Goodness of God and Abide

Without God, we are truly not good, because the good that the world says is good, is not truly in alignment with what the goodness of God is. If we live by the rules of the world, controlled by our emotions, and because of the differencing of opinions, what is good to one person may not be seen as good to another one. Have you ever had that happen? 

By definition Goodness is “the quality of being morally good or virtuous”. If you think about it, we are actually only as good as God who is in us and if you do not abide in God and him in you, then the good in you isn’t a goodness that’s from God. The good will fall apart when the flesh and heart decide to deceive you. When someone hurts you, the world says it’s good to hurt back, but God says 2 wrongs don’t make a right (Romans 12:17, Do not repay anyone evil for evil.) Doing good and being good is looked at with acknowledgment of accomplishments, always striving to be the best or to have the next best thing. The standard of the world's goodness isn’t the Goodness of God. Jesus declared in Luke 18:19 that “No one is good—except God alone,” It doesn’t matter how good you think you are; we all fall short and are in need of a savior. 

The Good News is that through the Holy Spirit we are given the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and goodness is a part of that. So, if we abide in Christ, then we have access to the father who is nothing but good and he wants us to grow in the fruit of goodness so we can become more like Him. God is the one who helps us produce not just goodness that only can comes from him, but yet good fruit. 

In John Chapter 15 Jesus says that he is the vine and God our father is the vine master. (The gardener or the farmer, depending on what version you read). We are the branch, and the branches need to be pruned to produce good fruit, but without Jesus we don’t have access to the appropriate pruning that needs to take place in our life, and we miss out on the goodness of God. The pruning process helps us to produce both good works and good fruits through new growth in many different seasons of life. It gives us the opportunity to fully see the goodness of God through many ups and downs that life throws at us. Through the hardships and the victories, through the valley, and on the mountain tops, God is good. He always has been and always will be.

Experiencing God’s goodness is about abiding in him and anchoring your faith in the fact that God never changes. Seek his presence, worship him, praise him, and pray daily. Be open to opening your heart to encounter God’s goodness in your life and if we want to show the world the goodness of God, we must abide in Christ.  We will always continue to be pruned to produce good fruit and for us to go out into the world to share it, which we are called to do. As Jesus said, 'this is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.’

Ask yourself,

• Is the “good” I do based on God’s standards, or worldly standards and standards I’ve created?
• How do my actions show God’s goodness? 
• Pray for understanding to discern between the worldly versions of “goodness” we see around us every day and the true goodness that comes from God.---

Lord,

Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” and when I truly abide in you it does. Thank you, God, for your goodness upon my life and the life of all you have saved by your grace. Help me daily to walk in your goodness and to see all the good that’s from you. I pray you can help me discern what’s truly from you and your standard. Help me to even shift my mindset so it aligns with you and your word, which is truth. I don’t want to live in a way that isn’t your standard. Forgive me Lord for if I’ve fell short here but thank you for allowing me to be pruned to produce both good fruits and works that truly bring a joy. Your so good God. I praise you for …..(add anything you want to praise God for here) 

Guide me in your goodness this week.

In Jesus name, 

Amen ---