Daily Devotional
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: GOODNESS
March 30 - April 3
Sun., March 30
Taste and See
By John Madge
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“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”—Psalm 34:8 (NIV)
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I’d like you to think about your favorite meal and try to remember the first time you ever tried it. Let’s approach today’s verse with that level of excitement and expectation.
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Expanding upon our initial thought: What or who gave you the confidence to try eating that food for the first time? Perhaps it was an advertisement that showed off other people enjoying the food. Or maybe it was family and friends who had already tried it and told you about how good it was. You could have also used your other senses (sight, touch, smell, etc.) before deciding to taste.
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Regardless of how you came to your decision, there was a level of trust in the testimony of others who had already tried it. I say trust because your senses and the testimony of others don’t always line up perfectly. Your senses could be raving over the look, sight, and smell of the food, but others could dissuade you by telling you that it’s awful. Or conversely, your senses could rebel against you trying it and others could swear by the food’s goodness. In order for you to taste, you had to first trust and believe.
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There’s still one last factor I’d like to draw your attention to: hunger. Hunger signals that your body needs food.
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Let’s consider two types of hunger as noted in Scripture:
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Philippians 3:19 ESV emphasis added) says, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” This hunger is a worldly hunger. It’s the type of hunger that seeks only to satisfy the natural desires of man, which are described in 1 John 2:16 (NIV): “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” But as we’re told in 1 John one verse prior, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world . . . comes not from the Father but from the world.”
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This hunger is the kind of thing that promises satisfaction but never delivers; it always leaves us unsatisfied. But there’s a second type of hunger . . . In Matthew 5:6 (NIV), Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
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So, hunger isn’t a bad thing; the question is what are we hungry for? The things of this world or God and the things of God?
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Just consider what David said: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” When you taste the goodness of God through relationship, by spending time with Him, and by consuming His Word, the Holy Spirit does two things:
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1) He fills you and you experience a fullness, contentment, and satisfaction unlike any other because it’s centered on the unlimited goodness and ever-increasing grace of God in your life. He fills you to overflow, which then spills out into the lives of others so that they can taste!
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2) He changes your appetite! The things of the world that used to seem so enticing to the senses now taste bad!
Friends, I invite you to taste it! Spend time with Him, consume the Word regularly, and sit at the table of prayer and worship. As you do, you’ll see, experience, and live in the goodness of God, which will bring the best fullness you can ever imagine!
Pause: What is holding you back from following the advice of today’s passage of Scripture?
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Practice: Read and memorize Psalm 34:8
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Pray: Lord, I believe You are good and that Your goodness endures forever. I want to taste and see Your goodness today. May Your goodness overflow in my life unto the lives of others, that I would repeat the words of the psalmist, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Amen.
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Mon., March 31
Godly Goodness
By Pastor Dan Hickling
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“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness . . .”—Ephesians 5:8–9 (NKJV)
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As we seek a deeper understanding of the character qualities God’s Spirit desires to produce in our lives, it helps to define the actual word used for them. When it comes to the quality of “goodness” that’s listed among the “fruit of the Spirit” passage in Galatians 5:22-23 as well as the passage above in Ephesians, the actual Greek word being used is agathosyne. This particular word is very interesting and deserves our deepest attention.
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When a word like goodness hits our ears, we tend to automatically associate it with other qualities of the Holy Spirit, such as kindness and gentleness. True, these characteristics can overlap in many instances. There’s a goodness that’s gentle and kind in its expression. But this specific type of goodness, agathosyne goodness, has a unique property that sets it apart in an important way. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate it is to demonstrate what it is not.
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Imagine you’re in desperate need of help. Let’s say you’re on the highway and you get a flat tire. You pull over to the shoulder lane and it’s pouring like crazy. As you reach for your phone to call for a tow, you suddenly realize you left it behind somewhere. A person sees your dilemma, slows down, and kindly calls out how sympathetic they are for your situation. In a gentle tone, they even promise to pray for you before speeding off.
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You probably wouldn’t say they were overflowing with goodness, would you? That’s because goodness required something more in that moment—you needed some practical help to make a call, get a ride, or fix your tire. That’s what God’s goodness is—active goodness that’s ready and willing to do what needs to be done in response to need.
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This is what the Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives as we continue to abide and grow in our relationship with Christ. He wants to work in such a way that we’re known as people who don’t just say all the right things without actively engaging in what’s right. Instead, we’re those whose character can be counted on to do the right thing.
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Here’s what we also need to understand about this form of goodness: It will do what’s right despite the difficulties that may be involved. And by “difficulties” we’re not just talking about helping someone on the side of the road, but actually doing something unpopular like rolling up your sleeves to confront a problem that’s unhealthy and damaging lives.
