Goodness

Do Good Things

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This statement is all about being focused on persistence and patience.  We often get stuck on narrow minded results of our actions or words.  We lose sight of the fact the God is working for the good of all people and each of us plays a role in a much larger story that we will not always be able to see the results of first hand.  His will and His plans are so much greater than ours and so it comes down to our willingness to trust in God’s plan more than our own desires.  We know what it means to do good, we understand how to bear fruit in our daily lives and it is our responsibility to strive to do those things and leave the rest up to God.  As they say, God is good all the time and all the time God is good.  May we be blessed to share the goodness of the Lord today and everyday.  Amen.

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 on the shore of Elliott Bay in downtown Seattle, Washington)

Spiritual Gifts

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We all have been blessed with certain gifts, talents and abilities.  It is important for us to learn about our gifts in order for us to use them in the world.  There are an overwhelming amount of books and tests and profile charts created by people to sort out what  “tendencies” we each possess.  Another way to understand more about our spiritual gifts is to pay attention to what comes naturallly to us and what things other people sometimes point out to us as a real gift.  As with anything, a assessment of your spiritual gifts should be done in consultation with Jesus Christ.  If we go into and through this process without being led by the Lord then all we are doing is finding out what the world thinks of us or what the world thinks we should do.  We are all created for a purpose and only God can guide us to the truth about what that is.  May peace and joy be with you on your faith journey.  Amen.

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park on Madeline Island in Lake Superior)

Goodness

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This is one of the Fruits of the Spirit.  In our dictionaries it is defined as ‘the quality and state of being good.’  I see it as a summary word…things that go into goodness can include…being helpful, selfless, supportive, kind, generous, a good listener or serving the needs of others.  There are several ways to express goodness in our every day life.  It is up to us to choose an attitude that will reflect goodness in our actions and our behaviors.  I pray we all tune into the Holy Spirit living within us and seek goodness and righteousness wherever we are in life and the world.  Here is a quote associated to John Wesley that speaks about doing good:

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

John Wesley

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“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Matthew 5:6

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Doing Good

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Patience…Persistence…Perseverance…Consistent…Helpful…Supportive…Kind.  It can be difficult to sustain an attitude that focuses on good things.  There is darkness and evil lurking everywhere in the world.  When we state our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and profess our faith that He is our Lord and Savior we will receive the Holy Spirit within us.  The Holy Spirit along with the Word of God can be our foundation to stand on for doing good things and serving the needs of others.  God is love and He has poured out His love to us through His One and Only Son.  Let’s be grateful for His love, His mercy, His grace and His forgiveness and keep our courage up to do good things.  Amen.

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while traveling through Utah)

Judging Others

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We are all broken…we are all fighting a battle of some kind…we all need the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  None of us is in position to be in judgement of another.  Jesus spoke very clearly about this in the Gospels.  A summary statement would be, you will get whatever you give.  How we choose to act is what we will get back from others.  I struggle with snap judgments and emotion filled responses at times as much as anyone and I am reminded of humility, goodness and kindness when I spend time reading God’s Word and in prayer.  May we continually seek growth in our spiritual life and our relationship with Jesus Christ to guide us to living life with the Fruits of the Spirit.  Amen.

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“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Luke 6:37

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

 

All That Is Good Comes From God

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Nothing is more refreshing for the mind and spirit than to take some time to sit peacefully, with nothing but the sounds of the world going on around you and to be with God.  I hope you have a time like that in your life, no matter if it is in the morning, midday or in the evening.  Whatever may work for your life, I can’t emphasize enough the difference it will make in every aspect of your life…it is something you must experience to understand…for me it is the single most important thing I have done to strengthen my faith and to change my life.  Our lives are about our experiences and learning and passing on that experience to others to help them.  Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and mind, again and again and again and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.  If you are looking for goodness, kindness and compassion…all that is good comes from God.  May the love, joy and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:9

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 in the Botanical Garden at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Neveda)

Give Good Fruit

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Our lives are filled with choices and decisions.  We are the ones responsible for the attitudes and behaviors we present to the world.  We are blessed with the redeeming blood of Christ.  We have been forgiven for our sins.  Let’s go out and give good fruit.  No matter what your circumstances or your place in life today you can give the good fruit we receive from the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t take money and it doesn’t take a certain level of influence in society.  The Fruit of the Spirit is all about making the choice to behave as we have been instructed to.  We should not expect the world to always be kind and generous to us as it is broken, however, we know that no matter what, God is with us and He is holding us.  May we share the blessings the Lord has given to us with others.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

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We all have something we believe in, we all have something to share with others.  The way we choose to share that message will have a significant impact on whether we are heard or cast aside.  How we communicate is probably more important then the message itself because the best message that goes unheard is nothing.  God provided the guide on how to interact with others and if more people spent time interacting with each other in this way there would be so much less anger, hatred and disrespectful choices being made among us.  The way to communicate a message of injustice or to help draw attention to a need is with the fruit of the Spirit…with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and with self-control.  If you choose to communicate with dishonor, anger, yelling and disrespect for others then the value of your message is lost as the focus will only be on your poor behavior.  The message everyone has is important and just as important is how everyone chooses to communicate their message.  May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Garden of the Gods park in Colorado)

Do Good Works

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Go out into the world of your daily life knowing that God is with you and do good things.  Do not measure your goodness by how people in this world do or do not react, do not measure your goodness by how many “likes”  or “shares” you have on social media.  Do good work that benefits, encourages and uplifts another person.  It can be just one other person or it can be more depending on where God is leading you.  Fulfill a need of another person without expectation of getting something in return.  Everything you do, every single day, God knows about it and our relationship with Him is most important one of our lives.  May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while driving through southern New Mexico)

We Are Saved By Grace

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We don’t deserve it, we didn’t earn it and we are definitely not entitled to it.  It isn’t our right to be saved from our sins.  Our hope of salvation is strictly based on the mercy and grace of God.  No person on earth will ever be able to do for you what Jesus Christ has done for you and no person on earth is going to be able to love you to the level of God’s love for who you are…the only way to find peace, love, joy, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience, gentleness and self-control is to commit your life to accepting and knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and spend time making Him known to others.  May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:4-5

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)