There is a story from the Old Testament that most of us know. It is the time when Moses is talking with God inside a tent, he set up outside of the camp of tents that all the Israelites were living in. There was trouble brewing among the Israelites because God was leading them to the promised land and there were 6 tribes of people already living there.
God tells Moses that He would send an angel to go before them however, He would not go with them;
“…because you are a stiff-necked people
and I might destroy you on the way.”
If you are a father with children, you might be able to relate to that while driving on a long trip for a family vacation. For hours their impatience of boiling over, the car is a mess of candy wrappers and trash, they are fighting for space, teasing one another and it seems like somebody is constantly crying or complaining.
You wish you were not going with them and whoever thought the minivan was a good idea? I think there is a market for a train-like vehicle where the Dad is alone in the engine and everybody else is in a separate car being towed behind. Yes, you want this family vacation but there are times you feel you want to destroy them on the way. Thank God for Adventures in Odyssey and new devices on which they can entertain themselves.
When Moses tells the people that God is not going to be going with Him the people freak out. So, Moses goes to the Tent of Meeting which is outside of the main camp. All the people are standing at the door of their own tents and as Moses goes into the tent the pillar of cloud came down and all the Israelites worshiped.
God and Moses have an interesting conversation. Moses, showing some inner courage, reminds God that these are His people, that He enlisted Moses to lead them and that He had told him that He would go with them. Then God changes His mind and says that He will go with them and that He would give them rest. God says He is pleased with Moses and so Moses, sensing this is a unique opportunity decides to ask God a question. He says to God;
“Now show me Your Glory.”
Bad request because Moses cannot see His face because nobody can see God and live. But what He will allow Moses to see is all of His Goodness to pass in front of him and after He hides Moses in the cleft of a rock and shields Him with His hand and Moses will be able to see God’s back.
It is very interesting to me that God says He will show Moses all of His Goodness. After watching God destroy the Egyptian Empire with 10 plagues, they just might have a different view of who God is and what He is like. He is certainly a God of holiness, power, and anger but goodness not so much. Even though He was feeding them and caring for them in the desert.
Now the 6th fruit of the Spirit is GOODNESS. Goodness is something that the Spirit can develop in our lives which is the exact opposite of selfishness. This word means showing generosity toward others that is kind and will always take care to obtain for others that which is useful or beneficial for them.
Goodness is saying words and doing actions to others that are beneficial to them. It is putting their needs and wants ahead of your own. Part of our sinful nature is the desire to be first and to get ahead of everyone else. Goodness allows others first place and we volunteer to do the clean-up.
Goodness from the Spirit not only allows you to put others first and serve them but to enjoy doing it. When we show goodness to one another we are putting them and their needs before our own and we help them before helping ourselves.
This seems to be the exact opposite of what we see in our world around us in some leaders who glory in their own accomplishments. Whether it is pastors or presidents, selfishness and me first is often the tune of the day.
The fruit of goodness has been part of the history of our nation. America was seen as a place welcoming the tired and oppressed people of the world to a land of opportunity where one could have the freedom to make a life for themselves. And in some regards that was true for some of the people coming here. Yet even in the idea of opportunity, there were evil people exploiting those looking for a better place to live.
This is why the fruit of goodness is so sweet in our lives. We learn life is truly better when we are givers instead of takers. There is an internal reward of being good to someone who needs help and an eternal reward as well. Though nobody may see the action we do in showing goodness to others, God sees it and will reward it.
So, let’s see this illustrated in the infamous setting of the Church Potluck. Sure, you can drive through Kentucky Fried Chicken and bring a bucket of food. I love KFC. However, there are some who cook at home and make their special dish with care and love so that some may experience the goodness of a home-cooked meal.
And who do you think benefits most from the feeding of the masses? It is not the one first in line, taking more than they should, and stuffing it into their belly only to leave and go comatose on the couch. It is those who go last through the line, wanting others to get the best and being happy with what remains. And they are also usually the ones who stay after, cleaning up the room, putting away the table and chairs and leaving the kitchen clean.
Goodness is a beautiful fruit benefiting others and growing more joy in you.