Wesley's Biblical Call: Do Good of Every Sort
Daily Scripture
Ephesians 2:4-10
4-5 However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! 6 And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. 7 God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus.8 You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith [Or through his faithfulness]. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. 9 It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. 10 Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The apostle Paul, that passionate preacher of God’s saving grace, wrote that when we accept God’s grace, we live as people “created in Christ Jesus to do good things.” Like Paul, John Wesley knew that we don’t receive grace passively but are changed to live it out in real life. He said, “Surely there are works of mercy… which are real means of grace. They are more especially such to those that perform them with a single eye. And those that neglect them, do not receive the grace which otherwise they might.” *
- The Second General Rule of the Methodist Church was John Wesley’s application of Ephesians 2:10: “By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men.” ** Does the phrase “doing good of every possible sort” (large or small) spark your thinking? What are one or two “sorts” of goodness you used to ignore, but now do as a follower of Christ?
- What is your life’s purpose? (“I don’t know” doesn’t mean you don’t have one. Even if you’ve never given it conscious thought, you make daily choices based on some inner idea of who you are and what you’re here for.) Spend some quiet time today reflecting on your life’s purpose in the light of what Ephesians 2:10 says about God’s intention for your life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for offering me the gift of your saving, transforming grace. Guide me this day as I seek to live into the reality of the good things you’ve created me to do. Amen.
GPS Insights
Emily Stirewalt
Emily Stirewalt, who serves as Resurrection's Silverlink Pastor specializing in pastoral care of elderly adults, wrote today's Insights. She is an ordained Elder in the Missouri Annual Conference and has served since 2007. She is married to Randall, a special education teacher. They have two daughters, Elliott and Marlowe. Emily enjoys binge watching "Friends" or "Golden Girls."
I have often wondered if I can do ENOUGH good in this world. Especially lately. These days, it feels like there is way too much bad news to even think about counteracting it with good. I tend to think about Wesley’s challenge to us as followers of Jesus as a command to do ALL the good in the world.
As I was thinking about this very challenge during this sermon series, a lesson presented itself with my five-year-old just today. We were on our way to a place where she knew she could spend some of her hard-earned chore and good behavior money. She had five dollars in her pink unicorn wallet ready to go. As we stopped at a stoplight, she wondered what the man’s sign said. I told her it said he was hungry. Without hesitation, she said, “Mom, we never have any cash to give people and today, I want to give him this money.” I rolled down the window, handed over the cash and the man said, “Thank you, ma’am, have a blessed day.” And my sweet little girl who never misses a thing responded with a lot of big questions about why he was hungry, where his home was, and all kinds of other observations that blew my mind.
As we pulled up to the next intersection, there was another man. She said she was feeling sad we did not have enough for him as well. Her dad explained to her that we cannot help everyone all the time or we would never make room for anyone else to offer help. And it hit me. We are teaching our kids about the good they can do. In the moments they can do it. I think that is what John Wesely was getting at with his second rule. “Do all the good YOU CAN.” Not all the good, all the time. Instead it is about what you can do, when you can do it.
I have often told people that I listen to the Holy Spirit in situations like I experienced with my daughter today. God’s still, small voice will often lead me to who needs help and the good I can offer in that moment. And today, God’s voice was coming from my back seat. “I want to help him, mom. I can always earn more money.” (Oh, and don’t worry. We still brought home a unicorn balloon.)
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* From Sermon 98—On Visiting the Sick at https://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-98-on-visiting-the-sick/.
** Included in The General Rules of the Methodist Church at https://www.umc.org/en/content/the-general-rules-of-the-methodist-church.
