Good Deeds

If doing the right thing leads to suffering, why do it?

 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. - 1 Peter 3:13-17

In today's reading, Peter tells us to be ready to explain the hope that is in us, the hope that comes from following Christ.

There will be suffering in life, he tells us, but it is better to suffer for good than for bad.

I guess that is true, but why should we have to suffer at all?  Shouldn't doing good lead to good and doing bad lead to bad?

If only things worked out that way, we would all do good, right?

But what if every time we tried to do the right thing, we wound up suffering some pain?  Would we stop doing what is right?

I'm not sure we all would. 

There is something within us that drives us to do good, even when it will cause us harm.  I believe that force is God-driven. 

Peter says it could be God's will for us to do good, and in doing good we may suffer.  That doesn't mean God wants us to suffer, but it is a fact of life that good deeds sometimes fail to go unpunished, as they say.

The good we do we do not for ourselves, though we may feel good about it.  The good is for others, and that is the will of God.

We are to love one another and care for each other. 

So, I guess the message from Peter is all about understanding why we are doing what we do.  If we know we are doing God's will, we have a better chance of doing good for others, even if it doesn't work out the way we hope it will.

The proof, then is in the degree of commitment we have to do good again, once we've been burned.

We need to dust ourselves off and try again.

More to come...