My Goodness!

Sometimes isn’t very good…I have bad thoughts about the person who was rude to me, wish evil at times (at least for a few minutes) for someone who has treated me unfairly and occasionally I use bad language, almost always in a funny context.  I know, I’m a minister and I’m not supposed to do that!  I know that!  I really do know that…At least I don’t  get mad to the point of cursing.  I even play (most) of my golf without it!

Ok, so before I condemn myself into being a terrible person, which probably didn’t take my own testimony anyway, let me say a few things about the goodness component about the Fruit of the Spirit.  

Goodness, or righteousness, is not a trait that humans are capable of producing on their own to any appreciable levels.  There are some people who are not followers of Christ who are good people.  In fact, I’ve met a few folks who didn’t believe in God who were nicer overall to me than some of my fellow followers!  This should not be!  But people who don’t believe in God almost always have a point at which their secular humanistic tendencies will outshine their attempts at personal goodness and an ugly side will emerge, betraying their faith that humans are capable of creating their own best selves devoid of any supernatural influence.

The simple fact of the matter is that the only way we can demonstrate righteousness is to be submitted to the Holy Spirit who lives within us upon our being saved.  Try to be good all you want!  It will never be good enough to meet God’s standard of goodness.  And almost good enough is just as bad as terrible in the context of our eternity.  Pastor Adrian Rogers used to say, “I wouldn’t trust the best five minutes of my life to get me into Heaven.”  If he wouldn’t have, I’m certainly not going to trust my best millisecond!  

No, the only way we can attain a righteous status before God is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, believing that He is the Son of God, that He died to pay the atonement for our sins and that He arose on the third day in His glorious Resurrection.  We live our best lives when we are submitted to the Spirit.  And we get the Spirit by being saved.  

Everyone have a blessed day!