Meditation Moments 91: "GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD"
I walked today where Jesus walked
In days of long ago,
I wandered down each path He knew,
With reverent steps, and slow.
Those little lanes, they have not changed,
A sweet peace fills the air,
I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt His presence there.
I knelt today where Jesus knelt,
Where all alone He prayed,
The Garden of Gethsemane,
My heart felt unafraid,
I picked my heavy burden up,
And with Him by my side,
I climbed the hill of Calvary,
Where on the cross He died.
I walked today where Jesus walked
And felt Him close to me.
You know, I never think of that song, "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked," when I don't think of this Verse of Scripture in Acts 10:38. And the words are these, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him." Wonderful Scripture.
You know, I heard a story once and -- it's a long time ago, maybe I can't get every detail -- but I know it was told that the story was a fact, of a newsboy who had been hurt so badly in an accident, and another little newsboy came to see him and asked if he wanted anything. He said, "Yes, I wish you'd go to the bookstore and get me that book about the man that went about everywhere doing good." He didn't know just who the man was and how to ask for it. It was a Bible. And so the boy asked the man at the book store there, and he told him that was the Bible, and Jesus was the One who went about doing good.
And so he read and read that wonderful Bible that was put in his hand. At last he wanted to do good like Jesus, and so he would copy off little Verses of Scripture and there in the attic room where he lived, he would pull his maimed body over to the window and then drop those Verses of Scripture down on the pavement.
One day a very wealthy man picked up one of those little Verses. He saw this scrawny hand reach out from that window and drop this note, and he hurried over and picked it up. And on it was this Verse of Scripture, about Jesus going about doing good, and God was with him. He thought about it a good deal, and he went up and found this little boy, this little crippled boy, and they became fast friends, and the man gave his heart to the Lord through the boy's testimony.
Then one day he came to him, and he said, "You know I've got good news for you. I'm going to take you out to my beautiful home, and take you out of this tenement house. And out to my home." And he said, "You'll have a room all your own and we have servants there, and all the good things to eat and it'll just be wonderful for you." And you know, this boy said, "Well, I'll think it over Mr. Hatfield, and you come back tomorrow and I'll tell you, whether I'll go or not."
The next day Mr. Hatfield came back, and Jimmy said to him, "Well, I want to ask you a question about your home. Are there any people that walk under the window there where I would be?" And Mr. Hatfield said, "Oh no, it's very quiet there, beautiful terraced lawns, there's no one that walks under the window." Do you know what little Jimmy said? He said, "Well, I'm sorry, I couldn't live anywhere where people don't pass under my window." And he never did go, he stayed in that poor district and in that little room.
Oh, how wonderful that there's people that will make any sacrifice that they might go about doing good, just like Jesus. And if we're going to walk where Jesus walked, we're going to walk where we can do good for other people. Now that's rather a trite saying, but that wonderful Verse says, He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Like someone asked the little boy: "Is your mother at home?" "No." "Well where is your mother?" "Well, I don't know just where she is, but I know that wherever she is she's doing good, because she always helps people." What a wonderful thing to say.
But do you know that God's Word says that whatever you do in word and deed, do all to the glory of God. And while it's so wonderful to be doing good things, really good things for the Lord, yet we must be very careful that it is for the Lord, and we're not just depending on our good works. I think you hear that a good deal on the radio, don't you?
Years ago I saw a colored man working out in the yard, and he looked so hot and kept wiping his brow, and called him to the door and I gave him a nice tall cold drink, and I said, "You know, I live down south," and we had colored friends whom we loved down there, and I said, "After all, the southern people, many of them love their colored people." And then he went back to work, and after a while the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "You didn't give Me any glory, you didn't give that drink to him because you were a Christian, and you loved the Lord, you didn't give it in Jesus' Name."
And you know, the Word says that if you give even a cup of cold water in Christ's name, that there shall be a blessing for you. So I called him back in again and told him, and used that Verse of Scripture.
However, God's Word says it's not of works, it's not of works. And this we want to impress. So I'm going to read you this Scripture in Ephesians, the second chapter, wonderful Verses these are. "But God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherein He loved us, even when we were dead in sin hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are ye saved." -- not by your works! "And He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding richness of His Grace and His Kindness towards us. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."
Oh, isn't it wonderful that God made a plan, because it would be so unfair any other way. Some people have had a good background and good parents and they're just naturally good. Others have had bad backgrounds and wicked parents, and it would be so unfair if it just would be our good works that could save us. But God in the wonders of His Wisdom had a plan to which everybody had to come the same way, and that is through the shed blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, His sacrifice on Calvary. We have to come that way. Not of works, I'll read it again: "By grace are ye saved, not of works, lest any man should boast." But it's by the grace of God.
And so if you're going to go about doing good things, and nice pretty little deeds just to get a little glory to yourself, there will be no reward laid by in Heaven. It has to be in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's the only way you can be saved. "There is no other name given under heaven given among men whereby you can be saved."
God bless you and keep you and make you a blessing. And everywhere you go, may you go about doing good works in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's still on the Throne and prayer changes things.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family -- This file has not been proofread.