Doing the right thing requires consistent daily prayer. A theme that is constant throughout my poetry. If you want to learn to love, God will tell you how to do that. The Bible and prayer allow you to hear God’s voice.
Your capacity to love will determine how you are judged by God/Jesus. No other activity in your entire life will be used to determine your verdict, eternal life, or damnation. And remember, love is a verb. You must do good. Doing nothing and, of course, doing bad does not ‘cut it.’
Sin can be due to commission, meaning you grant yourself the authority to do ‘sin’ by lying to yourself that it is OK to do. Or sin can be due to omission, meaning, lying to yourself and omitting or neglecting to do something good out of fear or hatred. Sin is always disobedience to God’s teachings.
Doing good does not require someone to become a reverend or do missionary preaching in a far country. It is just following 1 Corinthians 13 for your family and neighbors:
- patient
- kind
- not envying others
- not boasting
- not proud
- not dishonoring others
- not self-seeking
- not easily angered
- not keeping a record of wrongs
- rejoicing in the Truth
- protecting
- trusting
- hoping
- persevering
- love never failing
The following New Testament quote by Jesus could not be clearer; it is one of the most significant New Testament teachings and is a direct obligation to a person’s contribution to their own redemption through and with Jesus, the Christ.
The sheep did loving actions. The goats did nothing. He never mentions your sins in deciding your hereafter. God knows if you are not doing something good/loving, then you are doing nothing or sinning, which is human nature.
Matthew 25:31–46, in full
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision)
And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.
And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
On his right hand
For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:
Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?
And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?
Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?
And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.
On his left hand
Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink.
I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.
Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?
Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.
And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
One of the best and most available ways to do ‘good’ is prayer. Prayers for yourself get learned easily; praying for others is much harder and selfless, and praying for an enemy is the hardest to accomplish.
Three other points that add immense gravitas to this gospel:
- First, “And all nations shall be gathered together before him…” Jesus did not just limit this lesson to the Jews. He was speaking of all peoples, past (dead), present, and future peoples, and this includes by deduction all religions.
- The second point is that the number of persons you are required to ‘do good’ to is ‘…as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.’ This requires constant doing ‘good’ when the opportunity requires!
- The third point is, every act was a ‘good’ act, directed to helping people, echoing the first chapter of Genesis and not organizations that are only promoting their own interests or benefits to yourself or members only.
Genesis 1:31, Douay-Rheims
And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good.
Front cover. Select to enlarge.
