Read: Galatians 6:9-10 |
Saint Peter is at the gates of Heaven interviewing a man. He said, “You haven’t done anything bad, but you haven’t done anything good either. Tell me just one good thing that you have done.” “Well, the man replied, “I was traveling on the road when I saw a group of thugs robbing a woman. So I went up to them and shouted for them to stop. Unfortunately, things got a little out of hand and I ended up punching out their leader. Then I challenged everyone else in the group to fight me.” “Wow,” Saint Peter said. “That IS good. When did that happen?” “About 2 minutes ago.”
Being good is one thing, but doing good is the life-long mission of maturing Believers.
Paul’s letter to the churches in the southern Galatia region was pointed and purposeful. In our key scripture found in Galatians 6: 9-10, he makes a special emphasis about doing good. He begins by presuming that Believers are already sowing and doing good. If we sow the seed by “doing good” and then give up, we can never reap the harvest for our effort because we gave up too soon.
Doing Good models our Father, for God is Good
God is Good! As our Father, Believers are created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). As His follower, we should follow His purpose for our lives – to “do good”.
Diligent Do-Gooder Believers look for God-appointed opportunities to testify to His goodness in our daily lives. Our good works conform to God’s law and good works reveal the glory of God. [CREATED TO DO GOOD WORKS – Rev. Kenneth F. Benjamins] We can perform simple “good” acts of common courtesy and hold the door for someone; pick-up something dropped by the person in front of us or simply ask someone in obvious distress if we can pray for them. We are to share “Goodness” in the innumerable God-ordained moments in our day-to-day lives.
Doing Good matches our main mission to sow the Word
God is Good! The Great Commission tells us that sowing is what Believers are expected to do (Matthew 28:19,20). Furthermore, Philippians 2:13 tells us, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose”. These verses remind us that God expects us to sow.
We reap what we sow – whether it be physical, natural, or spiritual (Galatians 6:7). He knows when we sow and what we are sowing. God cannot be mocked. Follow the purpose of our creation and change the predestination of non-believers – do good works, which will lead them to Christ.
Doing Good matures into a harvest
God is Good! He waters what we sow by doing good. When the seed does not ripen in “our” timing, we can grow weary. Yet, Paul specifically encourages us to “not become weary”.
He must have read my mind. When helping my son buy a used car this summer, I met a car salesperson who proclaimed to be an agnostic. I was lead to witness to him but was briefly tempted to quit after learning of nearly a dozen prior attempts by others. I became wary and weary and wondered, “What is the use!” But, I persisted! We ended without a fruitful confession of faith, but another seed was sown that may yet mature at harvest time.
Paul closes in verse ten by noting that Do-Good Believers should “do good” to all people, but especially to those who belong to the family of believers. After all, doing good demonstrates not only faith, but faithfulness that persists even when we cannot foresee God’s will.
Questions:
1.Discover –
A. Contrast and compare “being good” and “doing good” with your prayer partner and in the comment box below.
2.Develop –
A. Do you “do good” naturally or do you have to force yourself to “do good”?
B. How can we more effectively inoculate ourselves so that we do not get tired of doing good when the going gets rough? What have you seen others do and what have you learned to help you keep going. Share examples in the comment box below.
3.Demonstrate –
A. What ways have you seen others “do good” that you admire? Can you repeat those acts in your own way?
B. When was the last time you were a beneficiary of someone doing good on your behalf. Explain how it felt and how did you respond.
Today’s verses are set in a context of sowing and harvesting. As an avid gardener, I know by experience that not all seed will germinate. One of the reasons for this is that there are soil-borne enemies of seed. When seeds fail to germinate, I often will re-seed in the spaces where plants do not emerge. In the spiritual realm, when we do good within the family of faith, our good doing is less wearisome because our good is accepted. Believers generally accept the same definition of good. However, when we try to do good outside this context–in a deceived world–our good is often rejected as an attack on lifestyle. As Jesus taught in his parable on sowing, the birds came and devoured the seed that fell along the wayside. Where we see such sparse germination, we tend to become weary of sowing.