Good For Goodness' Sake

GOOD FOR GOODNESS' SAKE

“You better watch out, you better not cry

Better not pout I'm telling you why - Santa Claus is coming to town

He's making a list and checking it twice; Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice

Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping - He knows when you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good - So be good for goodness sake!”

Can you be “good… for goodness sake”

Jesus said, you may as well forget that.

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked “what good thing must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus replied: “Why ask me about what is good… Only God is good.” (Mt.19:16-17)

One preacher is said to have told his audience:

“I’m paid to be good, but you folks are good… for nothing.”

He can say that because the Bible says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”

That doesn’t mean we can’t “DO good”

There are plenty of people who do “good things”.

Even evil people can do good things.

Non-Christians can do good things.

But no matter how many “good things” we may do, the Bible teaches that we can’t really “BE good” without God.

In fact, for us to claim we are “good” without God is for us to claim a SELF righteousness.

And somehow that just doesn’t seem quite right.

Most people who are honest with themselves would agree with Mark Twain who said:

“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody.”

And – Twain was right – all of us have a dark side.

All of us have things in our past that would bring us shame if others knew what we’d said … or done… or thought.