Ep. 9 - Fruits Of The Spirit: Goodness

A lot of people say “be a good person,” but few can explain what goodness actually looks like when it costs you something. We open Scripture and get concrete—starting with Matthew 25’s sheep and goats and moving into a field guide from Micah 6:8: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. Along the way we tackle the mismatch between cultural niceness and biblical goodness, and why Jeremiah 17’s warning about the heart’s deceit means we can’t build a life on feelings or trends.

We share practical ways goodness shows up where it matters most: business integrity when shortcuts tempt, advocacy for the vulnerable when it’s unpopular, and mercy that refuses payback. Joseph’s story reframes pain—what others meant for evil, God can use for good—while Romans 12 calls us to overcome evil with good, feed our enemies, and live peaceably without surrendering truth. This isn’t passivity; it’s spiritual warfare in work boots, courage tethered to compassion.

How do we get there? Not by trying harder. Goodness is fruit, not façade. Galatians 5 roots it in the Spirit, Romans 12 renews our minds so we can recognize what is good, and 1 Timothy 4 invites us to train like athletes—small, repeated choices that build holy reflexes. Jeremiah 6 pictures the crossroads: ask for the ancient paths, choose the good way, and walk in it. The narrow road is hard and sometimes lonely, but it leads to life—and it forms men whose words carry weight because their lives ring true.

If this conversation helped you see goodness with fresh clarity, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your support helps more men find the narrow road.

Transcript

Setting The Stage: Sheep And Goats

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is brother. Men forward and faith. Worriers, fathers, students, leaders, standing strong in a world that wants us weak. Welcome to the Brotherhood Podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Welcome back to another episode of the Brotherhood Podcast. As you know, we are going through our Fruit of the Spirit series. And last week, if you listened, we went through kindness and we're going to move on to the next one, which is goodness. But before we do that, uh Colton and I hit a verse last week that we kind of struggled with and we didn't fully understand the meaning of. And we did tell you guys that we were going to bring that back and have a quick discussion on it in today's episode. So we are going to do that. We were in Matthew 25, but that was uh that was Colton's verse that he had. So I'll Colton, I'll just let you uh kind of take it from there. We'll discuss it a little bit and then we'll uh move on with the episode. Okay.

Reading Matthew 25 And First Takeaways

Judgment, Free Will, And Eternal Consequences

SPEAKER_04 1:12

Yeah, that sounds good. So I think what I'm gonna do to start is we'll just reread this um so we know which verse it is that we're talking about, and then uh we'll discuss a little bit what we found and what we believe this verse and this passage to be about. So Matthew 25, starting in verse 31 to 46, and the heading on this one is the sheep and the goats. When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne, all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The king will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in. I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison, and you did not look after me. They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger or needing clothes or sick, or in prison and did not help you? He will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me, then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. So this is the passage we kind of hit that we were a little uncertain on what it meant, and uh instead of bringing it to you guys with not a full understanding, that's why we took this week to seek other advice on this and um look for some other ideas on what this means. And so what we really came down to is um we believe this verse to be talking about the judgment of um basically the righteous or the unrighteous, um uh basically Christians or or non-Christians, right? Believers or non-believers, um, the sheep being the believers and the goats um being the non-believers, I believe, if I have that correct.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Yeah, yeah, I think that's the concluding too.

SPEAKER_04 4:18

Yeah, and so um I think Jesus in this passage is talking about the judgment of unbelievers, and like I say, unbelievers. And so for the believers, there's a spot in heaven, as Jesus says, that's been created for us since the beginning of time. Um, that is waiting for all who choose to follow Christ, and those who do not follow Christ and are unbelievers, he says they will go to eternal punishment with the devil and all his angels. Uh, let me just see if I can find that verse and reread it here. I think it is right here. Then you will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Right? So the goats or the unbelievers um will go to eternal punishment, eternal fire in this section is what it says. A place prepared for the devil and his angels. So God never prepared it for people, but again, we have free will, and and um that's something that we have a choice to choose. So that's uh that's kind of the conclusion that we came to on that. Um I had one other verse I wanted to throw in here that might kind of make some more sense with it too. Uh Matthew 7 23. And it says, Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you away from me, you evildoers. So, which kind of ties in nicely to this week speaking about goodness. Um, but Jesus basically says that if he doesn't know us, uh there is not a place in heaven created for us, then you know, but at the end of our life, um, we'll be in eternal fire with the devil and his angels, which is not something that we want. So that again, that's kind of our conclusion, and uh that'll lead us kind of into uh our next episode here for today, which I believe Craig has a few things to kind of open us up on that one.

Anchoring Goodness In Scripture

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Yes, I do. Yeah, thank you for taking that. And it's funny, we actually uh um we actually ended up having a family gathering, so we were kind of able to discuss this in person and then um discuss it with some of the older guys, uh spiritual leaders in our um like our in-laws family, so that was kind of cool uh to do. And then actually, yeah, even other brother-in-laws, we were able to have a conversation about this, which was really nice.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

Yeah, it was good to get a couple different opinions on it and just have a a bit of a different view from what other people believe and thought that this verse um was speaking about, too.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Yeah. Um, so continuing on, um, I will just again uh with our fruits of the spirit series, it's nice to just open it up with uh Galatians 5 22 every time. Remind us where we've been, where we're going. So um Galatians 5 22 to 23 says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Um and yeah, like we said, we're going into goodness this week, is what we're gonna talk about. So we're uh we're getting near the end, but it's uh it's been a fun, it's been a fun journey through the fruits of the spirit. I think this is a really good um decision for us to go through. It's been um enlightening for me at least.

Secular Goodness vs Biblical Goodness

SPEAKER_04 8:15

Yeah, I've really been enjoying it. It's been uh incredible to be able to just kind of make the different connections and connect the dots through the Bible as to how the fruits of the spirit seem to impact every aspect of our being. I think that is really neat to see and to learn and understand.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Yeah.

The Heart Is Deceitful: Jeremiah 17

Micah 6:8 As A Blueprint For Goodness

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Um, so um, so biblical goodness, I think is moral excellence, integrity, and living in a way that reflects God's character. So our anchor verse for this week is Romans 8 28 uh and 29. And that says, and we know for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Um I think that just that just shows that uh that things work out for good for those that love God and for those that are called according to his purpose. Um I think it's a good verse to anchor us in in uh what goodness is all about. And um we're just gonna follow the same uh same format this week as we have the last couple weeks. We've got three questions, and the first one is uh what is goodness? And I for this I kinda went a different route. So I normally I'll just dive right into verses to to support like what is goodness, but this week I decided I would uh compile some things on like what a secular view or worldview worldly worldview of goodness looks like. So I'll just read through that first. Um so a secular worldview commonly says people are basically good, uh it teaches that humans are born innocent, wrongdoing is blamed on our environment, our upg upbringing, or lack of education, and it claims that morality comes from within the individual. So you hear things like follow your heart and uh right and wrong are based on feelings or cultural uh consensus, so you have an idea of what is good and moral in a culture, and that's just the the standard um goodness becomes uh self-defined and not God defined. So I think we can if we as people we're flawed and we have different ideas and everyone is um, you know, there's no basis for what is good and what is moral without God is kind of how I feel. And if everyone just follows their own heart and thinks what's uh you know the goodness comes from their own ideas, uh everyone's got different ideas, so you have no basis of what's actually good. Um believer or yeah, sorry. Um they believe humans are naturally capable of becoming better on their own. So with enough effort and progress, um society can quote unquote fix itself. Um but this contrasts sharply with what scripture says the Bible teaches we're made in God's image, so we're good made in God's image, but we're fallen, we're a fallen people. Uh we are not naturally full of goodness. Um I like for that point, if you just again, because we're fathers, but if you think about your kids, um you don't have to teach them to disobey you, right? They do that all on their own. They're na they naturally want to go against um what we would say is good for them. And we do that the uh same thing uh as adults, and goodness is a fruit of the spirit, like we're talking about today. Um, it's produced by God, not by human effort alone. And uh I think the key takeaway for that is uh secular goodness starts with self, but biblical goodness starts with God transforming the heart. Actually, uh I mean if you don't mind, I'd like to throw a verse in there. Yeah, you can do that. Um the I just have one verse and then I'll like kind of dissect it after this, so we can talk about this now for a little bit if you want. Kate.

