Goodness
“Good” is a word which can have a
very wide range of meanings. Food is sometimes described by advertisers as full
of goodness - “good for us”. We can be “good at” something – a good musician or
athlete or cook. We may have innate abilities in these fields, but we probably
also have had to practice, so that the skills required become second nature.
When God calls his creation “good” in Genesis chapter 1, he is pointing to something
essential about them. They are just as they should be. The sun is exactly as
“sunny” as he wanted it to be. The trees have their “treeness” just right, and
the people are exactly as they are meant to be too.
The goodness which Paul says the
Spirit grows in us should also be something which runs right through us, the
product of long-term “holy habits”. We aren’t just called to do good things,
but to let God’s life reshape us so that the original goodness God created us
to enjoy becomes natural again.
·
Can you think of someone you know who seems
genuinely good to you? What does their goodness look like?
·
Goodness often seems to be portrayed as
something boring and unattractive – no one wants to be called a
“goody-two-shoes” and “do-gooder” is often a term of contempt. Why do you think
this is? Is goodness attractive to you? If not, why not?
·
Pray: for a glimpse of the goodness that God has
put at the heart of your nature.
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