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Goodness: It Begins in the Heart

There are so many ways we describe people: "He's the guy who lives in the gray house." "She aces every test … in every class." "You should hear him play the guitar." "She's beautiful." "He's so funny!"

But who wants to be known only for where they live, what they look like, what abilities they have, how smart they are, or how funny?

To truly describe someone, you've got to look deeper than appearance or achievement or even personality. You have to ask: What's their character like?

When people talked about Jesus, they said, "He went around doing good" (Acts 10:38). Jesus treated everyone like a friend. Sure, he had sharp words for hypocrites. And he warned people about evil. But he first approached people like friends—like they needed the touch of goodness.

Now, there's a goal for all of us—to be known for our goodness, to be known as people who "go around doing good."

Of course, it's possible to do good for the wrong reasons—like volunteering at a soup kitchen just because it makes us feel good about ourselves, or looks good on our résumés when it comes time to apply to college. But that's hypocrisy; we may look Christian on the outside, but we can still be pretty rotten on the inside.

Now, God looks at us from the inside out. He isn't impressed with what we do; he isn't snowed by what shows on the outside. He starts at our hearts and works his way out from there.

Life also has a way of turning us inside out. If people look at us long enough, they too can often see right into our hearts—which is where true goodness begins.

Goodness is something we do, yes. But first, it's something we are. It is the stuff of the heart, the kind of stuff that comes from letting God live through us. That's why goodness is considered a fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22).

God is good, and God living inside us helps to make us good.

No one sees your heart quite so clearly as God does. But the person with the next best view is you. You see your heart. So, take a long and honest look. What do you see inside? What do you see that's good, and what do you see that's not so good? Can you discuss it honestly with the God who sees it all anyway?

The Power Pack Challenge
In this "Power Pack," we focus on goodness. We'd like to challenge you to study Scripture passages about goodness. Then, after the end of this Challenge, we hope you'll be able to say, "I've got more goodness in my heart!"

Read it! God's clues to goodness God has started a project in each of us. When he starts something, he sticks with it until it's finished. The project is to make us more like Jesus. And the amazing thing is, we get to work on that project with God. For the next two months, we want to focus on goodness—and how we can work with God to make us better people. And the Bible is full of clues to help us. In each of the following four chapters of Scripture, you'll find at least one clue about goodness. Spend some time with each chapter, find the clue, and summarize it in your own words. Here are the chapters: Matthew 12; Romans 3; 2 Corinthians 5; Hebrews 13. Remember: You will find at least one clue in each chapter. The goodness of God Thoroughly read and study Psalm 107. What does the first verse say about God? Yes, it says he's good. But it's one thing to say somebody's good. It's another to show it. Goodness starts on the inside, but it's more than just a character trait. Goodness always finds its way into action. And this Psalm is certainly stuffed with examples of what God's goodness looks like. Read and reread the entire Psalm until you're sure you've picked up on every single example. Then read it again because you probably missed something! While you're reading Psalm 107, write in your notebook the phrases or ideas that are repeated throughout the passage. Leave plenty of room between them. You can use these notes to break the psalm into smaller sections. (You might notice in your Bible that the psalm is already broken up into separate sections; you can use them as a guideline.) Once you've done that, reread Psalm 107, section by section, and answer some questions. Who are the different people in each section? What problems do they have? What do they do about their problems? How does God respond? How should they respond to God? And what does all this tell you about how you should respond to God's goodness?

Work on it! Remember what the Bible says about Jesus? "He went about doing good." Ask yourself: "What kind of reputation do I want?" Write a description of the person you want to be, creating your own ideal reputation. Some things will be out of your control; you may not be able to be the best athlete or brightest student. But there are other things you can control—like your character, your values, the way you act and the way you treat people. After you've written your hoped-for reputation, ask yourself: "What's holding me back?" You've seen those "Before-and-After" ads? You know: "This is Myrtle before the Wonder Diet … and here she is now!" Write an "ad" about yourself: "This is [your name] before becoming a Christian … and this is [your name] now." Divide a sheet of paper into two columns, "Before" and "After." Now, go to work and write down specific ways God has changed your character. What's new and improved? Want more? If you've found this column helpful, you might be interested in the Deeper Devotions Series, also by Jim Long. It's Who You Are That Counts is a study of the Fruit of the Spirit. When Life Gets Tough is based on the book of James. Both are published by Zondervan Publishing House and are available at your local Christian bookstore, or by calling 1-800-727-3480.

Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail clmag@CampusLife.net.
July/August 1998, Vol. 57, No. 1, Page10

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