Goodness: A Spiritual Reinforcement

Transcription

1 Goodness: A Spiritual Reinforcement Oh, how great is Your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! Psalm 31:19

2 As parents, we should set aside time to teach our children character traits that will make them outstanding, admired citizens. Every day is filled with opportunities for helping them learn about the character traits we value and want to encourage. Children)who)demonstrate)Goodness) show: Decency Kindness Honesty Integrity Righteousness Graciousness Goodness is the state or quality of being good; the best part of anything; essence; strength. The opposite of goodness is corruption, meanness, cruelty, and evil. Family Devotions to Reveal the Goodness of God After each devotion, spend time in prayer as a family. Remember the specific situations your children are going through. Invite them to share their needs and praises. Praise God for the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the goodness we are able to do because He lives within us. 1. Parent Reads: Begin by reading together Galatians 5: SAY: The Bible tells us in this passage that goodness is a Fruit of the Spirit. If we are saved, the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, and we can be people who overflow with goodness! This does not mean that we will be good and do good all the time. But as we come to know God more and more, we change! Goodness becomes part of who we are. With the Spirit living inside of us, He gives the power to do good! 2. Parent Reads Psalm 25:7, Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! SAY: God is good. It is a key part of who He is that we have to believe and cling to. We see His goodness displayed to us in many ways. What aspect of God s goodness does this verse tell us about? (Forgiveness, forgetting our sins). God does not have to forgive us of the many sins we commit, but in His great love and goodness, He does. 3. Parent Reads Psalm 31:19, Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! and read Zechariah 9:16-17a, On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!

3 If we are believers, God has promised His goodness to us. This means that whatever happens in our lives, however horrible or bad it may seem, God ultimately intends it for our good. And because He is completely good, it is impossible for Him to do anything not good. When you see and go through terrible times, you have to learn to cling to this truth. Our God is good, all of the time, and the things we think are intended for our harm, He intends for our good. 4. Parent Reads Philemon 1:13-14, I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. SAY: I wanted us to read this verse because it reveals to us an important thing about the Fruit of the Spirit. This is a letter from Paul to a church. He wants them to free a slave from punishment, but he says he does not want them to do this out of compulsion. This means he does not want them to do it because he is making them do it. He wants them to do it because they want to do it. When we abide in Jesus Christ, come to know Him more and more, the Fruit of the Spirit become part of who we are. We begin to want show the fruit in our lives, like goodness and kindness. Your parents will not have to tell you to be good or to be kind, but you will do it on your own. This is what happens when we allow Jesus Christ to completely change us from the inside out! 5. Parent Reads Galatians 6:9, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. And read Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ASK: What do we learn about goodness based on these two verses? (Allow children to give their thoughts. God has created us to do good. Doing good may be difficult and challenging, but it is also rewarding. We grow more like Christ, we learn how to be compassionate and loving to the poor and needy. We experience the love of people we may have never talked to before.)

4 The goal in this illustration is to show a real situation where your child could demonstrate the spiritual quality of goodness. This picture has a boy giving away his ice cream to comfort another child who has dropped their own. This kind of sympathy and good action is evidence of spiritual growth in the life of a young person. Use this page to start conversations about other ways to show goodness.

5 Work/School Asking (Modify dialogue to fit your family s situation.) How often have you been told by your mom or dad, Be a good boy! or Be a good girl!? What does that mean exactly? Most of us would say that to be good, you shouldn t do anything that s bad. Goodness involves doing things that are right, but it goes way beyond staying out of trouble. Doing things God s way, instead of the way everyone else does them, is the definition of real goodness. We show goodness by choosing to obey God, even when it is hard. We should be actively looking for opportunities to do what God says is the right thing to do. Sometimes we get tempted to do wrong. We might be afraid that others will make fun of us, or we might not have confidence to do things the other kids aren t going along with. There are times when we don t feel like being kind or loving, but even then especially then we are to choose to do the loving thing, and make the right choices. If we ask, God will help us do what is good and help us obey Him. That s how His fruit of goodness grows in our lives Prayers of Thanksgiving Concerning God s Goodness!Thank You Father that You are good, and that Your mercy is everlasting. (Psalm 100:5).!Thank You Lord that You are very compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11)!Thank You Father that every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from You, Father. (James 1:17).

6 !Father, I thank You that Your divine power has given me all things that pertain to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3).!I thank You God that You are for me, not against me. If You did not spare Your own Son, but delivered Him up for me, I realize that You will also freely give me all things together with Your Son. (Romans 8:31,32).!I thank You Father that You give good things to those who ask You! I thank You that You give the Holy Spirit to those who ask You! (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13).!I thank You Father that I can ask, and I will receive. Thank You Father that You will give me whatever I ask You in Jesus name! (Matthew 7:7; John 16:23) Bible Stories Related to Goodness King Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord. I Chronicles 34 Barnabas a good steward and encourager. Acts 4:36; 11:22-24 Dorcas - a woman of good works. Acts 9:36-43 Cornelius - a centurion of good report. Acts 10 Paul - possessed a good conscience. I Corinthians 4:4 The I Wills of Goodness I will avoid evil. I will grow in goodness by spending time in God s Word. I will show right behavior. I will do good deeds that benefit others. I will choose to obey God, even when it is hard. I will show a humble heart of true sorrow and repentance when I sin. I will let the Bible be my only standard for goodness. It's important to memorize Scripture in order to stand strong during life's difficult circumstances. When you have Bible verses inscribed in your mind, you're carrying a concealed weapon. You're wielding the sword of the Spirit. (Dr. David Jeremiah) With your family, meditate on these passages about Goodness during the month of November, and begin laying up His words in your heart. Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Psalms 23:6 - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 31:19 - Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men! Romans 12:9 - Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

7 Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Psalms 27:13 - I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. James 3:13 - Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Galatians 6:10 - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Psalms 34:8 - O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. Micah 6:8 - He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Psalms 25:7 - Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O LORD. John 3: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Matthew 12:35 - A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Titus 3: This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.