Keidra Hobley 0:38

Welcome to the One Yes At A Time podcast. My name is Susan Dies, and I'm here with my friend and cohost, Keidra Hobley and today we're gonna be talking about what it means to say yes to goodness. Yes. And how this fruit of the spirit of goodness grows in the life of a believer. But before we talk about goodness, I'd like for us to talk a little bit about the word good. Mm-hmm. Okay, good.

Susan Dies 1:01

What it means to be good. Because to me the word good is a lot like love... it's very broad. Mm-hmm. And we use it in so many different contexts. For example, if I were to say to you, how are you doing today?

Keidra Hobley 1:14

I'm doing well. How are you?

Susan Dies 1:16

You wouldn't say,'I'm good?'

Keidra Hobley 1:18

Uh, no I wouldn't because I learned the difference.

Susan Dies 1:20

Well, I would say I'm good. Yeah. Okay. There you go. How did you like that meal? Yeah, it was good. It was good. Uh, how'd you like the movie? So good. Mm-hmm. How was your day? Good. Mm-hmm. It's kind of interesting when we ask people about their day. We don't necessarily expect them to actually tell us. Right. And so we're satisfied with'good'. Yeah. All good. Uh, how did you sleep? I slept good. What about this? Are you upset with me? No, it's all good. Good. Oh, I never thought about that one. All good. See what I mean? Yeah. And so our answer to so many things in this life are somehow related to this word'good'. And so why do you think goodness is so important to us? What would you say about that?

Keidra Hobley 1:58

I think it makes us feel better about us. Yeah. I mean, truth be told. Because if you're all good, then I'm all good. Mm. You know? And if things are going good.. Mm-hmm... then that means my life is okay. And so I think.. Our life is good. Yeah. Our life is good.

Susan Dies 2:13

But what does that word mean? Don't you think it's kind of a vague word.

Keidra Hobley 2:16

It is very vague. But sometimes when I can't say what something is, it's easier for me to say what it's not. Goodness is not just being nice. Right. It's more than that. It's about living a godly life. It is how we show up in the earth so that others can see God through us and in us. It's like holiness in action.

Susan Dies 2:37

I like that. That's really good. Oh, there it is. That's really good. It's good. See there. I think one of the reasons goodness is so important to us is because we were created.. Mm-hmm... with inherent goodness. So you're gonna have to follow me on this. Mm. Okay. The word inherent just means essential to the nature of something. Yes. So with that in mind, I want you to think about in scripture, where do we see the word'good' for the first time?

Keidra Hobley 3:03

When God declared it is good? Okay. What was he declaring was good? His creation.

Susan Dies 3:09

That's right. Uhhuh. And so that's the context, the creation story. Genesis 1:3-4 God said,"Let there be light." Yes. And there was light. Mm-hmm. And God saw that the light was good. He then separated that light from the darkness. He called the light day and the darkness night. And it was good. That's it. And then he created the sky and the land. He called the sky heaven and the land earth. Mm-hmm. And he said it was good. Mm-hmm. And then he created vegetables and plants and trees, and he hung the sun and the moon and the stars in the sky. All good. Yeah. Birds, fish, sea creatures. Animals. Creeping things. Mm-hmm. Ugg. Ugg... crawling things even they are. God declared good. And then he made man in his image. Mm-hmm. And he took a rib from the man and he created the woman, the crown of his creation. That ought make us feel good as women. Mm-hmm. Yes. and this time he said it was what? Very good. It was very good. And so the point that I'm making is that God created all of these things, so they are expressions of his beauty.. Mm-hmm... and his creativity, and his knowledge and his wisdom. All things were created by him and for him.. Mm-hmm... and in him, all things hold together. So in short, everything belongs to him. So remember that definition of inherent. It's something that is essential to the nature of something Uhhuh. Well, that is the nature of God. He is good. And so it only stands to reason that everything he created is inherently good. Yes. So what do you think about the inherent goodness of man? Hmm.

