“As you have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all (people), especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
This verse is preceded by a reminder not to “be weary in well-doing: for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” Remember that Paul was adamant that salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and not of works. But he also wrote that when we are saved we are to do the works that God has appointed us to do. (Read Ephesians 2:8-10.) It has always been God’s will that His people do good. Several years ago, I listened to a preacher’s tapes who constantly said, “It is better to be a ‘do gooder’ than to be a ‘do badder.’” The very fact of the Spirit of God in our lives demands that we do good. Notice that Paul wrote that as the Galatians had “opportunity” they should “do good to all people.” We are to be aware of the opportunities to do good that arise in a day. When we encounter some situations, we should be attuned to whether they are God-given opportunities or not. There have been times that I have been casually talking to someone and they would say something that would awaken me to an opportunity to do good. That might have been to witness to them about Jesus, or just listen to what they had to say. Sometimes the best that we can do is to just be quiet and listen. When I was in clinical training years ago, which was training in counseling, we were told to do more listening than we did talking. I found that for the most part this is a true technique. Sometimes what a person needs at that moment with you is to have your undivided attention and your friendship. Just be aware of the opportunities that God puts in your way on a daily basis. Paul wrote that we are to “do good unto all people…” This means that we are to look for opportunities to do good to people who are not Christians, or not part of our church. Often, doing good for a non-Christian will be the best witness that we can give. At least we know that people will listen to us if they know that we care for and listen to them. We are to do good for them even if they do not respond positively to the Gospel. We can’t make a person go into the kingdom, but we can give them a positive view of what a Christian is. We might say that this would make us a little like Jesus. Don’t misunderstand me, I wish that everyone that I witnessed to accepted Jesus, but that just does not happen, and because it doesn’t, doesn’t mean that I should then act unchristian. But Paul also wrote that we are “do good….especially unto them which are of the household of faith.” If you have had any experience with church, you know the importance of this advice. Sometimes we Christians can be awfully unchristian towards each other. Breaches in church fellowship are probably the number one reason that many churches do not grow. I do not have any statistics on this, but that it is so just seems like common sense to me. People who are not Christians, or people looking for a church, cannot be impressed with ill-treatment of fellow church members. Jesus gave us the key to “doing good” in Matthew 5:13 and 14 when He referred us as “the salt of the earth” (vs. 13) and “the light of the world” (vs.14). As “salt of the earth,” we add flavor to life and we preserve the righteousness that is given to us by Jesus. As the“light of the world” we are to shine so that people “can see (our) good works, and glorify (our) Father who is in heaven.” (vs. 16) If we are to serve as“salt” and “light” to an increasingly hostile world, we must do good to all people and to our fellow Christians. It is our responsibility to let people see Jesus in us, and at work in us, by the good things that we do and say on a daily basis. Let’s do it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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