Remind the people … to be ready to do whatever is good …
Summary: The meaning of the word “good” depends on whose point-of-view you are talking about. Worldly good is about pleasing the flesh. Spiritual good is about pleasing God.
When you hear the word “good,” what do you think of? Ice cream? Chocolate? Beef Bourguignon? Obviously, I think of food as “good.” What else seems good to you? Helping the poor, healing the sick, feeding the hungry? Yes those are all good things, too. What else is good?
Was it “good” when God threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden? (Genesis 3: 23-24) Was it “good” when God flooded the world and killed everyone except Noah and his family? (Genesis 6:5-8) How about when God rained fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah? (Genesis 19: 1-29) These were all good things in God’s eyes. Not “good” in the sense of being ideal, but good in the sense of being necessary.
The greatest “good” of all was when Jesus died for our sins. (Matthew 27: 32-54) While Christ’s sacrifice for our sins was good for us, it did not feel good to him. In fact, quite the opposite.
Doing what is good, is not always doing what feels good. To return to the topic of food for a moment, too much food is not healthy. So while it tastes good, and feels good to eat, sometimes the greatest good is to refrain from eating.
When Paul writes about doing good, there is an expectation that we understand what “doing good” means. In all of Paul’s writings, he works hard to consistently explain what God’s will is, especially in a Gentile Christian context.
Jesus summed up doing good this way:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22: 37-39)
Love, like good, is one of those words that can be easily misconstrued. We often associate “love” with what feels good. Yet true love is sacrificial. Sacrifice rarely feels good in the worldly sense. Which brings us to the realm of the Spiritual.
When we talk about love or doing good in a spiritual sense, we need to ignore the physical, worldly side of our being. The worldly part of ourselves is all about how things feel to us. It is about serving our own self-interest.
The spiritual good is all about serving God. This will become clear to us when we have passed over to live as spiritual beings. Now, as Paul points out, we struggle to see clearly. (1 Corinthians 13:12) One day, it will all be clear. In the meantime, we trust in God’s Word and walk by faith.
Application: Learn to discern. Pray for God’s guidance in understanding what “doing good” means.
Food for Thought: Is it possible that “doing good” sometimes looks and feels like we are “doing bad?”
Yes. For example, exercising tough love or discipline does not feel good, but is helping the target person if it is sincerely done in love for their benefit.
We want to be doing God’s intended good for others rather than what is convenient or easy for us. Hebrews 12: 11.
Rich,
I always appreciate the verses you share with us! To quote Hebrews 12:11 —
“ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.“
To speak to your comment that eating feels good but not eating or eating less might not feel good but might be better for us.
In a few minutes I searched for the foods and drinks which tend to increase weight, blood pressure, tri-gliserrides. There were about twenty-two of them. They seemed to be comfort foods, high carbohydrate, or sugary or salty snacks or drinks and certain desserts and types or foods which our bodies tell our livers to store as FAT.
In contrast there were at least 17 kinds of foods which tended to reduce weight. blood pressure, harmful fat accumulation, cause the body to burn excess fat, and combined with cardiovascular exercise, and a bit of strength training results usually result in a thinner, more energetic physique. Metabolism and ability to burn calories also seems to steadily increase with these food and lifestyle choices.
So the question is, if this information is so readily available why don’t individuals make possibly wiser choices for themselves in the long-term.
I would suggest that information does not motivate or sustain change. There must first be a desire, then a plan, then small but increasing habit pattern and lifestyle choices involving food, drink, and exercise.
I am not a dietitian, physician, medical professional, life coach, nor do I have specific training in these fields.
However, I do have some knowledge in the area or habit change, and behavior change. Being successful starts with the way one thinks about things, and relates to self-care, our relationships to others, and most importantly how and why we we relate to God if the spiritual realm is concerned. The why is most important.
This leads us to ask the how, what, when, and where questions. Who we serve, understanding Who He is, what He has done, is doing, and will do is also very essential.
Out of these things flow plans, actions, works, fruit or whatever the results may be.
If you want good works start with the roots, the mental intake, the meditations, of mind, heart, and soul. Good relationships, with God, others, healthy thoughts require healthy input of information, right choices, like spending time with the Lord in His Word, prayer, praise, worship, fellowship with positive, encouraging fellow believers, rejoicing in who God is and what He has done for us.