Keidra Hobley 4:45

Ooh. Yeah. I think we probably lost most of that at the fall of man. Okay. Like, you know, even though it's in us... we were created to be inherently good. Right. I don't think that our sin nature allows us to show up in that way.

Susan Dies 5:01

I called Dr. Cliff Estes. He has been a pastor and a mentor to me for so many years. He's not the pastor of my church, but he has been pastoring, preaching, studying God's word for 50 plus years. Wow. And I said,"You gotta help me.. Uhhuh... on this". I don't ever wanna teach anything that's wrong. Mm-hmm. But there are a lot of people that think, well, no, we're not good because we're sinful. Mm-hmm. So I asked him, would it be right to say that we were created inherently good.. Yes... but that when sin into the world because of Adam and Eve.. Mm-hmm... through their disobedience... from that point on, everyone was born with a sin nature. Mm-hmm. But Because we have free will, we have this choice.. Yeah... between good and evil, the choice to do good or not do good.. Mm-hmm... to be good or not be good.

Keidra Hobley 5:50

When you said it's a choice... it really is. And the beautiful part about it is that God gives us the choice, but he also gives us the answer. And we have to actively choose to walk in that.

Susan Dies 6:01

When you look up the definition for the Hebrew word for good.. Mm-hmm... which is towb.. Mm-hmm. TOWB, this is what it means. Okay. Get ready. I'm ready. It's long, Pleasant, agreeable, approved, beneficial, beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, fair, favor, fine, glad, gracious, joyful, kind, loving, merry, moral, pleasing, precious prosperity, righteousness, sweet, wealthy, welfare. That's good. So the reason I said all of that Yeah. Is to say that the definition for good is broad. Is broad. Yeah. And so it does cover all of these things. Mm-hmm. And God is all of these things, and more... because God is goodness personified. Mm-hmm. You wanna guess how many times the word good is mentioned in the Bible?

Keidra Hobley 7:02

30. Higher. 40. Higher. Oh. 75. Jump to the hundreds girl. Oh, 200. Up. Oh, 500? Yes. Oh wow.

Susan Dies 7:13

Between five and 600 times in the Old Testament. Okay. And more than a hundred times in the New Testament. The point being that anything we find repeated in God's word is repeated for emphasis. Right? Okay. Yes. So that it becomes ingrained in our hearts and our minds. Well, goodness is one of those things, especially God's goodness. Mm-hmm. So I know you came prepared today with some verses because you always do.

Keidra Hobley 7:35

Of course. That's my favorite part.

Susan Dies 7:36

Verses about God's goodness. Yes. So why don't you share some of those verses along with some of your thoughts about God and his goodness. And maybe some of the ways he's been so good to you.

Keidra Hobley 7:46

Oh, man. Well, the first one I have here is Exodus 33:19. The first part of that verse where the Lord says,"I will make my goodness pass before you." Like, that is a verse that has always intrigued me. I can't even imagine being Moses or the Lord saying, I will make my goodness pass before you. What does that even look like? Right?

Susan Dies 8:03

Moses wanted to see God's face.. Yes... and he said. No one handle it can see my face and, and live and, and he put him in the cleft of the rock. Mm-hmm. Covered him with his hand. Yeah. I think that's so beautiful, isn't it? And then he let his glory pass by pass by him. His glory is his goodness. There you go. There you go. Yeah.

Keidra Hobley 8:20

But the fact that no one can experience that and live shows the, the true breadth, the depth, the vastness.. Mm-hmm... of who God is?

Susan Dies 8:28

Yeah. But doesn't it also show the goodness of God that he would be so mindful of us that he would want us to be able to know him. Yes. That's, yes. That's really beautiful. Something beautiful. Yeah. What else, what else you got?

Keidra Hobley 8:39

Let's see. These two are Psalms, so I'm sure we've all heard these. Psalm 23:6."Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." That one, I, I quote that all the time. Goodness and mercy follow me. Goodness and mercy follow me.

