1 Peter 3:13 "Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?"
The old dictionary I have describes good as having the right qualities; admirable; real; genuine; reliable. And it goes on. There are probably more in the newer dictionaries, but here again, I keep the old as the newer ones have words in them that I don't believe should be in the dictionary, as they are not "good" words.
I was speaking with a friend earlier and we were talking about being good. You know you can only be good for yourself. I cannot be good for you and you cannot be good for me, it is non-transferable. It just stays with the one person; it is an individual trait. It has no use to another. My good is just my good. My good will do nothing for you. It may make you like me more, make you smile in reflection of me, but it will not make you good. It will not fill any void in your life, it won't complete anything in you. It will not assist you in doing what is good yourself.
Did you ever think that if you were so good that people would love you more, do things for you or think better of you? I don't think that works well. The enemy will convince you that you will never be good enough, that no matter what you try, you won't be good enough. And to a point, this time he has it right. You can never be good enough for some people. Honestly, I don't think many people even think twice about how good you are. That is not what most people look for. I know for a fact it is not what my Beloved Lord looks for. He does not love me because I am good, because in this case, I know I could never be good enough, in my own mind, for what He has done for me. I am so thankful that my being good does not make Him love me or not. His love came to me when I was bad, low down, at the bottom of the pit, good never entering into it at all, for I was not good there. But His love came because that is what He is, He is love. My Lord was good. The only real good there ever was, was Jesus. And His good could not be transferred to me. I have never read in the Bible or heard it taught, that Jesus gave me good. You can not give someone good. It only comes from themselves. It only will come from me. And I know that good comes out of a longing inside of me to please my Lord, to give myself to Him, in the best form I know. I choose good as it is the opposite of bad.
You are either good or you are bad. I know that even if I were bad, as I once was, that God would love me anyway. His love is not conditional on whether I am good or bad. But I choose to be good, to give the best of me to Him, to be a witness of what His love can do for someone that has sinned, someone that has gone far from the teaching of childhood, has failed herself. You see, I only failed myself, as you cannot fail the Lord. He already knows ahead what you will do and He is not surprised by it. You cannot fail anyone but yourself. I have heard parents talk about how their children failed them, when in reality, the children only failed themselves, not the parents. If there was failure other than the childrens, it was the parents on themselves for expecting the children to produce for the parent and not for themselves. Good is only on the first person.
Good does not transfer from one to another, but love does. Love is something you can give that has a profound effect on the receiver. Good has no effect on another, but love has the ability to fill that person with responding love, fill them with desire to give; it can make a person trust, it can give a person a will to live. Our Lord, giving us unconditional love has this effect on everyone that receives His love. Everyone that accepts the love of our Lord, has the ability to pass that love on to others, showing the love of the Lord, serving as a witness to our Lord's goodness.
I like to think I am a good person now. I know I am not bad, I believe all those detestable qualities are out of me. But the enemy will come on you in an instant if given one small opening, to pierce that resolve with thoughts, anger, impatience, and then use it against you if you fall into one of those traps. I got almost physically ill today trying to fight falling into one of those; it was quite a battle and I don't think I was a complete winner here. I did not do bad, but I surely could have done better. I did before the end of the conversation, apologize for my impatience, and if I had seemed rude or frustrated. And I know the Lord has already washed me clean of it, but it can be a battle. The only way I think we can win this war is to keep seeking the Lord and staying in His Light, walking with His hand in ours, staying in the Word, our sword.
My precious Lord, I love You so much. I worship You, I give You all my praise. I glorify Your Holy Name, my God, You are so worthy of all my love. This 1st night of June, 2011, I am good, in my own self, I am good, it is only my good and I will strive to keep myself good unto my Lord.
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