“And do not forget to do good and to share with others,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16
Doing good and sharing with others.
For those who love Jesus, both sound like a natural way to live. We know this. We agree with this. Doing good and sharing are logical behaviors for believers. When our pastor preaches, “Do good and share,” we nod our heads in agreement.
And yet, God thought we needed the reminder: “…do not forget.” Finding this phrase canonized in Scripture means we need it — that we are indeed prone to forget.
We must each ask ourselves, “Am I doing good? Am I sharing?”
Do and share denote action. James confirms in his book, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17) Real faith is a call to action.
Often our lack of action earns us the “hypocritical” label from those outside the church. (And, by the way, when that h-bomb is hurled, do not bother to refute it. Anger is defused much sooner when you agree rather than argue: “You’re right. I should do a better job of having an active faith. I want to be a woman who lives my faith out loud, but every day I fail. Would you pray for me?” )
Grace can make us lazy. Righteousness by faith means we do not work to earn our salvation, but it does not mean we don’t work after our salvation. My hubby says, “You don’t bark to become a dog; you bark because you are a dog.” Translation: You can do good works all day long, but those good works will never save you. But if you are saved, you will work.
Perhaps the next question is, How much is enough?
How far do we go with this “do good and share” stuff?
The writer of Hebrews might answer that question with a question: Are you doing and sharing until it hurts?
Hebrews 13:16 refers to our doing and sharing as sacrifices. And by definition, a sacrifice should cost something. Whether time, talent, or treasure, our doing and sharing should be a sacrifice — not what is left over, not so little it is never missed, not second rate or second best.
In the Old Testament times, something had to die for the sacrifice to be completed. In New Testament times, something still has to die: SELF. Paul exhorts in Romans 12:1, “offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” He then calls that dying to self, WORSHIP.
The writer of Hebrews agrees, “God is pleased.”
You see, we were created for worship — to bring glory to God. We were created for His pleasure. And one of the ways we do that is by doing good and sharing sacrificially.
Only the mature in Christ among us will do good and share sacrificially for the chief aim of pleasing God. With the Holy Spirit’s help, let’s make this our goal!
Lord, what is the good you want me to do today?
Who is the one you are calling me to share with?
Enable me to do good and share sacrificially …
and may my motivation be to please You!
