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4 ATTRIBUTES OF GOODNESS

Lets talk about goodness, the fifth fruit of the Spirit as we've looked at love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and what are we talking about when we talk about goodness. Now first of all, no one really thinks of themselves as not good, not too many people, and so when the Bible talks about goodness being a fruit, a character quality, a descriptor of our following of Jesus, what exactly are we talking about? Is this something that you arrive at or is it a compass, something that you're pointed towards? Okay, so there's four definitions.

This word goodness, out of Galatians 5, first of all, it is not a passive quality. So let me say it like this, the converse of this would be the idea of the word justice. So the idea of goodness, as we're going to find as we look more into this, very much has to do with what is right, what is wrong, our sense, our inclination towards what is right and what is wrong. So it's not a passive word, it's an active word. It's a way that we're pointed in our life. It has to do with our moral direction, a desire coming up inside of us to do the right thing. So it's not a passive word.

Secondly, it is the deliberate preference of right to wrong. The deliberate preference of right to wrong, what is that talking about? It's talking about the motive in our hearts to do what is right. So as you follow Jesus, you will find yourself more and more inclined to do the right thing instead of doing the wrong thing. The Bible refers to this as keeping in step with the spirit or being led by the spirit. That means that as we follow Jesus more and more, we will be inclined to do the right thing. What is the right thing?

What is the right thing? Well, this Holy Spirit will let you know in each situation what is the right thing, what is the wrong thing. The most powerful thing that you can do to accelerate your spiritual growth is to yield your life to the Holy Spirit. Is to say, Holy Spirit, fill me. Holy Spirit, guide me in every situation and circumstance that I find myself in today. And then this quality of goodness, this fruit of the Spirit will begin to manifest. It's not a passive thing. It's a deliberate thing. The word deliberate there.

Now, the third thing that it is, is it's the firm persistence and resistance to evil. So to have the fruit of the Spirit means that you're able to persist in doing the right thing and also to resist evil. So it's persisting in doing what is right. It's resisting what is wrong. Now, how do we do that? Well, persisting in what is right, resisting what is wrong is rooted in this word humility. So there are some things that you're sort of inclined to resist as a part of your character that's already formed. Then you need accountability where you are weak. You see, it takes humility to overcome your weaknesses. You don't overcome your weaknesses with your strength. You overcome your weaknesses with someone else's strength. So that is exactly why we need other believers. Leaning on the strength of other believers is what helps us overcome our weaknesses. Having humility and leaning on other people's strengths is what helps us persistently do what is right and resist what is wrong. Now, the fourth thing that it is, is the choosing and following of all moral good. So to say that we have the fruit of goodness in our life is to say that we are choosing and following moral goodness.

Now, remember when we talked about it not being a passive quality? So my alarm goes off every day at 4 a.m. because my father drove a forklift for 37 years. That's the time that my father got up. And that's what I know as a man. I get up at 4 a.m. That's part of what I had modeled for me. And I took that positive quality from my father and I incorporated it into my life. Early riser, early work ethic. There are some days when that goes off that I do not want to get up. Sometimes I hit snooze a few times. Nine minutes at a time. However, there's a determination to choose and to follow the path laid out for me each day. So this fruit of goodness is something that you have to choose in your life each day. It's not a passive thing.

It's a personal discipline decision. So, what's going on here with goodness? Please look at this again because God wants to manifest his goodness in our life. And you don't have to follow Jesus very long to realize that we want to understand what it is that he's talking about. Then we want to pray for him to help us.

In fact, let's do that now. Lord, help us to have the fruit of goodness in our life in Jesus' name. Thanks so much for joining me today. See you again tomorrow.

If you need anything or if your going through a hard time please text me 562-553-2024. Your not alone - Ryan