8 - Do Good

Psalm 37
A Psalm of David.
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
(New Bible James Bible)

We are examining what it means to "Trust in the Lord and do good".
To trust in the Lord means to choose to focus on Him and actively commit my life into His keeping. This is also a choice for LIFE, whereas fretting over evildoers is a choice for DEATH.

After choosing to trust the Lord we must put our faith into action and DO GOOD. Doing good can take several forms.

First, to do good means that I BLESS. Blessing is done with our speech and our actions.

The Lord Jesus, in His sermon on the Mount, said that we ought to bless our enemies and those who curse us.

Many times when we encounter evil doers in life, they are certainly not blessing us, and we feel that we can reply in kind. But the choice for life is the choice to bless evil doers.

To our natural mind this makes no sense, because our instinct is to reply in kind. But blessing actually gives us the upper hand in the situation. This is because when we bless in word and action, we take the first step to putting our enemy into God's hands instead of locking them up in the prison of our heart.

When we can deliver our enemy into God's hands, then God can begin to turn the situation around for us. Whereas when we lock our enemy up in our heart and take them out and beat them up and then lock them up again, then God can do nothing to help us, because we have not allowed Him full access to our situation.

This is the way the writer of Proverbs, a very wise man, put it:
Proverbs 25:21-22
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the LORD will reward you.
(New Bible James Bible)

Now, blessing your enemies does not mean putting your trust in them, or making yourself vulnerable to them in any way. The Bible cautions us to always guard our heart. Rather it simply means speaking and wishing the blessing of God on them, instead of calling ill-will and blight upon their lives, which does not honour God.

Eagles RISE UP and do good.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for allowing me the alternative of blessing my enemy.
Today I choose to bless ..... (tell God the name(s)) ... in my speech and actions.
Today I choose to give my situation into Your hands and look to see how You will turn it around for me.
Thank You for Your love for me,
in Jesus' name I pray,    Amen.