Those whose hearts are fully committed to the Lord it seems to me wil be given a place of service for Him, and a part in His plans to be effective in having some part, no matter how seemingly insignificant, in building His Kingdom.
They also are equipped to “Do Good”, at least in some capacity.
I am sure many could fill in scripture. Psalm 1, Joshua 1:6-9, Matthew 7: 7-23, 9: 35-38, 13: 1-23, 15:10-20, 4: 4, 7, 10-11. 2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3: 1-11, 4: 1-6, Philippians 3: 1- 4:6, Ephesians (all), 1Thessalonians 4, 5. ect.
Have a great day, be encouraged. stay in faith, and enjoy our fantastic and overwhelming God, His grace, and His creation. Be Blessed, be a blessing, and “Do something good, look for an opportunity to be kind, or thoughtful today.”
Jeff,
Interesting thoughts on diet and habits! Thank you!
I think one of the things that sets the change Christians undergo apart from a change in habits has to do with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are not alone as God works to change us from doing what we think is good to doing what God knows is good.
Is it possible that “doing good” sometimes looks and feels like we are “doing bad?”
My daughter said to me one day. “ Dad, you just don’t care what anybody thinks do you?” I told her no, and explained, “opinions are like noses, everybody has a different one. There is just no way I can please them all. So my goal is to focus on what God thinks of what I do.”
I gave up on trying to please people long ago, and try to live being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, grow in obedience to our Lord. He remains consistent while the opinions or people vary with their mood, the time of day, or people around them. The closer I am with God, the more effective I am for Him as His servant in this world.
There is another guy out there that loves to make me feel bad or question my motives and actions, that’s Satan. He is determined, crafty, sly and very patient. He comes at us with guilt.
As imperfect beings serving our perfect God, we will of course mess things up from time to time, actually many times daily, which gives him plenty of opportunities to come at us. Because guilt and conviction can often seem so similar, Satan relies on our own confusion, uncertainty and immaturity to break us down. Guilt is the exact opposite of healthy Conviction. It is crippling and will take us out of action as we battle against sin. Guilt is powerful and can strip away our assurance of salvation, causing us to want to hide from God rather than walk with Him.
Genesis 3:8, Revelation 12:10,
Conviction comes from the Bible and is used by Christians to describe how the Holy Spirit points out sin in our lives and draws us to repentance. Conviction is a two-stage process. The Holy Spirit shows us our sin, and He shows us how to turn from it to walk in righteousness again. It’s the second stage in this process that is critical.
Guilt cripples and Conviction leads to repentance which leads to continued empowerment and renewed ability to serve God.
John 16:8, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 8:12, Luke 9:1-2
Jesus did good all the time, ministered to us and served as our example on earth. He spoke the truth in love, was hated by the unrepentant and loved by the repentant sinners. In the end He was crucified by men who hated all He revealed, but received by God as the perfect sacrifice and given new Life. Doing good looks and feels good to our Lord, that’s all we need to be concerned about.
Ron,
Nicely said! Great point about noses and the need to keep our own clean by focusing on God’s will instead of our own.
So,.. before one my daughter’s that was taken by the Sandy River back in 1996,..my other daughter that is still with us,.. they were about 11 and 12 then,..dropped a very organized bead case that belonged to her sister,..she came to me and asked what to do,..the beads were everywhere on the steps mixed in the the dirt, dust and dog hair. It was devestating and she didn’t feel any different,..well being that Dad that I am,..I told her to clean up the mess,..put it all back in the bead container, wrap it up and put it under the Christmas tree,.. it was forgotten until the day her sister opened it up on Christmas,..what I thought was a good thing,..because I knew how these sisters treated each other,..I didn’t think it would be a big deal,..nope,..not that day,..she was very upset,..I didn’t blame her and took all the blame for my action,..it wasn’t fair what I did,..it turned out to be a very bad thing.
Maybe I should of just bought some new beads for her in the first place and none of that would of took place,..but it took place and I have to live with it,..even if I have been forgiven,..
Well maybe it was all bad to begin with,..sure looked good in the beginning,..one thing for sure is that I will never under any circumstances do something like that ever again,..what a lesson to learn,..
John,
In its own way, your story is quite beautiful. It contains every bit as much drama as a Shakespearian play. The human soul is very sensitive if not calloused or turned to stone. You, my friend, have a sensitive soul. Thank you for sharing!