The Good You Do

No one applauded throughout my musical concert at a local rehabilitation center. I’ve performed such concerts for years, and usually I get a smattering of clapping between numbers. But not tonight. Complete silence. “Well,” I sighed under my breath, “that was a wasted effort.”

On the drive home that night, I remembered a haunting line from a TV show:

“Sometimes the good you do doesn’t do you any good.”

That memorable quote came from Fred Dalton Thompson, AKA Arthur Branch, a Manhattan District Attorney in the long-running TV series “Law and Order.” He made the comment at the end of an episode when an innocent good Samaritan had been killed for his acts of kindness. The pathetic irony of the situation left D.A. Branch shaking his head in disbelief and resignation.

Although silence at a concert hardly compares with losing our lives for doing good, sometimes I wonder if Arthur Branch might be right. Our efforts to help others may indeed seem ignored, fruitless, and worthless.

Moms labor at home, unsung and unappreciated. Faithful employees feel invisible and unknown. Our first responders catch more condemnation than affirmation. Almost everyone at one time or another is tempted to conclude that doing good is not really doing much good at all.

The Bigger Picture

Then we run into this jarring statement by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament:

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

The Apostle Paul is trying to broaden our perspective about do-gooding. We hope for immediate recognition and upfront gratification. Yet he admits that the opposite may be true and tries to brace us for that reality. The rewards for our good deeds might be postponed, Paul says, but take heart: they still are certain. More about that to come.

Notice that Paul concedes the notion that “weariness” can be stark reality in our unfulfilled charity and kindness. “Weariness” means exhausted. “At the end of our rope,” so to speak. How do we get that way? Because we want to be rewarded right away for our goodwill and concern for others. When we repeatedly don’t hear even a “thank you” for our efforts, that eventually takes a toll on our spiritual and emotional well-being. Self-pity whispers: If no one is going to notice, why bother?

Of course, we’d like to believe that it doesn’t matter if we see no immediate return, no thanks for doing good. But come on! It does matter, doesn’t it? Even if we don’t receive the high praise we think we deserve, at least a little thanks would encourage us and keep us motivated, right? But sometimes, there isn’t even a peep of praise. So are we just expected to keep giving with no promise of praise, no expectation of a commendation?

That’s not what Paul says. He said “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” According to Paul, some kind of return, some kind of praise seems guaranteed. If that is true then the question is, when will that happen, and will we be willing to wait for it?

Worth the Wait?

Pastor and radio Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll once said that the most difficult part of the Christian life is waiting. Waiting for pain to end. Waiting for longings to be fulfilled. Waiting for right to prevail.

Waiting for someone to recognize the good that we do.

And sometimes the waiting seems interminable, and our honest and sacrificial efforts seem ignored. So let’s gain some perspective and expand what Paul meant when he said we will reap the benefits of our good “in due season.”

First, make no mistake that our efforts are carefully noted by our Savior, Jesus Christ. He will without doubt fully reward them in due time. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) This particular judgment is about the rewards promised to Christians for faithful, Christlike living.

Second, note that Paul does not say that we “will appear” before Christ, but that we “must all appear” before Him for evaluation. (Remember, he is talking to Christians there.) “Must” indicates the necessity of that evaluation, “all” says no one will be left out. We might think our good deeds are ignored, but Paul assures us that the opposite is true. We will be rewarded, and in fact we can’t and won’t miss that celebration!

Don’t Just Do – Pursue!

Whether we are recognized right away for the good we do or not, Paul is adamant that we not only do good works but that we pursue good works. Elsewhere, his rapid-fire remarks to Titus about that truth are unavoidable:

• “Show yourself in all respects
to be a model of good works.”
(Titus 2:7)

• “ gave himself for us to
redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for himself a people
for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14)

• “I want you to insist on these things,
so that those who have believed in
God may be careful to devote them
selves to good works.” (Titus 3:8)

• “And let our people learn to devote
themselves to good works, so as
to help cases of urgent need, and
not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14)

Get the picture? Whatever else you tell your church, Titus, be sure they pursue good works. And to be sure we do not confuse the purpose of our good works, Paul also reminds Titus that:

“ saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6)

Our works do not save us. Only our trust in Christ alone does that (see Romans 5:1). But our good works certainly are required to demonstrate our gratitude to Him for the grace and forgiveness we have received from Him. Good works do not save us, but when done on Jesus’ behalf they demonstrate to the world that He has forgiven us and therefore that we are following Him:

“Let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

As wonderful as Christ’s promised rewards are, doing good can still be tiring. Even exhausting. Until an otherwise ignored act of kindness leaves you speechless.

Don’t Always Expect Applause

Remember that concert when no one applauded? Here’s the rest of the story.

After I finished my last musical number and was packing up my equipment to leave, an elderly man in a wheelchair slowly rolled my way. I recognized him from the audience that night. His neck and shoulders were severely hunched, so that he had to tip his whole body backwards to look up at me. “Mister,” he said slowly, “I just wanted you to know that everybody here really liked your music and we are so glad you came. You probably noticed we didn’t applaud. That’s because most of us just can’t applaud anymore. Our bodies won’t let us clap our hands. But I wanted you to know that we so appreciate what you did for us tonight.”

I wanted to thank him as he rolled away, but the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes wouldn’t let me. His simple thanks interrupted my pity party. They meant more than all the recognition I had ever received in all my previous musical efforts combined. I was looking for applause, but he reminded me that some folks just don’t have the strength to clap. Yet they still needed what I had to offer. And their thanks did come — in a totally unexpected and overwhelming way.

A wise pastor once told me, “Follow your good impulses. You never know when it might be the Holy Spirit prompting you to help others.” That means:

Never withhold your kindness and compassion thinking you won’t get the recognition you feel you deserve. You might deserve the attention, but those you help might not be able to applaud. They might need you more than you need their acclaim. Don’t deny them your gifts. Know for certain that indeed someone notices, for the Savior sees it all.

From the world’s perspective, Arthur Branch was right. Sometimes the good you do doesn’t seem to do you any good. From God’s perspective, Arthur was wrong. No act of kindness offered in Christ’s name is ever wasted.

Your applause may be delayed, but heaven is never indifferent to the good you do.

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Perry C. Brown is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and has taught the Bible over 45 years. His books and articles are available at perrycbrown.com.