Doing Good

"The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all-- ³⁷ that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Acts 10:36-38

One marker of Christ's life was He "went about doing good."  Doing good is much more profitable than avoiding evil because it is an intentional act.  Of course forsaking sin is a good thing, but the Christian walk is far more than sin-avoidance but faith displayed by obedience to God.  More than a list of Laws to obey, following Jesus is a grateful response to the love extended to us through Jesus.

Today as I taught through Nehemiah 5, it struck me there is a definite and important difference between saying, "You're wrong!" and "What you are doing is not good." (Nehemiah 5:9)  The contrast may seem subtle, but the implications of the mind-set is profound.  When Nehemiah rebuked the leaders in Israel for oppressing the poor by charging them interest on loans, he told them what they were doing was not good.  He could have simply told them they were "wrong," but the implication of his words was that their aim ought to have been to do good - not just cease evil.  When we realise what we are doing is not good, this leads to positive change.

In 2 Kings 7 a story is related of four desperate lepers who decided they would rather risk begging for their lives at the hand of the besieging Syrians than die of starvation in the city.  After mustering the courage to approach the camp, they were shocked to find it deserted.  They went from tent to tent and ate like kings, plundered valuables, and hid them out of sight.  2 Kings 7:9 describes when they finally came to their senses:  "Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household."  The lepers acted selfishly by filling their stomachs and plundering tents while people in Samaria were dying, and after realising they were not doing right they confessed their error, repented, and did what was right (though their motive in doing so was hardly pure).

In our flesh even after coming to Christ no good thing dwells (Romans 7:18), but we can do good through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  Better than avoiding the appearance of evil is to intentionally do good because we fear God, responding with gratefulness for the love God has shown us.