There are lots of reasons that we may think about doing good to someone else:
- They’ve done something kind for us.
- We like them and want to show them our affection.
- We are hoping that if we do something good for them now, they will do something good for us later.
- We feel sorry for them.
- And the list could go on and on…..
Scripture however, gives us one question to ask when it comes to doing good to someone else:
Do we have the opportunity?
Galatians 6:10 states it pretty succinctly:
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
It can seem like a unnecessarily broad standard. After all, most of us have plenty of opportunities to do good to someone and we let many of them pass us by. If we were to pursue every opportunity, we may wonder whether we would have any time, resources or energy left. However, we must consider this – as we take advantage of opportunities to do good, this will by necessity reduce the number of other opportunities we are able to pursue. God doesn’t say we have to do everything – but if we can do it – we should. Especially if the person (of people) benefitting are part of His family.
Most of us are masters at justifying the reasons we shouldn’t do something for another person. We are worried about the cost, we doubt whether they will appreciate it, we wonder whether we will have the wherewithal to keep up the pace. God provides us a simple standard to consider. And if we have the opportunity to do good, we should.