The Fruit of Goodness
In everyday life, we often use the word good as a rating for something, like a movie or restaurant, that is better than okay, but not quite great. When someone asks us how we are doing, we almost always default to “I’m good, how are you?”. But as a fruit of the spirit, goodness is so much more than a rating or feeling. It is an indicator of how close we are to God and how obedient we are to His will, rather than our own.
The pursuit of goodness is not new. Perhaps the most common plot for anything with a story line (e.g., movies, plays, video games, etc.) is the battle of good versus evil. It is a universal theme that is told over and over again. The Bible acknowledges that a struggle between good and evil exists within all of us:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
The use of words like “overcome”, “turn”, “seek”, and “pursue” in these verses suggests that action is required to resist evil. Inaction puts us at risk. Are you actively turning from evil and seeking goodness in all that you do? Not quite sure what goodness means? You have come to the right place! Keep reading to find out.
Jourdan’s Definition:
Do you remember getting dropped off at school or a friend’s house and having your Mom or Dad lean out the window of the car and yell “Be good!”? I like to think that goodness being a fruit of the spirit is God’s way of yelling “Be good!” at us from the car window. I imagine Him saying this to us every time we step into a store, make a big decision, talk to someone…okay, you get the point. He probably yells this at us a lot. But do we listen? Or do we act like rebellious teenagers who think we know better and walk off only to be proven wrong? Goodness as a fruit of the spirit is interesting to me, because it feels harder to define than the other characteristics. What exactly is “good”? Is it subjective? And how can we achieve it if even Jesus said that no one is good except God alone (Luke 18:19)? Yes, Jesus says this when asked what good thing will give eternal life, but he also gives clear instruction: to keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17). What I have learned is that God does not expect us to be perfect, but he does expect us to actively pursue goodness. Still unsure about what that looks like? I have come up with an analogy to hopefully better explain!
🧭 I propose to you that in order to distinguish between good and evil, or right and wrong, we need a moral compass. There is a fixed point on a compass called “true north.” If true north is a guiding principle that never changes, then on your moral compass, true north is Jesus. Jesus leads you to what is true, or good. Doing good is doing as Jesus did. Remember those WWJD bracelets? Even if they are not cool to wear anymore, you should still be asking yourself that same question—What Would Jesus Do?
🧭 What happens if you do not have a compass? The good news is that if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, you can use the North Star to orient you in the direction of true north. In this analogy, the North Star is goodness. Goodness leads you to Jesus just like the North Star leads you to true north! By living the fruit of the spirit, you are guided by truth and will find eternal life (John 14:6).
🧭 If you do not calibrate a GPS, its direction will not be accurate. To calibrate a GPS, you have to set it to true north. So anytime we feel like our direction in life is off, we need to recalibrate to true north (Jesus) by following the North Star (goodness). That is, living by His commandments.
Nohemi’s Definition:
Ahh the goodness of God! It’s truly amazing how good God is to us. Time and time again we read stories of his goodness throughout the Bible. How He healed the blind and the lame, how He helped those that walked in fire, and how He fed thousands with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Present time, we do hear how good God is in our neighbor’s life, a friend’s life or a colleague’s life, but sometimes it can be hard to see it in our own lives. God’s goodness is still at work even if you are going through hurt, or disparity. With that being said, I want to share some encouragement, but with a twist. Below are some verses that I challenge you to write down and place them somewhere you can see and read when you feel like there is no hope, or when you are feeling low in His goodness. You can take the challenge a step further by memorizing these verses and speaking the goodness of God in your life and in others.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. -James 1:17
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. -Psalms 27:13
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. -Psalms 34:8
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. -1 Peter 2:9
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. -Philippians 1:6
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. -Hebrews 13:8
Here are some worship songs that can help uplift when you need a praise break:
“Touch the Hem (feat. Trinity Anderson)” by William McDowell
“Healer” by Evan Craft & Christine D’Clario
“Lean Back (reprise)” by WorshipMob
“Nothing is Better (Than Your Love)” by Will Morrison
Core Fruit:
While we are called to display all nine fruit of the Spirit, we believe each of us has a fruit that is at the core of our being. It is the fruit that we display most often, the one that defines our personality, or the one that comes easiest. As promised in the introduction of this series, we want to help you identify your “core fruit.” We felt inspired by the idea behind the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Just like knowing your love language can strengthen your relationships, so can knowing your own “core fruit.” We believe leading with the fruit of the Spirit helps us to relate better to God, and in turn others.
Your “core fruit” might be goodness if:
You always seek self-improvement
You have a strong sense of values
You live by The Golden Rule
You love making new memories
You are trustworthy
Questions to think about:
How would you define “goodness”? How has God been “good” to you? What Would Jesus Do?
