GOODNESS CAN GET IN THE WAY

“But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  (Galatians 6:14)

That God loves us in spite of our sin is the Gospel truth; but this truth can only be shared by words, since good deeds are easily taken to show the opposite -- that we love God.  Faith is not understood when it is only demonstrated by life.  The more sanctified a life without the verbal witness, the greater the danger of the Christian's goodness getting in the way.  Should a person by the grace of God become easier to live with, he doesn't need to call attention to it: it will speak for itself.  He can instead seek to balance the reverse effect of the good image by occasionally speaking of the unfavorable realities within, those parts that are still changing.  In this way, his external behavior by contrast can point to the power of God, rather than to the effort of man.  As John the Baptist said about Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)  When we decrease, He can increase, but not until. 

-- Adapted from “Buried Alive” [1968] by Paul G. Johnson   

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THE GOOD AND FAITHFUL LIFE

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS -- we think of them as the supreme virtues of plain people. Yet they, too, are the fruits of the Spirit. In the long run we cannot really manage them without God. The good citizen, good employer, good artist, good worker -- the faithful husband or wife or [parent] -- in these, too, Divine Love, selfless charity, is bringing forth its fruits within the natural order and on the natural scale: proclaiming the dignity and possibilities of our human life on all levels, disclosing the full meaning of the Word made flesh. Another lesson in not being high-minded; another invitation to come off our self-chosen spiritual perch, whatever it may be, and face the facts of human life.

-- Evelyn Underhill in “The Fruits of the Spirit”

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STRUGGLING TO DO GOOD - Part 2 of 2

God did not save us because of our goodness but because of His own kindness and mercy, Thanks to the saving work of Jesus Christ our Savior, God can declare us good. Our goodness is a gift from God. We cannot work for it. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it.

The Bible calls this work of Christ justification. That’s a big word that simply means God says you are okay because of what Jesus did for you. When you put your trust in Christ, God gives you a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). (It is like starting over; that is why it is called being “born again.”) Then God not only gives you the desire to do good. but also gives you the power to do good.  Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (NKJV, emphasis added). He gives you the desire and the power to do what is right…

By God’s grace and power we are re-created as good people, and then we are given the ability to do good deeds. God works from the inside out, not from the outside in… God solved the problem of my old selfish nature by giving me a new Christlike nature. 

-- Excerpts from “God’s Power to Change Your Life” by Rick Warren

#6055

STRUGGLING TO DO GOOD - Part 1 of 2

Do you struggle to do good, even when you want to do what is right? God says that this struggle is normal… It takes more than willpower to change your nature. You don’t just snap your fingers and become a good person.

The apostle Paul found this to be true in his own life. Perhaps you can identify with him. I can. Paul wrote, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing.”  (Romans 7:18-19 NIV)

When we realize we are not perfect we tend to comfort ourselves with comparisons: “Well, I may not be what I ought to be, but I am better than so and so.” You have probably heard someone say that, or you may have even said it yourself. The only problem with this approach is that God does not grade on a curve. He does not judge us according to how we compare with other people. Jesus Christ is His standard of measurement, and He is perfect. That means that when we measure ourselves by Christ, we do not measure up. We all fall short (Romans 3:23)...

We must evaluate ourselves by God’s perfect standard of goodness, Jesus Christ. When we do that, we realize the truth that no one is perfectly good. 

-- Excerpts from “God’s Power to Change Your Life” by Rick Warren

#6054

GIVING CHRISTMAS FRUIT

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

This season of gift-giving provides an opportune time to imagine how we might share the fruit of the Spirit during these often hectic days, when both people and packages fill our lives.

• Love — We can sift every thought, word, and action through the filter of “Is it demonstrating the love of Christ?”

• Joy — We can be the source of smiles, laughter, and appreciation because of the joy of Christ in us.

• Peace — We can fill the atmosphere with our own sense of the peace Christ, a calm amid the chaos, so that it brings peace to others.

• Patience — We can be more tolerant when things go awry knowing Christ is that way with us.

• Kindness — We can shower others with affirmation, encouraging the flickering light of Christ to burn more brightly in their lives.

• Goodness — We can focus on the positives, rather than the faults, on what is good and acceptable as Christ did.

• Faithfulness — We can be true to the blessed meaning of the Christmas season -- Emmanuel, God with us.

• Gentleness — We can give our full attention to each person, one at a time, not omitting even the most outcast.

• Self-control — We can commit ourselves to no outbursts, no over-indulgences, only Christ-centered behavior.

We can’t give away what we don’t possess; our connection to the Spirit is vital. As the fruit of the Spirit is grown within us, we can bestow blessings on those around us out of the abundant crop.

-- Generously adapted from “Rhythms of Growth: 365 Meditations to Nurture the Soul” by Linda Douty

#5497

RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”  (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

Booker T. Washington was born a slave but came in time to be the most influential African American leader and educator in the United States. His achievements were made against fierce odds, including the treatment he received from racists and those who resented his accomplishments. He vowed, however, that he would never allow anyone to make him "stoop so low" as to hate them. He insisted on returning good will for evil; he didn't take on the image of his enemies.

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “If Experience Is such a Good Teacher Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?” 


#4452

YOUR GOOD DEEDS

"Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  (Matthew 6:4b)

God is the note-taking heavenly observer.  He knows about the time you bit your tongue when you could have contributed to a rumor.  He takes notice every time you greet a stranger or visit a person in the hospital or prison.  Every secret act of character, conviction, and courage has been observed in living color by our omniscient God.

You always have an audience.  In every activity and in every conversation God is present, and He says, "I saw it.  Carry on!  Do it again.  I am going to reward you.  I am going to repay you.  You have not been working in vain."

Obviously your good deeds won't make God love you more (His love for you is operating at "full strength" already), but it's good to know He celebrates your good deeds -- even when they go unnoticed by others.

-- Bill Hybels in The God You're Looking For

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