GOODNESS: DOING RIGHT
Do you choose to do right?
Have you ever known a good person? She seems to do and say the right things at the right time, makes people feel loved. He recognizes need and reaches out to help before you even realize there is a need. Have you ever felt drawn to such a person, hoping to learn from her, hoping some of his goodness will rub off on you?
Or do you become snippy and critical because you recognize the virtue in someone else that’s lacking in you?
God is good. Goodness is one of His attributes and sums up His character.
David wrote in Psalm 25:8-10,
“Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
God’s goodness, in His mercy and grace, leads a sinner to repentance, gives the assurance of being saved from sin, and gives us blessings and strength as we trust and follow Him.
Our natural spiritual nature is to do evil, to disobey God, to sin. (Romans 3:23) Sin prevents us from choosing to do right or being good. The Bible says that nothing we do can make us worthy of being in the presence of holy God.
“But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…”
Isaiah 64:6
According to Romans 12:21, we overcome evil by doing good, returning good for evil. Love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:44). “Let your light shine,” that is Christ’s goodness shine through us, so that when others see the good things we do, it’s God who gets the credit, the glory (Matthew 5:16). Our thoughts and actions, the way we live, should be under His control, through the power of the Holy Spirit within us as believers in Jesus Christ.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness…” Galatians 5:22
We can choose to sin or to follow God’s way. We can choose evil or good.
God expects us to do good. Believers are His masterpieces, created by faith through grace to do good (Ephesians 6:8-10). Goodness is a product of the work of the Holy Spirit within us, helping us to live as a child of God. Paul tells us not to become weary of doing good, and to do good to all people (Galatians 6:10).
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