To be Godly is to be good

By Bayo Ogunmupe According to the Psalms of David in the Bible: “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners inn his ways.” Psalm 25:8. How would you define “goodness” or “the good life?” The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau defined happiness as “a good bank account, a good cook and a good digestion.” Some would say the good life is physical. They think it doesn’t get any better than a long soak in a hot tub, a back rub and a drink at the pub. Others would say the good life is material. They think if you have the mansion, the Mercedes and the money, you’re living the good life. But the goodness isn’t about feeling good, looking good, or having goods. It’s about being good and doing good. And just like we need a clock to tell time and a ruler to measure distance, we need a universal standard for determining goodness. And we have one: God. “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.” Without a universally accepted standard for goodness, it becomes a grey area, a matter of opinion. Adolf Hitler thought annihilating the Jews was a good thing. Suicide bombers think killing innocent human beings is a good thing. And such thinking cannot be countered with a simple, “that’s not good.” What’s to keep a Hitler or suicide bomber from saying, “that’s just your opinion?” The word good stems from the old English word with the same connotation as God. It literally means to be like God. Goodbye is the shortened phrase for “God be with ye.” So, the universal standard for goodness can only be decided by one who is universally good, and that One can only be God. “The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in His sight-“ Proverbs 15:26. Sometimes we say to people half in jest, “Try to be good, and if you can’t be good, be careful.” The idea that if can’t be good make sure you’re clever enough not to be caught. But in reality, our lack of goodness is no laughing matter. Goodness that used to meet a universal standard is now a matter of personal interpretation and preference. And an epidemic of public officials whose private conduct leaves us shocked hasn’t made things any better. James Madison one of the framers of the US constitution and who later became US president wrote: “The aim of every political constitution is to obtain as rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern and most virtue to pursue the common good of society.” Nowadays, surveys show that trust in our political and business leaders is at the lowest point on record. They have only two things in mind: to get rich and to stay in power. The Bible says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people,” Proverbs 14:34. You must get personally involved in politics to stop evil from triumph. The revered British statesman Edmund Burke said: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” One person, plus God, can change things. Try to be that person.