What Did Jesus Say? - About Good Works And Giving?

Thought For Today - April 13, 2025

What Did Jesus Say? - About Good Works And Giving?

By: Robert A. Searles

Men and women love to be recognized and praised and win medals for their generosity and good works. To be seen and glorified by their fellowman is the only motivation of many for their benevolence and charity, even though their heart is not really in it.

Jesus taught about the hypocrites who love to stand in prominent places and pray so as to be seen of men, and to be known for their so called spirituality.

Sad to say that there are some do gooders and givers in churches today that want to be known by what they do and be recognized, and have their names displayed in prominent places.

God knows all about our hypocrisy and the motives of our heart. If we truly love God and love our fellowman, all our good works and giving ought to be motivated by a heart in tune with God, not caring whether anyone knows about it, and not seeking rewards.

We ought to gladly serve God with our good works and giving out of pure gratitude for what
Christ has done for us by saving us from eternal separation from God. We could never earn God's favor by anything we could give or do. All the blessings that we receive from God are free gifts of God's grace,- unmerited favor.

Jesus said: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them: Othewise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Wherefore when thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when hou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6: 1`-4.

See More:

telehelppublicationsbookshelf.blogspot.com

booksjewelrygifts.com

Telehelp Publications Christian Literature Ministry 

                                Psalm 26: 7

What Did Jesus Say About Loving Our Enemies?

What Did Jesus Say? - About Loving Our Enemies?

It is natural, according to our sinful human nature, that we love those who love us, but hate those who are our enemies and do us wrong.

When someone abuses us or causes us pain or loss, the natural thing for us is that we get back at them with revenge and like treatment. It seems to do us good to get even.

Jesus taught that even if someone causes us a great deal of anguish and pain, we are, by the grace of God, to love them and forgive them and help them. This requires a great deal more godliness on our part, and if we do as Jesus taught, it will reflect God's presence living in us. God has promised to greatly reward all those who do this.

It is not much of a problem to love those who are loveable, our friends, those who love us and help us; but it requires God's grace to love our enemies, those who would seek our harm.

Jesus's teaching was one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase with the thinking of his time, and it is so with the thinking of our time today.

Jesus said: “Ye have heard it said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the Publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the Publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5: 43-48.

Let us pray that God will, by his grace, instill within us his attribute of loving our enemies as well as our friends and neighbors so that his light may shine through us.

What Did Jesus say about seeking revenge and getting even?

What Did Jesus Say about seeking revenge and “getting even”?

The sinful human nature in mankind seeks revenge and wants to “get even”, as it were, for every little wrong done unto us. The law of the old testament declared that for every wrong deed done to someone, the wrong doer was to receive the same thing done unto him: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. If you slap my face, I will slap yours, if you kill my dog, I will kill yours, etc. The attitude was that if I can't have something, I don't want you to have it either, thus: envy, strife, and contention.

Unfortunately, this same attitude prevails in the world today, even among some Christians, I am ashamed to report. We are always complaining like school children about what is fair, and that which seems to be unfair to us.

When Jesus came, he taught a whole new set of rules and standards that God's redeemed children ought to adhere to. Instead of revenge and getting even, we ought to be more ready to forgive and pardon one another even as God forgives us through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We ought to have pity and feel sorry for the one who does us wrong, and if possible bring him into the fold of the redeemed of God. Jesus said: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right check, turn to him the other also. And if a man sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also, and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.” Matthew 5: 38-42. Why not go the extra miule and show mercy?

The apostle Paul, speaking to Christians said: “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you

because ye go to law one with another, why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” 1Corinthians 6: 7.

What Did Jesus Say About Making Vows And Swearing Oaths?

We need to be very careful not to make promises that we do not intend to keep or have no power to perform. Deliberately breaking a promise or breaking a vow is sin. We must not make vows to God and then renege on our promise. God will not hold us guitless if we do. If we find that we are guilty of making vows to man or God and of forswearing ourselves, we need to go to God and confess, make restitution if that is possible, so that we might be forgiven.

We really have no right to swear to anything, nor make any promises beyond the point in time in which we now exist because we have very little or no control over the future. It is best just to say, yes, yes, or no, no, all according to the will of God.

Jesus said: :”Again, ye have heard that it hath been said of them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all, neither by heaven: for it is God's throne. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem: for it is the city of the great king. Neither shall thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”Matthew 5: 33-37.