SPEAKER_04 13:59

Yeah, um you want me to throw my verse in there first? You want to talk about uh what you had there?

SPEAKER_02 14:06

No, we can if it if it's going along with the flow of the like the thought process, then go ahead, throw it in there.

SPEAKER_04 14:16

Kate, I I just had this verse come to mind. Uh what you're talking about, Craig, with um how you said the world says to follow your heart. Now I know not everybody follows the Bible, um, but I believe it is the one and only true book to its core. And so this ver uh these couple verses, I guess. Jeremiah 17, nine to ten, and it says, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure, who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve. Um I guess my my thought on that was you know, according to that verse, our hearts are deceitful, and if we follow our hearts, well, obviously that's not the right thing to do. That's not going to lead you to goodness. Um, that's just a thought that kind of popped in my mind while you were talking there, Craig. So I wanted to quickly throw that in there and make mention of that.

Justice In Real Life: Integrity And Courage

Loving Mercy Over Payback

SPEAKER_02 15:20

No, that's good. Um that, yeah, that's a good point, and that goes exactly with what I was saying. It's it's the exact opposite of um like the a secular worldview is the exact opposite of what God um would want from us, and like that verse says, the heart is deceitful, and if the world is telling us to follow our heart, then we are deceived, right? And and we'll do things that um are not good for us. Um yeah. So uh I do have one verse for this. I think so. As we talk about goodness, I think one of the clearest pictures in the that the Bible gives us um for goodness is Micah 6.8. And I think that's a verse that many of us know. You know, you have the the song about it that we sing sometimes, and it gets kind of stuck in your head. Um but uh I wonder how many of us have actually slowed down long enough to actually meditate on the things that it says and uh what it calls us to. So I think Micah 6.8 is God uh telling his people here's what goodness looks like to be lived out, and what he requires of us. So um there's three simple commands in it, and I'll read it in a second. But those are to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. So um that's basically the verse. But I will read it here. He has told you, oh man, what is good. So this is this is what is good and what the Lord requires of you. But to do justice and to love, um mine says kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Um but obviously the song, you know, do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. So it depends on your translation. But uh I am reading from the ESV tonight. I think uh the NIV will say the other, and yeah, it depends on different translation, but same idea. So what I want to do for you guys is break these down and uh just dissect them a little bit. So do justice uh is living out what is right. So when scripture says do justice, um the Hebrew word, I'm probably gonna butcher this, but is Mishpat Mishpat or Mishpat. Um and it doesn't just mean like legal fairness, it means acting according to God's standard of what right and wrong is, um, not what our culture's standard is, uh, and not our comfort and not our emotions. So uh biblical justice means doing what's right even when no one's watching, treating people fairly, honestly, and without favoritism. So I think just something real world there is like how what do you do in your business dealings? Are you honest and fair in your business dealings uh with other people, especially brothers and sisters in Christ, but with everyone, because how we how we live ultimately is a testament um and should be a reflection of how God wants us to live and to point others to him. Um and then also standing up for what is right and protecting those who are vulnerable. Um there's uh we'll probably tackle some of these com conversations maybe in the new year, but um we think about uh abortion and stuff like that, right? Those are the most vulnerable. People are those babies, and we should be standing up for them. And uh another point I have here is refusing to participate in corruption, um, compromising our morality or shady behavior. Um for us as men, doing justice means we don't just avoid wrongdoing, but we actively work to make things right in our families, in our workplace, in our relationships, and in our communities. Uh so I think justice, uh doing justice is goodness in action. And I wonder, um, Colton, if you want me to just go through them and then we can discuss, or if you want to make a comment, feel free.

SPEAKER_04 20:59

Yeah, no, I I think what you said is really good there. Um, I think if you want to go through them all and then we can have a bit of a discussion on it. Uh, I think that would be I think that would be good. That would be good. Okay, that would be good.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

That's right. That would be goodness. That would be goodness. Um okay, the second one is love mercy. So this is delighting in showing grace, I think. Um the word here is maybe I shouldn't even say it, but shesed or chesed. Anyway, I'm butchering the the Greek or Hebrew.

SPEAKER_05 21:46

You're gonna go to Greek school here once we're gonna be able to do that. I would like figure out.

Walking Humbly: Teachable And Obedient

SPEAKER_02 21:50

I honestly would like to um learn some Greek. Uh oh, Hebrew. So Mishpat uh for justice was Hebrew, so this must be Hebrew as well. Uh Chesed, Chesed C-H-E-S-E-D. Um this is one of the richest words in the Bible. It means loyal love, steadfast kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. And if you notice God doesn't say to show mercy, he says to love mercy. Why? Because mercy is who God is. Uh I won't go there, but Psalm 103 says God is rich in mercy, slow to anger, and full of steadfast love. So when we love mercy, we are reflecting God's heart, I think. Um so to love mercy means that we are quick to forgive, like God is, we show compassion, um even when we feel uh someone doesn't deserve it, and we give grace rather than hold grudges. And uh I think we talked about this last week that we we are undeserving of God's grace and um his forgiveness, but he showed it to us anyway, and I think we need to model that as well by loving uh mercy. So when you love mercy, you also act out mercy, but um so men of God, we don't delight in payback or um what was the other word I was thinking for that? Like revenge or things like that. Retaliation. Retaliation's a good one, yeah. Um, we delight in grace because that's exactly what God has given to us. Um the third uh section there, walk humbly with your God. So I think this is daily dependence on God in our lives. Um, not running ahead of him and uh not trying to do things on our own strength or trying to do things uh totally on our own or how we feel things should be done. Um and not definitely not thinking we know better than he does, because when we do that, that's when things go sideways.

SPEAKER_05 24:43

That's not a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

No, it's not.

SPEAKER_05 24:46

Uh look what happened to Satan getting kicked out of heaven. That's that's what happened.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

That's what happens.

