[Special] How Much Has Goodness Been Cultivated in Your Heart?

We have to cultivate goodness in our hearts first in order to have true hearts that God wants us to have. Let's delve into a few standards and check ourselves accordingly. We have to have goodness not in our own sight, but in God's sight.


Those Who Cannot Reach the Level of Goodness that God Wants

Unless we cultivate goodness in our heart, no matter how long we have been listening to and learning the Word of God, the knowledge on the Word could be a tool for passing judgment and condemnation on others. When we judge others with our own standards, we will naturally recognize and like only those who agree with our own standard, but ignore those who do not agree with us. We jump to the conclusion that these people are against the truth.

Such frameworks of the truth are created when we cannot understand God's heart completely. Because we look at the one side from our own point of view, we cannot look at the other side from the other person's point of view. In doing so we may insist that we are right. This means we do not know God's heart.

When we apply the Word of God to ourselves, we can discover ourselves. With fervent prayer, the framework wrongfully made with the truth will be destroyed. We will have a realization of the heart and gain the goodness of God over time.

David did not have any ill-feeling towards King Saul who tried to kill him. He rather had goodness in his heart which moved Saul's heart. Moses, Paul, Stephen, and Philip had goodness of the Lord that could give their own lives for those who caused evils too them.

The minimum level of goodness God wants us to have is not to repay others with evil for evil, but cast off even ill-feelings deep in the heart. Those who have such goodness should never be shaken in any given situation. They have no ill-feelings and evil thoughts towards those who do evil to them and give them hard time.



Let's check how much goodness we have cultivated.


1. Do you feel sad or lose heart?

Some feel sad or lose heart when those who work less faithfully and pray less fervently than they do get recognition from others. Also, others lose heart when there are no rewards or fruit even if they work with all their time, finances, and heart. This kind of heart comes from the heart of envy and jealousy.

God said in Psalm 37:1, "Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers." We should realize how evil it is to feel envious and jealous when we are not recognized and praised according to what we have done.

We should not pray and perform God-given duties in order to receive rewards, recognition or praise from others. Those who believe to receive and hope for heavenly rewards never feel sad or lose heart even if there is no praise or reward. They pay no attention to others' recognition because they work with the heart of unworthy slaves only for Father God who gives them grace and blessings and leads them to the heavenly kingdom.

Of course, God lets faithful workers for His kingdom bear fruit on earth accordingly. Even when they do not receive visible blessings on the earth, they will surely receive rewards in heaven.


2. Do you have a heart of mourning?

Mourning that is acceptable in God's sight includes mourning for repentance, souls, and God's kingdom. However, some are mournful out of their own evil. In other words, they feel sorry for themselves and sad about what they do not have.

When they discover their evil, wicked people lay the blame on their parents, saying, 'I have such an evil heart because my parents are not good and I was not raised in favorable circumstances.' They have hearts of enviousness, jealousy, and resentment against God.

If evil is discovered in our hearts, we can change only when we mourn while thoroughly repenting with a humble heart and asking for God's help.


3. Do you give way to others?

Can you give way to others even when you have to suffer a loss? We are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5), so we cannot be united as one if we insist on our own opinion and consider ourselves the most important. To give way for others is similar to the heart of seeking others' benefit.


4. Do you seek others' benefit?

The heart of giving way for others is to give the benefit which you can have to others by giving it up. However, seeking others' benefit is beyond this level. This is the heart that helps others to receive recognition and praise and go ahead even by making sacrifice. If you have such heart in any circumstances, you will be loved and recognized by people around you.


5. Do you rejoice with the truth?

To have your heart rejoice with the truth, you have to cast away envy, jealousy, and hatred. You must not pass judgment and condemnation, judge others, and slander. Even when those who do not look better than you receive recognition and praise, you have to rejoice. Then, the heart can be called the heart that rejoices with the truth.

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