”The fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness, righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9)
This is part of a series on the “fruit of
the Spirit,” and today we are looking at the word “goodness,"
which is found in Galatians 5:22 and also in Ephesians 5:9, today’s Scripture.
Have you ever met a person who is simply “good” through-and-through; no mean
streak in them? Possibly; for Jesus did say, “a good man
out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things…” (Matthew
12:35), suggesting that good people do exist. But we are human after all, and
our “goodness” is relative. Jesus also said, “No one is
good but One, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17). If we exhibit consistent
goodness, it is because He is in us.
When Jesus said, “No one is good
but… God,” He told us something deeply
profound and it helps us understand what “goodness”
is all about. We sometimes meet “good” people, but when we get to know them –
when we begin to understand ourselves – we discover that our “goodness,” or the
lack of it, is based on a comparison with others. If, on the other hand, we look
at God and begin to behold His glory, we might not even not survive the experience,
for He is simply - Wonderful. He IS good. “Goodness” is
of and from
God.
Uzziah, also called Azariah, was ruler of Judah from
about 783 to 742 BC and he was one of the best kings of that little nation. He
ascended to the throne at a very bad time. His father was Amaziah, who involved
the nation in a disastrous war with Israel, to the north, which left the nation
weakened. The walls of Jerusalem had been breached and the temple treasures had
been removed to Samaria, capital of Israel. Under Uzziah’s rule, the walls of
Jerusalem were rebuilt, the nation’s military defenses were strengthened, the
army was reorganized, and he gained control of important caravan routes to the
south. Judah extended into Edom and Philistia and he opened the nation to new
trade routes by building the city of Elath on the Gulf of Aqabah. It is said of
him, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,”
which was qualified by the additional statement, “except
that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned
incense on the high places” (2 Kings 3-4). Because of those “high places,” those places of idolatry, “The Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day
of his death, so he dwelt in an isolated house…” (2 Kings 15:5). Uzziah
was good, but he was human and was not good enough.
Just like we do in relation to leaders today, Uzziah’s people looked at the
good things he did in protecting their interests, and when he died, the people grieved his loss. Isaiah the prophet was mourning at the time of
Isaiah Chapter 6. It is said that Uzziah was Isaiah’s cousin, and if so, the
loss was very personal. In that moment of grief, “in the
year that King Uzziah died,” Isaiah said, “I saw
the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe
filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). One of the great seraphim at the throne
“cried to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory...’” Isaiah replied, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3,5). He had seen, face-to-Face, the “goodness,” the glory of the Lord.
We attend a local pastor’s group which meets in a
different church each month. We sing, the host pastor tells us about the needs
of his (and sometimes her) congregation and then we pray. I look forward to
the meetings for we all need to share and pray with one another. A
few days ago, we met at Westside Christian, a truly interesting church.
It turned out that each week they have a Philippine
service, a Samoan service, one in Spanish and another in English, usually all
happening at the same time. The church is surrounded by various gangs, and each
gang views the church and neighborhood as “their” territory. The church has a
strong ministry to recovering alcoholics and drug users, and a homeless
community uses their parking lot as a place to stay. Years ago, a growing group
of skateboarders became a problem for them. The members were tired of all the
noise. At a Church Board Meeting, it was on the agenda to lock the gates and
post signs forbidding skateboarders from the premises. But someone said that “it was obvious God had sent these skateboarders.” It was
a ministry waiting to happen because God in His goodness made it so.
That was seven years ago. The church now sets up and
bolts down ramps in the parking lot each week and welcomes those young people.
The ministry to skateboarders has grown to the point where 50 to 120 skaters
attend each week. It is mostly boys, but there are also some girls as well, for
as one of the pastors put it, “wherever there are boys, girls are sure to
follow.” The ministry is called “Skateside,” and
many have been touched by the love of God in Christ Jesus because of it. God
brings “goodness” out of “noise.”
There are many examples of “goodness”
in Scripture. I would count Abel among those who had good qualities, along with
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and many more. But when you
look at their lives, they also had flaws and lapses of judgment. They are listed
in Hebrews Chapter 11 and are rightfully called “heroes of
the faith,” but it is God’s grace, active through faith that saves and
heals. “Goodness” is a “fruit
of the Spirit” and it is the “goodness” of
God they needed, and it is what you and I need right now.
Our Scripture for today helps us to see that “the fruit of the Spirit” in our lives will be seen in “goodness, righteousness and truth,” emanating from our
lives (Ephesians 5:9). And yet, when we honestly look at ourselves, we are all
too much like Uzziah. Sometimes he got it right and sometimes he didn’t. And
when we don’t get it right, disastrous results can occur. There is no doubt that
“Skateside” brings problems to Westside Christian
Church, along with the blessings that are truly there. That church has responded
to the Lord, as simple men and women, in faith that HE would bring “goodness” out of it. And He has.
In response to a question, Jesus replied, “No one is good but One…” and that “One”
is our God (Matthew 19:17). Jesus, Himself God, is good, and He has brought “goodness” into this world. The New Testament, like the
Old, is full of eye-witness testimony about what the writers saw and heard. The
writer of Hebrews said about Jesus, He “was in all points
tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Micah said He was “from everlasting,” literally “from the days of eternity;”
yet because we needed Him, He was born as a “babe”
in “Bethlehem” (Micah 5:2). Because of Jesus, “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the good
news preached to them” (Matthew 11:5). “Goodness”
is from the Lord.
Lord, I need You. Save and heal me. Let God’s
goodness be in me. In Jesus Name. Amen.
