THE ESSENCE OF GOODNESS AS FRUIT AND KEY TO DIVINE SUCCESS
By Benjamin Haruna Bala In Joshua 1:8 , we find a powerful promise from God to Joshua as he prepares to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. The verse reads; " Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful ." This verse is often cited as a key to divine success as in our theme this session, but what does it mean to be successful in the eyes of God? Being successful in the eyes of God is having certain characteristics that reflect God’s divine image and character. As we can find in the Fruit of the Spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 , goodness which is seen as a moral excellence or virtue is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, to be successful in the eyes of God is to live a life of goodness. Living a life of goodness simply means doing good in righteousness, purity and holiness; that is to say doing good both in works, characte...