Goodness
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July 21, 2013 |
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 "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
God's children have to resemble God who is the Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. So, we have to cultivate perfect goodness that has no evil at all. Goodness is one of the characters of God, so the Bible which is the Word of God is the only standard to discern what is good (Luke 18:19).
Therefore, we need to distinguish evil attributes from those of goodness, discover them in our hearts, and cast them away all. Then, we can receive God's love. We will also enjoy heavenly glory and receive rewards in Heaven for all our deeds to the extent that we cultivate goodness in us. Now, let's delve into how to achieve such goodness.
1. We Have to Cast Off Self-justification.
In order to cultivate perfect goodness, we have to look back on ourselves while reflecting on the Word of God and diligently fill up what we lack. But sometimes, even though some believers know their shortcomings, they just give excuses saying they couldn't help but do what they did rather than trying to change themselves. They think they were in a situation where they had no other choice but to act the way they did and although they did not actively do what is really good, what was done was not evil. However, because such acts are not goodness they may be categorized as being evil.
For example, one knows very well that she has to be faithful in all God's house. She works faithfully at her church duties but she neglects other duties as a mother, a wife, and a daughter-in-law. We cannot say this is spiritual if we put too much focus on only one duty among the many duties that we have to fulfill. But she does not recognize her shortcomings thinking, "I am busy with the work of God." She is justifying herself thinking she cannot help it even though she is not doing the works that seem less important because you have to do the more important works of the church.
If her family members have faith, they might be able to understand her actions. But even though they try to understand, it will eventually leave wounds deep in their hearts. If her family members do not have faith, peace will be broken and God will be disgraced. It is true that we have to choose spirit if we are at the crossroad of spirit and flesh. It is also true that we have to love God more than our family members, relatives, or anybody else in the world. But God also told us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39; 1 Timothy 5:8).
Some of you might think you cannot be faithful in all God's house because you are already working at full capacity. You might be very busy doing your duties, but if you are really trying to be faithful in all God's house, you will harbor all your duties in your heart. While you have ten things to do, you might be able to do only a couple, but if you do them with all your heart and love, others will feel your genuine heart. Thus, they will not become resentful and Satan cannot accuse you of anything, either. Therefore, in order to cultivate true goodness, we should stop justifying ourselves, end having self-centeredness, and not follow after our own benefit.
2. We Have to Remove Arrogance
Arrogance is exercised in very devious ways. Our hearts are lifted without us even realizing it. Saul was just an ordinary man. He never imagined that he could become the king. Yet, as he continued to be served as the king, his heart was being lifted without him realizing it. He became accustomed to misusing power.
Even the prophet Samuel, who anointed Saul as the king became fearful of Saul. When Saul was trying to kill the good man David, and when he committed such an evil act as destroying the whole city of priests, nobody could stop him. At first, in his humility he felt embarrassed being anointed as the king and he hid himself, but later he changed radically.
Is there anyone among you who thinks you do not have the arrogance of a king? Is there anyone who thinks they have nothing to be proud of in front of others? Before we are sanctified and go into spirit, arrogance can be revealed in us at any time. Some believers just think they have great faith thinking of their diligence and dedication that they have offered until now. But they may have become disappointed when their level of faith is revealed lower than they expected. They may have some uncomfortable feelings comparing with others'. In some cases, some of them think their opinions are better just because they are the leaders, they are older, and they have more experience. If arrogance sets in as above, they do not listen to their subordinates or people around them. Even though many people give them good advice, they do not listen.
Arrogance is also revealed in the form of breaking the order or ignoring the hierarchy. Say you are preparing for a mission group event. The secretary asks you to decorate the place for the event, with a specific request to use pink cloth. You suggest to her that white would be better. But the secretary tells you, "Please go with pink this time." Now you go to the president of the group. You hide the fact that the secretary asked you to use pink cloth, and you try to pass your opinion through a higher authority, saying, "I think white cloth is the best in this event. It is cheaper and I can get it right away. Can I go ahead with the white cloth?" In your arrogance you pursue what you desire, yet you say you did nothing wrong. You just think you got permission from the president who is higher than the secretary, so there was no disobedience involved, and you did your job well. But even though you worked very hard doing it your way, God cannot say you possess goodness. God is pleased with a humble heart that has no arrogance (1 Peter 5:5; Philippians 2:3).
3. We Must Not Mistakenly Think that Personal Fervor Is Fervor for God
If one's fervor is truly for God, he will do what pleases God all the time. He will not just work diligently but he will work hard while circumcising his heart, pursue peace, and seek the benefit of others with love all the time. But those who have personal fervor may have a strong sense of responsibility and passion, but they depart from the will of God while they are working.
Suppose a president is newly elected for a mission group, and she is not good at administrative work. The secretary has more experience, and she teaches the president what to do. Nevertheless, the president is still not able to handle the work, so the secretary does it by herself. But this secretary feels uncomfortable doing the work, thinking, "The president doesn't know what to do! If I keep on doing her job then she will just depend on me to do it!" The secretary can no longer do her job with joy. Sometimes, she just does things at her own discretion without reporting it to the president. She might make detailed reports, but she thinks she did it all or secretly expresses her feeling of discomfort toward the president.
While she is doing the job, if other workers do not do the work in the way she wants, her feelings again become agitated. She has uncomfortable feelings thinking, "Why are they doing it like that? Why can't they be responsible for such a small thing?" So, she speaks in frustration or she hurts the feelings of others with her words. Still, she thinks she is doing her duty as a secretary very well. In this kind of case, if another person points out that she is breaking peace and order, she just stops working completely and steps back. She doesn't realize her evil but she becomes resentful. Now her zeal cools down. It shows her fervor does not come from truthful heart and love for the kingdom of God. Thus, we need to examine ourselves as to whether or not we are working hard with our own fervor or with our love for God so that we can cultivate true goodness.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will resemble God who is the Light, act in the Light, and achieve perfect goodness in you.
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