The spiritual fruit of goodness remains crucial to the Christian walk because it helps us change our sinful habits and become more Christ-like. It can be difficult to distinguish between good and bad in a world where people want to develop their own moral standards, justify poor choices, and live the way they want instead of acknowledging God's sovereignty and his truth.

Ephesians 5:8-10 says this; "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."

Living as Christ's disciples requires a life of goodness that pleases the Lord. What exactly is goodness and what does this new lifestyle look like?

Thoughts affect actions

Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi once said this;
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”

Although Gandhi was very wise, this idea is not nearly as profound as it seems. The revered activist was not Christian, but this idea actually appears in the Bible.

Ghandi also rejected Christianity and said,“I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.," according to The Washington Times. In a way, he's absolutely correct. We're not like Christ — we're fallen human beings, and Jesus himself recognized this.

The Bible often discusses how our heart controls our mind. Jesus states that evil things in a man's heart defile him — sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness (Mark 7:20-30). These immoral things fill a person's mind, affect their thoughts, and eventually influence their actions.

My Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation professor from my freshman year at Biola made her classes memorize Colossians 3:1-17, which describes how people receive a new identity in Christ and must eliminate any earthly thinking patterns and habits if they truly desire to shed their old selves. My professor also gave us a card with this verse that I keep in my desk and reflect on because this passage transformed my life. It reminded me that we cannot justify living like those around us because we must adhere to higher standards if we truly desire to become more like Christ. Why justify society's sins when we can serve as honorable examples to this broken world?

Scripture emphasizes purity of thoughts because the things people think about characterize them. Immoral things impact someone's reasoning and motivation. Desire for something someone else has motivates someone to steal. A wish to become like someone else triggers envy deep inside a heart. The same holds true for moral things. A person's love for their spouse causes them to remain faithful and sexually pure.

Actions speak louder than words

Thoughts not only define a person, but they influence actions because actions begin with thoughts. Humans naturally sin and obey their inner desires. Positive thoughts bring great results; negative thoughts bring unfortunate results. Concern leads to care. Hurt morphs into revenge. Optimism leads to joy. Pessimism leads to cynicism.Lives improve from happiness and plunge to depression from sadness.

A person must examine their actions if they desire to develop goodness. Goodness results from obedience to Scripture and actions God approves. Sinful tendencies prevent goodness because they cause someone to focus on what their mind or the world says is correct. This remains event in situations where students face peer-pressure in situations like class examinations.

Consider this. A student sits at his desk. His hands covers his ears as he panics. When did the Maccabean Revolt take place? He knows that he read it in the textbook, but intense fatigue did not allow the answer to stick in his mind."It's just one question," he thinks to himself. His palms sweat and his shoulders tense with anxiety. "I'm sure the girl sitting next to me has the right answer," his mind tells him. The student's eyes quickly veer to his left side, but then instantly turn back because his mind shouts, "stop!" However, it is too late. The date remains in his mind forever, like a horrible, recurring nightmare. He never cheated again, but he still feels shame because he knew the right thing to do, yet let his mind control him.

Scenarios like this happen all the time. People have values they intend to live by, yet society convinces them that it is okay to forget them for one moment. We make exceptions for certain circumstances and this habit halts our growth in goodness because we blur line between right and wrong.

Listening to the Holy Spirit can help us develop goodness because he counsels people and allows them to discern between right and wrong. In essence, the Holy Spirit is our personal conscience. That is why our mind instantly says "don't do this," in certain situations. However, we must realize that any negative thought comes from the enemy, so we cannot always rely on our conscience and must learn to listen for the Spirit's voice that allows us to act according to God's moral standards and live righteously.

Treat others as image bearers

Actions determine the way a person treats others, so it is not surprising that goodness includes acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8). As a result, goodness also includes loving others because God created all humans in his image. It is important to show mercy towards evil people and help the poor and oppressed in society, but it is also important to respect people we encounter daily, such as other nonbelievers or family members that irritate us.

The Bible states that a person reaps what they sow. We start to acquire goodness when our thoughts and actions align with Godly standards because pure thoughts develop into positive choices that produce great results. Purifying our minds from sexual immorality helps us say no to movies loaded with sexual content or the temptation to cheat on someone. Denying desire to disobey God's commands and listening to his voice permits us to act honorably. Learning to care for others allows us to extend bona fide benevolence instead of counterfeit charity.

Light versus darkness

Goodness encompasses all these aspects. It is so abstract, yet it influences who someone truly is and will become. We will either choose to obey God and focus on good things, or obey the world's whispers and lose our souls.