What Did Jesus Say Concerning The Law?

What Did Jesus Say Concerning The law?

When almighty God created the universe and all things therein, he established certain laws by which it would function and continue. He established all the laws of physics, mathematics, and astronomy, which he has by grace revealed to mankind; likewise, he established spiritual laws by which mankind was to relate to him and enjoy his fellowship. He delivered to Moses the ten commandments and other instructions that were required to be obeyed if one was to have fellowship with him and inherit his eternal glory.

No one can see God and inherit his glory unless they keep the whole law. If they fail in one point of the law, all is lost. God knew from the very beginning, because of the nature of man, what was in man, and the frailty of man, so he made provision for mankind by sending Jesus Christ into the world, the one and only person and member of the human race who is one hundred percent man, and at the same time, one hundred percent God, who alone was able to obey the whole law in its' entirety.

God still holds all mankind responsible for obeying his laws, but warns us that no one is capable of obeying the law perfectly, therefore unless someone else who is capable does for us that which we cannot do for ourselves, we are without hope and are lost. But the good news is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save us from the curse of the law and set us free and place us under the grace or unmerited favor of God.

Jesus said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill, for verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5: 17-20.

Some people may think that because Christians are under grace and not under law, that the laws and commandments of God no longer apply, but this is not so. Jesus taught otherwise. The requirements of the law are in effect today as much as they ever were, but none of us can meet those requirments no matter how hard we try. Our only hope is to flee to Jesus for forgiveness and ask him to impute his righteousness to us. Then sin no longer abounds but grace does much more abound, and we are set free from the curse of breaking God's laws.

What Did Jesus Say? - About Light?

What Did Jesus Say? - About Light?

Up until the time that Jesus was born, the world was in a state of deep spiritual darkness. There had been no communication from God for four hundred years since the prophesies of Malachi, silent years in which every man seemed to do that which was right in his own eyes without any regard for the things of God, much as it is in the world today.

Isaiah had prophesied that there would come a time that the light would be turned on through the coming of the Messiah.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shinned.” Isaiah 9: 2.

Jesus Christ, the light of the world had come to seek and to save that which was lost and give light unto the world, but even after his coming into the world, the world was in such gross darkness that even though the light was shinning, it was necessary for God to send John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness, to declalre that the light had been turned on, and to tell the multitudes to “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”John 1: 29.

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”John 1: 4

“Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8: 12.

We who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and born into his family, have the light of Christ dwelling in us. We ought to keep our gaze upon him so that we will reflect his light to the world around us, even as the moon reflects the light of the sun;.

Jesus said: “Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5: 14-16.

Let us pray that each of us who are his will reflect the light of Christ and his salvation to give light and hope to a lost and dying world.

What Did Jesus Say? -About the Christian's Influence In The World?

What Did Jesus say? - About The Christian's Influence In the World?

What is the role of the Christian in the midst of an ungodly world culture? Jesus likened the Christian's influence to that of salt.

Salt is an important substance which adds flavor to our food, and acts as a preservative and an antiseptic healer of wounds. If salt looses its' saltiness, it no longer adds flavor, and no longer preserves, and no longer heals. It is no better than the earth on which we walk.

Jesus said: “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5: 13.

When a Christian comes in contact with those around him who have no knowledge or relationship with God, and knows little or nothing of God's saving grace, the ungodly person ought to be able to taste the difference between the holy and unholy lifestyle. The Christian should be a living testimony to the saving grace of God, and the ungodly should taste and see what may be missing in their lives. The Christian ought to act as a preserver of righteousness and right living in his own family circle, his community, and his nation. The tragedy is that many so called Christians have lost their saltiness, so to speak, and though they may be saved and retain a form of godliness, yet, they are no longer the salty influence in their family, community, and nation as they ought to be. Therefore their influence is at a minimum, and the world disregards them, and pays little attention to what they say they believe. How can this ungodly world system be seasoned so as to have a flavor of godliness and righteousness?

“Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it” Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” Mark 9: 50.

How does one maintain his saltiness? The answer is: by abiding in Christ; by having his words constantly flowing through our mind; and by keeping short accounts with God, confessing our sins daily so that we maintain a continuous walk in the spirit; and by prayer and meditation .

Let us pray as Christians that we do not loose our spiritual saltiness and continue to make a difference in the world.