Tag: Doing good

Important to God

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture1 Comment

I don’t watch awards shows anymore and it’s not just because they have become such an outright blasphemous display. I stopped watching them long ago when I realized that every award show is just a group of boastful people tooting their own horns loudly. My philosophy is that those who are doing good do it quietly and God rewards them, not the academy of motion pictures or the other musicians or even a group of fans. Doing good is without a lot of fanfare because one generally does it to benefit others, not to make themselves look good. It annoys me when millionaires announce that they have given a great sum of money to a certain charity. I would be more convinced of their generosity if they did it and didn’t then tout it everywhere.

Mother Theresa was a giver, deep in her heart and soul and for all of her life. So what if you don’t feel lauded by the world, appreciated and praised? That is not our purpose here on earth. God made each of us for a reason and He knows how important we are, so that is what really counts.

The Scriptures tell us numerous times not to boast or be filled with pride. The real reward comes from God when we stand before Him and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” I would rather have a “well done” accolade from the Lord than the applause of many empty-hearted people who don’t even know the real me. God knows the real me, the one that wants to do my best for Him, and He loves me and counts me as worthy of the death of His Son. I’m not really anyone important, but to God, I am His beloved daughter, and that’s enough.

May you be blessed with the knowledge of your worth before the Lord God and know that you are important to Him.

Doing Good

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

As a grammarian, one of my pet peeves of misuse of words is when someone asks how you are doing, your answer is, “I’m doing good.” I made it a habit to consistently correct my students who said this because as I told them, Mother Theresa “did good” so what you mean to say is that you are doing fine. After many years of following this habit, I just gave up. After all, it’s in common use now. But as I gave up the grammar rules, I did not give up on the hope that indeed they are “doing good.”

We do good for others and eventually we may reap a harvest, the harvest of their souls that live eternally with God. We just keep doing good in spite of all of the evil in the world that assaults us daily and in spite of the attacks from those who would thwart our good. So, how am I doing today? I’m planning on doing good and I hope that you are, too.

And the passage continues in the next verse that we are to do good at every opportunity. In fact, I think that we are to look for ways to do good to/for others. The young man in line behind us looks longingly at a snack at the checkout counter. Purchase it for him and tell him to have a blessed day. The young clerk in the store looks so weary that a smile is not part of their greeting. Smile at him/her and tell them what a good job they’re doing and that you appreciate their hard work. There are small things we can do everyday and there are people who go about the world doing their jobs but they don’t seem to be seen, like the housekeeping people in the hospital or the man who collects the trash every week. They deserve our respect, our gratitude and for us to take time to do good for them. A prayer is one of the best ways we can do good for others. It may not be seen or heard but my faith says that it will be felt and it will make a difference.

I hope that you all have a blessed day and that you are all “doing good.”