MORNING MANNA 7-14-23
DO GOOD ANYWAY
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”1 Peter 3:8-9
Even if we are doing all that we should, there will still be problems. We live in a fallen and broken world, and evil is widespread in our day. That is not new. Though it takes different forms and guises, the underlying opposition to God has been a constant throughout human history. Our responsibility is not to insist on fairness or getting what we deserve, but to do what is right even—especially—if we are being wronged. Paul condemned the members of the church at Corinth for resorting to suing each other rather than resolving their differences properly. “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7). We can always do the right thing no matter what anyone else does. Kent Keith wrote:
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
We control our reactions in every situation and can respond rightly no matter what is happening around us.- Daily in the Word
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx.