When The World Hates What Is Good

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Um humility in scripture means submitting to God's leadership in every area of our life. Um, it also means being teachable and open to correction and growth. Um I know like this past week, like talking about like Colton and I have been talking about like preparing these and how do we do it better and how do we improve. And um someone had also mentioned to us that maybe we should get some Bible commentaries or something like that. So I asked a couple um people that have preached um for the majority of their lives, and one is a pastor currently, and uh just kind of asking them to share some knowledge and so being humble enough to to ask for for guidance um from spiritual leaders in your life and and being teachable and coachable, and then if they have some correction for you, follow that, um and ultimately uh correction from the word as well, because sometimes we'll find some things in there that we're like, oh, I should be doing this differently, or find things that we uh think we maybe said wrong and go back and fix it, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. So admitting we're wrong as well, right? Um, which we would plan to do here, but uh so obeying God's word, even that kind of talks about uh what I was just talking about, obeying God's word even when it's hard for us or even unpopular nowadays. Um man, that's easy. The whole the whole Bible's unpopular. Um any kind of biblical worldview, anything. Um like I won't get into specifics on here, but I have someone in my life that um has asked me questions, and uh, you know, I've given them what I thought are biblical answers, and um we talked about things of faith, and and they just basically hate me like like um like people hated Jesus, right? And uh I was told that uh that I was living or that I had an ideology exactly opposite to how Jesus um would want me to think.

Goodness Before The Fall: Genesis Foundations

SPEAKER_04 27:52

And yeah, I won't get too far into that, but I think I I just actually I want to throw a point in there too, Craig. Um and correct me too if I'm wrong. I I might be um might be off my rocker in a sense on this one, but I feel like a lot of the world um looks at at Christians that way because as the Bible says, our eyes have been opened to the Holy Spirit, right? And I think what a lot of Christians are trying to do is is live out in love, but we get how would I say we get judged on you know the couple things that we do wrong because we're not perfect either, and uh, and I think the world looks at Christians as being these um perfect people in a sense, you know, that oh well you're not supposed to sin, you're not supposed to, you know, do this or do that, or uh you're not supposed to get angry, you're not supposed to lust, you're not supposed to um be greedy. You know, what the world I think needs to know, and what I would like to be very clear on is we're not Christians because we think we're perfect, we're Christians because we know we're the worst of the worst of sinners who need a savior. And um is this kind of sad that that people look at us that way because a lot of relationships are wrecked, but um, there's a verse in the Bible too that talks about um he who doesn't hate his brother, hate his mother, his father, uh his family, and love Jesus. Um I don't remember exactly how that verse goes or exactly where it's found, but I know it speaks about hating your father and mother, and you know, I I should probably find that one. I feel like I should find that because I don't think I'm explaining it or doing it justice, but basically I think the verse goes on to say that you know Jesus needs to be first, and in a sense, the the world is gonna hate us because of who we are, because of the love that we show. I mean, you look at Jesus and um I think it was the Pharisees, right? Um I think it was the Pharisees, or am I wrong? For what? Well, they thought everything he did was bad. I mean, I've been reading a lot in the New Testament about uh and I might have my words wrong, guys. I'm I've been a little short on words today here, but um, where Jesus is in the temple, and I don't know if it's the Pharisees. What is it now? Let me find it. I'm gonna find that one. Just hang on. Okay, I just in the temple, right? He heals on the Sabbath, and you know, they get mad at him because he healed on the Sabbath, and then Jesus goes ahead to say, you know, if you lost a sheep on the Sabbath, or if you like, would you not do good on the Sabbath if something like this happened? Right? I'll find it here.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

Yeah, I have that other one you were talking about, if you want me to read that while you're looking.

SPEAKER_04 31:34

Yeah, that would be great.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

Okay. So uh that other verse that Colton was talking about, um, like if you don't hate your brother or whatever it was, um, that is I think this is it, Luke chapter 14, verse 26. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

SPEAKER_04 32:04

Um okay, so maybe I was taking that a little bit out of context or looking at that a little backwards.

SPEAKER_02 32:12

I think let me see if there's another. There might be another one like that. That's what I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:23

I I guess because my thought was just that that was talking about you know being hated for following Jesus, but I don't think that's really where that verse is going. And for those of you listening, I don't think that literally means to hate your family. Uh, I think that's just more so talking about if God doesn't come before your family, then that's a problem. We need to be willing to give up everything, right? And I think they use the word hate because it's uh it's a hard thing to do, and that's some pretty powerful language, but um our family needs to come second to God, whether it's brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, they need to come second to God. Or what are your thoughts on that, Craig?

SPEAKER_02 33:17

Yeah, I think that's right. And uh I mean, I don't know if any of them are gonna listen, but um, a lot of my family are like my immediate family are not believers, and uh so I have had um problems in that area with some of my views because of my beliefs, and uh and when I speak truth uh to them, um like Colton said, their their hearts are hard. Um and it's I'm not if my family is listening, I'm not calling you out specifically, I'm just saying that an unbeliever's heart is hard and their eyes are not open to the truth, and uh and so when we speak truth, it just doesn't connect, if that makes sense, and then um like it's also there's another verse that says that um yeah, you will be hated because of your love for me, and I have seen that, and it's very it is hard when it's your family that quote unquote hates you because of your love for Jesus, and that's uh it's a hard thing, but um, it's a real thing.

Why Goodness Matters: Credibility And Influence

SPEAKER_04 34:43

So Matthew or sorry, Matthew 12, verse 9 to 14. So the heading on this one, I I always like to give you guys what the heading says. I think that gives us a bit more uh perspective and context into what uh the verse is talking about, just because I can't always read the whole passage. Some of them are pretty long, but starting in verse nine here, it says, Going on from the place, from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there, looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus. They asked him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? He said to them, If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, Stretch out your hand. So he stretched it out, and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other one. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. So for doing for doing what was right is I think kind of where I was going with that point is that the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus for doing something good. They were so stuck in their ways that they couldn't see the Son of God in front of them. They were just blinded to it, and they thought that what he was doing was breaking the law, he wasn't following the rules, you know, the rules of Moses, and um it's uh I think this part of the story or this part of the Bible just kind of clearly explains that. And I think the world does the same thing if if we're Christians and we truly have the Holy Spirit in us, we're gonna be changed by that. And there's a lot of things that to the world it's gonna look wrong, but to Christ, it's gonna look right, and we need to, as Christians, we need to, and I mean this with all the kindness in my heart, but we need to not worry about the judgment of the world and rather worry about the judgment of Christ for what we're doing and how we're living.

Qualifications That Shape Character

SPEAKER_02 37:02

Yeah, I agree. It's uh it's a hard concept to think of because we grow up and we're taught to um put emphasis or importance on what other people think of us, right? And in a way, we do need to be uh cognizant of that, of how people view us, um in light of how we're living for Christ. Um if you that's well said yeah, so in a way we have to um worry about what people think of us, but if they hate us for the truth and they hate us for our love for Christ, that is good, I guess you could say uh it sucks, like it sucks on a human level, but it's it's reality, and uh the more you speak out um against the evil of the world, um, with like speak good against the evil of the world, the more backlash you're gonna get. And um I mean we can talk about this later, but Colton and I I think are feeling led to tackle some harder questions in the new year, and uh I th I think we need to be ready and make sure that we're we've got the full armor of God on when we do that, because I think we're gonna see some backlash. And uh I've had some spiritual leaders in my life, they're like, You you're putting ideas out on the internet, you're gonna like get ready, strap in, you're gonna have some people come at you.