Susan Dies 8:56

I love that so much. What else do you have?

Keidra Hobley 8:58

Psalm 27:13.. Mm-hmm."I remain confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

Susan Dies 9:06

I love that verse. Yes, I do too. Yes. Especially in hard times. Mm-hmm. You just need to see a glimpse of God's goodness. A glimpse of God's glory is enough to get you to the next minute. Right?

Keidra Hobley 9:16

Yes. That's it. That's it. And this was the verse that carried me through one of the hardest times of my life, and, and I didn't. I didn't even realize how on auto repeat it was. It was just in my spirit. Mm-hmm. I will remain confident in this: I will see the goodness of the Lord. And the song was just on repeat in my heart. That's why we have to hide the word in our heart.

Susan Dies 9:34

That's right. Yeah. That's right. He speaks to us.. Yes... even when we don't realize it. That's exactly right. Playing in that background. I love it. Yeah. Any other verses?

Keidra Hobley 9:43

Oh, I have tons of others, but let's see. Let's just, just pick, well give a couple more. Okay. Psalm 31:19. Interesting. I'm waiting to see if you're gonna get to one of my favorites. Okay. Okay. What is it Hosea? Acts? Peter? Matthew? Which one? Just throw out a couple more and then I'll share. See our, our, I'll finish the songs. How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. Mm-hmm. I love that. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them from the watching world." I love that. I love that.

Susan Dies 10:10

And don't you love the word lavish? Mm-hmm. It's not just a little bit of goodness generous. Like a waterfall..Yeah... of goodness. Yes. I love Psalm 34:8. Okay. I'm surprised that you didn't. Let's see. No, share that I, I, yeah, I didn't put that one in there. Yeah."Taste and see.. Oh... that he is good... that the Lord is good. How could I not think of that one? Blessed are those who take refuge in him." The writer of the Psalm is using words that we can all relate to, right? Yes. I mean, we all love to taste things. Yes. We all love to see things that are good and beautiful, and I think one of the things that it does for us,when we think about this verse, is we understand that God's goodness is tangible. Yes. You know that it's all around us. It's everywhere, in everything... if we'll just open our eyes... and taste for ourselves that he is good. Other people can tell us about him. Yeah. And a testimony is a great thing. It is. But to taste it for ourselves. For yourself, mm-hmm. There's this saying, and you'll probably be able to finish it. God is good..

Keidra Hobley 11:09

All the time.

Susan Dies 11:10

And all the time...

Keidra Hobley 11:11

God is good.

Susan Dies 11:12

That's right. So in the good times and the bad times. At all times.. God is good because that's just who he is. And I believe that once we taste his goodness for ourselves and we experience His goodness for ourselves, what we come to realize is there is nothing and no one that even begins to compare to God and his goodness. And that's the point I believe that Jesus was making when he said to the rich young ruler, There is no one good.. Mm-hmm... except God. Except God. Mm-hmm. You know, all of us wanna believe that we're good. Yeah. You know? I like to think of myself as a good person. I try to do good things. I know many people that I consider to be a good person. Mm-hmm. I think you're a good person. Well, thank you. There are a lot of people who do a lot of really good things. In fact, some of the most giving, loving good people I know are not even Christians. Wow. So if there's no one good except God, how do we reconcile these verses when it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense? Does Jesus really mean that no one is good? Mm-hmm. You know, is he implying that all people are bad? How do you understand that verse?

Keidra Hobley 12:20

I don't. That's why I'm so glad you're gonna tap into this'cause I wanna walk away with understanding. Yes.

