Psalm 25:8-10 In the movie “Educating Rita,” the character of Rita (played by Julie Walters – now famous for playing “Mrs. Weasley” in the Harry Potter films) is a middle-aged woman returning to university to study English literature. After writing an essay, her professor (Michael Caine) tries to be polite, but she insists that if her work is not good she should be told that it is no good and she can try again. The line (which I will not repeat here because of language) is one that has echoed in my mind for years.
It expresses a noble determination to improve, to be honest about what is good and not good, so that we can move forward and be better.
In today’s reading, how is the Lord described in verse 8? Therefore, what is the Lord qualified to do? How are the “ways of the Lord” described?
While Rita’s attitude is focused on her writing, the same attitude should be in each of us when it comes to living a life of goodness as we walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Part of the fruit of the Spirit is goodness. In Greek it is agathosune (pronounced ah-gah-tho-SUE-nay).
Agathosune, according to William Barclay, is “a word that is peculiar to the Bible and does not appear in secular Greek.” Therefore, this word must be one that speaks of a holy goodness, a purity that can only occur in those who follow God.
Barclay continues to say the word is defined as “virtue equipped at every point.” This means that those who exhibit goodness – agathosune – are prepared to be a help to others and to do what is right, and not just when it is convenient or advantageous, but always.
The term “goodness” seems to be one of those descriptive words that we can toss around in conversation and in life with its meaning shifting and changing to apply to the specific situation. But if we are to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit we must have goodness – agathosune – as part of who we are.
And it is appropriate here to emphasize again that the fruit of the Spirit, all of it, is something we as Christians must live out. We cannot decide that this one is too hard so we drop it from our list.
As the psalmist points out, the Lord is good and His goodness can be an instruction and guide for us. That is, we should learn to be as good as God. And why should we be as good as God? Because God’s way, the way of goodness, is loving and faithful.
It may be difficult to be good always. It is so easy to qualify yourself by comparing what you do to what others do, to what seems acceptable in society. But we are supposed to be above all that. We are to work to have agathosune in all that we do and say. We are to live a life of godly agathosune – goodness – no matter how challenging that can be.
And if we are not exhibiting agathosune we need to be told so we can start again.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How close are you to living a life of goodness? What can you do to improve?
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