Imitate Good
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good” (3 John 11).
“Give.” That was my word from God for 2014 so I did. For the first time in my life, I became a servant to other ministries, rather than a leader, and I have to confess, it was not natural for me. From working registration at an event to greeting people at doors, I was giving of my time and energy, and becoming disciplined at doing what was good. I even began to like serving.
I had to also break a bad habit of receiving, rather than serving. I had to learn how to reach out to others because no one was knocking down my door to befriend me. When I was in television, and a public figure, people came to me. I did not have to put out much effort. I also received the fringe benefits of public status: free tickets to the Spurs games, invitations to play in celebrity golf tournaments, and better seats at events. I never had to go after anything, except a good story.
However, standing back and waiting to be served is not how Jesus did it. Jesus had the status, but didn’t flaunt it, and while he had people come to him, he also went to where the people were. According to Philippians 2:7, even though he was equal with God, he “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.”
Sometimes serving, and doing good does not come naturally to a person. That’s why in 3 John 11, John tells his friend Gaius, to “imitate” good. The word imitate means: “to follow in action or manner; to make a copy of; reproduce closely.” We have to imitate good until it becomes our nature, and I can’t think of a better person to imitate than Jesus.
John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
We have to ask ourselves, and God, “Am I doing good? If not, where can I do good?”
2 Thessalonians 3:13 encourages us to never tire of doing good. Occasionally doing a lot of good can burn us out, because we don’t always receive good in return. We have to remember that we won’t necessarily see our good-girl rewards on this side of heaven, so keep at it!
Does serving and doing good come naturally to you? If not, imitate what is good. Study the teachings of Jesus. Learn how to be a servant.
As 2014 comes to a close, I know my word for the year, “give” will carry over. By giving, instead of leading, or receiving, the Lord has opened up a whole new ministry world, and has provided friends I would have never met, had I not given of my time. Instead of waiting for ministries to come to me, I will continue to go to where I am called and say, “How can I help? What can I give?”
Doing good no longer seems unnatural anymore, but it took Jesus changing me for that to happen.
My “imitation” was transformed into “inclination.”
What about you? Does doing good come natural to you? If not, how can you imitate good? Ask the Lord to show you. He will be faithful to do that. (LBW)