Be good. Do good.

I’m reading a couple of books about productivity, leadership and the fine art of organizing your life so that you spend more time on life’s priorities, and less time trying to find your car keys (or something like that). These books have been very challenging and encouraging.

While reading one of them, I was struck by the idea that so much of the Overboard Life revolves around one command: do good. Truthfully, at the end of each day, you can almost measure the “success” of a day by asking yourself, “Did I do good, today?” Before you grammar nazis go all crazy on me, I’m not asking if you did well (as in, “did you do your work well, today”), I’m asking, “Did you do good” (as in, “Did you do something good for your neighbor?”).

This got me thinking about all the passages in the Bible that talk about doing good for others. Here are just a few:

Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”

Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Galatians 6:9-10: “Let us not become weary in doing good...therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

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.” Look how The Message paraphrases this verse: “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15: “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”

Titus 2:14: “[Jesus] gave Himself for us to redeems us from all wickedness and purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

Are you looking for opportunities to do good, today?

Of course, the only way that we can truly find the good that God wants us to do, is to make sure that the good we seek is done for His honor and His glory. I think it’s possible to do good in order to lift up our name and bring praise to ourselves. Clearly our activities to do good for others should flow from the command, “Love your neighbor as yourself” and the motive must come from the command, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength.”

Will you do some good today? How about tomorrow, when you wake up, you pray this to God: “Father, help me to see opportunities to do good for others today, in order that they might see my work and praise your name because of it.” I’m guessing God will help you see that there are plenty of chances for you to promote His name through good deeds done for others.

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

Joe Castaneda