God the Do Gooder

November 17

(Psalm 125:3-5 NIV) “The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. {4} Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. {5} But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.”

(Jeremiah 17:10 NIV) “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

(Matthew 5:14-16 NIV) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. {15} Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. {16} In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

(Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- {9} not by works, so that no one can boast. {10} For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

When someone calls you a “do-gooder”, it is not usually meant as a compliment. Instead, “do-gooder” has become a term of contempt. This is just another symptom of the inverted value system we live with today. Regardless of what the world values, God’s people are called to do good. God is the original “do-gooder”, and has said that He will do good to those who do good... so be a “do-gooder”! In this age of grace, good deeds have sometimes been downplayed, even devalued by the church. This is a mistake. We are saved by grace, but were created to do good works. It’s “both/and”, not “either/or”. When we do good for God’s glory, our Father in heaven is praised. Therefore, God will reward the “do-gooder” according to his conduct. So let your light shine as your good deeds bring glory to God. Find appropriate ways to be a “do-gooder”. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day