Susan Dies 12:26

Okay. Well, as I told Dr. Cliff this morning, I don't ever wanna teach anything that's wrong. Jesus said it. Mm-hmm. But it's so important that we look at scripture in context. Yeah. And... that we also look at the original words. Okay. Jesus is not saying that God is good and all people are bad. We know that because Jesus also said in Matthew 12:35 that"A good person.. produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. Mm-hmm. And an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart." And so Jesus tells us that there are good people, who do good things.. Yes... that flow from a good heart. Mm-hmm. And so what was his point when he said, there's no one good except God alone? Well, the Word that Jesus uses for good in this verse that we're talking about.. Mm-hmm... when he said that only God is good, is the word agathosune.. Inherent goodness... morally excellent... and free from sin. So with that definition in mind, he is the only one that fits that description. Ah. Okay. And so when this rich young ruler came to Jesus, he knelt down in front of Jesus. Mm-hmm. So he was submitting himself to his authority, but not as God. Yeah. He says, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Mm-hmm. He said, why do you call me good? Mm-hmm. No one is good except God alone. He's trying to get this man to understand that He is God in the flesh standing right before him. Yeah. subtly challenging him to recognize Jesus for who he is. And then Jesus goes on to say. You know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not defraud and deceive. Honor your father and mother... and the man said, I've done this my whole life. Mm-hmm. He was really confident in his own goodness thinking that this was the way to eternal life. Yeah. You're keeping all the commandments. Mm-hmm. Which is what people think. Right. I'm a good person. Yeah. playing by the rules. Mm-hmm. I'm doing what God wants me to do. Jesus said one thing you lack. Go sell all that you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. And come follow me. Mm-hmm. And the man was disheartened. Why? That's not what he wanted to hear. He wants to get to heaven on his own terms. What can I do? Mm-hmm. And isn't that the greatest obstacle of people today coming to Christ? They want to get to heaven by their own goodness. Yes. So they're missing the whole point... and it says he went away sorrowful. Mm-hmm. Sad, for he had many possessions. Mm-hmm. So what did he lack? He lacked the willingness to surrender his life to God. Yeah., To follow Jesus. And that's what it takes. Yeah. So he was a good person by the world standards. Mm-hmm. He would be a good person by our standard, but it's not our standard of goodness that gets us into heaven. Right. Yeah. It's God's standard and the Bible says that we're all sinners and we are in need of a savior. So if you think about it, when people don't see themselves, as sinners mm-hmm. When they see themselves as basically good. This is a huge obstacle.. Mm-hmm. Yes... to coming into Christ. Mm-hmm. That they have to surrender their life.. Yeah... is a big obstacle. So like this man who asked,"What must I do?"... people think that salvation is something they can accomplish. Mm-hmm. Something that they can earn. And that's the problem because there's nothing we can do to earn a place in heaven. It is a free gift. Somebody needs to hear that today. Yes. That's so good. We don't have to try.. Yeah... to be so good. Mm-hmm. Our goodness should flow out of a heart that loves God and because he's good, we wanna live a life that honors him, but our goodness is not what gets us to heaven. It's God's goodness offered to us in Christ, and it's the good that Jesus did for us on the cross. Yeah. He's done it all. Yes. All we have to do is come to him and receive it. Every person who comes into a relationship with God through Jesus is forgiven of their sin and made new in Christ. Remember we talked about being inherently good? Mm-hmm. And we messed that up when sin came into our life. Yes. But what happens when we come into a relationship with God through Christ... he puts his spirit in us.. Yes... and we are born again. Mm-hmm. We get a do-over. Yeah. Yeah. And that's where the goodness, this fruit of the spirit, comes from.. Yes. So I know I've said a lot. So Good. What are your thoughts so far? It's so good. Is it clear as mud or it's clear as day...?

Keidra Hobley 16:49

No, it's, it's clear, but I, I'm now, I'm hungry to go and study out this, this whole parable again with fresh eyes because I never really saw it in that light. And what, what really stood out to me, as you were sharing that is the one yes at a time part of it. Like he missed his opportunity to say yes in that moment.. Right... to what the Lord was instructing. And if we just give God our yes.. Mm-hmm... any instruction he gives us is gonna be good. Right? And so we can live the good life. We can live in God's goodness as we say yes to every instruction that he gives us. And so for me, it just took that to a whole different level.

