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Something
Good to do Today
By Jerri
Phillips
Christian comedian Bob
Smiley talks about his grandmother on his
comedy CD, "I Have A Funny Feeling
about This." He said that his
grandmother gave him some very good
advice when Bob was growing up. One of
her threads of wisdom was to read the
Bible when you are young, not to wait
until you are old and act like you are
cramming for your final. Bob's
grandmother is a wise woman.
Tonight, those words are especially
pertinent to me. It's Thursday. It's
nearly 9:30 pm. I have two children who
will be up far earlier than I want to be
in the morning, and I still do not have a
Munchy written for the week. I've had
ideas. I've even written some stuff in my
journal, but right now, none of it is
coming together. Right now, I am tired
and feeling, well frankly, a little
overwhelmed.
Granted, cramming for eternity and
writing an article aren't quite on the
same level. Okay, they are nowhere near
the same level, but the basic gist is
still the same: don't procrastinate. Time
may run out, and then what do you have?
Excuses that hold nothing but air.
I could tell you why no article is
finished, and I think I have good
reasons, but that doesn't change the fact
that there is nothing finished. It's just
putting irrelevant facts on paper. When I
stand before Christ, if I have not
cultivated a relationship with Him up to
that point, what good is it going to do
for me to tell Him about my work and how
Sundays were needed for sleeping in and
fishing and football? Exactly, what will
I have to offer Him that will matter one
bit? Nothing.
The Bible says not to worry about
tomorrow for today has enough worries of
its own (Mathew 6:34). I've heard several
lessons taught about that passage. In
general, the summary is that we should
not worry about bad things that might
happen in the future because they may
never get here. Often, people are so
focused on preparing for the worst, that
they do not prepare for the best. Do you
remember the rich man who had the
incredible harvest and built greater
silos to hold it? God had strong words
concerning that man. The Lord did not
criticize the man's prosperity. Instead,
He criticized the man's heart and desire
to prepare for the worst. The man was
preparing for bad times and using his
prosperity as a way to elevate himself
above others. God called the man a fool,
and in fact, the man died that
night (Luke 12:18-21).
In contrast, what if viewed the passage
in Matthew differently. Jesus said that
each day had enough evil for that day.
Luke said to overcome evil with good
(Romans 12:21). Isn't it safe to say then
that each day is filled sufficiently with
opportunity to do good, so much in fact
that anything good from today that we try
to cram in will only take up part of
tomorrow's list? The book of James says
that anyone who knows the good he should
do and does not do it, sins (James 4:17).
Wow. That is pretty stern stuff.
Of course, the question then becomes,
what is good? I've known people who
thought you had to be teaching a class or
part of a church ministry to be doing
something good. I've known people who
thought you had to be walking up and down
the street knocking on doors to be doing
good. And if that is what God called them
to, then for them it is good. But what
about the mother who fixes breakfast,
wipes noses, sits up at night with sick
kids, and does her best to have dinner on
the table when her husband gets home?
Isn't that good? What about the man who
tells his co-workers how much he enjoys
working with them on a regular basis?
What about the lady at the zoo who
volunteers her time to teach visitors
about animals and the awesome details God
designed into each different species? You
might not think that is good, but my
children and I liked her, and it most
certainly got my children's attention and
opened up conversation about how God
created them with intricate
individuality.
I will be honest. I cannot define what is
good. In no way am I equipped to
delineate what God calls good for anyone.
I learn from day to day what He calls
"good" in my life. The only
know two things: I know that God's
definition of good isn't necessarily
man's definition, and today is filled
with opportunities for each person to do
good.
And I don't believe the excuses, "I
don't know what to do," or, "I
don't have anything I can do." God
says you are called to do good works
prepared in advance for you by Him
(Ephesians 2:10), which says you can do
something. If you don't know what to do,
then you need to be proactive and find
out. I'll tell you a little truth I've
learned. The world thinks it is odd. Some
people in the church think it is odd, but
I've yet to know anyone on the receiving
end who thought it was anything less than
a blessing. You know those little
thoughts that flit through your mind that
start with phrases like, "I could
blah blah blah," or, "I should
yadda yadda yadda"? You know the
ones that say, "It'd be nice if
someone did this or that," and,
"I would like it if someone did
___________ for me"? Those are not
just wild ramblings. Those are Holy
Spirit promptings.
If you think, "I could make dinner
for the family with the new baby,"
then do it. That is God's stamp of
approval. If you find yourself wondering
how your neighbor with the broken leg is
going to mow his lawn, he's probably
wondering the same thing. Why don't you
get your mower and show him how Jesus
would do it? If you are contemplating
things that you would like for others to
do for you, the Bible says you are to do
those things for others. When God shows
you what would minister to you, He's
showing you what would minister to others
as well. And in case it would be nice if
someone called you when you were gone
from church or were solemn and needed
someone to notice, someone else thinks it
would be nice if you did that for him or
her as well.
As I said, it isn't how the world thinks.
The world thinks that we should focus on
our wants and our needs, and when people
don't meet them, we need to hold grudges
and throw fits. I think they are wrong,
but if they are right, you can do it
their way tomorrow. Today, it's time to
do something good, and right now is a
good time to start.
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