Doing Good



Yesterday at Sunday School, our class leader was killing time while our teacher was making some announcements in the worship service. The leader is a really entertaining guy, but also a great teacher (he teaches high school). He had us read Psalm 40 and I don't remember much about what he pointed out about it. But I do remember him asking, "How far do you think Satan wants you from God?"

My immediately thought was that he wants us as far as possible. But, his answer surprised me.
He held up his pointer finger and thumb like he was pinching a bug, and said, "Thiiis much." He maybe even wants us to feel like we are still close to Him, but we can add in a bit of our own self-sufficiency, comfort, whatever in case He doesn't come through for us.

Wow. That one really hit home for me.

So, last night as I was going to bed I almost reached for my phone to flip through Facebook or Instagram and I thought, "Nope, tonight I'm going to read Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. This is my all-time favorite devotional by a wonderful Christian evangelist.

The Scripture for the evening was "Straightway they forsook their nets and followed Him" (Mark 1:18). (I love the KJV. I think I'm going to try speaking like that today: Kids, go clean your room straightway!") He went on to write about how we give the devil a foothold in our delay. If we are prompted to do any good by the Lord, we should do it--straightway! Although he said it much more eloquently:

"That fatal tomorrow is blood-red with the murder of fair resolutions; it is the slaughter-house of the innocents...Should the reader be impressed with any duty while perusing these pages, let him hasten to fulfill it before the holy glow has departed from his soul, and let him leave his nets, and all that the has, sooner than be found rebellious to the Master's call. Do not give place to the devil by delay!"
Morning and Evening, June 20th

I don't know about you, but "focus" has never been my strong point. Even before kids I would flit from thing to thing and get distracted in the middle of tasks. I cannot even imagine how many good things I have abandoned because I got distracted or forgot.

But this encouragement prompts me to pray for discipline to follow through on good things the Lord prompts me to do, and to ask for the Spirit's help in reminding me. If it is a good deed that is in my power to do, then I want to remember to do it! Maybe it is just saying a word of encouragement to my spouse or child, or maybe it's throwing a shower for someone who is new in town...Whether big or little, it can be done!

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

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