SPEAKER_04 38:51

So um, and just to be clear, guys, that's that's not our our goal, but we do understand that you know, as the Bible says, uh Jesus says, The world hated me, therefore the world's gonna hate you. And so we're we're not hiding the truth, we're not hiding what the Bible talks about. That is our main goal here. And there's a lot of people who don't agree with the Bible. Um, that's okay. We're gonna speak it anyways. That's that's what the Bible says. And again, you know, the Bible talks about being a not being afraid of what can hurt the body, but being afraid of um what can hurt our souls, and so speaking about the world, you know, yeah, the world can put a few dings in our physical body, but our spirit is what matters, and so yeah, some of these harder topics, they're not gonna be easy to go through. Uh I know there's a lot of differing opinions on some of the stuff that we would like to discuss, and again, if if you guys have Your own opinions and you'd like to share them, please let you know let us know what your thoughts are. We're totally open to conversation uh on these topics, too. We're not just one-sided trying to bash people down. That's that's not what we're trying to do at all. We're just speaking the truth of the Bible and trying to have open conversations with people to come to an understanding of who Jesus is at the end of it, right?

SPEAKER_02 40:28

Yeah, our goal will be to um to share the truth and um offer hope to those that are struggling with those issues and um do it through humility, which brings me back to walking humbly with your God.

Overcoming Evil With Good: Romans 12

SPEAKER_01 40:50

Love it to close that out. Uh to walk humbly is a relationship word. Sorry, I'm like I'm looking for a segue here where we can get back on.

SPEAKER_05 41:02

Yeah, we kind of went off on a bit of a rabbit trail. But you know what? That's good. That's good. Sorry, not sorry. That's where the best discussions happen.

SPEAKER_02 41:09

Yeah, that's right. Um, so uh to walk humbly is a relationship word. We're walking with God. Um, so this is a steady daily movement with God, and it's saying, Um, you know, Lord, I don't want to do this day without you. I don't want to do this on my own. I need you beside me. Um and when uh when we as men walk humbly with God, goodness naturally will flow out of our lives. Um to wrap up my thoughts on what is goodness, um, using Micah 6.8 uh gives us a complete picture of what goodness looks like. So uh do justice is ultimately treat people right, uh love mercy, show grace freely, um and walk humbly, stay dependent on God. So if you want to know uh what goodness looks like in the life of a man of God, it's these three things. Um and uh yeah, when we so when we walk in these, we aren't just being good guys, right? Um we're reflecting the goodness of the God that we serve. So that is my um take on what goodness is, and that took a little while, but I think it was a fun deep dive.

Street-Level Courage And Spiritual Warfare

SPEAKER_04 42:47

Yeah, absolutely. No, uh the point I had I think ties in quite well with what you were talking about too, Craig. Um, the very first time that the Bible talks about uh good or anything being good is Genesis 1.4. And it says, God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. So uh another verse I have in Genesis I wanted to quickly share was verse 31. So it says, God saw all that he had made, and it was very good, and there was evening and there was morning the sixth day. So this is the creation of the world that God is talking about. And I just want to see, because I think I think it mentions as well something about when he created man being good as well, I think, right? I thought there was something like that. I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_02 44:06

There was also um when uh when God was like all the things that God had made, there was no good um partner for the man, so then he created women woman, and that was good.

SPEAKER_04 44:27

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:30

Let's see. What chapter are you in?

Seeking Good Leads To Life: Proverbs 11

SPEAKER_04 44:33

Chapter uh chapter two. Yeah, okay. Well, I guess I stand corrected. I do not see it in there, but anyways, uh where I was going with this is I think to me when I read these verses, I think goodness is the absence of sin, I would say, because this is before Adam and Eve sinned uh eating the fruit off the tree. And so I'd for me, I kind of get the picture that goodness is just yeah, like I say, the absence of sin, um God's perfect creation, which doesn't exist here on this earth anymore, uh, and it hasn't for a very long time, but in heaven it does, and so I think heaven would be a good thing as well. And I think it kind of ties into what you were saying, Craig, just because I think to be good or goodness would be like you say, trying to mirror the way Jesus lived, his personality, um, the love, the mercy, the the forgiveness, you know. I think today that is what goodness would be is trying to mirror the the being of Jesus Christ. You know, we're not gonna get it perfect by any means, but oh no, you know, I think we should be trying anyways. Right. So I had that verse and then another one in Genesis. I don't usually go to Genesis for verses. For some reason, I tend to uh I tend to go to the New Testament. I like the New Testament quite a bit. I think a lot of people do, but there's some good stuff in the Old Testament too. So I have uh Genesis 50, verse 20. And this one says, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done and saving many lives. And so this is talking about Joseph. Um, this is after Joseph's brothers had sold him, and they ripped his clothes, brought it back to his father, made his father believe that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. In the meantime, uh Joseph was in Egypt and he became a high leader in Egypt, and there was a famine in the land, and so his brothers ended up going to Egypt. Um, they needed to buy grain and stuff, and uh Joseph was there, and and this is where he says, Uh, you intended to harm me when they sold him and tore his clothes, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So I think oftentimes uh we can relate to this. There's something in our life that doesn't maybe go quite right, something that we don't expect, something you know, it could be a sickness of a family member, it could be um anything. And I think for the most part, God really intends it for good. There's always, I believe there's always something, and maybe this is just my opinion, but I believe there's always something good that comes out of it. Even uh if you guys listen back to our testimony story with uh when my dad got sick, you know, in the moment it's pretty hard to see any goodness, but after the fact, you can really see how God worked it for his good, and so I think that's also part of goodness is I guess to explain it would be um just allowing God to work through us in those moments, you know, allowing God's goodness to work through us and to fulfill his purpose, I think is how I would explain that one. And then the last one I have here is Psalm 14, which again kind of ties into what you were saying, Craig. I did you mention Psalm 14?

SPEAKER_05 48:48

I know we mentioned quite a few verses, I wasn't sure.

SPEAKER_02 48:51

Okay, no.

Love In Action And The Golden Rule

SPEAKER_04 48:53

So I had all of Psalm 14 written down. It's only seven verses, so I'll quickly read it and then we can move on to the next point here. But it says The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile, there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evil doers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread. They never call on the Lord, but there they are overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion. When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice, and Israel be glad. And so what I pulled from that is goodness is seeking the Lord. Um as verse three says, All have turned away, all have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. So to turn away from God is not goodness, to turn to God and do the Lord's will, again, as Craig was saying, that is what is good. And so I think that kind of wraps up my point on what goodness is. Um, I hope that makes sense. Or what are your thoughts on that, Craig? I think that's pretty clear the way the Bible lays it out there.

SPEAKER_02 50:27

That's good. No, I like the direction you went with that. I uh I was kind of smirking when you said Genesis uh 5020, because I have that in in the next segment. Why is goodness important?

SPEAKER_01 50:41

But I'll show you how I work that out.

SPEAKER_04 50:44

Um we're just intertwining everything, we're making it work.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Yeah, it's good. Um, it's goodness. Oh, what is that? Oh, that's what it is.

