Goodness  

good·ness – the state or quality of being good, moral excellence; virtue.  Kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.  The best part of anything; essence; strength. You do not wake up one morning a bad person. It happens by a thousand tiny surrenders of self-respect to self-interest. ~Robert Brault

When I think of goodness I often think of my grandmother.  She was a good person.  She didn’t have or own a lot of things but she had a big heart.  I spent many summers with my grandmother and you always knew you were loved when you were around her. 

When I started thinking of my grandmother it made me think of how we learn goodness in this life.  How do children in this day and age learn goodness?  In Galatians 6:10, Paul tells us to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.  In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul tells Timothy, “but if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied his faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” This one verse caught my attention.  We sometimes treat our own families worse than we do strangers.  The thing is, if we are out doing good deeds for others while neglecting the needs of our spouse, parents, or children, we are not practicing the grace of goodness.  The only way children will learn goodness is by our actions.

True goodness is self-sacrificing, not only of money but also of time.  It is also untiring.  True goodness doesn’t look at getting a result from doing good deeds.  True goodness doesn’t look to the recipients of the good deed, but looks to God alone.  Knowing the goodness you do is pleasing to the Father should give us the strength to move forward. 

“And so in the judgment day, the inquiry will be made not into our opinions or professions alone, but into our deeds, as proving the correctness of our faith and the sincerity of our professions.  Never can we know that we are in the right way, except we walk in the footsteps of Him, who did good in all his life and death.  He came from heaven to do good on earth, that we in doing good might tread the path to heaven.”  George Bethune

“Consider your gifts, your talents, your vocation, and your circumstances as a special trust from God with which to serve Him by serving others.”  Jerry Bridges

           

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we are called by You to do good deeds for others.  Too many times I get caught up in “what’s in it for me” instead of doing it for Your purpose.  I need Your help in keeping my focus on You.  If my heart is in the right place, I will gladly do for others.  Thank You for Your love and mercy.

Scripture:  “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  Matthew 6:1-3