I AM GOODNESS PART I

My, Devotion To Him #324

Where is goodness? Our world is wrecked with bad actors who hijack the unsuspecting to steal money and identities and destroy livelihoods, institutions that take advantage, organizations that prey on the weak, governments that ruin economies, and everyday people who could care less about you.

It would seem in today’s world, no one wants to actually be “good.” The word has fallen out of favor with many. So much so that the word itself has been attached to other words such as “weak,” “wimp,” “pushover,” and “vulnerable.” The problem is those words have been added by man. The fruit of the Spirit is goodness. It is a natural part of who God is and thus should be a part of who we are as His children. 

The word “goodness” has many biblical words: Agathos, Kalos, chrestos, and kalosýni. These are taken from Hebrew and Greek. These words have a separate take on what the word “goodness” means, and we will also see what the Bible says. 

In Hebrew and Greek, this word can mean kindness, benevolence, humaneness, favor, grace, mercy, or charity. As we look into the Bible, we find God’s goodness is a bedrock truth of scripture; His goodness is praised and reaffirmed, and God’s goodness is declared on us, for us, and to be a part of us. (Psalms 25:8, 34:8, 86:5, 100:5, 118:1, 136:1, 145:9, 23:6, 68:10, 73:1, 119:65, 145:9, Matthew 19:17, 5:48, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, Luke 6:35, Romans 2:4, 11:22, Ephesians 2:7, Titus 3:4, Galatians 6:5, 2 Peter 1:5.)

The Bible associates “justice/just,” “righteous/righteousness,” “holy/holiness,” “pure/purity,” gentle/gentleness,” and “kind/kindness” as precise terms for what goodness means in our daily life as Christians. However, people in this world view it as old-fashioned, outdated, not worth the hassle, and unrealistic. Instead, our chosen words are slick, popular, fresh, uptight, hard-hearted, closed-fisted, thrilling, wild, and free. There is a problem; people only want to use those words when they suit them. They do their best to make sure they are working with good people, sending their kids to good schools, working for a good business that does good things for their employees, going to see a good doctor, driving only good cars, having good appliances, good clothes, good friends, raise good kids and in the end everyone wants a good life. 

People want to believe they are “good.” That how we act is “good.” What we do is “good.” But what do we know about the very word we try so hard to form into something acceptable to us? Before we even suspect that what we do and how we act is good, there must be a clear understanding of that word. How can anyone be good if no one knows what that word implies?

The Bible word goodness involves avoiding the wrong behavior, avoiding evil things, and choosing sweet things over bitter and destructive ones. To obey rather than rebel against the Creator, whose essence is goodness. People cannot do enough good stuff if what is inside them has rotted and the core has gone rancid. Many people worldwide might do good things, but that doesn’t indicate they themselves are good. We’ve all put on a show and performed well in public only to go home, take the mask off, and become our true selves, which can be wretched, wrong, ugly, and inexcusable.

The standard for goodness has already been set by God, and it cannot be moved no matter how much we believe it can be. Though we will all find that good (that which is honorable) is not subjective to me or you. It is objective of our opinions and beliefs. Instead, it relies on that which God has already declared is good. Therefore, we can only understand what is good and what goodness looks like by going with the Word of God.

Verse Passage: Acts: 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” – ESV.

“He went about doing good.” Here, we find one of the best portraits of Christ. The man who came to save did not rush His way to the cross to get it done and over with. He was the man who took His time with the people, going about doing good wherever He was. At all times, in all things, in all places He was good. 

Goodness is not an at-arm-length kind of thing. It calls us to the forefront of ministry in any capacity for us to do a good thing. I’m not saying that giving to charity financially is not good; however, to all people willing and able as we try to walk in the Lord’s footsteps, this is a call for us to do more. 

Some people might not know this; there is no limit to goodness. There is no weekly quota or max lifetime ceiling for each of us to reach, and then we can call it a day. Instead, goodness is a lifelong endeavor that we should seek out. How can we be good today? How can we show the goodness of God? People are more than grateful to receive donations in any way that it can be given. Still, the impact of the up-close and personal act of goodness penetrates the hearts and minds of the people as we are there in the moment, showing the goodness that Jesus has shown and continues to show. 

As the ambassadors of Christ, it is our mission to be His hands and feet. My wife and I talked about this as we’ve steadily been working on charity and finding more ways to give as we show our thankfulness for the blessings God has given us. Though I mentioned something was tugging at my heart to do more. We must do more; money is not enough any longer. I suspect as we grow in the act of goodness, our Spirit does not allow one method to be enough any longer. It yearns to please the Lord of Host in all things. Thus, there is a desire that grows for more to be done. In which more must be done. 

Throughout the Bible, you won’t find a moment where Jesus hesitated in His goodness to find out first what was in it for Him, how much it would cost, which option would be more impactful, which one would get the most views and could any of these go viral to rocket Himself to fame. He aggressively and earnestly sought to help others, and He remains an example for all generations of how we can show goodness and be that good light for the world. 

Instead of seeking comfort, ordinary, routine, or any self-satisfactory things, there should be more moments that we stop and try to help others around us without regard for any good thing in return, without needing people to notice, without trying to get on God’s good side or anything else but simply because He is good. Therefore, we also must and want to live a life that shows an outpouring of goodness. 

The day has come when staying home and sending others to go with your financial means is not enough. The fruit of the Spirit should no longer be sidestepped and worked around to fit us. We must be the ones to embrace this fruit and put in the work. 

God Bless, 

Copyright © 2023 by Jacob Olinger