Your Daily Slice

SHEVAT 6

The Fruit of Goodness

 

“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is … GOODNESS (benevolence)” (Gal 5:22 AMPC, emphasis mine)

 

It is inherited within us the need to blow our own trumpet, even if it is just a small one, when we ‘do something good’.  And many of us can think of other people we know, admirable people, who have ‘good’ qualities in their character; they have an intense desire to do good and may even abstain from all evil.  However – and this holds true for all of us - their motive for doing good should always be from a heart open and broken before our Creator, regardless of whether there is anyone watching or not.  The Apostle Paul tells us that no ‘good thing’ dwells in our flesh (Rom 7:18), and James lets us know that if we deliberately withhold the ability to ‘do good’, we are in sin (Jam 4:17).  The answer? 

 

“for it is Elohim who is working IN YOU both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.”  (Phi 2:13 AMPC, emphasis mine)

 

Messiah Yeshua told us in no uncertain terms that only Yahweh is good (Mat 19:17), so it is only by His power – that of the Ruach haKodesh, the Spirit of Elohim within us - that this fruit of ‘goodness’ can be nurtured, matured, and brought to harvest in our lives.  Like the fruit of kindness, this fruit of goodness often grows best in hardship and persecution, but the return invested into our own lives is an abundance of peace and joy that we cannot afford to deny.

 

^“And let us not lose heart IN DOING GOOD, for in due season we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” (Gal 6:9, emphasis mine)

 

“Only goodness and kindness follow me All the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the House of יהוה, To the length of days!” (Ps 23:6)

 

Our Father, as we learn more about Your fruit, Your character, the evidence of You in us, help us to submit, to yield, to be willing to allow You to bring these fruit to maturity in our lives.  Help us to show the goodness of Yeshua to those around us; let us be the flavor of salt, the light in the dark, the soft touch, the voice of the Father’s love to the world that You desire us to be …

 

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