When we were raising our eight kids we said “be good” a million times. It was our cover all situations admonition. Whatever they were doing that they shouldn’t have been doing was covered under “be good.” God must think like we did or rather we must have thought the way He did and does because God says “be good” a lot, though not quite a million times.

Deuteronomy 6:18 You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you.

Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

Psalms 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good; Seek justice,

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Galatians 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,

So here is a major principle of life, “the more you choose to do good the more you will become a good person in character.”

A person who is good in their heart, in their character does good like breathing, that is who they are, that is how they think, that is how they act without thinking about it.

We are not born good; we are born selfish, we all are, without exception. Some become good people in character, but not very many. When we choose to do good to another person because it is the right thing to do, not because we feel like it, the action, the choosing changes us on the inside. Keep choosing to do good and before long you won’t have to choose, you just do it, you can’t not do good because that is who you are, that is what you are.

Proverbs 29:9 says a very current thing, “When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rants or laughs to compensate for his lack of wisdom.”

Here is a corollary to that Proverb, “The fool rants, blames everyone else, and talks loud when he has no clue what he is talking about.”

How about this one, “A fool makes up stuff as he talks to sound like he knows what he is talking about.”

And my all-time favorite from my favorite author Patrick McManus, “If you want to look wise, smoke a pipe, purse your lips frequently, and tap the side of your head as you stare out into space, but don’t say too much or you will blow your cover.”

Proverbs 14:7 Leave the presence of a fool,
Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

A truly wise man knows that he lacks wisdom and is constantly learning and seeking wisdom from others.

A fool thinks he is wise, but everyone who listens to him talk knows he is not.

In our world today a lot of fools are talking. Their goal is to intimidate, not persuade with logical thinking.

A wise man knows when he is listening to a fool and is neither intimidated nor impressed.

Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.

That verse is amazing to think about. Moses was probably the most powerful man on the face of the earth. He had just single-handedly defeated the most powerful nation on the earth. He leads a million people out of Egypt across the Red Sea on dry ground, as it miraculously opens up for them. He talks to God face to face like one man talks to another. He performs miracle after miracle. And then God declares of him that he is the most humble man on the entire planet.

How is that possible? As I regularly think about who I am, what my strengths and weaknesses are, I examine my heart and reflect on the level of pride and humility that I have. I desire to have God say of me what He said about Moses. The two main areas that I pay attention to is what I think, especially in relation to others, and what I say to others. As I catch myself thinking thoughts about myself in comparison to others that have any hint of pride I quickly confess it to God as sin and ask Him for help in growing in humility. I do the same with words I would say in conversation with others that were a subtle attempt to project an image, or attract any glory to myself. I am surprised at how crafty I can be in doing that impulsively with no planning. I journal about my struggle to grow into a transparent, none pretentious, humble servant of God, and as I write I groan in my spirit over how slow my growth seems in this area. About the time I think I am making some progress I will catch myself thinking, “boy, I am glad that I am not like. . .

There are so many people in our church who have cancer right now, who are going through chemo, radiation treatment, and surgeries. As I read their prayer requests I often see the word pain, and the word weary and tired, and the big word discouraged. Another group have back problems that again results in pain, and being incapacitated, and again the discouragement. There are several with COVID, some not so bad, but others quite serious, and there those words are again. A number have Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, diseases that get progressively worse over time, usually not too fast but steady, always just a little bit worse the pain, the weariness, and the discouragement. And of course there all those with heart problems, and those with memory and mental struggles, and then just plain old age issues.

And there is another whole bunch of people who are healthy, but it is their family members who have cancer, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s, COVID, and MS, and they are going through a whole different kind of pain, sorrow, and discouragement as they watch, help, and pray.

Sometimes when I spend time praying through the prayer letter and other prayer requests, I get so overwhelmed with all the pain, the weariness, and the discouragement. Overwhelmed in the sense of feeling so much concern, sorrow, and empathy that I become weary in my praying, and my emotional gas tank is on empty. And then I feel guilty for taking a break from praying just to catch my breath.

Some people get better, some miraculously so, others die, some expectantly so but others a total shock.

As we all steadily march toward the day we will die with increasing health, pain, weariness, and discouragement issues, we cope, manage, and deal with it. The reason is that we have God’s power working in us because we believe in Jesus and that He loves us.