Goodness
Psalm 34:8(ESV) tells us, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” God invites us to open our mouths wide and take in as much of His goodness as humanly possible. When we do this, the result is the same every time, we will see that He is good, and His goodness never ends. Having faith in God’s goodness gives us the strength and courage to face whatever obstacles and adversity that come our way, because we can be confident that God is our Refuge. He is our strong tower, and He promised that He will never leave or forsake those who love and honor Him.
God has demonstrated His goodness towards us through the finished work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished through his sacrifice and resurrection, we can receive the gift of salvation. God put it all on the line for us through His only begotten Son, and this was only the beginning. Accepting the love of Jesus Christ in our hearts and confessing him as the Lord of our lives brings us into God’s family. It begins a wonderful relationship with Him, and it also begins our journey in spiritual growth and blessings.
Ephesians 2:7 declares that as we continue walking with God in Christ, the riches of His grace and kindness that was shown toward us in Christ will only increase. Our responsibility as believers and children of God is to use our entire lives to respond to Heavenly Father’s generosity, because this is the very best thing we could ever possibly do. It’s a privilege to show God our gratitude, and He rewards us for doing it!
Our Heavenly Father has given us the greatest example of goodness. He has shown us that goodness isn’t just a pretty word, it is kindness in action, and it leaves an indelible mark of God’s love. We must be committed to follow His example. Not only are we to have a life that reflects the goodness of God through generosity, kindness, and morality, but we are to share God’s goodness with others. He instructs us in Colossians 3:12(NLT), “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Heavenly Father wants us to have a more than abundant life. Reflecting His goodness in every aspect of our existence will represent the Lord Jesus Christ, and it will cause us to be blessed with a life filled with God’s bounty.
Faithfulness
Deuteronomy 7:9(NLT) declares, “Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” Our Heavenly Father can be counted upon to keep His promises. He never fails, and He cannot lie. Through Him, we have a perfect example of what it means to be faithful, and 2Timothy 2:13 says that even when we are not faithful to Him, God is faithful to us.
To be ‘faithful’ is to be dependable and reliable. It’s having the integrity to keep our word, and to be looked upon as a person that always does what he or she says they are going to do. Commitments are made and relationships are established on the foundation of an individual’s faithfulness. It is required in our relationship with God and with others as well. In and of ourselves, we may not have a good track record of being faithful. It’s possible that we’ve left a trail of unfinished tasks and broken promises, but we can change this, and we should change it. If we pray and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, he will help us to be faithful and to be a person that others can count on.
In Matthew 25, Jesus Christ taught about faithfulness in a parable of three servants. Matthew 25:21(NLT) tells us about the servant who served diligently and wisely. It says, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” This is our benchmark for pleasing God. It’s what every believer should want our Heavenly Father to say when we come before His throne on judgment day. We want Him to be pleased with the way we’ve lived our lives as well as the way we’ve treated others with faithfulness.
2Thessalonians 1:11(NIV) says, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.” To be worthy of God’s calling, we must be led by His Holy Spirit, and we must desire to be faithful and to do good deeds. God tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that He is a Rewarder to those that diligently seek Him. So, as we remain committed to His Word and to serve Him through the example of Christ, we can be assured that He will reward our faithfulness and continue to increase us in spiritual blessings.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“The Spirit’s Fruit- Part 3”, SMS Member Services.com Copyright© 2023.