Good is not good enough

One of the definition that Oxford dictionary points out for the word “good” goes this way, “Appropriate to a particular purpose; useful, advantageous, or beneficial in effect.”. Cambridge dictionary defines it as “very satisfactory, enjoyable, pleasant, or interesting:”. As human beings we all desire to attain the status ‘good’, at least we desire to be good though we do not completely attain the status of being good. A theologian quotes, ‘Are we generally good or basically bad? If you have to look around your business, workplace, or campus, you'll find ten bad men for every good man.  Sadly, every good man is a bad man as well.’.  It can be so true that all our goodness can be spurious beyond our comprehension. In fact the Bible declares in Isaiah 64:6 “..all our righteousness are as filthy rags…”. Does this mean the creation of human beings is erroneous? Definitely not, The Bible confirms that God certified His creation by saying in Genesis (1:31) “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good indeed”. It is the very nature of sin that is so much in us, that we fail to attain the complete status of being good and fall short from it. Here is an excerpt from the beautiful poem “Two kinds of people” by Ela Wheeler Wilcox (You may browse to read the complete poem), which goes like this,

“There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Two kinds of people no more I say.
Not the good or the bad, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, the bad are half good.”

What looks good is still found wanting. Generally, most of the people are good when they are not in contact with people and less exposed to tempting opportunities and threats. The moment they have to encounter situations which can be demanding or vulnerable they fail miserably. The only solution to this dilemma is to reach out to God the almighty who is good and upright (Psalms 25:8), who stores His goodness for those who fear Him (Psalms 31:19), and earnestly invites us to taste and see how good He is. (Psalms 34:8).

I intent to draw your attention to the very popular parable of Jesus “the parable of the sower” and highlight the emphasis Jesus made to the aspect of ‘good’. In Mathew 13:8 it is being described this way, “Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown”. Isn’t it strange to be told that the seeds did fall in the good ground but there was a drastic difference in the level it produced. It is said some produced hundred-fold, some sixty-fold and some thirty-fold. How come the good ground differed in its yield?  Most of the time we fail to take the ground into consideration, the fertile level of the good ground can also vary. It depends on how much manure has gone into the particular ground and other factors that has  affected the ground fertility level. Let’s be aware that the good has its gradation depending on how much ingredients the field has received.  Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great” talks about it. In fact, Jim says, good is the enemy of great. The above 60% produce depends on the factor where the good scales up to a next level to being great. He says transformation happens when the below-mentioned three factors are in place and they are as follows:

Disciplined people: You and I can increase the fertility level with our commitment and devotion to God and learning His statutes from the Scriptures and following it ardently. The Bible helps us to be organized well. Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:27 says "I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that the preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.".

Disciplined thoughts: The Bible tells you are defined by how you think Proverbs 23:7 it says “..As he thinks within himself, so he is..” Only God is big enough to fill your mind and heart when you look to Him with disciplined thoughts. Fill your minds with His goodness and be renewed in your mind to prove what the will of God is for your life. (Romans 12:2)

Disciplined actions: When the first two are in place your action follows according to the wishes and desires of God’s heart.

If you notice in the parable, God put the gradation from ascending to descending order, it is said some produced, hundred then sixty and finally to thirty-fold. The first expectation from God is that our yield will be at the highest level and that depends how conducive and fertile our ground is, to that extent it is cultivated to make a huge difference. Your in-depth honest relationship with God can only bring about a greater blessing to you and to others. 

Blessings 

David Raj