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Earlier in the day, you told your child, right after dinner, we'll read your favorite book together. But now, dinner is over. The kitchen is a mess. Your phone keeps dinging at you. The clothes that are in the dryer still need to be folded. But then your adorable child walks into the kitchen holding the book and says, Mommy, can we read it now? And honestly, you're really tired. So what does faithfulness look like in that moment? 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. We're continuing our series of the fruit of the spirit in everyday family life. And today we're talking about faithfulness. 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. So our scripture today is Luke 16, 10. Jesus says, If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. Now, I want us to understand what Jesus is teaching here because we never want to take one verse and make it mean whatever we want it to mean. Okay, so in this passage, Jesus is teaching about stewardship and being trustworthy with what has been placed in your care. And he is showing us that faithfulness doesn't suddenly appear when something big comes along. It shows up in the way we handle what has already been entrusted to us. But before we go any further, I think we need to talk about what faithfulness actually means. Biblically, faithfulness is about being steadfast and trustworthy with God, his word, and what he has placed in your care. It means continuing to trust him, continuing to follow him, and being someone whose words and actions can be trusted. And there's something really important I don't want us to miss. God is faithful first. So we aren't trying to create faithfulness out of our own strength. God himself is faithful. And as you follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working in you and producing faithfulness in your life. So once again, this isn't I need to try harder to be a better person. It's Holy Spirit, produce your fruit in me as I follow Jesus. And then that faithfulness begins to show up in ordinary places. I mean, it can look like keeping your word, continuing to pray when you haven't seen any answers yet, obeying what God has already shown you, or continuing to show up when the excitement has kind of worn off and things are taking longer than you expected. And yes, sometimes faithfulness looks like reading the book you told your child you would read. So let's go back to that moment. Okay, dinner is over. You look around the kitchen, there are dishes everywhere. There are things you still need to do. And maybe what you really want is five quiet minutes to yourself. Then your child comes walking into the kitchen with her book in her hand and says, Mommy, can you read it now? It's after dinner. And in that moment, you're thinking, well, when I said it, I meant it. But now, I mean, you're just so tired. Now, of course, there are times when plans really do need to change. Something may happen then that genuinely needs your attention. Faithfulness doesn't mean plans can never change, but let's say nothing happened. You just don't feel like doing what you said you were going to do. I mean, you're tired. That little promise might not seem very important to you, but it matters to your child. So maybe right then the Holy Spirit reminds you, be faithful with what has been placed in front of you. You look at the dishes and you think, those can wait another 10 minutes. So you sit down on the couch, your child climbs up next to you, and you read the book together. That may not feel like some great spiritual moment, but that is one way faithfulness gets lived out. You said you would do something and you followed through. And your child experiences what it feels like when your words can be trusted. But faithfulness is much larger than keeping a promise about reading a book. Maybe it means actually praying when you told someone you would. Maybe it means taking that step of obedience God has already put on your heart. Or maybe it means continuing to trust him when you've been praying for something for a long time and you still don't understand what he's doing. Faithfulness says, I'm going to keep trusting God. I'm going to keep following him, and I'm going to be trustworthy with what he has placed in my care. And I think sometimes we're looking for the big assignment, like the big calling, the big opportunity. And God may simply be asking, will you be faithful with what is already in your hands, with the people already in your life, with the responsibilities already in front of you, with what he has already asked you to do. And your child is watching that too. Little by little, they begin learning that your words mean something. That when you say you'll be there, you will show up. When you say you'll do something, you will follow through. And of course, none of us is going to do that perfectly. There are going to be times when something gets in the way. There are going to be times when you realize, oh my gosh, I told you I would do that. And I completely forgot. Faithfulness doesn't mean perfection. When you get it wrong, you acknowledge it, you apologize, you make it right when you are able, and you keep growing. Because faithfulness is a growing steadiness in your life, a desire for your words and your actions to agree, a desire to continue trusting God and following Him. A desire to be trustworthy with what he has placed in your care. Okay, here's your one practical step for today. Today I want you to ask, Lord, what are you asking me to be faithful with today? And when he shows you you take that step. You don't have to find some great big thing to do. Just start with what God has already placed in front of you. Okay, real quick before we pray, the God says so shop opens its virtual doors on Tuesday, September 29th. I'm so excited to finally share scripture-inspired apparel and accessories for women and kids created to help you keep God's word close and share his truth. And we've only just begun. Okay, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you that you are faithful. Thank you that I can trust you, trust your word, and know that your character does not change. Holy Spirit, produce your faithfulness in me. Help me continue trusting you even when I don't understand what you're doing. Help me follow through on my words and commitments. Help me be trustworthy with the people and responsibilities you have placed in my life. Show me where you are asking me to be faithful today. And when I get it wrong, help me recognize it, make it right, and continue growing as I follow Jesus. Help my child see through the way I live what it looks like to trust you, keep my word, and be faithful in the everyday things you have placed in front of me. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. All right, come back on Thursday as we continue our Fruit of the Spirit series, and we're going to move on to gentleness. 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.