October 5, 2016 - The great wall of China was built by the ancient Chinese to protect them from their enemies to the north. It was built too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. It was the perfect security.
The only problem was that during the first hundred years of the walls existence, China was invaded three times. The problem was not the walls, but the integrity of the gate keepers. Each time, the gatekeepers were paid off by the enemy to let them through. The security of the country was more dependent on the integrity of the gatekeepers than on the strength of the wall.
Goodness as it relates to the fruit of the Spirit, means "moral integrity". When someone is filled with the Spirit one of their character traits is integrity. That is, doing what is right even when no one is watching. Standing by your morals when eveyone is telling you its 'Ok' not too. You see God is good, and His goodness is what ensures us that we can trust Him to keep the promises He has made to us. Because of His goodness toward us we know that we can stand with integrity. David said it best in Psalms 16:1-2 "Preserve me O God, for in you I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."
When we tell our children to be good; or ask them if they were good, we are asking them to act as, or if, they have been acting with integrity. When we are filled with the Spirit, the fruit of goodness (integrity) is going to be evident in our lives. A person who has no integrity cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. People can make mistakes and compromise their integrity. None of us are perfect. But we serve a God whose goodness endures forever and Romans 2: 3-4 tells us His goodness leads us to repentance. So no matter what you have done in the past, know that God loves you. So let His goodness lead you back to Him.
I'm just sayin'
Mike Belgard
