Would God call you “good”?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.  (Gal 5:22-23)

Paul wrote a letter to the people of Galatia (an currently part of modern day Turkey) around 49AD.  In that letter he encouraged the young church to continue to grow in godliness.  In the passage above, which we have been considering for the last several posts, Paul is explaini

ng the growth process that occurs in a person once they put their faith in Christ.  He calls this “fruit of the Spirit.”

If we are growing in faith, then these character developments are an expected result.

Today let’s consider “goodness.”  If you search for the word
“goodness” in the Bible you find verses like these:

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. (Ex. 33:19)

may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. (2Ch 6:41)

They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness. (Neh 9:25)

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Ps 23:6)

Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. (Ps 69:16)

Consistently the people remarked on God’s goodness.  If God was, (is, and forevermore will be) good, then his Spirit in us should produce the same.  We know that when we genuinely recognize and repent from our sins and ask God for forgiveness, that God, in his love and grace, offers his son, Jesus.  Jesus, the great Emmanuel (God with us) was God’s gift to each of us that we might, indeed, be fully made righteous (cleansed free from sin).  When we accept God’s gift, God’s Holy Spirit fills our being.

Now think about this carefully.  If God’s Spirit is living in us, then we have within us the power to live progressively more and more godly lives.  That increasing growth in godliness is what Paul called “fruit of the Spirit.”

That leads me to ask, is goodness growing in you?  If not, why not?

Have you acknowledged that you are a sinner?  If not, why not do that right now.

Have you asked for forgiveness and accepted the gift of Jesus?  Christmas just might be a really good time to accept the best gift you could ever be given.

If you have done all that, and have not seen the growth of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control in your life, then maybe you have put God on a shelf, safely tucked away for emergency use only.  I have news for you.  God wants to be your everyday God.  With the Holy Spirit living in us, we have moment by moment access to the love, guidance, power, and peace of God.

Get out your Bible, dust it off, and ask God to teach you and guide your life through His word.  You will not be disappointed.  God never refuses to answer that prayer, not ever!

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. (2Th 1:11)