January 3, 2017 (Tuesday)
The late famous psychologist Amos Tversky once said, “It is sometimes easier to make the world a better place than to prove you have made the world a better place.”
I think he was right. Think for a moment about Jesus, who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38 KJV). There is no limit to the amount of good a person can do if he just follows the example of Jesus and goes about doing good. He does not have to prove to anyone that his actions are making a difference in the world; he just does good. Like Jesus did.
I saw a motto at the Kosse post office years ago that read, “There is no limit to the amount of good a person can do if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.”
On the other hand, if a person does good in order to establish a good reputation, gain prestige, and appear to be a good person, his motivation is faulty, and as Dr. Tversky hinted, he is more likely to fail at reaching those goals in life. Jesus said a person doing good things from wrong motives does them “to be seen of men.”
I remember a slogan that was posted in my workplace in one of the jobs I held while growing up and attending school, and it read, “Just do it.” That’s it. That’s what Jesus wants from us. See the need and do something about it.
A senator’s eulogy for his famous brother contained these words: “My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man..[who did good things].”
We should not be deaf to the promises and warnings that Jesus has given us regarding our accountability. On that great day of judgment he will reward those who followed his example and “went about doing good.” On that day Jesus will say to many, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV). These are the “good things” Jesus wants us to do.
Zac Harrell has written a column of ideas closely related to those expressed in this blog. Click here to read it in the Baptist Standard.