"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." -Proverbs 25:2
"Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely." -Proverbs 25:14
"Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit." -Proverbs 25:28
Goodness! What does this word make you think of? I'm not quite sure that I knew what to think when I first looked at this word. Are we simply being commanded to be obedient? According to John MacArthur goodness is: "Moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness (Ro 5:7). Believers are commanded to exemplify goodness (Gal 6:10; 2Th 1:11)." [The MacArthur Study Bible, notes on Galatians 5:22 "goodness"].
Let's take a look at the verses listed in his notes: Galatians 6:9-10 - "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - "To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you , and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
We see here that the origins of our "goodness" comes from our Father who is in heaven. Paul says that God is the one who can "fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power..." in our lives. What stands out to me in this verse, though, is that he says that God will fulfill our desire for goodness... which means that we must first have a desire for goodness. We must first seek God with all of our hearts. Remember the promise of Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Desiring God and the things of God is the first step in attaining the fruits of the Spirit. Without desire, there is no motivation, no conviction, no reason to go on when things get hard... we must desire God to the point of desperation, when we understand the urgency that knowing Him is far more important than anything else in this life.
Before we move into our study of goodness I would like to invite you to join me in taking this day to prepare our hearts... to pray and ask that the desire for the things of God would be birthed in your life. This is my prayer, that God would be magnified in me, and that the desire for things that are of Him would receive the highest level of importance and the greatest amount of energy in my life.
Friends, I look forward to studying goodness, but it will be in vain if we do not desire the things of God above everything else in life. If we are too distracted by earthly pleasures, what good is it to even bother with goodness or kindness towards others? We must first have the desire for growth, otherwise we strive in vain...
I pray that you will join me in preparing our hearts for what God has said He will fulfill in the hearts of those who desire Him. God bless each one of you as you seek His will above your own!
Grace and Peace to you, my brothers and sisters...
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
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