodness that God has lit in us; we must let it shine in our good deeds for all to see. We are the mouth, hands, arms, and legs of Jesus to express His goodness to mankind.

Sometimes, we come across people we think do not deserve goodness. We feel like showing them our ‘other side,’ but we should act just like God, who reveals His goodness to the just and the unjust. Do not be tired of doing good (even when it seems unappreciated), for in the due season, you will reap if you do not faint (Galatians 6:9-10). Be encouraged; you may feel like those you are good to have been unkind and unappreciative. God sees, knows, and cares.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL STUDY:

Matthew 5:15-16, Luke 6:27-33 & James 1:17

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TO DO:

Do good to someone undeserving or who’s not expecting it today. Show that the Holy Spirit has borne the fruit of goodness in you.