Hello, dear reader, I’m ECSTATIC to write another letter to you, especially to have you read letters from the prophet once again.
May God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace, mercy, and peace.1
Two major manifestations announced the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. First was the miracle of changed desires, and second was the ability never to forget that I was once lost.
The first manifestation was not easy to acknowledge and accept; however, the second was more difficult.
The second makes us realize that we have been saved to do good.
Meaning that we must slander no one, be peaceable and considerate, and always be gentle towards everyone.2
Why?
Because, at one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us.3
According to the amplified version, goodness is the conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.4
It is the ability to bring out the best in people. However, it is impossible to bring the best out of anybody if you can’t even see anything good in them.
And just like I stated in the beginning, we must have a preconceived view of ourselves before we project anything on others. When you acknowledge that you have been saved by grace and not by works5, you can see the likelihood of that sinner you despise getting saved too. Because, just as Paul stated in that verse, and I can attest to that fact too, if not for the intervention of God, I’d still be wallowing in my foolery. With such a viewpoint, I can have compassion for an unbeliever or a religious person acting a fool. My disposition won’t be to cast aspersions because I know that if God can find a level of value in me in that state, then no one should be written off as invaluable and treated with disdain. Just like the popular saying goes, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future in God.
This is one of the basic foundations of a lifestyle of goodness. Especially in being good to others.
After you have realized the possibilities of goodness in anyone and anybody, the next thing to point out and acknowledge is the goodness filled within you by the Holy Spirit that you possess.
Guard your heart with all diligence, because it is the source of all issues in your life.6 If you have developed a good heart by the grace of God, you can then distribute goodness from within. However, that is far-fetched if you do not even know what level of goodness you possess.
So goodness as a characteristic fruit of the Spirit enables us to see that we have been redeemed a budding plant by the riverside7, and because of that, we see the potential of a healthy plant in what looks like a decayed life in others.
This is not a licence to patronize immorality, but it is an opportunity to see one another through the lens of our good father.
He is too holy to behold iniquity8, but then, in his goodness, he still sends down rain and sunshine to the believer and the unbeliever9; he lets the ground yield its fruits to them. Better still, he sent his only son as a ransom for our sins10; he is always near whenever we decide to turn from the path of evil and seek his face11. He said that once we accept his offer of life, he will never leave or forsake us12. And when we get serious about looking for him, we will undoubtedly find him.13
And all of it is for people who cannot afford to pay a fraction of this goodness back. This is an important message to us because we are growing in a time when we only do good to those who look good to us. That is not a part of the spirit’s fruit.
Let us reconsider our mindset towards unfavourable life experiences and relationships and begin to see the value God sees in them.
The devil thought it would be for evil, but the scripture says he who sits in heaven shall laugh14. Not just out of spite for the devil’s foolishness, but because a cut-down tree looking dead and decayed can spring back in all greenness at the taste of water.15
Be the source of water for a dying soul today. Be good, and more than ever, do good.
See you on the next one, blessings!