How We Get Goodness: Fruit Grows, Not Forced

SPEAKER_01 51:01

The uh that uh skateboarder kid or whatever. I I was thinking goodness, but he's like, that was legitness. That was legitness.

SPEAKER_05 51:14

Oh, that's hilarious. We're gonna do that now. That was goodness. That was goodness. Love it. That's great. Yeah, uh we're gonna use that.

SPEAKER_02 51:25

Yeah, all right. So our second question is why is goodness important? Um because I will I will get to the Genesis 5020, but first um Genesis 50 19. 5019, yeah, that's first again.

SPEAKER_01 51:48

Uh so technically that is first. It is well, it's 19th.

Renewing The Mind And Daily Practice

SPEAKER_02 51:57

Uh when so when we talk about goodness as a fruit of the spirit, we're we're not just talking about being a nice guy. Um, it's not as surface level as that. Uh, I think biblical goodness carries weight to it, it has purpose, it has impact, and uh scripture gives us two powerful reasons why goodness is absolutely essential. Actually, it probably gives us more, but I have two reasons. I have two different scriptures um why it is essential in the life of a man of God. So the first um verse that I have there is Romans chapter 15, verse 14. Um, so the heading for this is Paul uh the minister to the Gentiles. Um so this is kind of like the introduction part of that section, but it says I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. So um I think goodness is important um because so what I'm gonna do is tie it to the ability to teach and and um lead one another. So uh Paul Paul links goodness with the ability to teach and guide others. Um so in other words, goodness isn't just personal, it's actually relational, and it builds credibility and character um needed to speak into someone else's life. Um so a man who is full of goodness becomes someone that others trust, someone that others look to for guidance, someone who can mentor, encourage, and correct in a way that actually connects with people, and someone whose life um backs up their words and what they're talking about, right? Someone that practices what they preach, so to speak. Um, and if you like if you just think of those attributes, you think of the people in your life that um that might display those, you would think of them as a quote unquote good person, right? Um yeah, so you can't guide we can't guide other men to Christ if our life first doesn't reflect Christ. So goodness is what gives um our voice and the words that we say weight to it, right? Um and goodness is what earns you the right, I think, to disciple and mentor and lead other people. So uh spirit-produced goodness turns us into men who sharpen each other, excuse me, uh strengthen strengthen each other and push each other closer to God. I'm gonna need a glass of water here right away. I was gonna say that was close.

SPEAKER_05 55:29

He almost messed that one up.

Crossroads And Ancient Paths: Jeremiah 6

SPEAKER_02 55:31

Yeah. So as we talk, as we talk about goodness in our lives, um uh sorry. As we talk about goodness in our lives making us fit to lead, um, I think about the requirements for overseers and deacons. We've talked about this before. Um, but so that's that's in uh first Timothy chapter three. So from uh verses one to seven is qualifications for overseers, and verses eight to thirteen is qualifications for deacons. And um I'll just read the first section there, um, qualifications for overseers. Uh this saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to uh office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above repo reproach, the husband of one wife, sober minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, um able to teach, which we talked about, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity, keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. So there's a lot that we could unpack there. We could probably do a whole episode on qualifications of overseers and deacons, I think. But um if you listen to those things, those are all good things, right? So if you're living a way, like we should be living in a way that qualifies us as overseers and deacons anyway, even if we do not um aspire to those offices. If you don't want to be a deacon in the church, if you don't want to be an overseer, I think overseer means like a like a pastor or something like that, like someone who's leading a flock, um a congregation. Even if you don't aspire to hold those positions, I think we need to live in a way that we would qualify, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_05 58:26

Yeah, I think that was well said. That's perfect.

SPEAKER_02 58:30

Okay. The next um thing that I have is that Genesis 520. Um, which so I won't 5020, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:45

Five times 1020. Yes. 5020, sorry. So I won't read it again. You got a lot of verses.

The Narrow Road And Eternal Perspective

Recap, Legacy, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_02 58:53

Yeah. But uh yeah, like Colton said, that was talking about Joseph. Um and uh some notes I have that have there. Um if anyone had a right to retaliate, it was definitely Joseph, right? Um, he was betrayed, he was sold, he was lied about, he was forgotten about. Um his brothers told his dad that he was dead. Uh and uh but then eventually they found out he's alive. So um but he responded with goodness and not with revenge. Um I think goodness is how we counter the evil in the world, uh the evil around us and the evil that is done to us. Um when a man responds to evil with more evil, all he does is multiply the darkness. But when we respond with God's goodness, Kindness, forgiveness, uh integrity, patience, righteousness. Uh he cuts off evil's power. Um so in in that, goodness does not ignore evil, right? We're not just pushing it off to the side, ignoring it, but we stand up against it. Um we refuse to let what was meant for harm define us. So you um sorry. Uh you may have some things that have been done to you. Um you may have church hurt, you may have um some people in your life that have done some things um in malice, right? They intended to hurt you, and maybe it has festered up to this point. But I would say that um you need to give that up to God. Like, especially if you're a believer, you you know what you need to do. Um, you need to just relinquish that to him, and uh and ultimately it's gonna be hard, but you you need to be kind, you need to be good to the people that are trying to harm you as well. Like, I think we talked about this last week with uh Jesus healing the man's ear, right? That man's taken him to be murdered, and um but I think it was Peter that cut his ear off, and Jesus is like, hey, whoa, slow your roll, repairs his ear. Yeah, this is stop it, put the knife away. Yeah, um, it's such a perfect example to follow, too, right? So good, yeah. And uh but yeah, but with Joseph's story as well, um, teaches us that God uses goodness not only to protect us, but to redeem the very things that were meant to destroy us. So Colton already mentioned kind of the story that he ended up holding, like he was second to the Pharaoh, like he basically had free reign rule over all the land, pretty much. Um but it started with him getting thrown in a pit, left for dead, sold for sold into slavery, right? Um evil may strike first, but goodness empowered by God gets the final word. Um this also makes me think of Romans chapter 12, uh verse uh 17 to 21. I don't know if you have that too or not.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:02

I had uh a couple verses before that. Okay, I was waiting for you to call it out.

Closing Prayer And Sign Off

SPEAKER_02 1:03:08

I'm like whoa whoa umans twelve seventeen to twenty-one says, Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all, if possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not overcome do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. So that goes along with what I said. You need to or I'm not trying to point fingers. We need to um we need to do good to our enemies. Um it says in doing so that you will heat burning coals on their head. Which sounds kind of that doesn't sound good, but I mean it's kind of like when we think of uh think of going to school, right? Being I think we talked about this before too, but being nice uh or being kind to the bullies, like kill them with kindness, basically, right? Um if you if you're nice to them, pretty soon they uh they don't want to bully you anymore. It's just I don't know if they get convicted. I don't know how it works mentally, like what the psychology is there, but it definitely works. Yeah, um so my closing thoughts for why is goodness important. I think it's because it builds us into the kind of men God can use to strengthen others, and it becomes our defense and our counterattack and our victory over the evil that surrounds us and the evil that comes against us. So I think too, like we were kind of talking about um in the previous section there about speaking truth and and like people being blind to the truth and stuff like that. I think even though even if we are trying to do these things out of love, people are gonna hate us anyway. You see it with uh I s I seen a couple clips again today about um like these abortion abol uh how how do you say it? Abolitionists yeah, I think that's how you say it. So they want to totally do away with abortion, which I agree with. Um, but uh they uh they have some pretty graphic images, um like posters that they take with them, like poster boards, um, when they're doing their like street evangelism or whatever. Um trying to be a voice for these babies. Anyway, this lady grabs one of the signs and she like tries to break it, didn't work, and then she like tries to run away with it, and these guys are like, hey, whoa, I don't think so. And she's like struggling to get away, and then she just finally drops it and runs. But uh yeah, so that's even in yeah, even in trying to be a voice for the voiceless um and defend the defenseless, people are still gonna attack us. But I don't know where I was going with that, but I think it's a good thought. I like it. Yeah, it's it's spiritual warfare, it's a real thing.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:23

