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Great to have the opportunity to share that even in times of challenge, we can overcome evil with good.

Are you doing good?  I’m not asking you how you are going, but rather, is your life producing goodness?

Recently, I have found myself affected by the tragedies happening in our world. The terrorist attacks, young innocent lives lost, and even another friend who lost his battle with Motor Neurone Disease last week.

My immediate emotional reactions are sadness, concern and helplessness.

You can’t avoid feeling sadness for the families left behind, or the victims of such horrific attacks, concern that it could happen at any time and anywhere, and helplessness that I could do nothing to change what has happened.

So often, we let these emotions leave us as just as quickly as the news reporter says “let’s move onto something a little more light hearted.”

The problem with this is that we can move on too quickly and in doing so, we remain unchanged.

Instead, allowing these very real events to sit with us to the point of dissatisfaction means we will be able to stand in the face of them and decide, “enough is enough, I can’t take it anymore, I will be an answer in my world to bring change.”

3 John 1:11 says, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”

What does it look like to be a carrier of goodness in a world of strife?

It has been said that goodness is easier to recognise than to define.

It’s true that while most of us cannot bring about global change on our own, we can all do something to change the world of someone.

It may only be the world of one person, or it could be 10, 100, 1,000, or 10,000 people.

Whatever your sphere of influence, you can bring peace, joy and hope to it.

The person who is good, as God is good, is generous to give what is not deserved.

This person who is good, as God is good, is open-hearted and open-handed.

What does the Bible say about overcoming evil with good?

Quite simply, it’s a “must do.”

The Bible tells us that as a result of God’s presence in Jesus’ life, He went about doing good.

When goodness is motivated by the presence of God in us, it has eternal value as well as immediate earthly value.

The Bible word for “goodness” is the word “agathosune.”

It is a rare word that combines BEING good and DOING good. It means goodness that originates in our heart but manifests itself in our actions. It literally means, “to be godlike.”

Doing harm is not being like God no matter how you justify it or dress it up.

Matthew 5: 16 says, “Let your light shine before man that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven“.

Light shining in darkness is what God desires for our lives.

What could goodness look like?

True goodness is not necessarily doing what is in the best interest of myself but doing what is truly best for others.

It’s a goodness that goes beyond the aspect of justice.

Goodness may look like a random act of kindness given to a complete stranger.

I remember when the Church I was pastoring started doing random acts of kindness in our community. It spread like wildfire. Kindness is contagious.

People would do things like buy a magazine and randomly walk into an office and give it to the receptionist with a gift voucher attached.

One person was lining up at a chocolate cafe and paid for the people in front of them after they had ordered. Little did they know the girls were sisters who were still grieving the death of a friend.

So come on, let’s be the change in our world and increase acts of goodness and kindness no matter what tragedies surround us.

Let’s not allow our concern to blind us to the goodness that manifests itself in our world, nor sadness to paralyse us from becoming and doing good in our world.

I would encourage you to look for opportunities to be good and do good to someone today.

Phil

 

If you would like to read more about “Random Acts of Kindness Day”, you can check out these links:

https://www.facebook.com/RAKd-123502287691931/?fref=nf

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/475348/its-random-act-of-kindness-day/

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/459389/stan-walkers-random-acts-of-kindness/