How are you? How has your week been? Have you been good this week?
That sounds like a Santa question, doesn’t it? “He’s making a list, checking it twice; he’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice.”
Many people in the world think that Christianity is like this. They have the perception that Christianity is about being “good” enough. We include those who are good and exclude those who are bad.
But the truth is that our goodness is a fruit. It’s one of the fruits that the Holy Spirit produces within us. It’s not the requirement. It’s the result. It’s not the cause. It’s the effect.
This past Sunday, we looked at what it means for us to be good in Psalm 37. We are called to trust in the Lord, not fret over evildoers, do good, delight ourselves in the Lord, commit to Him, be still before Him, wait for Him, and refrain from anger.
As you can see, goodness is not just superficial actions, but it includes the heart as well. It’s not just for the temporary, but it’s for the permanent. It’s not just in public, but it’s in private.
Goodness is a way of life. And we fall short of it. Without Christ, we are not the good in the psalm, but we are the evil-doers that deserve death, judgment, and destruction.
But the good news is that Christ died for ungodly evildoers like you and me. He was the One who was perfectly good in every way. He was the One who took on the judgment for our sins on the cross. He was the One who was destroyed and cut off for our sake. He was the One who died so that we can live.
That’s how we can be good. Christ has taken on our evil deeds and our sin on the cross so that He can transform us to be good. We can be good now, because God was first good to us in Christ.
God is so good. He’s so good to us in Christ. Now, go and do likewise.
Our March Topical Studies start this Friday! We’ll be looking at Tamar (Genesis 38) and Rahab (Joshua 2). Hope you can come out! If not, see you for worship on the Lord’s Day! We will be partaking of the Lord’s Table. Please prepare your hearts during the week!
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
Photo credit: https://potentialdoctor.com/2015/09/25/a-fruit-a-day-demonstrating-goodness/