DOING GOOD TO OTHERS – Galatians 6:10
Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Paul is speaking to the church at Galatia about the importance of sowing proper seeds. He first reminded the church that according to what you sow, so shall you reap. One of the seeds that Paul desires that the church to sow is doing good unto others. Doing good unto others is not the same as loving your neighbor as yourself. However, Paul understood that one would probably not have enough time to do good unto everyone whenever they had a problem. In this verse, you see that Paul prioritizes who you are supposed to help when you have limited time or financial ability. You are to put your Christian brethren first.
Yes, you can be doing good by feeding an orphan in Africa who is starving. Nonetheless, if there is a Christian family in your local community who does not have any income, Paul is commanding you to first help the Christian family. Yes, you can be doing good by giving up your weekend to help your neighbor move, nonetheless, if your neighbor is not a Christian and there is a Christian family building a house that weekend, you should be prioritizing your time by helping the brethren.
It is important to understand this principle of putting others first and helping out others when you have the opportunity. However, while you might think that it is more important to do good unto the heathen when you have limited resources, Paul is telling you the exact opposite is the truth. You do not know what challenges your Christian brethren is facing. They could be experiencing trials. Your gift of time or money could be just the encouragement that they need not to yield to temptation.
As a Christian, you are called to a higher calling. God desires that you give so that it will be given to you. God desires you to sow so that you can reap. God desires that you help others so that in your time of need, God can use others to assist you. However, just because someone is an unbeliever, it does not mean that you should not help them. It could be the seeds that you sow to this unbeliever will someday cause them to accept the truth of the gospel. Nonetheless, when you are faced with a decision between helping a believer and helping an unbeliever, Paul tells you help the believer first.
Examine your life. Are you right now facing some trial that you cannot fully understand? Maybe the reason you are not seeing immediate relief from your trial is because you once had the opportunity to assist a brother or sister in Christ out of a similar problem and you chose not to do good unto them but instead chose to put your own needs first. You must be vigilant to look for other’s needs. Maybe they just need a time of encouragement and you can offer that by simply showing a little hospitality. You must keep a very close relationship with God so that you can hear HIS still small voice so that you can quickly act and assist the brethren who God places around you.
You have an obligation to God to do good unto others. You are not to be selfish with your time, your talent, or your treasure, but instead, you must use those to bring glory to God. By faith you obey God by putting others ahead of yourself. By faith you will plant those good seeds by helping others during your time of abundance so that during your time of need, God can use others to help you.