An Overflow of God's Goodness

By Samantha Rodriguez

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”—Romans 12:21 (NIV)

When I read this verse in Scripture, I can’t help but think about all the princess movies out there that so often depict this idea. It’s goodness and love that always conquers all in the end. In any good action movie, it’s also a similar trend that the “good” guys always win. Even those movies that have main characters who resemble anti-heroes, people who have a mixture of good and bad within them, it’s always the good in them that allows them to win in the end. There’s a reason we see this trend in most of our stories and movies—we love to see the good win.

Because God’s fingerprint is on our hearts, we retain a desire for goodness that can only be explained by our Creator who is full of goodness. Unfortunately, our hearts are also tainted by our sinful nature and the darkness in the world. For this reason, God made a way for our hearts to be redeemed and restored to Himself through Christ! That is why Paul wrote Romans—to exhort Roman churches to follow Christ in a pagan culture and remind them of what to believe and how to act because of their redemption.

In the chapters preceding Romans 12, Paul writes a lot about doctrine and explains salvation. In Romans 8:10–11 (NIV), he writes about an important distinction between those who believe in and follow Jesus and those who do not: “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” When we receive the Holy Spirit, we now have the ability to not only desire goodness but to produce it as a fruit of the Spirit as well! That’s why Paul continues to write about how we can practice goodness in Romans 12.

Paul starts Romans 12 off by encouraging believers to not conform to the world, but to allow God to transform their hearts and minds to look more like His. He then begins to list off a plethora of different ways we can love others better and honor God in our actions. Some ways include not comparing gifts but instead using ours for the Lord with joy, bearing others burdens, not taking revenge, having patience, praying often, and more.

The entire chapter ends with our main Scripture today, Romans 12:21 (NIV): “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The simplicity of this statement should inspire us to remember that because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we truly can overcome evil with good! When we abide in Christ and allow His Spirit to transform our hearts, He will produce within us a desire for goodness and an overflow of God’s goodness that we can then take into the world to fight evil with. It may sound like a movie, but it isn’t. The goodness of God is real and powerful, and we have access to it through the Spirit! Hallelujah!

Pause: Have you ever thought about the power of God’s goodness in your life? How has He shown you His goodness and how have you been able to share it with others?

Practice: Practicing goodness is not something we often think about. Today, consider what it would look like to share goodness with those around you. Perhaps it's through generosity of money, resources, or time. Practice goodness for the glory of God today!

Pray: Father, You are so good! Thank You for being so good that You sacrificed Yourself for us despite our imperfections and unfaithfulness. Thank You for pouring Your goodness into us so we can overflow with it into the lives of those around us. I pray and ask for that overflow today. I want You, Holy Spirit, to cultivate within me the fruit of goodness for the purpose of sharing it with others! Amen.