There is a story about a young man who experienced a very difficult childhood. He’d grown up in a rough neighborhood, surrounded by abuse and ungodliness. After his mother was killed in an accident, the young man turned to drugs. He used them, sold them, and spent some time in prison. When he got out of prison, he wanted to change his life, so he went looking for help.

Figuring God was his only hope, he asked the drug dealer he was staying with if he knew of a good church.

“I don’t know of a good church,” the drug dealer answered, “but I know a good woman.”

Think about a drug dealer making that statement! What would someone have to be like to make such an impression on someone so deep in sin?

Looking for answers, the troubled young man got in touch with this woman, and she shared the gospel with him. She took him to her church where he made Jesus the Lord of his life and was delivered from drugs.

His transformation was so great that his father, also a drug addict, did the same. He said to his son: “I watched you, and thought if you could do it, I could do it.”

See how that worked? One good woman—living out the goodness of God before others—became a testimony and drew one young man to Jesus. He became a testimony to God’s goodness and drew his father to the Lord.

As you’re living your life, think about the importance of the fruit of goodness in your spirit. Remember that God’s goodness manifested through you has the power to change others. Being good to others isn’t just about checking off some religious box—it is light and life to those around you.

One of the primary ways kindness manifests is in the way we speak to others. This includes the way we talk to friends, family, co-workers, store clerks, pastors, strangers on social media, and especiallyto those who are unkind to us (when the average Joe will just strike back).

Knowing that you attract people to God when you show the fruit of kindness in the way you talk to others, ask yourself this: Can people count on you to be positive and encouraging when they talk to you? Or do they expect negativity and words of criticism?

We all have to work at being kind, but ultimately, we are all held responsible for every word we speak (see today’s reading). Here’s a quick self-check to see the condition of the fruit of kindness on your tree.

These questions certainly aren’t meant to condemn any of us. We all need work! And without doing a self-check within certain areas, we won’t be able to grow, mature, and develop into the kind of people who are pleasing to God, attracting unbelievers to Him, and living a blessed life!

Bottom line? We, as Christians, should always strive to talk to others in a way that builds them up and encourages them, not criticizes or tears them down.

It isn’t always easy to extend God’s goodness to people. They give us plenty of opportunities to find it difficult!

So, when someone aggravates us, mistreats us, or is just downright rude, we have a choice—get mad and lash out or be like our heavenly Father and express “goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14, KJV).

Let’s be real—doing this in the face of difficult people is not something we can do in our own power. Instead, we have to choose to yield to God and His goodness within us to overcome the selfish tendencies of our flesh.

Unsaved people don’t have the nature of God within them. They’re still living in the kingdom of darkness. So, when they’re under pressure, they follow their natural, worldly thoughts and emotions. They’re automatically selfish and looking out for themselves.

Jesus said it’s impossible for a bad tree to bear good fruit. So, don’t be surprised and upset when unbelievers bear bad fruit. Realize it’s normal for them because they’re still joined to the bad tree of sin.

For us as believers, however, bearing bad fruit is not normal at all. We’ve been grafted into the good tree of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we’re in Him and He’s in us, we are “full of goodness” (Romans 15:14).

Remember that the next time someone does you wrong. You’re a good tree, and you are to bear good fruit. When you do, you’ll walk in the blessings God has in store for you.

God’s Word is a good Book, written by our good God, to show us how to receive and walk in the abundance of His goodness all the days of our lives.

What does it mean to walk in God’s goodness?

It means that we receive His blessings in every area of our lives—spirit, soul, body, financially, and socially—and that we share those blessings with others. It means we do what Jesus did when He was on earth: We go about doing good and healing all who are oppressed of the devil. Jesus told us that those who believe in Him will do the same miraculous works He did, and even greater works!

In Mark 16:17-18 (KJV), He said, “These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Every born-again believer ought to be doing what Jesus talked about in those verses. We ought to be ministering the healing power of God to the sick, casting out devils, sharing the Word of God with people, and helping them get delivered!

God is ready and able to do those things through us. He just needs us to stop being so caught up in the natural things of this life and start paying more attention to His lead. He needs for us to walk with Him day by day, and allow the fruit of the spirit He’s put within us to flow out to others.

The more we do that, the more we’ll see revival in this earth. The more we do that, the more people will see God’s goodness through us and come running to Him!

Kindness is such an important fruit of the spirit in our lives. And it is the light of Jesus we shine in a dark world.

But have you ever noticed that when you’re tired or you’re experiencing times of great pressure, you start to feel like you’re running short on kindness?

When this happens, there’s only one thing to do. Run to Jesus! He’s the Source of the fruit of the spirit in our lives. He’s the One who enables us to be gracious, thoughtful, and helpful to others. We don’t do it by our own ability.

