Are You a Good Person?

I have found that most people think of themselves as good people. They tend to judge themselves as being good by comparing themselves with other people. They feel that if they do more than most people, they are good. I am not sure that is the right way to look at "goodness." The Psalmist gives us some insight into this.(Psalm 112:5)

A good person deals graciously with other people. Grace is giving more than another person deserves. When Jesus saved us by grace through faith, He gave us far more than we could ever deserve or earn, because we could never do anything ourselves to be forgiven of our sins and adopted into God's family. He graciously gave us these things when we turned away from sin to Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. He offered this grace to everyone, not just a select few. I believe the good person treats other people like Jesus treated us. He gives people more than they deserve. Is that true in your life?

The good person lends to others, too. This is because a good person knows that everything he or she has belongs to God, not them. Therefore, if there is another person in need of something we have, we should be willing to lend to others. This seems to me to be proof that borrowing is not a sin, because if it was, a good person would be leading another person to sin by lending. However, lending is good and borrowing is good, too, if it is done in the right way. Do you lend to other people?

The good person uses discretion in his affairs. This is clearly a reference to being discerning about all that we do. That discernment comes from following the Lord and His wisdom. Therefore, we can't be truly discerning unless we are in touch with the Lord in every instance, and we prayerfully follow His wisdom and truth. That means there will be instances when we do not give money to another person, because we discern that money is not the problem, so giving them money will hurt them, not help them. It means that there will be times that we will not lend, because it is not the right situation for the other person to borrow according to God's wisdom.. I hope you see what I mean and what the Bible is saying. There are so many people with needs all over the world, but we have limited resources that all come from the Lord, so we have to follow His leadership in giving and lending to others in order to do it wisely. Do you use discernment in all your affairs of life?

This is not all the Bible says about a good person, but it is a start. Take these things and search your own heart to see if you are living life, so that God would say you are a good person. He is the one who matters most.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 115-117.

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