*Are you new to my Fruit of the Spirit Devotion Series? In order to get the best experience with the content, check out the following parts of this series before reading this one. 

Post 1 (Intro), Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6

Everyone has a different idea of what makes something good, because for some, the standard “good” is somewhat subjective. However, for Christians, God sets the standard for what is good! We want our actions to always be pleasing to Him. The word good describes the very character of our awesome God.

Reflecting The Fruit of The Spirit: Goodness

Goodness is virtue in action! With this being said, living a life that focuses on being a blessing everywhere we go, ensures that we are demonstrating goodness. A good heart is not only sincere, but always has good motives. Being kind to others, sensitive to the needs of others, and lining ones actions up with what is good shows the world that there is goodness inside of us. We are good only because of our good God living within us.

Kindness and goodness are very similar and both should describe the manner in which we treat other people. God gave us the Ten Commandments to clearly outline what actions He considers to be good. We work diligently to keep God’s commandments because we love Him.

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)

Allowing God to cultivate the fruit of the spirit within us, so that it remains strong, is the key to living a life that is good; a truly beautiful life!

Application: Aim to Be a Blessing Everywhere That You Go

Jesus constantly did good things, selflessly helping others. We should too! There are so many people in our daily lives that can benefit from the goodness we can show to them. Remember, good things do not have to be tangible things! We can do good deeds by using the skills and resources that we already have in order to benefit someone else. For example, using encouraging words, offering help in some way, or even something as simple as a genuine smile can mean so much to someone else. People should be made better  in some way after being in our presence. This is what being a blessing truly looks like. With the Lord’s help, we can work hard to figure out ways to be a blessing to others we encounter daily.

Weekly Reflection: Reflecting Goodness to Everyone

Doing good things for someone who has also done something good to us is great, but that doesn’t demonstrate true goodness, the way God intends. The Lord wants us to show goodness to everyone, even those who are not always good to us. Sometimes doing what is good may even seem unfair, but we should keep doing good with the same level of intensity.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Additional Verses to Further Study Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness