In order to cultivate goodness in the sight of God who is Light, we should first be able to discern between goodness and evil by the truth. Something you think to be goodness might be something evil in the sight of God. This feature story will help you accomplish perfect goodness in your heart.
POINT 1. Stop Justifying Yourself
In order to cultivate goodness, you should look back on yourself based on the Word of God and diligently fill up what you lack. Although you know your shortcomings, you may give excuses saying that you couldn't help but do what you did rather than try to change yourselves.
You may know very well that being faithful in all aspects refers to doing all the works you are responsible for in the church, the home, and in the workplace with the heart of spirit. Some of you might neglect some works and think, "I am busy with the work of God. I have a very important duty. This work is much more important than that work." And in doing so, you don't admit your shortcomings. It shows that you are justifying yourself thinking you cannot help it. This may come from your 'cunningness' because it is misusing the truth for your benefit.
Suppose you have ten duties, but you can deal with only a couple of them. If you do them with all your heart and love, others will feel your genuine heart and thus they will not become resentful and Satan cannot accuse you of anything either.
You have to check whether you were really completely tied up and could not spare any more time, or you were just lacking spiritual love. You did only the things that you wanted to do and neglected the works that you really didn't want to do? In order to cultivate true goodness, you should check whether or not you are justifying yourself while your thoughts are self-centered and you are following your own benefit.
POINT 2. Cast off Arrogance
Saul was just an ordinary man who had never thought about becoming a king. However, as he continued to be served as the king, his heart was being lifted up without him realizing it. He considered the throne to be his and his only. He became accustomed to the misuse of the power. Even the prophet Samuel, who had anointed Saul as the king, became afraid of Saul. When Saul sought to kill the good man David, and when he committed such an evil act of destroying the whole city of priests, nobody could stop him.
Arrogance comes in very subtle ways. Your heart can be lifted without you realizing it. Before you become sanctified through the circumcision of your heart, arrogance can be revealed in you at any time. Thus, you should pray fervently to cast off arrogance.
You may say you have attended every kind of services, unceasingly prayed, and worked diligently in all your duties and you know what to do in your given jobs. But due to the works that you have done, you may not be able to realize that you are slow in circumcising your heart. You are probably suppressing sins such as envy, jealousy, and hard-feelings. Since they are not revealed, you don't realize your shortcomings.
Some of you may think your opinion is better just because you are the leader, you are older, and you have more experiences. You do not listen to your subordinates or people around you. This way, you do not realize the faulty character in you, and you think you have done nothing evil.
Arrogance can be revealed in the form of breaking the order or hierarchy. Let's 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, "White is good, but please go with pink this time." Now you go to the president of the mission group. You are not only violating the order but also you are being cunningly deceitful to get your opinion accepted. You just think you got the permission from the president who is higher than the secretary, so there was no disobedience involved, and you did your job well. It is likely, however, to come from your arrogance. Thus, you should check yourself all the time to cast off arrogance and achieve a humble heart (Philippians 2:3; 1 Peter 5:5).
POINT 3. Do Not Mistakenly Think Your Own Fervor to Be Fervor for God
If your fervor is truly for God, you will do what pleases God all the time. You will not just work diligently but the circumcision of heart will follow. You will pursue peace with others and seek their benefits all the time.
Though a person may have a strong sense of responsibility and passion for their duty, she may deviate from the will of God. 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 tells the president what to do. But the president is still not able to handle the administrative responsibilities, so the secretary feels uncomfortable and does all the work by herself. She sometimes expresses her pride or her uncomfortable feelings in doing so.
If other workers do not work in a way she wants, her feelings are agitated. She speaks with frustration or she verbally hurts the feelings of others. Yet, she still thinks she has to do the work of God and she is doing more than what is entrusted to her. She is doing her duty as a secretary very well. If she covers her shortcomings with her zeal, she cannot recognize them.
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. Instead she becomes resentful thinking, "I have been so faithful, and this is how they treat me!" Now her zeal cools down.
If her fervor came out of her love for God, it would not change. She would grow up more in the way God wants. She was not diligent for the kingdom of God with a truthful heart, but it was a fervor that came out from her personality. We should check 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.
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