Today’s devotional: the real reason we do good deeds
Why do you do good deeds?
There are many answers to that question: “Because it helps my neighbor.” “Because God commands us to.” “Because it’s an expression of gratitude to Christ.” “Because it’s personally rewarding.” “Because it causes people to like me.” But in this devotional from My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers points out that acting righteously and living a morally pure life have an even more serious purpose: to point people to Jesus Christ.
Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction. A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself. Others will be left with this thought— “What a fine person that man is!” That is not being a true “friend of the bridegroom”— I am increasing all the time; He is not.
Read the full devotional at RBC.org.
Chambers’ point is that good deed and moral purity are not about us, the people doing them. They must be about Jesus—motivated by Jesus’ example, and carried out as an act of service to Him. If our good deeds point to anyone or anything other than Christ, we’ve missed the point of righteous behavior.
“Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction.”
This statement may seem to be tricky but it’s actually true. We do things in the Glory of God. So, if we do good or must do good, it is because we want others to be closer to Him in order to glorify Him.
I doubt that there are very many who don’t secretly wish or hope to be “caught” doing something good, even sacrificially good. If being “caught” in some way can be used as a testimony of God’s goodness through us, that is in itself a good thing. But as stated in the devotion, it is our true motive that is at issue. If the motive is to do good for the sake of goodness, we are on target for God. Otherwise we just might be serving an alternative god.