Being Doer’s Of Good

Doing good is the essence of Christianity. Jesus came into the world to do good (Acts
10:28), and He expects his followers to do good as well (Matthew 5:16; 6:10; James 4:17).
That “good-doing” extends to every area of life. It means not only loving those who love
us, but even those who would do us harm (Matthew 5:44), as well as extending acts of
kindness even to those who do not deserve such (I Peter 2:21-f). It even means patiently
enduring persecution if need be, that the name of Jesus be glorified. Doing good is what the
Golden Rule is all about (Luke 6:31-f).

Doing good is personal; “good-doing” is done by persons. It is an outward manifestation
of love performed by a person committed to Christ and His gospel. It may show mercy,
kindness, benevolence, or just simple courtesy, but its main intention is to show love. Love
is the basis for good service. When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:1-16), it
most certainly was a sign of His personal humility, but that humility was the offspring of
His personal love. He makes the application intimate when He says, “If I, then, your Lord
and Master, have washed your feet; ye ought also to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).
It was a personal thing, one to the other. His summation is simple: “If ye know these things,
happy are ye if ye do them.” It’s a personal enjoinder.

Doing good is very often the key to one’s own happiness. Everyone suffers the pain of
discouragement from time to time. I have found that the best way to get out of the pit of
discouragement is to get up, get out, and do something for someone. That may mean
divorcing yourself from yourself, and putting yourself at the disposal of others, but you will
soon realize that there is a sense of satisfaction which comes from being concerned enough
for others that you are willing to wade in to their difficulties– even if it brings some
difficulty or inconvenience to yourself. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do it
heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the
reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24), Even if you
receive no accolades for a good deed done here, remember that God sees.

And time is short. We need to do as much good as we can right now. And let me remind
you of something: intentions won’t serve for the act of doing good. You have to do more
than intend. I think most folks want to do good, and I think most folks intend to. They just
don’t get around to it. I doubt seriously that the Good Samaritan did not do what he did as a
one-time, isolated incident. Chances are he acted that way all the time. And please observe–
he ran the risk, he got involved. He didn’t wait around. He did what He could–personally–
while he could. Folks, we have to give ourselves before we will give to others (II
Corinthians 8:5), and we have to follow through to be effective (James 2:15-17).

It’s always in order to do good. That person who is determined to do good sweetens every
situation and adds something special to every circumstance. “As we have opportunity, let us
do good…” ~Dee Bowman