Good Deeds

I haven't made many entries lately in my blog. Does that mean that God is not working in my life? Far from it. God never stops working in our lives. Often our eyes close to His presence though. At such times we simply need to refocus to see God at work again. Street Chaplains is one of those ministries where you can always see God at work. The need is great and so God can use those who are willing to do good.

Sadly I often come across zealous and legalistic advocates who proudly proclaim"YOU ARE SAVED BY FAITH NOT BY WORKS". They quote such as if it is the only  sentence in the entire Bible. Yet such zeal seems to accompany the disease of lethargy when it comes to lending a hand to someone in need. The thinking being 'well if that's the case I don't need to do any good deeds then'.  That style of thinking never sits well with me. Often the word 'good' is slipped in before the word 'works'. However you wont find that expression anywhere in the Bible. Why? Because God actually likes us to do good to others. And the more good we do, the merrier.

It is better to give than receive; I experience the closeness and blessing of God when I do good to others. Such work doesn't save my soul, agreed, however; it certainly warms my soul to do such.

Imagine Mother Teresa without good deeds or Florence Nightingale repeatedly announcing that good work done for others does not save you. Both women didn't have anytime for such academic rhetoric. They were far too busy helping the people who needed them and thankfully so is Jesus Christ. I really enjoy helping other people. I thank God I am enabled to do such (Eph 2:10).

The other night we helped a slightly inebriated man from England find his misplaced car. He had parked it at a backpackers. In Perth city there must be 50 backpackers. The man didn't have a clue which one. We guided him towards one particular backpacker my fellow Chaplain had chosen out of the 50. As we walked, the man opened up to me and shared about his father who had died of liver disease (Alcohol induced). I responded with my own father's similar fate. I then gently tried to tell him my testimony of being freed from alcohol by God. The seed was planted and so I smiled inwardly.

When we arrived at the backpackers his lost car was sitting in the car park. He was AMAZED and so were we. All three knew it was God. How else could we have been guided to the exact backpackers out of so many? I asked the man if he would allow us to pray for him. He agreed. SO there we were, three grown men, one a bricklayer from Leeds, tattooed and powerfully built with two Street Chaplains praying in a semi hug at 2am in the morning. After the prayer he was elated and thanked us excitedly. His eyes were all aglow and he had sobered up considerebly. The walk and prayer had helped.

You wont hear such stories on the 6 o'clock news. Nor even read about them in the morning paper. Bad news sells papers. Good news and Good deeds don't seem to be so important. Thankfully God is still very interested in those willing to do good . When you do them spontaneously for others, God is intimately involved.