Do-Gooder

Scripture Reading: Psalm 85; Isaiah 24-27; Galatians 5-6

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. - Galatians 6:10 -

Paul is a great example of a man who understands pastoral work. He does teach doctrine at a high level. But he always seems to show us how that intersects with daily life. We don’t just walk away thinking, “Well, that was interesting.” We walk away knowing that there are things for us to do with what we were taught. He speaks to the heart and hands as well as to the mind.

Galatians is no exception. He finishes the letter with a flourish of admonitions and exhortations to practical Christian living. Verse 10 is one of them. It is simple and leaves itself open to broad application. “Do good to everyone.”

What is good?

Well, it is something we might grow weary of doing (verse 9). It is done in under the leading and by the power of the Holy Spirit (verse 8). It is like sowing seeds. The results don’t always come immediately, it involves hard work, and God isn’t fooled by us faking it (verse 7). Beyond that we aren’t given specifics.

So, we are given a wide berth as to how we carry this out. The only thing we have to do is look for the opportunity.

There are a multitude of moments I look back on and regret I didn’t seize on the opportunity that was in front of me. A chance to say something encouraging, to tell someone the good news of the gospel, to stand up for what was good and right, to lend a helping hand...The opportunity presented itself and I was too distracted, too busy, too self-absorbed to realize it until it passed me by.

Maybe you can relate.

I can’t go back and change any of that, but what I can do, what we can all do, is pray for opportunities to do good and then to have the eyes to see when opportunity walks by, and the ears to hear when opportunity speaks.

Then, to make it easy and to train ourselves to become do-gooders, we can start at what ought to be the easiest place of all...right in our own church among our own people.

Do good, however that might look in your context, to everyone, and especially to the people who you will see in church Sunday.