A continuation of the Hold On To Your Fruit series – Goodness
Love, joy, and peace are given to us, received by us, through the Holy Spirit. They are fruit produced in us when we walk in the Spirit of God. They are essential in our lives if we are to generate patience, kindness, and goodness.
Whereas kindness is an outward expression of how one feels on the inside, goodness is an outward sign of spiritual, moral excellence. A virtue. What one chooses to do when no one is around. John Wooden, a retired American basketball coach, said, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
GOODNESS, simply put, is the characteristic of being good. So, what is good? We use the word good for a lot of things … a good book, a good steak, a good friend, a good dog, good land, good intentions.
A good steak is delicious. But we probably wouldn’t say a book is delicious. On the other hand, a good friend and a good dog might each be described as loyal and close. A good piece of land might be fertile, while good intentions are expressed by benevolence.
Jesus was talking to the Pharisees in reference to His healing a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. The Pharisees went so far as to say Jesus was in partnership with Beelzebul, the prince of demons—that He was driving out demons in the name of Beelzebul. What? Not my Jesus. Jesus explained that neither the prince of demons nor any of his minions would be driving out demons because they would want those demons to stay put. Jesus said that demons driving out demons would be a “kingdom divided against itself … But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” You tell ‘em, Jesus.
A sick, or bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Neither can a bad person produce good characteristics like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, or self-control. Oh, they might look decent on the outside, but inside they are rotten to the core.
I love Luke’s summary of the story above, where Jesus healed the demon-possessed man. Luke wrote, “The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart … For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, Berean Study Bible)
You may have heard, or read, the story about the homeless man who selflessly gave every cent he had to help a woman who was stranded on an exit ramp off I-95 in Philadelphia. The homeless man, a veteran, took it upon himself to lend a hand. Out of the goodness of his heart, with no expectation of anything in return, he used the last twenty dollars in his pocket to purchase gasoline for her car. At the time, she didn’t have the money to repay him but looked for him and found him several days later to return the twenty dollars. She visited him at other times and brought food and water. In gratitude, the woman and her boyfriend opened a GoFundMe page which eventually raised over $400,000. The money has been used to help the homeless man get back on his feet. At the same time, the man’s goodness reached further by providing funds for non-profits to help other people in need.
The homeless man’s actions stemmed from the overflow of his heart. Regardless of his own situation, he gave his all to help another.
I know someone else who, out of the goodness of His heart, gave everything He had to help others. He was good fruit, from a good tree with good roots. Do you know Him? His name is Jesus.
And that’s as good as it gets … as good as gold!
Only better!
Do you have a goodness story? I’d love to hear from you.
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