Let us do good to all people
Galatians 6:10 - Once those in the church are taken care of, do good to everyone through evangelism and charitable works.
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“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Galatians 6:10 NIV
In Galatians 6:6-10, Paul writes about doing good to all people, particularly those who are fellow Christians. There’s a verse (Galatians 6:6) about sharing things with those who teach in the church, which is the root of our current day practice of paying preachers for their work. But that verse isn’t specifically referring to wages; instead, it opens it up to things like providing housing, food, and fellowship. Today, it’s paying the pastor enough to provide for his or her own family.
In Galatians 6:7-8, the apostle goes on to point out that “a man reaps what he sows”, and that if one “sows to please their flesh” (spending their treasure on themselves alone rather than helping others), they “from the flesh will reap destruction.” That sounds kind of harsh, but it’s fairly accurate.
It made me think of a witty discussion between the characters played by Jimmy Stewart and Thelma Ritter in the classic Hitchcock thriller “Rear Window”, where Stewart’s character L.B. Jefferies remarks that a woman across the way is the “eat, drink and be merry type”, to which Ritter’s Stella replies that a girl like that will end up “fat, alcoholic, and depressed.” A perfect example of “a man (or woman in this case) reaps what he sows” from a 1954 movie…
But I digress. In Galatians 6:9, Paul exhorts the readers of his epistle to keep doing good, “for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” That’s the end of the setup for today’s verse.
Galatians 6:10 begins with the words “Then, as we have opportunity”. I thought this commentary from Precept Austin explains this phrase perfectly:
The point is that we don’t know how long we will have opportunity to do good, but we do know that when we breathe our last breath, that time is over forever. God has set boundaries around our lives, and our opportunity (a state of affairs or combination of circumstances favorable to some end) for service exists only within those boundaries. We are to make the most of our time on this evil earth in fulfilling God’s purposes, lining up every opportunity for useful worship and service.
Next, Paul tells the readers to “let us do good to all people”. The original Koine Greek for “Let us do” is ἐργάζομαι (ergazomai), meaning to “engage in an activity involving considerable expenditure of effort”. In other words, it means going beyond throwing a few bucks in an offering plate every Sunday. Precept Austin explains:
Ergazomai speaks of “an action as something that stands in contrast to inactivity or talk.” (Richards) Ergazomai is often used to describe work in a spiritual sense, implying supernatural work, work that God does, work that God (His Spirit indwelling believers) energizes in and through His children, work that lasts for all eternity!
Not only are we to expend our time, treasure, and talent to do good, but “to do good to all people.” This is in line with the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:16 — “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
What about the last part of the verse — “especially to those who belong to the family of believers”? Doesn’t that sound a bit restrictive? Paul is saying that it is an important responsibility of believers to provide for their own. We also have a responsibility to the surrounding community through outreach, but God’s family should come first. Once those in the church are taken care of, do good to everyone through evangelism and charitable works.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Heartlight.org:
Dear Father, just yet merciful God,
May I not become weary in doing good but rather work diligently, energetically, and enthusiastically, keeping in mind the rich harvest you will send at the proper time. Don’t ever let me give up on doing good or give up on you. And God, don’t ever give up on me!
As I have opportunity, let me do good to everybody, especially to those in my family of fellow believers.
In the name of Jesus I ask these things. AMEN.