Called Unto Good Works (part 2)

Matt.5 (red = Jesus speaking)
[1] And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
[2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
[3] Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
[5] Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
[6] Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
[7] Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
[8] Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
[9] Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
[10] Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
[12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
[13] You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.[14] You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
[15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house.
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
[17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
[18] For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

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It is a good thing for ALL to do good. But, it is especially important for those who are saved and call themselves by the name of Christ. The very love of God is resident within the spirit of good works. The very love of God is manifestly shown to others through our good works. They are like big, bright, flashing, pointing arrows that show the way to God though Christ. It is interesting that the older I get, the more reading of the bible I do, and the more experience I gain just by being present in life, the more I see that IT IS ALL ABOUT CHRIST. We must carry that very fact with us wherever we go, and in whatever we do. I know, often that is easier said than done. There are situations that will test us, for sure.

It is a good work for us to feed the poor and hungry. It is a good work for us to be nice to people, and speak kindly to them. It is good to slow down a little and let people move into our lane when we see them trying to get over, instead of speeding up so they can’t get over. Those are good works. But, there is more to be added. The more is the harder part. It is the shining of the light to show the True Light - Jesus.

The difference for us is that we do good works, even to those whom we deem do not deserve any works of goodness to be shown them. You all know people at work that cast your name out as evil. They make your private business public, without your consent. And then they can’t even get that right, because they often lie about you. They feel, for some reason, that it is in their job description to let others know what they think you do. Guess what? Gotta be good to them. Gotta love them. Gotta pray for them. When they need help, if you can; gotta help them. With THAT is God well pleased. With THAT is the light shining. Why? Well, anyone can be good to only those who are good to them. It takes a lot more inner strength to be good to someone who is contrary to us. That inner strength comes from Christ in us.

It is no coincidence that Jesus speaks of the fact that we are blessed when we are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake”, and “when men shall persecute us, and speak all manner of evil against us falsely, for His sake”. And He follows that up with the fact that we are the light of the world. And then says to let our light shine BEFORE MEN, that they might see our GOOD WORKS. Why? Again, to glorify God.

We must do good through persecution. We must do good when lied on. We must do good when we are wronged. We must do good when we feel like it, and when we don’t. We must do good when it is inconvenient to do so. We must do good when the only thing we want to do is retaliate. Even when that retaliation, by man’s standards, is very understandable. But guess what? When asked, “Why didn’t you retaliate when you were wronged? I know I would have!” Guess what you have?.....That’s right. A chance to share the reason for the love within. A chance to share Christ! Now, you are not only a witness/light to the person who wronged you, but also to those who witnessed the wrong, and then witnessed your godly/goodly reaction. All about Christ.

(more to come concerning the subject of works)

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Do You Walk In Good Works?