It is, yeah. And it is a real thing, and I think that's you know, again, that's probably another topic we could actually discuss on here um in the new year. We have so many ideas we could talk about. We're uh well, and again, if the if you listeners have any ideas, um, something you would like to hear about, something you would like us to talk about, definitely let us know and um we'll add that on the list and we'll see if we can make an episode out of it and discuss some of that.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

Absolutely. Yeah, we don't wanna sorry, I was just gonna say we don't want to shy away from the hard topics. That's exactly what we want to do here is talk about the hard topics. Yep. But um we want to make sure that we bring the proper information to you guys and make sure that we have a fully fleshed out um presentation for you on those ideas um and what what God says through his word. But um, so sometimes if you request something and we say we're gonna do it, it might take a while um to actually get us to get it done. It might take some more research or whatever, but uh we definitely want to also build this with you guys and and talk about the things that you guys want to hear about. So, like Colton said, if you have questions, reach out to us. Uh, if you have topics that you want us to discuss, let us know.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:50

Yeah, absolutely. Uh okay, so again, same question. Why is it important? I have a few different verses here.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:00

Why is it important?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:02

Yeah, I'm about to tell you. Oh, good. Here we go.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:09

Proverbs 11, verse 27. Oh, hang on. Yep, that's right, one. Uh okay, so I might read a bit further here because I was actually looking it over, and there's some pretty good stuff in here. So uh actually, I might start a little sooner, too.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:33

Start sooner and go later. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:36

Yeah. I know I do this lots. I have pretty long passages, but I like to give a nice context so there's better understanding. So let's start in verse 21, and we'll go to verse 31. Says, be sure of this, the wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. Like, and uh, I think just so we're clear, uh Craig, you can kind of chime in on this one too. But I think when it speaks of the righteous, I think that means the saved or believers.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:13

Read read that again.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:16

So it says, be sure of this, the wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. Because I don't think we can be righteous without Christ. I think that would be referring to believers and non-believers again.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:33

That's what I would that's what I would say. Yep. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:38

Okay, so verse 22. Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion. The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. One person gives freely, yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper, whenever sorry, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God's blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to the one who searches for it. Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner? So I absolutely love this passage on goodness because it really talks about uh like for me, goodness is important because that's what brings us life, that's what's going to bring us eternity. If if we can only achieve goodness or find goodness through Christ, um, I think that is part of our spiritual walk on earth to bring us to an eternity with Christ. And so for me, um it really speaks that you know, if we're righteous, if we believe in Christ, um, then you know we will go free. And the does and it says the desire of the righteous ends only in good. So if our desire is for Christ, then it'll end up in a good thing for us, right? If we follow him and love him. Uh Romans 12, 9 to 13. So you're pretty close. You almost just about nailed that one.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:44

It's funny. I have uh later on, I have one again in Romans 12, but before.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:55

So, okay, we're like your sandwich between mine. Anyway, go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:01

Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:03

Okay, 12, 9 to 13. Let me just flip one more page here. All right. The heading on this is Love in Action. Love must be sincere, hate what is evil, cling to what is good, be devoted to one another in love, honor one another above yourselves, never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord, be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, share with the Lord's people who are in need, practice hospitality. So again, it's important because I think this is what God is calling us to, right? This is what Jesus did, and this is what we are to do too. Um, it says to hate what is evil. I find I think hate is a very, very, very strong word. Um, and when it says to hate what is evil, you know, well, depends what you consider evil, but I'd say the world would be evil, I think is what I would say. And it says cling to what is good, be devoted to one another in love, honor one another above yourselves. So put yourself last. You don't come before anybody. We are here to serve as Jesus was here to serve. Um, I think he says that in the Bible somewhere. I don't know a verse, but uh, you know, getting down and washing his disciples' feet, we should be willing to serve people around us and um to help them the more I get sorry the less fortunate as well, right? Being willing to give, to share, and to help provide for others too. And then the last verse I have to go along with this question is Luke chapter 6, uh verse 27 to 31. Okay, almost there. We don't have uh don't have tabs in our Bibles anymore. We're kind of trying to wing it so that we I think get a better understanding of the Bible. That's that's my reason for not having tabs, anyways. I learned a lot quicker which where uh which books of the Bible are and how to find them.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:34

So yeah, it's definitely okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:38

Yeah, I I love it. So Luke 6, 27 to 31. And the heading is Love Your Enem or Love for Enemies. But to you who are listening, I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. So this one what really sticks out to me is uh do to others what you would have them do to you, right? If you want to be treated well, treat other people well. If you want people to treat you good, treat other people good, right? Give them respect, love them, show them that you care. If that's how you want to be treated, Jesus says that's what we are to do to people is to treat them the way that they want, that we want to be treated as well. And so that kind of leads us into our last question here, which I think I think a lot of the verses we've talked about have uh somewhat or a lot kind of answered that. Um but the last question we have is uh how do we get goodness? Yeah, or how do we maybe a better way to put that is how would we um strive to be good or strive for goodness, I guess. Something like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:16

Yeah, I have how do we get it? Get it, okay, get it.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:26

Yeah. So if you want to go into that one, Craig, I only have one verse to kind of to finish it off because I think the last couple verses I had sort of spoke into that as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:36

