The Power of Good and Bad
(6 minute read)
The theme of The Attitude Rules is built around the words good and bad. They are adjectives that describe the direction your actions and reactions take you.
Good represents all the “good” adjectives and bad represents all the “bad” ones.
They are the only two descriptive words you need.
The Rule: Thoughts, attitudes, and the actions and reactions they cause are either good or bad. They can’t be both at the same time, and they can’t be anything other than good or bad.
There are other words that represent good and bad: positive (good) or negative (bad), optimistic or pessimistic, happy or unhappy, enthusiastic or apathetic, friendly or unfriendly, respectful or disrespectful, and many, many more.
(We’ll take a more detailed look at the Attitude Meter later)
Thoughts, attitudes and the actions and reactions they cause can’t be anything other than good or bad.
In other words, there is no “gray area” between good and bad to either hide in or to deceive yourself with— just good and bad. Claiming a gray area is an attempt to say that there is something between good and bad which is neither good or bad, so you don’t have to declare it good or bad.
If it’s good, it can’t be bad and if it’s bad, it can’t be good. You must choose a side and there are only two.
God made the choice perfectly clear to Adam (Genesis 2:16-17), and Eve knew the command as well—and they had only two choices, even though it was a command and not a suggestion: one was good (obeying God), and the other was bad (disobeying God). There was no gray area. They disobeyed. Bad choice. Bad for them… and bad for the rest of us, too.
So good and bad (evil) have been part of the human experience since the fall of man. And they will continue to exist until God brings this present age to an end.
The Definition of Good
Good means helpful, constructive and productive. It’s morally excellent. It’s positive and desirable in nature. Goodness is one of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit— “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Goodness is also one of seven qualities Peter tells born-again believers to diligently add to their faith: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5–7).
The Holy Spirit produces goodness in the born again believer and believers are called to demonstrate that goodness.
There could be no bad without good and there could be no good without God. We cannot recognize what is bad without a standard of what is good. God is the standard. He is perfectly good.
Without His perfect standard, right and wrong would become nothing more than matters of personal opinion.
Good and bad are two completely different things. The are going in two completely different directions and they produce two completely different results.
Your thoughts, attitudes and actions are always either good or bad, and over time they shape your character, identity, the roles you play in life, and ultimately the quality of life you live each day.
We all know the difference between good and bad and right and wrong—even when we sin, because the law is written in our hearts by God so we can distinguish the difference and our conscience accuses us when we’re doing bad and defends us when we’re doing good.
And deep down, we all know the difference. So do not be deceived.
Good is always good. Bad is always bad.
And bad can never be good—no matter how good ‘bad‘ might seem at the time.
There are degrees of good and bad, but even the ‘worst good’ is still good, and the ‘best bad’ is still bad. ‘Not too good’ is still good and ‘not so bad’ is still bad.
Make ‘good’ your ‘default factory setting’—the way the Creator designed it to be. Evaluate and adjust your attitudes and behavior, and ‘reset to default’ whenever necessary.
Adjectives That Describe Good and Bad:
Positive (the plus sign +, which adds to) is good. Optimistic is good, friendly is good, happy is good, enthusiastic is good, respectful is good, unselfish is good—and the list goes on and on.
Negative (the minus sign −, which subtracts from) is bad. Pessimistic is bad, unfriendly is bad, unhappy is bad, apathetic is bad, disrespectful is bad, selfish is bad—and more.
‘Good’ is also Christlike, righteous, moral, caring, compassionate, grateful, and more.
Bad is not.
But above all, good is what pleases God and gives Him glory.
An Illustration of the Unlimited Power of Good and Bad Attitudes:
A good attitude can make the good things in your life seem like they’re so good they couldn’t possibly be any better.
A bad attitude can make the bad things seem so bad they couldn’t possibly be any worse.
A bad attitude can even make those good things seem like they’re not as good as you thought they were.
But, a good attitude can make the bad things seem like they’re not so bad after all.
Bad attitudes make both bad things and good things seem worse. Good attitudes make both good things and bad things seem better.
And better is better than bad every single time.
Your mindset—the way you choose to think—shapes your perception. A good attitude amplifies the positive and softens the negative, while a bad attitude can dim even the brightest moments and turn happiness into disappointment. That’s the power of mindset—your thoughts and attitudes shaping your actions and reactions.
That’s the power of attitude!
Whatever choice you make, makes you. It shapes and defines the content of your character which reveals the person you really are… your true identity and how you act and react in the situations, circumstances, triumphs, defeats, trials and tribulations of life.
So always make good choices and wise decisions
Notable Thoughts about Good and Bad
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” – John Wesley
“A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results… good or bad, on the character and circumstances.” – James Allen, As a Man Thinketh
Memorize and Use This Rule:
Rule #2 – Thoughts, attitudes, and the actions and reactions they cause are either good or bad. They can’t be both at the same time, and they can’t be anything other than good or bad.
This is the very heart of The Attitude Rules!
