Time to Do Good
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.”
Luke 6:9–11
When Jesus healed a man with a crippled hand on the Sabbath day, He was confronted by Pharisees eager to accuse Him of breaking God’s law. Jesus responded by asking a them a powerful question. The fact that it was the Sabbath did not change the moral imperative to do good. Remember that Jesus was not violating the Sabbath law given by God, but only the many layers of restrictions that teaching and tradition had added to what God actually said. Jesus never did anything that was contrary to God’s law. And we should not forget that the ends do not justify the means. As Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right.”
But Jesus was not doing wrong. He was not violating the Sabbath commandment. He was instead using the day of rest as an opportunity to do something good. We are always to be doing good. If you feel an impulse to speak a kind word of encouragement, to spend time in prayer, to reach out and let someone know you are thinking about them, or to meet a need, do it. You do not have to worry or wonder if it is God’s will for you to do good. Paul reminds us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Luke 6:9–11
When Jesus healed a man with a crippled hand on the Sabbath day, He was confronted by Pharisees eager to accuse Him of breaking God’s law. Jesus responded by asking a them a powerful question. The fact that it was the Sabbath did not change the moral imperative to do good. Remember that Jesus was not violating the Sabbath law given by God, but only the many layers of restrictions that teaching and tradition had added to what God actually said. Jesus never did anything that was contrary to God’s law. And we should not forget that the ends do not justify the means. As Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right.”
But Jesus was not doing wrong. He was not violating the Sabbath commandment. He was instead using the day of rest as an opportunity to do something good. We are always to be doing good. If you feel an impulse to speak a kind word of encouragement, to spend time in prayer, to reach out and let someone know you are thinking about them, or to meet a need, do it. You do not have to worry or wonder if it is God’s will for you to do good. Paul reminds us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Today’s Growth Principle:
There is never a time when it is wrong to do something truly good for the sake of someone else.
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