Okay, yeah, I have well I have uh a couple other ones. Other I also have our uh just fruits of the spirit in there as well, because that seems to usually go in with how we get it. Um, so so we've talked about goodness, uh, why it matters, but now, like Colton said, the big question is how do we actually get it? Um so if we're being honest with ourselves, goodness doesn't come naturally to us as men, seems like uh our flesh um doesn't drift towards righteousness, compassion, patience, or integrity. Um if we're giving into fleshly desires, we drift towards selfishness, pride, anger, and convenience. So, how do we grow in true biblical goodness? Um scripture does give us some pathways on how to do that. I won't read it again, but Galatians 5, 22 to 23, the fruits of the spirit. Goodness is a fruit of the spirit, and like we've talked before, with all the fruits of the spirit. Um, it's not something that's that we can just get on our own. It's something that has to be cultivated, something that has to be grown. Um it's uh yeah, it's not a matter of just trying harder, trying to do better. Goodness is something that the Holy Spirit produces in us as we walk with him. Um, so for me, this means that we can't get goodness without a relationship with God. We can't grow in goodness unless we stay connected to him, connected to the vine. Uh, and uh goodness is the result of um of surrender to him as well. The closer we walk with Jesus, the more goodness will naturally grow in our life, just like fruit naturally grows on a healthy tree. Um, I also have Romans twelve verse two and that says Do not be conform to this world, but be transformed by a renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. So if we want to produce goodness, our thinking and our mindset has to change. Um the world defines good by how we feel about things, how convenient things are, and even cultural trends. But God defines good by his word. Um so renewing of the mind. This is this happens through spending time in scripture, prayer time with God, talking to him and uh asking him to reveal himself to us, uh, letting God reshape how we think, and allowing truth to override our fleshly instincts or our emotions. Learning to uh see people decisions and challenges the way God sees them as well. Um goodness is sorry, goodness is the overflow of a transformed mind. Um the third one I have for this is um is that goodness grows through practice and obedience. And that is first Timothy. I gotta get there. Thinking about coffee, I went too far into Hebrews. Uh so first Timothy chapter four, blah blah blah verse seven. So the the heading here, I'll actually just start in verse six, but the heading for this section is a good servant of Christ Jesus. So in verse six it says, If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Verse 7 says, Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths, rather train yourself for godliness. Um I can keep going. Uh for verse eight says, For while bodily training is of good uh of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Um yeah, I can stop there. So Paul tells Timothy to train himself for uh godliness. Is that how it was put? Uh yeah, train yourself for godliness. So Paul tells Timothy to train himself for godliness. Training means repetition. Colton knows all about this working out in the gym. I don't know as much. Training means practice. Um, I guess I know in in terms of like music, I don't play too much music anymore, but I know that repetition um burns those things into muscle memory. And I've heard it said that our faith is a muscle. So training means practice and repetition. Uh, goodness grows every time that you choose obedience in uh small moon small moments throughout the day. Um, so this means choosing honesty over convenience. Um does that even make sense. Choose honesty over convenience.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:38

Yeah, it does think it does. Sometimes it's more convenient to lie about something and uh not have to deal with consequences uh you know at that time. I will tell you though, consequences are gonna come later, so don't lie. Yeah, don't lie.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:57

Um the the truth will set you free, but it will also find you out. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:06

That is very true.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:08

Uh so also extending grace when your flesh wants to hold a grudge. Man and about that. Doing what's right even when no one sees, uh serving when you'd rather relax. My notes are convicting me again.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:29

Responding with integrity when life punches you in the mouth.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:35

So yeah, that kind of talks about turning that alludes to like turning the other cheek, but um, that's something else we can talk about is um yeah, what that actually means, but we can that we can save that for another time. Every choice uh builds our spiritual muscles, so every act of obedience uh develops a fruit of goodness in you, and so I think even like this is true with all the fruits of the spirit, I think, and like this is gonna be pretty similar to anything else that I have to say about the rest of the fruits of the spirit, is that um being obedient um to God and and doing what he asks us to do. That that is what grows the spirit, being close to him, being in his word. Um, that is what grows the fruit of the spirit. I don't know what I just said. I think grows the spirit is what I said, but grows the fruit of the spirit.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:47

Man, you got a big spirit over there. Uh that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:55

And just kind of uh uh catchy note thing that I have here. Um, we don't just drift into goodness, we train into it. So it's not gonna happen by accident. We actually have to um pursue it. Uh duh duh. So my thoughts on how we get goodness um ultimately from the Holy Spirit. It's not self-made, it's uh God produced. By uh the second point is renewing our minds, letting scripture shape our definition of what good is, and through practice and obedience, choosing what is right again and again and again. When we stay connected to God, I kind of said this already, um, submit to his word and walk out obedience daily, goodness becomes not just something we do, but something we are. It becomes our character or part of our character, and uh um and part of our legacy, I guess, is what I wrote here too. Um I like that. Yeah, I think yeah, just as uh as a dad, I think of what kind of legacy I'm leaving behind as well for my children and god willing grandchildren eventually and great grandchildren, but um what kind of a legacy am I um I guess building to leave behind? And um I had one of my daughters the other day I don't know where she got the idea from, but she was upset that she was gonna die. She's like, people are gonna forget me, and I'm I'm not gonna be here anymore.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:54

Her mom's like, we won't if you died, we wouldn't forget you, it's okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:58

But as a dad, I'm like, but you know what? If uh uh I just kind of said, when I die, it's okay if people forget me. What I want is people to remember Jesus or how I lived for Jesus, and um, I don't think that settled her down at all, but she didn't fully understand, but that's hard for a young mind to wrap their their head around, right? Yeah, but I just yeah, my mind went there. I'm like, yeah, yeah, don't remember me, remember Jesus. That's all I care about. Absolutely, yeah, yeah. But so yeah, what kind of legacy are we leaving as as men for future generations, right? And ultimately our legacy that we want to leave should point to Jesus. So that's what I have for um how do we get it? And uh you can share your thoughts now. I'll allow it.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:05

Right on, I like it. So basically, I I would just agree with what you said, Craig. And and again, I think a lot of what we had gone through um in this part or sorry, in this episode already, have kind of discussed how how I think we would get goodness, right? Following the Holy Spirit, um, following the leading of Jesus, trying to mirror what Jesus did. Uh, and so for me, I just have one verse I want to share with this, um, with this, and uh a couple thoughts on that as well. So the verse I have is in Jeremiah, it's chapter six. Uh it is verse sixteen. It says, This is what the Lord says, stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, We will not walk in it. And so that's all of uh verse sixteen. I do have a little section at the bottom of my study Bible, and uh it says sixteen to seventeen, um, talking about the ancient paths. This phrase probably refers to the Sinai Covenant and the book of Deuteronomy, as Jeremiah called the people back to former days of steadfast devotion. So I think we need to be devoted to Christ, and I think that's one way, uh well, the way to get goodness. Um one thought that kind of came to mind uh reading this is when it says to stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it. And I just kind of got this picture of like one road kind of coming to a T, you know, and so you have the good decision or you have the bad decision. And I've been here many times before where you very clearly know uh which road leads to good and which road leads to sin. And uh, you know, for myself, more I would say, probably more often than not, um I choose the road to sin, even though I know. And you know, this verse, it just kind of makes me think about that situation specifically because it feels exactly like that, where you come to that place and you're like, Okay, God, I need your help. Please help me um not to go down this road. And then being a human, we go down that road, anyways. God says, Don't do that, ask for the good path and and follow it. And I don't know if that may not be exactly what this verse is referring to, um, but that's just what pops into my mind, um, kind of where my thoughts go with it. And so, in order to get goodness, you know, like we've talked about, seek the Lord, pray to him, follow uh Jesus' teachings, read the Bible, and uh, and I think goodness will come if our desire is to serve the Lord, and if our desire is to live like Jesus and love like he did. And so for me, that's kind of that's the only verse I had for the last section here. Um but that's what I believe would would lead us to goodness.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:36

Hmm. That's good. I uh you saying that, choosing like standing at a crossroads asking which which path is good, that made me think of the narrow and wide gates, right? Um yeah, so um that's in Matthew 7, I guess. I'm I didn't know where it was, I knew what it said, so I looked it up on BibleGateway.com. But yep. So uh enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. So um the the broad road's the easy road, the narrow road's the hard road, I think, and uh I think the narrow road is the good path, maybe too, that that other verse was talking about. I don't know, maybe they correlate to each other. Maybe I'm thinking wrong. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:46

