There is a story about a young man who experienced a very difficult childhood. He’d grown up in a rough neighborhood, surrounded by abuse and ungodliness. After his mother was killed in an accident, the young man turned to drugs. He used them, sold them, and spent some time in prison. When he got out of prison, he wanted to change his life, so he went looking for help.
Figuring God was his only hope, he asked the drug dealer he was staying with if he knew of a good church.
“I don’t know of a good church,” the drug dealer answered, “but I know a good woman.”
Think about a drug dealer making that statement! What would someone have to be like to make such an impression on someone so deep in sin?
Looking for answers, the troubled young man got in touch with this woman, and she shared the gospel with him. She took him to her church where he made Jesus the Lord of his life and was delivered from drugs.
His transformation was so great that his father, also a drug addict, did the same. He said to his son: “I watched you, and thought if you could do it, I could do it.”
See how that worked? One good woman—living out the goodness of God before others—became a testimony and drew one young man to Jesus. He became a testimony to God’s goodness and drew his father to the Lord.
As you’re living your life, think about the importance of the fruit of goodness in your spirit. Remember that God’s goodness manifested through you has the power to change others. Being good to others isn’t just about checking off some religious box—it is light and life to those around you.