Jesus told a rich young ruler, "No one is good — except God alone" (Mark 10:18). The young ruler had followed all of God’s commandments, trying to become good through his moral behavior. Yet Jesus said it wasn’t enough. The "goodness" described as a fruit of the Spirit is not merely moral behavior, but an excellence of character. It combines our attempts to do good with God’s character of being good. This goodness is only attainable through God’s divine power at work in our hearts (2 Peter 1:3). The rich young ruler was trying to do good to earn his way into heaven, yet he was lacking the most important thing — an underlying love for the Rule Maker. This love is what compels us to follow the rules in the first place (2 Corinthians 5:14). Goodness begins by obeying the greatest commandment of an all-loving God with all our heart, soul and strength. As we love God, He works His character of goodness into our lives.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:23:26 +0000
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