Do Good

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, or with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  Hebrews 13:15-16

We praise God with our lips in church.  Because He loved us so much He sent Jesus to rescue us from sin and bring us back to communion with God.  Because of that we should want to praise him.

Another form of praise is action.  What are we doing to praise God?  The saying “Actions speak louder than words” is deafening to our conscience.  If we say we love God  and want to serve Him, and yet do not serve, where are we really?

Sometimes it is inconvenient to serve.  We feel tired or stressed with our own responsibilities.  We do not really want to go and serve in such a way.  Maybe there is an emotional cost.  Maybe there is a financial cost.  Maybe, we really just do not think we have much in common with those we are serving.  Whatever the reason, it is our reason; not God’s.

Can God overcome those feelings?  Certainly! Does He know when we do not “feel like it”?  You bet!  And yet, when we go and serve Him anyway, relying on Him for the strength, the patience, the willingness, we are obeying Him.  And God always rewards obedience!

He may not reward you in a way you recognize immediately, (or He could shock you and do just that!); but rewarded you will be, at some point in time.

God surprised my family with the service of others.  I have always tried to serve, and was happy serving.  I rarely needed much help, save I would ask for prayer on occasion.  That was comfortable for me.  I was young, healthy, and able.  I was blessed to stay  home, and I loved helping others.  Over the years I found a few ways to serve with young children in tow: making meals for people was a favorite, cleaning when people were sick or in a wheelchair, and writing a note of encouragement were ways to serve.  I never made ministry a full-time job, but I was doing something. We tended to move around a bit and these actions were put to use wherever we went.

At our fifth address, I was diagnosed with cancer.  We had no family in the area, knew no one we would have felt comfortable asking for help.  No matter: God provided abundantly.  First, our new church really was serving Christ.  Their hands made meals for my family, throughout five months of chemotherapy.  Their hands and hearts cared for my three children, the youngest a five-moth-old. Their feet drove me to countless appointments.  Their mouths offered encouragement.  Their faith lifted me up in prayer.

They had become the hands and feet of Jesus.  And, they did it for the long haul.  A friend from another address was so happy and just as overwhelmed as I when I told her about these wonderful people.  She proclaimed, “I just want to come down there with you to church some Sunday and tell them that you were always making meals for people here, doing all those things they are doing!  They need to know you did that!”.

No, they did not.  People count what is given and often try to reciprocate in turn.  God doesn’t!

It was a very humbling experience for me to be the recipient of all this love, all this giving, without have given to these people previously.  Yet, their offering spoke volumes about their faith.  They were willing to serve a family they did not even know.  How often are we willing to make such a sacrifice for someone we do not know?  God is pleased indeed with such sacrifices!

Reflection:

1) How often do I praise God with my words?  With my actions?

2)  Have I been procrastinating on doing good?  If so, make a plan to get right on it, then implement it!

Thank you for reading and responding!  Please return next Monday, May 7, for the next post.