Is there really such a thing as a good person? When I thought about the topic of goodness, I was stuck on what to write about because I know that I am not good. Nothing about me as a sinful person is good. But something Elizabeth already told us this week is that God is good all the time, whether in hard times or good times. He is a good Father who cares enough about His children to send His son to die for us to save us from our sins and help us to ultimately become like Jesus.
But as long as we’re in this fallen world we’re not really good. When someone calls me a “good person” it really bothers me because I know that my nature isn’t good. Maybe I’m being too critical, but Paul from the New Testament had the same idea.
In Romans 7:19-20 Paul says,
“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
Paul acknowledges that we do things we know we shouldn’t do and things we don’t want to do all the time because of our sinful nature. So, should we just give up on being good because of our sin? Definitely not. Several times in the Bible we’re reminded that every good and perfect thing comes from God. He is our only source of goodness and our only guide to help us do good.
So how do we focus on the goodness God has for us instead of our own sinful nature that wants us to do bad? Paul gives us an answer for that too. Galatians 5:16 says,
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
How do we walk by the Spirit?
Philippians 4:8 reminds us,
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
If we focus on things that are good and true and honorable and if we set our minds and hearts on worshiping and praising God, we’re one step closer to walking in the Spirit and choosing God’s goodness. If we choose to do good things in work, in relationships, in serving others, we are one step closer to walking in the Spirit and embracing God’s goodness. God has been so good to us by giving us salvation and being with us every day. We can give just a fraction of that back to him by focusing on good and doing good. How can you practice goodness in your daily life this week?
Katelyn