Good is one of those words that I think is way overused in the English language and in our lives in general. We greet people with, “Have a good day!” (in my mind I see a yellow smiley face). Mothers tell their children, “To be good!” Preachers extols from the pulpit, “Only the good will attain heaven!” Good food and good music. In our lexicon things are either good or they are bad. But is that what the Bible tells us about, good and goodness? I want to share a story that helped me understand these overused words and also Fruit of the Holy Spirit, goodness.
Many of you who have followed this blog know that I earned my living in the construction field, Ironworking to be exact. From about 1976 through 2001 I was in ‘field work’, which meant I physically participated in my trade. But in 2002 I made a choice to join a company as a project manager that worked out of an office, something I had never done in my life.
The reason this company hired me was they understood I had a reputation of getting the job done. That was true. I had been successful in bringing my jobs in on or under budget, but more than that I was willing to do anything to make sure the companies I worked for came out on top. Many times, this entailed, lying, cheating or even abusing a contractor or their employees. In other words, I had the reputation of being ruthless.
I was proud of this. I boasted that no one could challenge me in a meeting or in the field where I would not get the better of my opponent, and that is the way I thought of companies we did work for or around, opponents. I liked being thought of as a tough guy in a tough business.
I was so successful that I was soon asked to train others in my tactics and became the department head with the idea I would be just as ruthless with our employees. All went well for years, until around 2012 when I underwent a change that would reverse everything I was and wanted to be. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.
At first, I didn’t see any conflict with continuing as I had been, but only during work hours. Once I left the job behind for the day, I left the ruthless John behind too. Then I would become the ‘good’ John, running a soup kitchen and doing good works in several different ministries. I would read the Word of God in the morning, say my prayers, then strap on the ‘bad’ John and go to work. I saw no conflict, my job was one thing and my walk with God was another, a man got to eat, doesn’t he?
In 2014 as my wife drew closer to death, I found myself seeking God more earnestly in prayer and in His Word. I found I was dreading going to work in the morning, something that had never happened in my life. I had been up and ready by 4:00 AM for years. Now I would linger in my devotionals until I HAD to get my computer fired up and put on my ‘bad’ face. I started to feel I was being torn in two.
After my wife passed away in December of 2014, the next year was a blur. I was drawn closer to God and became even more involved in ministries and certainly was doing a lot of ‘good works’. The gap between what in my mind was good and bad was now immense. By the end of the year 2015 I knew a decision would have to be made. I could no longer serve two masters, because I found I was not serving either one of them with the devotion required.
I was in the middle of this conflict in mid-2016 when I met RuthAnn via Facebook. As our relationship grew and with her prayers and advice, I knew what I needed to do. I would have to leave behind a job where I was earning the best money I had ever made and choose the true goodness, that is Jesus completely!
As I came to this conclusion, I also came to see that good is not a condition or a state of being. Good is He who embodies Goodness, our Father God. Jesus says this to the young ruler when he addresses Him as ‘good teacher’, “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God alone.”
The truth is that in our nature we are evil. In my job before I knew Jesus being evil and ruthless came naturally to me. The Apostle Paul quoting Psalm 4:3 says, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless, no one does good not one.” (Romans 3: 10-12) I exemplify this for years, but as the Word of God changed me, I found myself craving His goodness and detesting my old self.
Today I still struggle sometimes with that old self. Yesterday was a trying day and I found I wanted to lash out with the tactics that were so effective against any opponent. But I turned to God seeking His goodness and pray I was able to resist the bad. I pray we will all do so today.
Blessings John
6/18/18
