Word of the Month: Goodness

The word goodness is found in the Bible many times, most recognizable in Psalm 23, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever’. God is the measure of all things, including goodness and what it means.

So, let’s start with an understanding of the ‘goodness’ of God as a harvest of the Spirit’s working in our living. Goodness is love in action, love with its hand to the plow, love with burden on its back, love following in His footsteps who went about continually doing good. ‘Goodness’ has fallen on bad times in our day! It has a bad press connotation – after all who really wants to be ‘good’? It’s expecting people to be weak, or somehow less than aggressive. In the minds of some people today its an old-fashioned quality and out of date. We would rather be chic, slick, popular, exciting, with it, or even living on the edge. Being good and exhibiting goodness may be a battleground.

Just because you decide to let goodness become part of your lifestyle doesn’t mean it will happen easily. There are ups and downs; good days and bad days, good and evil are a constant struggle.

DEFINITION: The word goodness comes from the word good meaning to be desired or approved of. The quality of being morally good or virtuous. That which is pleasing or valuable or useful. The state or characteristic of being good. SCRIPTURE: Psalm 23, Psalm 31:19, Romans 15:14, Matthew 12:33-35, Matthew 25:31-46

PUTTING IT TO WORK: The life of goodness is a life with God at the center. Read the suggested scripture and look for other examples in the Bible. Think of a time when you were not aware of the needs and well-being of the people around you. Discuss these situations with your family around the dinner table and then brainstorm how you can spread goodness next time. Make ‘goodness’ a goal! Donate a gift to the Angel Tree, cook a meal for a friend, bake something for a neighbor, or run errands for a family member. That is spreading goodness. We need to show others God’s love by spreading goodness. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with GOODNESS! We can be our best when we allow the Spirit of God to work within us so that Jesus Christ living through us can touch this world with goodness!

Here is the link to more information and activities: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12SuoRad-ddeF0jmQ0K2-5YYPdPkL4Vpn?usp=sharing