Weekly Thought – May 10, 2022
Fred enjoyed pulling friends together for conversation. In 1986 he invited a group together for three days of “totally informal good talking and good eating together” as he put it. There was no agenda, just time to consider life and ways for Christian service as businessmen.
Doing Good
A few weeks ago a group of friends met with Dick Halverson (then chaplain of the US Senate) to talk. As we did so, we thought about how often we have the opportunity of doing good. I remembered those words about Christ “He went about doing good.” His work wasn’t doing good – He came to bring the Gospel and give Himself as a sacrifice, but just in the everyday circumstances He did good.
Christ didn’t go about doing good when He was feeling good. Nor did He with just a good feeling. I get weary of two words I hear so often from ministry representatives “happy and excited.” Everybody thinks a Christian ought to be happy and how tired I get of hearing how excited they are about what God is doing. It is only in America that we have this hype.
Christ did not go about looking for the “highest good.” He just did the good that was at hand. It is easy to become immobilized looking for the highest good because we tend to ignore the small bits all around us. What is small? We cannot measure the quality or quantity of good.
One of my favorite examples is that of MacDonald, an unknown British theologian who wrote of the Christian faith to a relatively small audience. An agnostic professor in Oxford became a Christian and delivered a series of lectures on the BBC as an apologetic which then was published as Mere Christianity. Yes, C.S. Lewis. Tom Phillips, CEO of Raytheon Corporation read it and passed it on to Chuck Colson before he went to prison for improprieties during the Nixon administration. This resulted in Chuck’s conversion. When he left prison he didn’t return to his law firm, but formed Prison Fellowship. Good often has a long history. During the years we can’t tell what are the small parts and which are the large.
Christ went about doing good letting the circumstances set His agenda. I challenge myself each morning to see what’s around me and ask for the discernment to respond rightly. I don’t go out to be a “do-gooder,” but instead to see what is in front of me and do good.
This week carefully consider: 1) How well do I maximize opportunities to serve well? 2) What good can I do this week? 3) Where are the small bits of good which add up to changes in my life?
Words of Wisdom: “Christ did not go about looking for the highest good. He just did the good that was at hand.”
Wisdom from the Word: “So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NET Bible) * Fred’s Mother, Mrs. Bunyan Smith, repeated and lived these verses.