GOODNESS added to our fruit of the Spirit bowl.
Goodness is doing what is right in the eyes of God
Memory Verse: "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" Romans 12:21
Memory Verse: "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" Romans 12:21
As I begin to study goodness, I realized how similar goodness seemed to kindness and wanted to draw a clear distinction, so I called a wise spiritual mentor who truly knows how to divide the word! She came over, and we went through a hermeneutic study to accurately draw meaning from the scriptures taking care not to impose English definitions.
But the fruit of the Spirit is...kindness (chrēstotēs), goodness (agathōsynē)..." Galatians 5:22
In our fruit of the Spirit text chrēstotēs is translated kindness, but it can also be translated goodness; however here the Greek word used for goodness is agathōsynē. Clearly, Paul is talking about two different virtues that the Holy Spirit grows in us. Also, when we see the term "good works" used in scriptures often the Greek word for good is kalos. So I wanted to find out what type of goodness is Paul specifically talking about here before I began teaching the boys. Confusing I know; I certainly was in need of some serious clarity! In this situation I often use Blueletterbible.org, a web site that offers great tools for in-depth study including a Lexicon search that offers access to original Hebrew and Greek words.
As we begin to exegete the scriptures, we saw that goodness here is an internal, proactive virtue. It produces a joy in us from doing what is right in the eyes of God. It is simply doing good because it is good!
When the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with goodness, we are equipped to go where darkness prevails and "overcome with good (agathōsynē)" (Romans 12:21). Ephesians 5:9 says "for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness (agathōsynē) and righteousness and truth." Our actions are internally motivated and driven by what is good and right in God's eyes. Romans 15:14 reads, "And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness (agathōsynē), filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another." Full here means to the brim! How I pray the Holy Spirit would fill me and my children to the brim with goodness; no matter what the world says or does we can not help but stand for what is good and right in the eyes of God.
Now to our practical application:
What Would Jesus Do?
I took the route of teaching the boys if they are ever in doubt about what is the right thing to do, ask yourself WWJD. Jesus is the essence of goodness and everything He ever did was good and right in the eyes of His Father. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise." (John 5:19)
Sometimes when we're face to face with a tough situation, we need to quietly pray asking Jesus quickly to show us what He would do. Often we need to go look in the Bible; the more we read His word, the more we'll automatically know His teachings and what He would do.
When the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with goodness, we are equipped to go where darkness prevails and "overcome with good (agathōsynē)" (Romans 12:21). Ephesians 5:9 says "for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness (agathōsynē) and righteousness and truth." Our actions are internally motivated and driven by what is good and right in God's eyes. Romans 15:14 reads, "And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness (agathōsynē), filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another." Full here means to the brim! How I pray the Holy Spirit would fill me and my children to the brim with goodness; no matter what the world says or does we can not help but stand for what is good and right in the eyes of God.
“You don't get the Holy Spirit because you are good. The Holy Spirit takes over your life and starts to make you good.” John Piper
Now to our practical application:
What Would Jesus Do?
Sometimes when we're face to face with a tough situation, we need to quietly pray asking Jesus quickly to show us what He would do. Often we need to go look in the Bible; the more we read His word, the more we'll automatically know His teachings and what He would do.
Storytime
This summer a friend loaned me What Would Jesus Do? and the sequel In His Hands by Mack Thomas, retold from Charles Sheldon's classic In His Steps, and we LOVE them! The content is engaging and keeps you eager for more as you read through each chapter, and the story has a delightful sing song/ poetry feel. We were disappointed the story ended after the second book. I can not recommend enough! I think you'll have to look on eBay to get the original What Would Jesus Do? that you see in the picture.
We did some crafts/ activities to help us keep those four words at the forefront of our minds:
WWJD Bracelets
On one side it says "What Would Jesus Do?"
On the other side it says, "What Will You Do?"
What Would Jesus Do Bible Game
WWJD Door Hanger
Jonathan made a door hanger to place on our kitchen door to help us remember those four important words every time we go out into the world.
The above web site gives some good ideas which can help get your wheels spinning on other possible scenarios your kids might encounter. I typed up the various situations, cut them out, and glued them to pieces of construction paper.
WWJD Door Hanger
Jonathan made a door hanger to place on our kitchen door to help us remember those four important words every time we go out into the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment