Doing Good Work

The subject studying at our Church Sr. Meeting was “Doing Good Work” We all realized how difficult to do good work from the Bible, Matthew 6:1-4, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Why is it so hard to do good work even though the Bible said that we are made to do good work? It is said in the Bible Ephesians 2:10 ”For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

First of all, here are sharing our experiences about the difficult to do good work:

According to the Bible we shouldn’t tell others that we did good work. There are not many person announcing their good work to others. However, Pastor said that those who received the good works feel small or shame or doubt their abilities, even though the good work may not be told to the public, the result is the same. In the mind of those who did good work might be proudly thinking that “I’m doing good work for you,” or I’m doing for you.” This good work is not based on the love for others but it is all about self interest.

Others said that she gave some little things to those three cute children at the market store, and the following day the children’s mother brought such good Japanese stuff to her. She felt so ashamed to do her good work to those children.

Another person’s experience was that she helped the elderly person who seemed to have lost his way home, so took him to his home. The elderly man’s wife invited the person for lunch and gave lots of things. Elderly man’s wife might be very happy her husband came back home safely, but the person helping the elderly thought about doing good work.

The third person shared his experience. He gave small coins to many people standing of the corner of the street each time he passed by, and to the woman with small children standing by the train station stair way. He found out that those people were used by gang syndicate. After that He decided that not giving any money to any one.

Some said that doing a good work makes person feel good and lifts them up. Pastor said it is dangerous because there is couple of things occur in their mind: 1) the good work is not for the person with love, but doing the good work for themselves. 2) making feel good and lifts them up doing good work may make them feel proud.

There were many more these experiences. Isn’t it difficult to do good work? Well, what shall we do, then? Pastor’s suggestion was that each one of them listen to our Lord God.

Hiroko’s thoughts are posted below.

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People will become a Christian by the grace and mercy of God and our faith on the Lord Jesus. It is called Justification. We are justified, and become a good man.

Christian has to accomplish their salvation, after people justified and become a Christian. It is called Sanctification.

To do good work is one of the necessities for accomplishing the salvation. Well, what shall we do, then? Pastor said Christian has to ask the Lord God to guide us to do a good work, and after doing the good work give thanks to the Lord God for letting us to do the good work, and become joyful with the Lord.

Muuummm!?

Well, then, alternately, Christian should die on the cross and let the Lord God to control our lives, Galatians 2:19-20 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Jesus lives for our lives, so let Jesus to do good work. He has never said that doing good work makes Him feel good.