Kindness, goodness, & faithfulness
“The one who pursues righteousness and love finds life, bounty, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21).
This week we are excited to learn a little more of what kindness, goodness, and faithfulness looks like in this godly pursuit towards righteousness.
When we think of man’s godly pursuit of righteousness, we can’t help but think of Noah. In Genesis 6:9 it says, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, he walked faithfully with God.” The book of Genesis describes how great the wickedness of the human race had become on earth, but Noah was the only one of his time whom God found as righteous and blameless!
“Saying that Noah was righteous and blameless does not mean that he never sinned. Rather, it means that Noah wholeheartedly loved and obeyed God. For a lifetime he walked step by step in faith as a living example in his generation” (NIV Study Bible Commentary).
This week as we look at kindness, goodness and faithfulness, we are reminded that it is impossible to manufacture these qualities on our own. We need the transformation power of the Holy Spirit to produce genuine kindness, genuine goodness and genuine faithfulness in our lives.
When we abide in Christ and remain in close union with Jesus, these qualities flow from us naturally. We can’t obtain them by trying to get them on our own without His help.
LET’S TALK ABOUT KINDNESS
Did you know that kindness and compassion in the Bible are seen often together? The reason is because “kindness is compassion in action” (Shanna Ream).
In the Old Testament we see God’s compassion towards mankind. When the Israelites cried out to God in their suffering, God was moved with compassion and He extended kindness and mercy to them time and time again— despite their shortcomings. This pattern of God’s compassion, kindness and mercy found throughout the Bible is the example of what we should be mirroring to our family, friends, strangers and even to our enemies!
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you have grievances against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14).
LET’S TALK ABOUT GOODNESS
In the Bible, we find that goodness is equated with this holy pursuit towards godliness. Goodness is “an excellence of character…only possible through God’s grace and mercy” (Kelly Wise Valdes).
There are many people that cause us to say, “Wow, they are doing so much good— what a good person!” but very few who carry Biblical ‘goodness’ in their nature. The Bible clearly describes goodness as something much deeper than good works.
Goodness is a response to the grace and mercy we have received through Christ’s salvation! From this goodness we enter into God’s good work that He has for us! It is in this good work, we are called to not become weary.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers “ (Galatians 6:9-10).
LET’S TALK ABOUT FAITHFULNESS
“The Hebrew word rendered ‘faithfulness’ is emunah, which literally means ‘firmness,’ figuratively means ‘security,’ and morally means ‘fidelity’”(Bible Tools).
In other words, a person who displays faithfulness is someone who cannot be shaken, they stand firm in their beliefs and their godly pursuit!
A faithful person provides a feeling of safety and security because they have been proven trustworthy! Daniel of the Bible lived this kind of exemplary life of faithfulness. When he was young, he was taken from his home in Judah and was exiled. Under intense political and personal circumstances, he always remained true to his faith in God. Because of Daniel’s integrity and his fearlessness in being loyal to God’s commands, Daniel found favor with the King and served as an advisor to two Babylonian kings and two Medo-Persian kings. He never once proved unfaithful to God even unto death!
The Good News is this: Our ability to be faithful to God is wholly dependent upon the faithfulness modeled by a faithful God!
What we find at the core of genuine kindness, goodness, and faithfulness is a pure heart touched by the grace of Christ; This is a work of God. Again, without God’s help, our efforts can become merely behavioral (surface level), not an internal transformation.
God desires for us to approach Him and His Word with a humble and pure heart knowing that His love, tender mercy, grace and forgiveness are great and unending!
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
The Great News is this: The kind of life Noah and Daniel lived are not out of reach for us! Because of the redeeming work of Christ in us, we too can live humble and righteous lives that leave an impact on our generation!