Do you excel in goodness?

For he was a good man, full of the Spirit and of faith Acts 11:24

Barnabas was one of the leaders whom God used in establishing the early church in Asia. He was willing to give Paul a chance after Paul’s conversion to Christianity at a time when other believers were skeptical. I think the description of Barnabas in Acts 11:24 as found in the verse above is indeed commendable and it is one Christians should aspire to.

God requires that as Christians we would be good. Galatians 5:22 – 23 says – “but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”.

Interestingly goodness is stated alongside kindness, which means there’s a difference between being kind and being good and God wants our lives to be full of both.

What is goodness? Let’s consider the following as an example. Godfried has a steward whom he pays very well. Recently Godfried’s steward, Martin’s, personal cell phone gave up on him and Martin was in need of a new one.  Godfried could expect Martin to buy himself one out of his earnings. However, Godfried decided to buy one for Martin. That is goodness. When you pay or help someone who can’t afford to meet a certain need in their lives that is kindness.

In 2 Peter 1:5 (NIV), we are told to make every effort to add to our faith goodness ( virtue or moral excellence as some Bible translations put it) to prevent us from being ineffective in our walk with God.

How well are you doing in the area of goodness? I believe it is time to step it up if you are not doing so well.