A Fruitful LifeSample

When studying the fruit of the Spirit, you need to first understand that they are only activated when you are tapped into the Spirit. I believe many times we get confused about this. We feel that by acting out the fruit of the Spirit, we gain access to the Spirit.

When looking at Goodness, I can best relate this to growing up and doing chores. When I didn’t clean my room, my parents would threaten to ground me. I’d then begrudgingly get it done and get annoyed that my parents didn’t seem to appreciate my now clean room.

I was frustrated that the one-time act didn’t result in acknowledgement or praise. My parents didn’t want to punish me, they wanted that responsibility to lead to bigger and better things. It gained trust from my parents. It removed frustration or anger towards my parents from gaining access to other parts of my life.

The goodness of God is at our fingertips and when we are tapped into the Spirit, goodness naturally flows. It is by design that God doesn’t want us to labor to enjoy the goodness of God. When we acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives, it flows throughout our life and gives us the opportunity to share the goodness of God.

Everyone loves to receive a gift, but many people also enjoy giving a gift. If we were honest with ourselves, we could admit that it’s easier to give when we’ve also received. If a friend purchased you a gift for your birthday, you’re going to want to make sure you don’t miss their birthday. God has given us the ultimate gift of sacrifice. We need to start our day with a prayer of thanksgiving and acknowledgement of what He has carried us through and blessed us with. When we start our day like this, we’ll begin to activate that Spirit of goodness to be shared.

God has provided and will continue to provide. With that confidence, go into your day and celebrate this goodness with your friends, your family, your neighbors, and your co-workers!

- Walter Hayes, Director of Business Development