WEEK 11 – DAY 1

March 15, 2021

WHAT IS GOOD?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 27:37-40

Goodness is a Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. What is goodness? We can only attain genuine goodness as a result of our relationship with Jesus as His Holy Spirit lives in and moves through us. Jesus gives us breath and life physically (Acts 17:28), but as Christians, we are also infused with His strength to do His will (Philippians 4:13). Micah defined goodness as acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with the Lord. Walking in humility with God, submitting our hearts, souls, and minds to Him in love results in the ability to love our neighbors. If we love God with complete intensity and abandon and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we will be obedient to the commandments and teachings found in the Bible. Goodness is living in right relationship with the Lord and with other people. Goodness is living in obedience to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-7) and the instructions in Romans 12:9-21, and every other command of the Lord. We cannot achieve goodness by striving on our own. It must be the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through us. As the Spirit prompts us in the area of goodness, our part is to obey that prompting. We should not be prideful about our goodness but humbly thank the Lord for allowing us to be His hands and voice to share His goodness with others.

Lord, help us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You realizing that it is Your Holy Spirit that prompts us, enables us, and empowers us to do good in Your name. Thank You for the privilege of serving You in this world.