That’s why Jesus said, “Come to Me.” Don’t look at the circumstances that have risen up against you. Don’t look at the people around you and say, “Well, they never help me. They don’t care anything about me.” When you’re looking at circumstances and people, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Look to the Lord! You can always get a fresh supply of kindness from Jesus because He has an abundance of it, and He’s eager to minister it to you. He’s waiting with open arms, eager to help you, to pour out His mercy on you, and to lift the burdens off your shoulders.

Don’t wait until you’re in a desperate situation to draw near to Him. Come to Him every day. Spend time with Him every morning in the Word and in prayer before you see anyone else. When you live in continual fellowship with Him, nothing will ever be able to drain God’s peace, love, joy, and kindness from you.

WALKING IN THE FRUT OF THE SPIRIT DAY 2

The Goodness of God

We could spend a lifetime talking about the goodness of God and never even scratch the surface. In fact, it’s the goodness of God that leads sinners to repentance (see today’s reading), and most sinners don’t have any idea how good He is. The devil has so slandered God’s good Name that most people think He’s behind all the calamities that take place on this earth. They mistakenly think He’s causing them problems, making them sick, and sending trouble their way. Many people have even been religiously taught that God does those things to punish them or to teach them something.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

God is a good God. A.W. Tozer said, “The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.”

God has all power at His disposal, and His greatest desire is to use it all to help people and bless them. The goodness of God is great news to people who are lost in the darkness of this world! It’s like a lifeline that draws them out of the darkness and pulls them toward the light. But sadly, the Church hasn’t always offered that lifeline to people. We haven’t consistently preached about God’s goodness and put it on display.

It's time to show the world how good God is by how we speak of Him and how we treat others with love and kindness. It’s time to be walking, talking examples of the goodness of God!

Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine separate fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Most are easy to define. But the fruit of kindness and the fruit of goodness are so similar, it can be difficult to differentiate between the two. The Bible lists them separately throughout the Scriptures and uses the two terms differently, so it’s important to take the time to discover the true meaning of each of these two fruits of the spirit.

Most Bible scholars agree that the two are interdependent, and in studying and meditating on the Scriptures, it is clear that goodness is the foundation for kindness. The Bible describes goodness as a state of being. It says that God is Good. Goodness isn’t just something He has, it’s who He is. Since we’re re-created in His image, goodness is who we are, too. (We just have to develop the fruit and act on it!)

Therefore, God’s goodness within us is what causes us to be kind. It produces kindness as its result. How do you develop goodness? By spending time with Goodness Himself. The more you understand how good God is, the more your life will be rooted in that goodness.

Goodness is a change in your spirit that comes when you are born again and then transformed by the renewing of your mind by studying the Word of God.

Kindness is the action that comes from that place of goodness. (We’ll talk more about what that looks like later in this week’s reading.)

If you struggle with being kind to others, start by going back to the goodness of God. Study His goodness in the Word for yourself, and ask Him to give you a fresh revelation of it. (We’ll cover God’s goodness tomorrow.) Your life will be forever transformed.

Day 3 of 3 • This day’s reading

Devotional

1 John 4:18 says: “There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid because fear has to do with punishment.”

When we walk with God, we walk in a perfect love. God’s love does not condemn. No matter how unclean we see ourselves, or how much we’ve sinned against Him, His love for us remains pure. Therefore, we need not fear or walk in fear that God is angry with us and will cancel us, the same way today’s cancel culture is prone to. When we go through the hard seasons of our lives, in the wilderness, and in a season of drought, we need to hold on to God’s promise of unconditional love. We need to be confident in this love and not be fearful. We need to abide in God, so He can abide in us. This way, we’ll be able to experience His perfect love for us.

Strengthening our relationship with God goes a long way in alleviating fear. Doing this lets us have the full understanding of who we are in Christ. As a result, we become aware that there’s nothing more or less we need to do attain God’s love. We become aware that nothing can separate us from His love.

God loves us fully and completely and wants to be with us. So, in order to experience His presence and fullness, we need to let go of the fears we have—the fear of not measuring up, the fear of not being enough, the fear of failure, the fear of being punished for what we’ve done and ridiculed for who we are. An encounter with God means His perfect love will drive out all these forms of fear and insecurities. His love builds confidence in us. Because of this, we able to show up in the world the way He has designed us to. We are able to love others without fear.

As we journey on to be more Christ like, may we continue to spend time in the word, so we may know how to love like Jesus. In the spaces we’ve been placed, may we lead and serve like Jesus did. May we continuously pray that His perfect love infiltrate our souls and drive out fear, anxiety, and insecurities. May we remain secure and grounded in His love, now and forever more.

