This post was last updated on June 25, 2026
Day 75 (Year 2)
Righteousness and Goodness
“For the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Ephesians 5:9 NASB)
“Righteousness” in today’s scripture comes from the Greek word dikaiosune, meaning here “the purity, rightness, and integrity of one’s personal life, being approved by God.” Because God accepts us, we can accept ourselves and move toward purity, rightness, and integrity. We need to recognize the various circumstances that have occurred in our lives, as well as everything we have said and done. We must first cultivate such acceptance before we have a solid foundation to deal with various problems by relying on God. Conversely, when people refuse to accept what has happened to them or the mistakes they have made, they easily fall into a state of complaining or avoidance, far away from facing reality or understanding their problems, let alone knowing how to resolve them through Jesus.
God’s righteousness will prevail, and His light will certainly overcome all darkness. In knowing God, we must first nurture a heart that receives His truth, since what is right or wrong depends on God’s judgments. Only when we know and accept His justice and rightness can our lives move toward purity. Our integrity is always built on consistently treating others and conducting ourselves with coherent thinking. We must rely on God’s words to resolve different internal contradictions effectively and cultivate the habit of consistent thinking. Only when our minds and actions are consistent can God’s grace and truth fully come upon us, moving us toward His righteousness and purity. Indeed, adjusting our morals and values in accordance with the faith often precedes obvious spiritual progress.
“Goodness” in today’s verse comes from the Greek word agathosune, here meaning “kindness and uprightness arising from (the) heart.” From this, we see that godly goodness originates from an upright heart. When we imitate Jesus, His uprightness will naturally produce godly goodness and kindness in us. When our goodness and kindness become strong enough, we can overcome inner evil, thereby relating to others and all things with kindness. Contrarily, it is difficult for God to show goodness toward those who are set on doing evil. Jesus rebukes and punishes the hypocrites severely. Jesus said that God alone is good. All goodness we possess must be consistent with what He has.
Reflection questions:
1) Can you sense Jesus’ acceptance of you? On that basis, accept yourself and rely on God to deal with various problems? If not, how will you rely on the Lord to address this or these?
2) Are your thoughts and actions always consistent, and are you actively relying on the Lord to work through the various contradictions and inconsistencies in your life?