For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 1 Peter 2:15
Ok, so God’s word puts it a bit more eloquently than I. Mine may need more love 🙂
You would think people would be happy with those who are doing good….feeding the hungry, helping the sick, educating the uneducated….but our outreach teams deal with disdain, disbelief and even hate because of the good they are doing.
They’ve been asked/told “what are you trying to get from this grandmother?” or “who are you people?” or “what you’re doing is not ethically right.”
To answer their questions…..we want nothing from the grandmother other than to give her some food to help her feed her grandchildren or to repair her home’s roof so they won’t sleep in the rain anymore. We are people who love God and He has asked us to return that love to our neighbors.
Jesus teaches us when we should do good:
Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Luke 14:3-4
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Mark 3:4-6
I wonder if these folks would rather be left alone, uneducated, sick or hurting? I doubt it and I thank God for the outreach teams who continue to say yes to God and show Christ’s love to our neighbors in Kenya.
