God is Good

As we look at the fruit of goodness, we find ourselves in difficulty when we try to define what is ‘good’. For example, I, like many others from my religious background, was brought up to believe that not eating meat and being teetotal meant that you were a good person. Jesus said ‘A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.’ (Luke 6:45). In other words, it is not just a case of what we do on the outside but also what is going on within.   

To further complicate things, Jesus said ‘No one is good – except God alone,' in response to the rich young ruler when he greeted him as ‘good teacher’ (Lk 18:18-30). How then can anyone hope to do any ‘good deeds’? How can we be good when we are not good? We cannot manufacture it, for if we are not good then we are just not good.

The secret is to understand that it is the fruit of the Spirit. It is not my effort or yours that produces the fruit but it is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. When we turn to God, through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and he begins to reshape our thinking, our words, and our actions. Little by little, as we walk in obedience with the Lord, often even without realising, our actions and reactions change and reflect the grace of God at work in our lives, which can challenge the onlookers.

Good works are normal everyday things we do that are inspired by selfless thinking for the good of others. As we live in surrender, the Holy Spirit works, mostly slowly and lifelong, to enable us to live fruitful lives. On some occasions, however, even the initial change can be significant. Some years ago I had the joy of leading a friend to the Lord. As soon as we finished praying, he with tearful joy, said ‘I really want to help the poor in the world. What can I do?’

Prayer:

Father, please so fill me with your goodness that my life may overflow with good words and actions. I ask is Jesus name. Amen.