Daily Devotional ~ Fruit of the Spirit ~ Goodness
❤ Worship: If you'd like to play a song before you begin or while you read, may we recommend "Goodness, Love, and Mercy" by Chris Tomlin. Why not try asking alexa, siri, or google to play it for you?!
💜 Daily Verse: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, GOODNESS, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
☆ Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
🧡 Let's Talk About It: Have you ever heard of the doctrine of total depravity? It basically states that man is not able to love or serve God wholeheartedly due to The Fall, therefore, our redemption can only be found in the work of Christ and His work on The Cross. It is through Him that we have access to God and learn His ways.
This is important to understand when it comes to many of the Fruit of the Spirit. The truth is, without real acknowledgement that Jesus is Savior and Reedemer of the world, He cannot send His Holy Spirit to dwell within us and help us cultivate the fruit.
Goodness is one we simply cannot earn ourselves because we are inherently self serving, not generous; so we are not good, but selfish.
See, the biblical definition of goodness is not an action so much as a state of being. Like many other Fruit of the Spirit, it's deeper than any surface level understanding. Biblically speaking, it means, "the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good."
Goodness tests our willpower to behave according to our own desires just as much as self-control. In order to truly be good, we must think about others.
The Greek word for goodness, "agathosune" means "an uprightness of heart and life." In order to practice the fruit of goodness, we must live an upright life. Thankfully, we have Christ to lead our way!
💛 Additional Reading: Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. ☆Psalms 23:6 NLT
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. ☆ 1 Peter 2:9 NLT
💙 Prayer: Dear God, you are so good. Thank you for this wonderfully beautiful day. Thank you for your mercy, which is new every morning. Thank you, Jesus, for showing us what a good life really looks like; it is not boastful, proud, or something others of the world would wish to emulate, but it is a selfless sacrifice, serving others before ourselves. Help me to be more like you, Lord. Thank you for protecting my family, and for your favor and goodness. I love you Jesus and in your name I pray, amen.