Welcome to my fruit of the Spirit Friday post.  I must confess I am not prepared for this week's post. As I was sitting here this morning deciding whether to skip the post or not Exodus 33:18 & 19 came to my mind:

Exodus 33:18-19  ‘Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!"  And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."’

Just prior to this Moses was up on the mountain with God receiving the Ten Commandments.  The people felt Moses was taking too long so they asked Aaron to make them a god.  Aaron complies with the people and makes them a golden calf, which they proceeded to worship.  The Lord tells Moses to go down at once because the people have corrupted themselves...the Lord tells Moses that He is going to destroy the people because of their sin.  He also tells Moses that He will make him into a great nation.  Moses (instead of accepted the Lord's offer of greatness) pleads for the people - what a perfect example of humility. 

After destroying the calf, mixing the gold with water and making the people drink it the Lord tells Moses and the people to continue into the promise land BUT the Lord would not being going with them.  Moses heart is to know the Lord - he begs for lives of the people of Israel instead of allowing greatness for himself, He worships the Lord and speaks to God as a friend and his heart's desire (v.13) is to know the Lord and his ways.  Moses tells the Lord that if He does not go with them - there is no point in their going.  I want to be like Moses - worshiping the Lord and only going where the Lord is going.  If God isn't going there I don't want to either.   

This brings us to Moses asking to see the Lord's glory.  I love that!  I love the fact that Moses wanted to see the glory of the Lord and he was not afraid to ask.  God tells Moses:  "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you..."

Have you ever doubted God's goodness?  I know I have. When you look around and you see the pain and suffering in this world it is sometimes difficult to believe in the goodness of God.  A few years ago after feeling this way and literally feeling despair I realized I had been duped.  I don't know if it was the Enemy or my own flesh that had duped me into believing my God was not good.  Now when I start to have those feelings I go back to the word and focus on the Lord's goodness.  The word says He is good - therefore He is.  I do not understand all that goes on around me but I do know that I need to put my faith in God and not in circumstances or someone else's opinion.

In Exodus 34:6 - 7 the Lord passes by Moses after He has tucked Him in the cleft of the rock and He proclaims:

  "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;  7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Moses asked and God gave - in Moses' desire to know the Lord He asked the Lord to show Himself to him.  Do we have a desire to know God more?  Have we asked Him to show us His glory - His compassion, grace, patience, lovingkindness, and truth?  Have we see the Lord's goodness?  Do we extend that goodness to others?

How can we exhibit the fruit of goodness?  Learn from the Lord - follow His example and yield to the Holy Spirit because He will help us.