Goodness: A Fruit of the Spirit

Article, written by my friend and ministry partner

Today, I’m sharing an article written by my friend and ministry partner who chooses to remain anonymous. Using Scriptures, she teaches us what goodness is, and the importance of obeying God’s command to be good always.

Before I got born again, I was not naturally inclined to be good in my thoughts, words, and actions. Having received a new nature in Chris Jesus, I remain committed to abiding in Christ through His Word and obeying the prompts of the Holy Spirit. If I do not, I dishonor God and prevent others from tasting God’s goodness through me. Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit, which flows from me to others as I yield and surrender myself to the Holy Spirit.

My challenge to you (and me) is to find as many Scriptures as we can that speak on the fruit of goodness and meditate on them until they become ingrained in our subconscious.

Until next time…..

Chizobam Idahosa

The Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, GOODNESS, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” Galatians 5: 22 -23 ESV

We understand from Galatians 5:16-24 ESV that when we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives, we bear the fruit of the Spirit. Goodness is one of the fruit we bear as we yield to the Holy Spirit.

What is the fruit of Goodness?

Goodness is the manifestation of moral excellence. We bear the fruit of goodness when we allow the Word of God through the help of the Holy Spirit to shape how we think, speak, and act.

In Luke 6:45 ESV, Jesus said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

The contents of our hearts determine our actions. In Matthew 15:19 ESV, Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” These Scriptures show us that what fills our hearts determines what we say and do, and we know from Psalm 19:7-10 ESV that the Word of God is the good treasure. Therefore, bearing the fruit of goodness must begin with renewing our minds with the Word of God so that by the help of the Holy Spirit, we can start to think, speak and act in a manner that is good and acceptable to God.

The Word of God is filled with Scriptures that will produce the fruit of goodness in us if we take the time to study them, meditate on them, and make a habit of obeying them.

Seven Bible Verses on Bearing the Fruit of Goodness

“So then, as we have opportunity let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 ESV

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Hebrews 13:16 ESV

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27 ESV

“For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:10-11 ESV

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Romans 12:9 ESV

“Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” 3 John 1:11 ESV

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Luke 6:27-28 ESV

God is Good

Psalm 25:8-9 ESV tells us that the Lord is good and upright, and in Ephesians 5:1, Apostle Paul commands us to be imitators of God.

Every time we obey the Word of God, we bear the fruit of goodness. By our obedience, we proclaim God’s moral excellence (His goodness) and fulfill God’s purpose of making us His chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, and His very own possession (1Peter 2:9 NLT).

God is glorified when we bear the fruit of goodness. Furthermore, it is of great benefit to us both in this life and when we reunite with our Lord and Savior. (See Psalm 125:4-5 ESV, Revelation 2:26 NLT)

Let us pay close attention to these commands, not just to have head knowledge of them, but to hide them in our hearts and practice them as we interact with people.

Prayer

Inspired by the words of Apostle Paul, I earnestly pray that God will make us worthy of His calling. And that by His mighty power, He will fulfill our resolve to do good and our every deed prompted by faith.

I pray that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in us, and we in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

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