Skip to main content

Doing Good

                                 Blessed are those who comply with His testimonies,

And seek Him with all their heart.
They also do no injustice;
They walk in His ways.
(Psalm 119:2-3)

 

          According to the study note for this passage, “testimonies” may also be translated “provisions.” This irks me, because I like my definitions to be concise and precise, and to me, testimonies and provisions don’t mean the same thing. At the same time, we must not forget that we are talking about God, for whom saying and doing are one in the same. That doesn’t mean that when He says, He also does, so that they happen at the same time as a matter of course, but that what He says, He carries out at some point and according to His love and wisdom. His saying may also be the doing, as “’Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

          There is also the idea of the will, in which the concept of a will or a legal agreement as a testimony (a formal or written statement, especially one given in a court of law.) In such a document, provisions can be and often are made for various parties.

          Some further consideration of the idea of a will or legal agreement needs to be considered here, because we tend to think of wills as being documents in which the benefactor leaves to the heir some portion of the benefactor’s belongings, and nothing more. But historically have been much more directive. The heir might only receive the inheritance after a certain birthday. Or, as was the case of the will of one of my distant relatives, the heirs only received an inheritance if they continued to work their father’s farm until they were of a certain age, thus guaranteeing the father a labor force into his old age.

So, those who live in accordance with the legal agreement God has made with them, who look to Him for their provision according to said testimony, are happy. They seek Him with all their heart – their will. They do no injustice, for that is what violating His testimony would be. They walk in His ways. They live in a manner that fulfills their part of the legal agreement.

         Some people say that doing something in order to get the reward or reap the benefit given for it is self-serving and morally repugnant. We should do it merely because it’s the good, right, loving, kind, proper thing to do. I agree. We should do good because it’s good, without any reward. The problem is that doing good can feel good. Should we only do good if it makes us miserable? Doing good is the cake. If someone wants to add frosting, should I scrape the frosting off? Refuse it? Or enjoy it? Must I be unhappy in the good thing that I have done if there is good in it?

          We should do good whether there is a reward in it or not, but if offered a reward, we need not refuse it. And ultimately, we’ll feel good about it, whether there is a reward or not.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...