Thursday, August 2: 1Timothy 5 - Good and bad deeds.

I found myself fascinated by Paul’s final 2 verses, a closing comment on our deeds.  How we live our lives reveals who we truly are on the inside. Consider these words of Scripture: The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden (24-25). Eminently practical.

Verse 24 sinful deeds: The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. Some sins are so garish that they are obvious to all (or at least to many). These people live in such a way that they are almost flaunt their sins or get exposed by making the front pages of the papers. You have a list and so do I; the ‘Hitlers’, and ‘Mansons’ top the list of hardened criminals whose sins are obvious to the world.

It was the second group that really set me thinking. People whose sin shows up later, people who live the lie of goodness only to be discovered later, possibly after they have died. Interestingly, in all cases their sins become known and of course they are always known to God.

As a general rule the deeds of our lives will become known. Eventually the evidence comes out. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

The same is true, obvious v. hidden, with good deeds as well. They, too, generally become known. Some good deeds are hard to hide or perform in secret, so be it. They are done to help and bless people, which is the point after all. Mother Teresa, one of my ‘top-of-the-list-good-deeds’ people of my lifetime is an example. She never flaunted her good deeds but eventually word got out. Other people are able to remain far more stealth about their good-deed living but the stories often surface posthumously. And again, God knows all the time.

I began thinking about my life, particularly the cloaked parts of my life. Are they filled with good or sin-filled deeds? What does the record book of my life –hidden as it may be right now- show?

Lord, help me to be a’ good-deeds’ person. For the sake of others helped and in the power of Jesus, may this be so. Amen.