Remember that goodness is moral excellence. Striving to be more like God. A look at the word “godliness” is to follow in a few weeks, but goodness actually has more to do with becoming like the Lord. Though Jesus made the statement that only God is truly good (Matt. 19:17), Jesus was deity and modeled goodness in every word and deed (Acts 10:38). As we read the Gospels, we see God living in the flesh, the perfect man. God favored us with four accounts of Jesus’ ministry among men. We should spend much time reading and thinking about Jesus.
We also see goodness exhibited in the lives of outstanding Bible characters, examples for us to follow. After challenging readers to think on things excellent and praiseworthy, Paul wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9). Paul did not speak with arrogance. His own life was modeled after Jesus (1 Cor. 11:1). Furthermore, he wrote these words by the direction of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 14:37). We can follow the life of Paul from Acts chapter 9 to the end of the book. We also see much of his influence in his thirteen New Testament letters. Luke records the story of a woman named Tabitha or Dorcas, “who was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36). The beloved character Barnabas “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). Barnabas was always found helping those who were disadvantaged and downtrodden. Yes, it is easy to find examples of goodness in the Bible. Stay tuned…
To be a child of God is the greatest privilege we have, but we also have responsibility. May God bless us all as we work with his Spirit to develop the character the Father expects of his children. TC