I no, I I really like what you said there. I think that verse too, it uh it's kind of even as a Christian, it's kind of scary, you know, that the Bible says that few are the people who find the the narrow path. And I think I would say the narrow path is probably the path that at this point is what goes against the world. Um it's pretty hard to sometimes even as a Christian to go against the world and to stand out, but we got to look at um eternal things and and things in heaven and not on not of things on the earth, right? But I think that's something that we all need to consider is you know the Bible says, uh, like Craig had said, it's it's a broad pathway and it's a narrow pathway. And which one are we gonna choose? Which ones are we gonna be? You know, I know I mentioned this a couple episodes ago, but um Francis Chan, I absolutely love listening to his stuff, and he's got an episode where he's got this rope, and the first you know, little four-inch section or whatever is red, and he says, This is our time on earth, and then he's got let's just say, you know, rope that just goes on forever. He says, This is the rest of it, you know. But we always focus on this little four-inch piece, and at the end of our life, what does it matter? None of it goes with us, you know. I I think the narrow path is what we need to seek, and we as Christians um need to continue, I think, or be bold and be strong in our faith, strong enough where when people ask, um, we're not afraid to tell them the truth and what we believe.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:43

Yeah, and we need to uh we need to be prepared and ready to give an account for the hope that is within us as well, I think is how that verse goes. I think so, yep. And yeah, focusing on that uh that four-inch piece, uh, I've seen that illustration as well. I like it. But uh know too that what you do with that four-inch piece of rope, that little section, shapes how you spend eternity. So um if you take the wide path in that short in your short time here on earth, um you'll spend it eternally separated from God. And if you choose to follow um follow Jesus and um accept the free gift of salvation and live for him, we get to live in heaven with him, seated at the right hand of God, co-wares with Christ for eternity. So that sounds a lot better to me.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:58

Yeah, I would have to agree. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:02

Yeah, for uh oh, what is it? Uh maybe I should look it up, but the uh whoever whoever tries to like whoever tries to save his life will lose it or something. Hold on. I'll find it. Oh, no, I won't find it.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:25

Yeah, whoever tries to save his life life will lose it, but he who tries to lose his life for my sake will gain it or something, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:38:35

Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to find it. Yeah, so uh yeah, along that thought there. Um for whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with the angels in the glory of his father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Um so that kind of talked about like that talks about what uh I mentioned there too. Um yeah, he will repay each person according to what he has done. So it's a decision. Um don't take it lightly. If uh if you're wondering, if you're curious, like honestly, what does it hurt to explore? The option if you're not a believer right now. Um if if you're right in your thinking now and you explore this option, you've lost nothing. But if you're wrong, you lose everything. So just explore the option. Yeah, um, I would agree. So I think we can kinda. I kind of have a little bit of a recap of what we talked about if we want to go through that, and then we can close out. Yep. If you want. Yep, that sounds good to me. Okay, so this has been another little bit of a long one. Thank you guys if you've made it this far. Appreciate you uh bearing with us and and uh exploring these topics with us. So uh just a reminder our anchor verse was Romans 8.28. Um talked about how all goodness ultimately comes from God. Goodness is something that works in us and through us, and it's not something that we can manufacture. Um quick recap of what goodness is. Um, we talked about secular worldview, how goodness starts with self, and then biblical goodness starts with God transforming the heart. Um I touched on Micah 6 8, um, which I kind of laid out as a blueprint for goodness to do justice, um, love mercy and walk humbly. Uh why goodness matters, Romans 15 14. Goodness equips us to teach, guide, and strengthen other men. Goodness gives our voice credibility and weight. Genesis 50 20. Goodness is a counterattack against evil, it pushes back darkness and prevents evil from defining us. It is spiritual warfare, not passivity. How we grow in goodness, um, or how we get it, I guess is how we put it. Um the Holy Spirit produces it. It's not by our own willpower or our own effort that we gain it. Um comes through a renewed mind. Scripture reshapes how we see good and what we view as good. Uh daily uh we can also gain it through daily obedience, uh repeated choices that build spiritual muscle. So that's a recap of the episode. And uh, I mean, I guess that's my notes, a recap of my notes, but I wondered if maybe in our recap I should include your stuff too, but um, it's fine, we're figuring it out as we go.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:10

Oh, yeah, that's all good. I mean, I can mention the verses I used if um anybody was curious. Uh basically for um let's see here for what is goodness. I had Genesis 1, 4, and 31. Um again, just talked a little bit about what God made and how God said it was good uh before sin entered the world, how I think heaven is gonna be like that, uh good like that as well. Uh again, Genesis 50, verse 20, talking about Joseph and his brothers and how um what his brothers intended for bad, God used for good, and sometimes in our situations uh it's the same thing. And then Psalm 14, where it says or it speaks about goodness um being seeking the Lord. Uh why is it important? I had a couple different verses than Craig there. So it was Proverbs 1127. Uh, whoever seeks a good thing finds favor, and uh evil comes to those who don't seek good. So it's important because if we're not seeking good, then uh I mean, from what I understand, we're kind of seeking evil, then if we're not seeking good. Um or maybe I should reverse that and say those who are seeking, how would I say that? Evil comes to those who don't seek good. There. That's a little clearer, I think. Uh, and then Romans 12, 9 to 13, love what is good, and again, seek God. Uh, and the last verse ahead. Actually, the last two on that question are Luke 6, 27 to 31. Again, treat others as we want to be treated. I think that's very important. Uh 2 Thessalonians 3, 6 to 15. I don't know if I read that one.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:13

I don't know if you did either.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:16

How did I miss that? Anyways, never tire of doing what is good. So don't get tired of doing what God calls us to and doing what is good. And then again, last verse, Jeremiah 6, 16. Listen to God and obey his teaching, follow the right path and take the narrow path.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:36

Love it, and that is what I have. Perfect. All right, I think that is it for today. We can uh close it out in a prayer, of course. Um I forget who prayed last time, but I don't remember either, actually.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:02

But uh, I can do it if you want. Sure. Go ahead. All right. You're a good prayer. I try. I need to do it more, but I try. All right, let's pray. Thank you, Father, again for this day. Thank you for the time that you have blessed us with to be able to do this. Uh, thank you for your word and just the teachings on goodness and what it is to be good, Lord. I pray that you would guide us to that narrow path, help our desire to be for you. Um, Jesus, that we would desire to mirror your character, your personality, and that we would be more and more like you every day, and that we would seek you and love you and serve you. We pray as we go out into this week, uh, for those listening and for Craig and I both, just be with us, continue to bless us, Lord, and I pray for the people in this world who don't know you yet, that your light would just shine in their life, that they would, their eyes would be opened, Lord, to see you clearly, and that they would choose to love you and serve you as well, Lord, and just to realize that this life is short, and there's so much more to um, I guess, to us and to our eternities in our life than what we know. We just pray that you would continue to bless us now, um, keep us safe this week, and uh help us to be prepared for the next episode, just work in us and through us, and use us in your way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:44

You betcha. All right, guys. Thanks for listening. Um thanks for sticking it out for another longer episode. We'll catch you next week.

SPEAKER_05 1:47:57

See ya.