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This is what Jesus did when He overturned the tables of those who were using the sincere desire to worship God as a money-making enterprise. We wouldn’t normally think of Jesus turning tables as an exercise of goodness, but it certainly was when we consider the motives and spiritual stakes involved. Action had to be taken, difficult action, the active goodness of God.
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To “walk as children of light,” as we’re called to do in today’s passage, is to allow the Holy Spirit’s active goodness to flow through our lives. This won’t always be convenient or popular, but it will always be right.
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Pause: How would you define the type of goodness described here in your own words?
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Practice: Consider when you’ve experienced this type of goodness in your own life.
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Pray: Lord, I want to be a person who doesn’t just profess goodness, but who expresses goodness in every aspect of my life. Continue to create this quality in me as I continue to abide by and yield to Your authority over my life. Amen.
Tues., April 1
An Overflow of God's Goodness
By Samantha Rodriguez
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Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”—Romans 12:21 (NIV)
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When I read this verse in Scripture, I can’t help but think about all the princess movies out there that so often depict this idea. It’s goodness and love that always conquer all in the end. In any good action movie, it’s also a similar trend that the “good” guys always win. Even those movies that have main characters who resemble anti-heroes, people who have a mixture of good and bad within them, it’s always the good in them that allows them to win in the end. There’s a reason we see this trend in most of our stories and movies—we love to see the good win.
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Because God’s fingerprint is on our hearts, we retain a desire for goodness that can only be explained by our Creator, who is full of goodness. Unfortunately, our hearts are also tainted by our sinful nature and the darkness in the world. For this reason, God made a way for our hearts to be redeemed and restored to Himself through Christ! That is why Paul wrote Romans—to exhort Roman churches to follow Christ in a pagan culture and remind them of what to believe and how to act because of their redemption.
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In the chapters preceding Romans 12, Paul writes a lot about doctrine and explains salvation. In Romans 8:10–11 (NIV), he writes about an important distinction between those who believe in and follow Jesus and those who do not: “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” When we receive the Holy Spirit, we now have the ability to not only desire goodness but to produce it as a fruit of the Spirit as well! That’s why Paul continues to write about how we can practice goodness in Romans 12.
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Paul starts Romans 12 off by encouraging believers to not conform to the world but to allow God to transform their hearts and minds to look more like His. He then begins to list off a plethora of different ways we can love others better and honor God in our actions. Some ways include not comparing gifts but instead using ours for the Lord with joy, bearing others' burdens, not taking revenge, having patience, praying often, and more.
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The entire chapter ends with our main Scripture today, Romans 12:21 (NIV): “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The simplicity of this statement should inspire us to remember that because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we truly can overcome evil with good! When we abide in Christ and allow His Spirit to transform our hearts, He will produce within us a desire for goodness and an overflow of God’s goodness that we can then take into the world to fight evil. It may sound like a movie, but it isn’t. The goodness of God is real and powerful, and we have access to it through the Spirit! Hallelujah!
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Pause: Have you ever thought about the power of God’s goodness in your life? How has He shown you His goodness, and how have you been able to share it with others?
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Practice: Practicing goodness is not something we often think about. Today, consider what it would look like to share goodness with those around you. Perhaps it's through the generosity of money, resources, or time. Practice goodness for the glory of God today!
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Pray: Father, You are so good! Thank You for being so good that You sacrificed Yourself for us despite our imperfections and unfaithfulness. Thank You for pouring Your goodness into us so we can overflow with it into the lives of those around us. I pray and ask for that overflow today. I want You, Holy Spirit, to cultivate within me the fruit of goodness for the purpose of sharing it with others! Amen.
Wed., April 2
Living In God's Goodness
By Samantha Rodriguez
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“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”—Galatians 6:10 (NIV)
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Goodness is something we don’t always talk about in our society, and I actually think it’s because the word “good” is overused. Most of the time, our go-to adjective is the word “good.” We say that our food tastes good, that outfit looks good, we had a good day, or we’re feeling good. One of the fruits of the Spirit is goodness, and because we’ve been so desensitized to the rich meaning of the word, we must rediscover the reality of what goodness is all about. That’s what we will do today!
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God is good. It’s not just an adjective describing who He is, it IS who He is in His very being. We must rely on Him to see what goodness in the world looks like. Everything that holds some true goodness in the world retains its goodness because of the imprint of God, the Creator, that it has. The goodness of family and community, of intentional friendships, of delicious food, of joyous laughter, of marriage and birth, of sweet celebrations, of a beautiful scene in nature. The list can go on and on because, despite the fact that this world is broken and corrupted by sin, it still retains glimpses of God’s goodness and slices of heaven because He allows us to see eternity in the world around us so we can continue growing in faith and hope.
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Not only can we see and experience God’s goodness on earth, but we can also cultivate it in the way we live which is why we also can’t have goodness without the Spirit. Knowing the goodness of God in Scripture helps us to see how we can walk in His goodness toward others.