Today, reflect on how you will explore love as defined by Christ. Think about the areas of your life which you need to bask in His love so that you do not walk in fear.

May God’s love empower you to live and love by design.

Day 2 of 3 • This day’s reading

Devotional

Christ-centered love—a sure foundation for us, if we are to do this love thing right. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says: “I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.”

For me, this passage simply means that I may be able to do good things, and say a whole lot of things that God has set on my heart, but if I don’t do or say all those things in love, then I am just a noise-maker, with no positive impact.

Everything we say or do should be guided by love:

As it is written in Mathew 22:40, “love is the greatest of all commandments.” The standard and God-kind of love is further unpacked from verse 4 in 1 Corinthians 13. “Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail. Love is eternal.”

But, as human beings, the way we love is so imperfect and this can be driven by different factors. Most times we are simply driven by ego, envy, and our inability to humble ourselves so that we continuously make noise about things that shine the spotlight on ourselves. When we do this, God’s love takes a back seat because we are then prioritizing the self over what’s required of us.

Today, let’s change the trajectory of our lives by walking in love. How? You may ask. Well, let’s start where we are, within ourselves. When we understand who we are in Christ and the depth of His love for us, we will be able to love, appreciate, and find ourselves as worthy. As a result of this, we will be able to love others just as God loves us. We will be able to correct with love—feed and clothe with love—debate and disagree with love. We will genuinely care for others without always trying to figure out what could be of gain to us. We will help the helpless with love, compassion, and empathy.

Let’s stop chasing clout and be the epitome of God’s love, here on earth, in all that we do—especially our interactions on social media and in social gatherings. Love should be a priority in everything we do. Let’s walk in Godly love. Let’s glorify Him through our actions.

Today, ask God to help you walk, talk, and act in love at all times, in all your interactions. Invite Him into your heart so He can soften it. Ask Him to help you prioritize love even in the ways in which you express yourself. Pray that love becomes a part of your human fabric, so that you can love others the way God loves you and them.

Day 1 of 3 • This day’s reading

Devotional

The foundation of love is in Christ, and the term used to explain the unconditional love of God is “agape.” In 1 Corinthians 13, we are taught what love really means, what it looks like, and what it’s about.

Romans 13:10 says: “If you love someone, you will never do them wrong, to love then is to obey the whole law.” Here we are reminded that love does not hurt. We are commanded to love one another earnestly, without doing malicious things to each other. When we do love right, we are obeying the law of God.

Love in its truest form is about servanthood. It is unconditional, and sees only the best in people. Now, this can be challenging to us simply because of our human nature. But when we dwell in God and allow Him to move within us, we are able to love unconditionally through Him who dwells within us. Love is God, and in its purest form, it goes around looking for the best in people; it does not discriminate, loathe or envy.

When we are driven by Agape, we are so full of God’s holiness that we do not have the capacity to focus inwardly. Agape is about doing more—not out of a sense of duty but because we are led by the spirit. We are able to extend ourselves for others and be of service to them without feeling burdened. We are able to do this because we are operating from a place of sufficiency and not scarcity.

Love is not selfish. It puts others first with the confidence that God will provide sufficiently for us. But for His providence to manifest in our lives, we need to first love others, our neighbors, family, friends, strangers, orphans, etc. as God has loved us. He has loved us with all our faults and wrongdoings. But when we come to Him for help, He does not ask us 21 questions on why we did what we’ve done. Even though we were disobedient, He doesn’t respond to us with brashness. Instead, He welcomes us and embraces us without any backlash.

May we learn from our friend and Father how to love genuinely without tallying up people’s iniquities versus our acts of love and kindness. I know as members of a family, parents and spouses to our partners, you find that when our loved ones have offended us in a very big way, we keep tallying up the scores. We do this telling ourselves that on strike five (or whatever threshold you have), consequences must be felt by the offender. We are all guilty of this, and if we don’t acknowledge it, we may be treading on a downward slope to distraction in those relationships which are dear to us.

As we learn to be more like Jesus, and love others fully, may we see others how God sees them, through His eyes. May God give us wisdom to act in agape, especially in situations where our human nature or instincts tend to kick in first. May we extend grace—the same grace God extends to us even at our worst—to all we come into contact with. May we be guided by the spirit to do what is right and pleasing in God’s eyes. May we love unconditionally, driven by Agape.

Today, reflect on how you’ve been doing this love thing. Take time to figure out which arena you’ve been operating from? And if it isn’t according to Agape, may you seek guidance from God on how to go about doing things right, to Him, to others, and to yourself.