Susan Dies 17:29

Well, and he didn't want to recognize that he had a sin in his life.. Mm-hmm... that needed to be dealt with. Yeah. And the ability for the fruit of the spirit of goodness to grow in us... that moral excellence.. Yeah... that we're talking about... the ability to choose righteousness over sin and good over evil... the power to walk in goodness on a daily basis is only possible because the spirit of God lives in us and he helps us. And because Jesus has already taken our sin and nailed it to the cross, all we have to do is just acknowledge our sin.. Yeah... confess our sin.. Mm-hmm... surrender our life to him and then follow him. And there's nothing that we could give up. Mm-hmm. In fact, Jesus even said, go and sell all your possessions and you will have treasure in heaven. Yes. And he missed that part of it. All he heard was give up all that you have. Yes. He didn't understand that the treasure in heaven outweighed anything he would give up. Exactly. And so I think people need to hear that as well. And so now that we understand what the fruit of goodness looks like, what are some ways we can grow in goodness?

Keidra Hobley 18:35

Obedience is the first thing that comes to my mind.

Susan Dies 18:38

That's right. Full surrender. Yes. Just giving our life to God, whatever it is he ask us to do. Yeah. The man that Jesus was speaking to, he wanted his own brand of goodness, so to speak. Mm. You know, he wanted his good to be good enough. Mm. But that's the thing. Our good is never gonna be good enough. Yeah. And that's offensive to some people. Mm, mm-hmm. Yes. And so we don't wanna hear that. We wanna hear that we're good, that what we do is good. Mm-hmm. We're offended to hear the words that in relationship to who God is and how good he is, that our goodness is never gonna be good enough. Yeah. What do you think about that?

Keidra Hobley 19:17

I think it goes back to motive. Mm-hmm. Like it, it all has to be done in order to give God glory. Right. Because when we're doing it to bring glory to ourselves, then it's really not good because the motive is rooted in something that is not good. That's right. And so I think if we just keep our focus on giving him glory, then it will be good because goodness is not for us to be impressive. Right. Goodness is for us to be expressive.. Yeah... of who God is...

Susan Dies 19:44

and to point other people to To Him. To Him. That's right. Yes. And then, follow Jesus. Yeah. I mean, that may just, seem like, a no brainer. Mm-hmm. But there are a lot of people who come to God for forgiveness and salvation who don't wanna follow Jesus. Mm-hmm. They want God, but they don't want Jesus. But if we want to grow in goodness, it's the spirit of Christ.. Mm-hmm... who comes to live in us. Yes. We have to acknowledge the son. No Jesus... no salvation. No Jesus, no forgiveness. Yeah. And so if we wanna grow, one of the things that we can ask ourselves is'Does this honor God?'... and do that thing because Jesus lived his entire life, even as God in the flesh to honor and point people to the Father. Yeah. And so for us to grow in goodness, this needs to be the goal of our lives.. Mm-hmm. As well. Very good. What about get into God's word? Yes. That's a biggie. How does that help us grow in goodness?

Keidra Hobley 20:41

We, we literally don't even know what goodness is if we don't know his word. If we don't know him, and we get to know him through his word... and so.. Right... that's how we even know the difference between what's good and what's bad. Right. Is when we understand the word.

