Week 6 Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

Hello everyone!! We’ve made it to week 6 of our discussion. There are only 3 more fruit to explore. Throughout my time of preparation for each week’s blog, it has been fascinating to be able to learn and grow while sharing with you all. I hope that as you journey along, you are gaining new insight on each fruit of the Spirit. I have found it interesting to see how the various fruit are intertwined with one another. But the most noticeable is love. It is love that bonds everything together. Choosing to operate in genuine love that comes from the Father is the key that enables us to produce the remaining eight. Our previous discussions should bring awareness that all nine are a packaged deal. We shouldn’t produce only a few while neglecting to have the others. All should be displayed in our lives. 

In today’s blog, we will discuss goodness. By examining the scriptures, we are able to see how we can seek to do good toward others. This discussion will challenge us to have a greater level of selflessness. We can not seek to do good to others while we are full of ourselves, wrapped up in selfish ambitions and our own needs. In the next few sections, we will go over the call to do good toward others, how to persevere in goodness, and how we can show goodness to others. 

The Call To Do Good Toward Others

Vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one’s achievements; excessive vanity (definition from the Oxford Dictionary)

As believers, we must understand that we’re called to do good toward those within the body of Christ as well as unbelievers. Christ gives us clear instructions in Luke 6. In verse 25, He tells us to love our enemies and do good to them, which hate you. Then, in verse 35, He reiterates that same command to love your enemies and do good. That paints a crystal clear picture that love and doing good are not subject to only a select few. It’s not a suggestion. We don’t have the option to only do good to those who treat us well. If we are born-again believers, we are required to love and do good with no exceptions to the command. Additionally, Christ instructs us to bless those who curse you and to pray for those who despitefully use you. This takes maturity on the behalf of believers. There is no room for holding on to offense. But most importantly, it leaves no place for us to be vengeful seeking to retaliate for the wrong done to us. Romans 12:21 informs us that we are not to be overtaken by evil; instead, we overcome or conquer evil with good. Once we are born-again our behavior should no longer be dictated by our former sinful nature. We have to put our flesh in check and yield to the Spirit of God.

When we walk in the Spirit, it prevents us from fulfilling the lustful desires of our flesh. We put off any hatred and wrath. We are not reactionary, looking to repay evil with evil. Instead, we give room for YAH to handle the matter. We can rest in the fact that vengeance belongs to Him, and He will repay. What we believe to be a form of retaliation has no comparison to YAH’s wrath. So we need to heed Christ’s command to love and do good. In observing verse 31 in Luke 6, we see that you should do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. We’re to treat others the way we want to be treated. Furthermore, it leaves no excuse for us to mistreat anyone regardless of what they have said or done. It causes us to be responsible for our own actions and prevents us from casting blame. It guarantees that we have to do the right thing and treat people the right way.

With our call to do good toward others, there is a need for selflessness and generosity. We can not fulfill this command if we’re only concerned about ourselves and our own needs. We should look out for one another. Those who have the ability and resources should use what they have to meet the needs of others. We should not hoard all our resources when we have the capability to assist someone else. If a person has a need, those who can should be ready and willing to help the individual.

Persevering in Doing Good

As believers, it’s possible for us to become fatigued as we give and pour into others. The above scripture serves as a reminder to not grow weary as we seek to do good.  While in pursuit of doing good, it’s vital that we, ourselves, are refreshed. Those who pour into the lives of others also need to be poured into. We can not pour effectively when we are depleted. That’s why times of refreshing are necessary for each and every one of us. The refreshing we need comes through presence. When we spend time in the presence of our Father, we are renewed. We are able to feel rejuvenated. Where we once felt depleted, we now have new energy. Through YAH, we receive His strength. The motivation we need to keep pressing forward is given through His Spirit. As we read and meditate on the Word of God, our minds are renewed. Our “why” becomes clear, and we don’t lose focus. Being empowered by the Holy Spirit enables us to persevere, continuing our seek to do good toward others.

How to Show Goodness to Others

  • Displaying God’s goodness to others
    • Rooted in love – Having a heart of compassion that is concerned about the well-being of other people (Love and concern)
    • Looking out for others instead of being consumed with ourselves (Selflessness)
      • Requires stripping ourselves of selfishness and putting on selflessness
      • Making the necessary sacrifices for the betterment of someone else
    • Being intentional in meeting the needs of others (Intentionality)
    • It takes humility to consider others before ourselves. (Humility)
  • Servanthood – Service to others – Volunteering
    • Displaying the love of God while serving others in their time of need
    • Treat people with dignity and compassion
    • Serving, not out of obligation, but from a genuine desire to be a blessing to others.
    • Our motives matter, our heart posture matters, and we need to examine our why.
      • We need to ask ourselves, why am I serving or volunteering?
        • Is it solely out of responsibility? Is it for recognition? Would I still serve if I never received any acknowledgment or praise from others? Is it a mixture of both responsibility and the expectation of recognition? Or, is it because I have the desire to help/serve in whatever capacity I can?
  • Examples of Service and Volunteering
    • Meeting the spiritual needs of others by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Sharing the Good News with others – Evangelism)
    • Serving within your church’s outreach ministry (Ministry outside of the church, reaching the surrounding communities)
    • Participating in community outreach organizations
      • Feeding the homeless at a local shelter
      • Donating new or gently used items to local shelters
      • Volunteering at a local food bank
    • Hosting a (food, clothing, or toy) drive to benefit men, women, and  children who are housed in a local shelter
  • Giving our personal resources to meet the needs of others
    • Giving clothing and household items that are still in good condition to individuals (as led by the Holy Spirit)
    • Giving monetary donations (as led by the Holy Spirit)

Put It into Practice: Personal Reflection

  • Are there any areas hindering you from   displaying goodness to others?
  • Challenge: Find an opportunity to do good toward others.

Closing Thoughts

With our discussion today, I hope it encourages you to continue to do good to others. And for those of us who need to start the process, I pray this helps to show you the importance of how we treat others regardless of their treatment of us. We’re to treat others the way we want to be treated. We are required to love our enemies and do good.  As I often reiterate, there is a choice that we all have to make. We can choose to do it our way and face the consequences or YAH’s way and reap the benefits. The decision is yours.

**Scriptures used from the authorized King James Bible

Next Week’s Blog

Week 7: Faithfulness 🫐

TOPIC: Remaining Faithful as Believers