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You're walking out of the grocery store and heading towards your car. You start unloading the cart when you notice something sitting underneath that never got scanned. You look at your receipt. Nope, you didn't pay for it. You could put it in the car and go home. But what does goodness look like when no one is watching? Welcome to God Says So, the scripture-rooted podcast created to help Christian moms just like you grow in God's word, strengthen your faith, live by what God says, and pass his truth on to the children you love. So the next generation grows up rooted in Scripture. Hi, I'm Donna, and I hope that you'll feel right at home here. Together, we'll find encouragement and joy in what God says. You'll leave with one practical way to bring his truth into your everyday family life. So come join me. I can't wait to share today's message with you. Hey friend, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here. Before we dive in, I promised you on Tuesday that I had something exciting to share. And here it is. The God says so shop is opening its virtual doors on Tuesday, September 29th. The shop will feature scripture-inspired apparel and accessories for women and kids designed to help you keep God's word close and share his truth. And we've only just begun, so I will be sharing more with you very soon. Okay, so let's talk about goodness. So we're continuing our series, The Fruit of the Spirit in Everyday Family Life. And as we do in every episode, we're going to take one scripture passage, one prayer, and one practical step to help you live by what God says in your everyday life. Our scripture today is Ephesians 5, 8 through 10. Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And I want you to notice something. God's word doesn't tell us to do enough good things so we can become children of light. He says, Now you are light in the Lord. And because you belong to Jesus, you're called to walk as a child of light. And then let's look at verse 9. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. There it is, goodness. Now, this isn't about trying to be a good person so that God will love you. You already belong to Jesus. God loves you. So goodness is something the Holy Spirit produces in you as you follow Him. And goodness is bigger than simply doing the right thing when nobody is watching. Now, that can certainly be one way goodness shows up in our lives, but biblically, goodness is the Holy Spirit producing in us a desire to choose what God says is good, and then to actually live that out. So that means it's choosing what is good, what is right, and what is true because it reflects the character of God. Now, sometimes that looks like honesty, sometimes that can look like generosity, sometimes it means standing up for what is right, sometimes it means doing something good for someone else, even when it would be easier not to. So goodness brings us back to this question, Lord, what is the good and right thing to do here? So sometimes we talk about goodness like it simply means being a good person. And I'm sure you've probably heard many people say, I'm a good person. And maybe they are, maybe they're kind and generous and wonderful to be around. But as followers of Jesus, we don't get to make up our own definition of what is good. God does. He teaches us what is good, what is right, what is true. And as we follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us live that out. Okay, so let's go back to the grocery store. You're standing there looking at the item that somehow made it through the checkout without being paid for. And maybe, maybe just for a second you think, well, that wasn't my fault. It's not like anybody is chasing you through the parking lot. I mean, nobody even knows. And you're tired, your child is ready to go home, you're ready to go home. Going back inside is so inconvenient. But then the Holy Spirit brings conviction and you know what the right thing is to do. So you take your child back inside, you walk up to the register and say, This was underneath my cart, and I realized that it wasn't scanned. Then, as you leave the store and head back, you know, to your cart, your child asks, Mommy, why did we have to go back into the store? So you say, You know the case of water that was at the bottom of the cart? Well, it wasn't scant. So that means we didn't pay for it. So we went back inside to do the right thing and pay for it. So that's one way goodness gets lived out. You recognized what was good and right, and you chose to do it, even though it would have been a whole lot easier to just go home, right? Just to keep on putting the rest of the stuff in your car and head home. But here's the thing, your child gets to see that. Because as you follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit is producing in you a desire to choose what pleases God. And sometimes goodness costs us something. Maybe it costs a few extra minutes, maybe it costs convenience. Maybe it means telling the truth when it would be easier not to. Maybe it means doing the right thing, even when you know nobody would ever find out. And I think verse 10 gives us such an important question to ask. Lord, what would please you? Not what can I get away with? Not what is everyone else doing, not even what feels easiest right now, but Lord, what would please you? And our children are watching those everyday choices. They're learning that following Jesus isn't only something we talk about on Sunday. It affects the way we live, it affects our choices, it affects what we do when nobody else is looking. And it's not that nobody else is looking, it affects the good we choose to do in all kinds of everyday situations. Little by little, our little ones begin to understand that we choose what is good and right and true because we belong to Jesus. Okay, so here's your one practical step for today. Sometime today, when you're faced with a choice, even that could be a really small one, pause and ask, Lord, what would please you in this moment? Then think about what God has already said in his word. So what is good, what is right, what is true? And when you know what the right thing is, do it. Even if it's inconvenient, even if nobody notices, even if nobody ever knows, because God does. And you're learning to live by what He says. Okay, real quick before we pray, just a reminder: the God says so shop opens Tuesday, September 29th, and I'm so excited for the work God is doing. So I'll be showing you more as we get closer, so make sure you're following God says so so you don't miss the opening. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word and for showing me what is good, right, and true. Thank you that I don't have to earn your love by trying to be a good person. Because I belong to Jesus, your Holy Spirit is working in me. Holy Spirit, produce your goodness in my life. Give me a desire to choose what you say is good, not simply what is easy or convenient. When I'm faced with a choice, help me stop and ask what would please you. Help me choose what is right even if it isn't convenient, and even when no one else is watching. Help me recognize opportunities to actively do what is good and reflect your character in the way I live. And help my child see through the way I live that following Jesus changes the choices we make in our everyday lives. Help us live by what you say and reflect your goodness to the people around us. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Okay, so come back on Tuesday as we continue our Fruit of the Spirit series and we move on to faithfulness. And if you haven't already, please follow the God Says So podcast so you never miss an episode. Oh, wait, one more thing. If the Holy Spirit puts someone on your heart while you were listening to this episode, would you please share this podcast with them? And together, we can reach more families, all for God's glory. Until next time, stay rooted in Scripture. Live by what God says, and pass it on.