Susan Dies 20:54

Right. Romans 12:1-2 tells us that God's word helps us to know God's will. Mm-hmm. That's good. You knows when we get into his word and our minds are renewed, instead of being conformed to this world, we're transformed.. Yes... by the renewing of our mind.. Mm-hmm... through being in God's word. And that helps us to know God's will. So if you wanna know God's will for your life and the good plans that he has for you.. Yes... you've got to be in His, in his word. Mm-hmm. And then something we talk a lot about on this podcast... putting God's word into practice. This Is one of the ways we grow in goodness. No matter what we do, when we do it in obedience, God blesses our life. Yes. And he also makes us a blessing to others. Yes. When given a choice.. Mm-hmm... in every situation, we've been talking about the fruit of the spirit. Choose love. Yes. Choose joy. Choose peace. Choose patience. Choose kindness and goodness, and faithfulness and gentleness, and self-control, even when it's hard because when we do, that's how we know that it's the spirit of God empowering us to do the hard things. Mm. Right? Mm-hmm. Because we can't do those things consistently in our own strength... but it's kind of like exercising a muscle. Mm-hmm. We're weak initially.. Yeah... but the more we do it, the more we grow.. Yes... in the fruit of the spirit called goodness as we become more and more like Christ. And then tell others about Jesus and his goodness. I don't think there's anything more good that we can do in this life.. Yeah... than share the message of salvation.. Yes... and the way that we can be forgiven of our sin, and all the things that God wants to do in and through our lives if we'll just come to him and receive the free gift that he offers us in Christ. Yes. Thoughts.

Keidra Hobley 22:38

Yeah. No, I'm, listen, I'm still stuck on.. You're still stuck on the on the rich young ruler? Because even when you just shared about the fact that giving up the money was not the point. Mm-hmm. You know, to me, again, that just brought to light God said,"I will have no other gods before me." Hmm. And so whatever the idol is in our life. He's gonna require us to put that down, lay that down, get rid of that, put that to the side and come follow him. So really was, what is it that is hindering us from fully following.. Mm-hmm.. Christ? And so for him it was money. For us, it could be something totally different... but if we aren't willing to let that go, then anything that we do in life that we wanna call good... it's tainted because we're worshiping an idol. So. Wow. Yeah.

Susan Dies 23:29

I don't know if you realize that in in that conversation that Jesus was having with him, he mentioned the last six of the commandments. Mm-hmm. And I'm sure that you know this, but out of the 10 Commandments, the first four commandments are what's called vertical commands. Mm-hmm. You shall have no other gods before me. Yeah. Don't make any idols for yourself. Don't take the name of the Lord in vain. Mm-hmm. Remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy. Yes. So those are the things that keep our relationship with God in line, so to speak. Mm-hmm. And then the, horizontal commands are the ones between us and other people. So love God. Mm-hmm. Love people and this is what it looks like. Yeah. A cross. Love God and love others as yourself. Love God, love others. All the law and the prophets comes down to these two things. The problem is that for as long as we live in these bodies.. Yeah... our spirit and our flesh, even as Christians, with the spirit of God living in us, is always gonna be in conflict. Mm-hmm. Because the flesh wants what the flesh wants and the spirit of God wants us to have what is truly good. Paul said it this way in Romans 7:15-25... and this is the paraphrase that really just puts this in language that I think we can all understand. Okay. It says,"I don't understand my own actions. Mm-hmm. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. Mm-hmm. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. Yeah. It is sin living in me, even though I love God's law with all my heart, but I see another law waging war within me, making me a prisoner of the law of sin. Oh, what a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me? Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ." Well, amen. Amen. So it's God's goodness to us and in us that makes us good. Good. And so we can stop striving to try to be good enough because we're already good enough in Christ. Mm-hmm. Not because of ourselves, but because of the good that he's done. That's so good. Any final thoughts?

Keidra Hobley 25:33

No. That was well said.

Susan Dies 25:35

Alright. Well, we're out of time today and we hope you've enjoyed today's podcast. If you did, we'd love for you to scroll down and leave us a text or hit that share button and send it to someone you think might also enjoy the podcast. You can also head over to our website, oneyesatatime.net if you wanna listen to any previous episodes that you may have missed... and while you're there, feel free to leave us a comment or a review because we would love to hear from you. Keidra, would you pray for us as we close out our time together today? You know I will. Father, we thank you for your goodness, for You are good, and your love endures forever. Thank you for your promise that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. We thank you for calling us holy, royal priests who can show your goodness to others. Help us to obey your commands and renew our lives with your goodness, and we thank you for it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.