Goodness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We're now at the fruit of Goodness! Goodness is derived from the word good. Many times, we use the word good to describe something we ate or did (ex. That was a good meal or That was a good game). I know I use the word good all the time. As I was researching the exact meaning of the word goodness, though, it always led me back to the word good so I decided to look that up instead. Merriam Webster dictionary describes good as:

1. Of favorable character or tendency
&
2. Virtuous, right, commendable,
kind, benevolent, loyal

I’d never thought about “good” that way. I’d actually never thought what goodness as a person meant. I’ve heard the fruit of goodness over and over, but have never stopped to think about what it could mean.

Now I see why goodness is so important. Goodness is what teaches us how to treat others. It’s almost like the fruit of the Sprit has subdivisions (love, joy peace…goodness—virtuous, right etc.). Take a look at all the different descriptions of the word good again. Don’t you think we often take this word lightly? This is a strong word. It has a deeper meaning then I thought.

As I read the description of goodness, I was reminded of Timothy. Paul loved his companion Timothy dearly and I dare say it was because he was a loyal, kind, friend of good character. He must’ve been much like this word “good”. What amazes me, though, is that because of his commitment, loyalty and goodness to Paul and his dedication to evangelizing, God used him much more than people even twice his age. He was committed to the Gospel and God gave him greater projects everytime he completed one. The Lord was pleased with his character, therefore, he used him immensely. Besides the Lord’s pleasure with him (which is ultimately the most important), it seems to me that Paul was pleased with him as well. Paul and Timothy were a team for a long time in taking the Gospel all over and I believe they did so much because they both practiced goodness with each other and the people around them. They were an example of goodness even before opening their mouths to share the Gospel.

Just knowing that God will use me motivates me to practice goodness. When we practice goodness, God not only will use us, but we are being an example to our friends and especially our siblings. Those are the kinds of traits our parents try to raise us with. If we know what the Bible says about it, we should try to practice it daily. Since younger siblings often want to imitate the older, we will be an example to them and be helping and supporting our parents as they try to instill this sort of character in our siblings.

God is going to mold us into that good person He wants us to be one way or another. He doesn’t care if we refuse to or don’t go willingly. He’s going to do His will in our life (which we should thank Him for) and since He’s not going to change His mind (even if we refuse) shouldn’t we simply learn to trust and obey Him willingly? :)

Did you know what the word good really meant? If you do now, is that going to affect the way you use the word?

Is there any specific situation where you can practice goodness?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!
~Sophie