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The story I immediately think of when considering God’s goodness is when Jesus extends grace to the woman caught in adultery (John 8). In this story, some Pharisees and other Jews throw a woman caught in adultery to the ground in front of Jesus in order to publicly stone her as the law had said. They ask Jesus first what He thinks they should do in an attempt to trip Him up, and Jesus simply begins to write in the dust on the ground. When they continue asking Him this, He stands up and tells them that the person with no sin should be the first to throw a stone. He continues to write on the ground as they all walk away one by one. He asks the woman, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10 NIV). She tells Him no one has. Jesus responds with grace and truth and says, “’ Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’” (John 8:11 NIV).
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In this story, we see that goodness is all about extending grace and treating others with gentleness while still sharing truth and calling them to live in the light that only Jesus offers. We have the responsibility and the honor to live in the goodness of God and share it with others, so let’s do that today.
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Pause: Consider how God is good. Think about how you’ve seen His goodness in the past and how you’re seeing it in your present.
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Practice: God’s goodness should overflow into your actions. Today, share His goodness with someone around you by treating them with grace, kindness, and love as Jesus did to the woman in John 8.
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Pray: Father, You are a good God. You are the definition of good and, even when it’s hard to see that, I can believe it because of all You have done in the past both in Scripture and in my own life. You are faithful, and I ask for You to help me remember that as I go about my day and try to share Your goodness with others. I want to live in Your goodness, God. Amen.
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Thur., April 3
God Works and Good Works
By Danny Saavedra
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. . . . Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”—Titus 2:11–14, 3:1–2 (NIV)
What would it take for people to really think well of Christians, where they’d look on and see Christians as the examples, the pillars of the community, and as trustworthy and wise people? Where, like Job, we could honestly say, “All who saw me spoke well of me.”
A recent Lifeway survey of several thousand people cited that “72% said they think the church is full of hypocrites” and “44 percent said Christians get on my nerves." Ed Stetzer concluded: "There will always be the stumbling block of the cross. Yet our study shows that many are tripping over the church before they hear the message of the cross."
So, what must we do? What will it take to remove stumbling blocks and open doors so we can share the gospel?
Titus 2 and 3 show us two keys:
1. The believer must continually, daily remind himself or herself of the gospel (Titus 3:4–7).
2. In light of the gospel that has saved and sanctified us, the believer must “stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good” (Titus 3:8 NIV). We must be “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14 NIV), “ready to do whatever is good” (Titus 3:1 NIV).
Do you see it? The gospel at work in us must lead to good works. So, how do we do that?
Look again at the counsel above from Paul. In the Greek, these phrases convey a sense of being on the edge of your seat, eager, excited, looking for any opportunity to walk in good works and serve his or her community. This should be the attitude of every follower of Jesus—to be people who are like sprinters in position at the starting line just waiting for the whistle to blow on a good work that can be carried out in Jesus’ name!
At its core, this letter reveals to us why doing good matters. It’s not for salvation. It’s a fruit of it . . . because the gospel in us must result in dynamic good works!
And by the way, when I say “good works,” I don’t want you to interpret that as being a little better and doing some nice things for people. When you read good works, what I want you to see and understand is this idea of being filled, inspired, equipped, and moved by the Spirit to accomplish the work that God has prepared in advance for you to do. Those are true good works, the works of God in and through us. In fact, you could replace “good works” with “God's works” because, as Philippians 2:13 (NIV) says, “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
You see, good works are a byproduct of the Holy Spirit of God entering into our human hearts and changing the way we speak, think, and act. And here in Titus 2 and 3, Paul describes how that looks in every arena from church life, to home life, to public life regardless of our sex, season, or station. Because when we do, when we walk in the awareness of the gospel and live out the good works God has ordained for us in the church, our homes, and the world, we can make an impact and see revival happen in our generation!
Pause: What does it look like to be devoted, ready, and eager to do what is good?
Practice: Today, remind yourself of the gospel. Read it in Titus 3:4–7, Ephesians 2:4–5, Philippians 2:6–8, Colossians 2:13–14, and 2 Corinthians 5:21. Soak it in. Let the words penetrate every corner of your heart and mind. As it does, pray and ask the Lord how, in light of all He’s done for you in Christ, how does He desire for you to show the goodness of the gospel through your life today.
Pray: Father, there’s no greater good than Your gospel, than the work of Christ in the world and in my life. Thank You for the gospel! Thank You that today and every day I can be reminded of what Jesus has done for me and that in light of all He’s done for me and how He’s saved and sanctified me, I can walk in goodness and show the power of the gospel through my life as You have ordained. May I walk faithfully in the good works You have prepared for me that displays the glory of Christ to all. Amen.