Growing up I loved the Andy Griffith Show. While all the episodes were wonderful, I remember one episode that taught a great lesson about “Goodness.” In this episode, the people of Mayberry were laughing at Barney because early that morning he tried to arrest the bank president who was unlocking the door to his own bank.
Andy planned a picnic for Barney, Thelma Lou, and Helen in order to help Barney forget his humiliation. During the picnic, Andy and Helen wandered off to explore a cave. There was a cave-in and Barney realized Andy and Helen were trapped. So he organized a massive rescue effort. Meanwhile, Andy and Helen found a way out through the back of the cave. They got back into town to clean up at Helen’s house. However, while listening to the radio, they heard a news bulletin about two people trapped in a cave near Mayberry and how Deputy Barney Fife had organized a massive rescue effort. Helen picked up the phone to call the courthouse and tell them that they were safe. But Andy stopped her. He said if the townspeople knew they were safe, Barney would become even more of a joke. What they did next illustrates “Goodness.” In order to prevent Barney from further ridicule, they put their dirty clothes back on and rushed back in to the cave through the back entrance. They rubbed dirt on their faces and sat down as if they were exhausted just a few moments before the rescue party broke through. They let themselves be rescued. As a result, Barney becomes the hero because of Andy’s sense of goodness. Goodness is doing the right thing for the right reason.
Think about it! When the average person on the street is asked how to go to heaven the#1 answer is:“ Be good. Do good.” But we don’t have the human capacity for that kind of goodness. We need to depend on the goodness and grace of someone better than us—and that Someone is Jesus.
Here’s how you can go to heaven. “For God so loved the world (substitute your name), that He gave His one-and-only Son; that whoever (your name) believes in Him, will not perish, but will have eternal life.” The only good thing you need to do to spend eternity in heaven is to simple BELIEVE that Jesus is the only One who can take you there,and then trust Him to do it. And if you do that I just want to say,“Goodforyou!”