“I’m good.”
This common, two-word phrase might be our response when offered a second helping at dinner, a cup of hot chocolate by the campfire, or a section of the Sunday paper by our spouse. It conveys an attitude of contentment or satisfaction – not needing or desiring anything.
“Good” was also what God proclaimed over His creation at the conclusion of each day. He even added the pronoun very on the last day:
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
Good, of course, is the root of the word, goodness – the sixth trait listed in those describing the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.
When we consider goodness as a descriptor, it may bring to mind adjectives like virtuous or moral. Each of us can readily identify a person in our life who is virtuous or moral, but not a follower of Christ. The goodness Paul is describing can only be produced by the Spirit. This type of good is supernatural – well beyond the realm of human striving or doing. We may choose to do good things, but we can never achieve goodness apart from the Spirit of God working in and through us.
Dr. Spiros Zodhiates is on my long list of brothers and sisters I’m looking forward to meeting in heaven. Dr. Zodhiates was a Bible scholar and creator of the The Hebrew-Greek KeyWord Study Bible (always my go-to when I need to unpack a specific word in a verse). From Dr. Zodhiates we learn the Greek word translated goodness is agathosune. He says agathosune is “…character energized expressing itself in agathon, active good.”
Active good … an enlightening phrase.
Goodness is the result of active good.
Paul wrote to the believers at Thessalonica:
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling,
and that by his power he may bring to fruition
your every desire for goodness [agathosune]
and your every deed prompted by faith.
II Thessalonians 1:11
It is only by the power of God that our desires for goodness become reality. If we are allowing the Spirit of God to be released to work through us, goodness will be evident.
The goodness inspired by the Holy Spirit is not just a passive attitude, it’s an active behavior.
So let me ask you (and myself) again: Are you good?
This week marked the launch of our five-week Christmas study, Characters of Christmas! Each week of the study will be devoted to examining one person (or group) in the Christmas story.
If you are following along with us online, please read Luke 1:26-56 to help prepare for this week’s teaching lecture. We invite you to watch as Laura shares thoughts on Mary, the mother of Christ:
If you accept Laura’s challenge to bless your delivery drivers during the holiday season, you can download our free porch sign here: https://bit.ly/3QGCYPm
Visit our Downloads page for our Fruit of the Spirit, Part II bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. study pages, as well as other free resources to help you balance your heart for God with the demands of a busy life (and the approaching holiday season).
