Philippians 4:8 - Happy Halloween

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Halloween can be an evil holiday, worshiping satan, or it can be a fun day to dress up and have some candy. I choose the latter. We can bring glory to God by focusing on the good.

Lord, thank you for giving us the choice to celebrate or not celebrate certain days. Please help us to focus on the good and bring glory to your name in everything we do. Amen.

Psalm 67:1-2 - Gifts with a purpose

May God be gracious to us and bless us
     and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
     your salvation among all nations.

We all want good things from God, but his purpose in giving us good things is greater than just a blessing towards one who loves him. When God is gracious to us, blesses us and shines his face on us, we become a reflection of God's goodness. We shine a light on God's paths and plans. We expose the world to the salvation God offers to everyone.

Lord, thank you for giving us your blessings. Please help us to allow you to use those blessings to reveal your ways and salvation to the world. Amen.

Psalm 37:3-4 -The good life

Trust in the Lord and do good;
     dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
     and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Do good and good will come to you.

Lord, thank you for being so good to us. Please help us to trust you an do good. Amen.

Psalm 27:13 - There is good

I remain confident of this:
     I will see the goodness of the Lord
     in the land of the living.

In these dark days, it is hard to see the good, but it is there. Look for it. Focus on it. Use it to fuel more good.

Lord, thank you for your goodness. Please help us to see that goodness and to share it with others. Amen.

Psalm 15 - John Gattis

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?
The one whose walk is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe
    against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.

God always gives me the right scripture at the right time, Today is the 21st anniversary of marriage to my husband, John Gattis. John is a remarkable man and probably the only person in the world who would put up with me for 21 years. I can not believe how precisely this passage describes him. I love you John!!

Lord, thank you for John and our happy 21 years of marriage. Please help us to always keep you first in our marriage. Amen.

Psalm 12:6 - Words

And the words of the Lord are flawless,
     like silver purified in a crucible,
     like gold refined seven times.

Psalm 12 focuses on our words. Our tongues are powerful and can be used for good or evil. Our word reflect what is in our hearts. As our perfect example, God's words are flawless. They never lie or falsely flatter.

Lord, thank you for the reliability of your word. Please help us to follow your example and use our words for good. Amen.

Romans 12:21 - Choose goodness

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It is so easy to be over come by evil. From road rage to peer pressure, evil can lurk close to the surface. It is our job as Christians to not allow that evil to overcome us, but instead choose goodness. Be merciful, kind, and loving. Remain convicted and faithful. God always provides a way out.

Lord, thank you for giving us your goodness. Help us to overcome evil. Amen.

Matthew 13:23 - What does it mean to be good?

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

In my study on goodness, we discussed what good means by looking at the good soil in the parable of the sower. The good soil or Christian is:

• Productive - produces a crop, uses talents and abilities, shares the good news
• Prepared - receptive, hears, understands, tilled, is rich in nutrients, has enough water, spiritual knowledge and depth
• Unencumbered - free of weeds and rocks, unshackled by life's concerns
• Valuable - is useful to the kingdom and adds value to it

On the opposite side, the good soil or good Christian is not:

Lord, thank you for giving us an excellent example of what "good" is. Please help us to live up to this example and be useful in your kingdom. Amen.

2 Peter 1:5-7 -The virtue of goodness

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

The word goodness can mean a few different things. In this passage the original Greek word is referring to virtue. Morality is absolutely something we are called to. In the fruit of the Spirit list in Galatians 5:22-23, goodness is referring to being useful or valuable.

Lord, thank you for giving us your Spirit to help us live like your people. Please help us to allow the work of the Spirit to be evident in our lives. Amen.

Ephesians 5:8-10 - Fruit of the light

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

Fruit of the light...we have regularly heard of the fruit of the Spirit, but fruit of the light was something I had not noticed before. As children of the light and bearers of the Spirit we are called to live like it.

Lord, thank you for making us your children and giving us your spirit. Please help us to live like we are and please you. Amen.

Psalm 23:6 - God's Goodness

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This week I am teaching a lesson on goodness, one of the fruit of the Spirit. Before God calls us to goodness, He demonstrates his goodness toward us over and over. God is good in so many senses, but one primary concept is that of value and usefulness. God is good to us. He provides for us. He is there when we need him.

Lord, thank you for your goodness. Please help us to see your goodness working in our lives. Amen.