THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KINDNESS AND GOODNESS
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness (Agathosume), goodness (Chrestotes), faithfulness… Galatians 5:22-20
At that time Moses was born, beautiful in the eyes of God. He was nursed for three (3) months in his father’s house; when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter took him in and called him her son. Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in word and deed. Acts 7:20-22
God showed his kindness to Moses by saving him from death and making him a prince of Egypt. This type of kindness is called Benignity: taking what is benign and making the most of it. This is the Goodness that God shows.
Pharaoh’s daughter showed Blessing by being the instrument in God’s hands for this elevation. She was God’s instrument to see in Moses the beauty that God saw, to elevate it and make the most of it. The attitude of Pharaoh’s daughter was not just a practice of good deeds, but an accompaniment from weakness to strength.
The table below will clearly show the difference between Goodness, which is the practice of good deeds, and Chrestos’ Blessing, which is the reception of God’s Goodness.
| KINDNESS (AGATHOSUME) | BENIGNITY, BENEVOLENCE (CHRESTOTES) |
| It means doing good works | It means receiving God’s goodness |
| It means giving | It means to elevate |
| Giving material goods | Giving one’s life, one’s person, one’s time |
| Providing for the needs of others | It means valuing others |
| Doing good deeds for others | Encouraging others to practise their good deeds |
| Responding to the needs of others | Developing the good things that God has placed in others |
| Giving what people need | It means giving yourself to develop and help people become what they should be |
| It means giving bread to the hungry | It means turning the hungry into bakers |
| It means caring for orphans | It’s raising orphans |
| It’s giving fish | It’s learning to fish |
I read my Bible in 1 year: Isaiah 48; Deuteronomy 22; Psalm 110
This text is an excerpt from the book “Benignity – Foundation of God’s Faith – In His Image to Dominate, Devo 6, September 2023 ” written by Mohammed SANOGO.
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