“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” ~Galatians 5:22-23
It is important for every believer to do a self examination of their spiritual walk with the Lord. A Holy Spirit-led analysis of one’s daily living or situational decision-making processes will reveal areas where one can certainly grow or mature in God’s Word. According to Galatians 5:22, Goodness should be a visible fruit in one’s life. Often we think of goodness in relation to righteousness. However, Righteousness is a byproduct of our salvation and our identity in Christ Jesus. According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, we have become the righteousness of God through Christ’s ministry of reconciliation. This understanding should encourage a spirit of excellence and virtue that is unique to a blood-washed, born-again spirit-led Christian.
According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word Goodness in Galatians 5:22 comes from the Greek word Agathosune, which translates to an uprightness of heart and life. The term broken up into two is “agathos” which means good and “sune” that denotes quality. The word goodness appears in three other New Testament epistles. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, “ Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power.” Romans 15:14 says, “…that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” Titus 3:4 says, “…when the goodness and loving-kindness of our Savior appeared…”
So what does the goodness of God look like? If we look at the psalmist’s writing in Psalm 27:11-14, we understand that God’s goodness should not be mistaken to mean just being nice, but rather encompass His dependability and sureness. The psalmist’s faith in God’s goodness or sureness is what kept him from losing hope and falling into despair. God is reliable! God assures us in Isaiah 55:10-11 that His word will never return to Him void or without accomplishing what He sent it for. Psalm 138:2 declares that God honors his word above His name. That is excellence! Can others trust your words? Can others depend on you at crunch times? Does your work stand out above everyone else’s? This is what the fruit of goodness looks like in our lives. The Holy Spirit at work within us coaches us towards excellence. When we truly walk with Him and maintain a healthy diet of God’s Word, we are motivated to top the class and set a standard for the world to follow.
Let’s Pray!
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your goodness and mercy that endures forever! I praise You for always being consistent in my life even in times when I did not recognize You. You are faithful and You always keep Your promises!
Father, In Jesus name, I ask that You would increase the fruit of goodness in my walk with You. I ask that You would quicken Your Holy Spirit led excellence in me so that my life would bring more glory to You. Lord Jesus, I renounce everything that would cause me to be slothful, procrastinate, and neglect the works of goodness. I surrender to Your authority and I ask that Your love would increase in my life. From this day forward, let my life be a plentiful oasis for the starving to receive You and rejoice in You, the God of Salvation. I count it done in Jesus name, Amen.