Bulletin Articles
Good Actions are Never Wasted
No one wants a good deed to be wasted, right? After all, we want to put in time and effort to do what is right, and we wouldn’t want any of that energy to count for naught.
Here’s the good news. Any action that we engage in that is consistent with Scripture and in accordance with keeping a good conscience will never be wasted. We can know that what we do for the Lord will not be in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” (Col. 3:23-24)
“Whatever we do” includes every act. As we act, we need to strive to be consistent with being servants of Christ. We are to do what we do heartily, to the best of our ability, and not just to please people. It is the Lord Christ whom we serve, and what we do—whatever it is—we do for Him. This is a basic principle by which Christians live. Our service to the Lord, in whatever we do, means that we strive for excellence in all things. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Eccl. 9:10).
Yet another principle by which we live is that we are to keep our consciences pure. Paul told Timothy, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). Through the revelation of God’s word, Christians may learn to fight the good fight and keep a good conscience. Paul instructed, “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith” (1 Tim. 1:18-19).
Other passages like Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 show that we are to act in accordance with a good conscience. There are matters that individuals must decide within a context of Scripture and faith, and no one else is to act as their judge. We try to train our consciences according to God’s word and act accordingly.
For at least these reasons, we need to know that any actions in which we engage that are consistent with being servants of the Lord, consistent with Scripture, and done in good conscience from faith are never wasted.
This point is true:
1. Even if no one else knows about it. God knows what we do even when others don’t, and it is not our job to boast about our own actions. If we act just so that others will take notice, then our motives are off. See Matthew 6 for Jesus’ teachings on this. Private actions consistent with Scripture and conscience, when done alone, are still good regardless of who else is aware of them. God is the One we try to please.
2. Even if it has no measurable outcomes by human standards. Whether or not an action is good is not based on that action having measurable outcomes. A good action may have little immediate effect on a situation, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. That doesn’t change the nature of the action, for “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:4). This coincides with the first point because we might do something in good conscience, not in violation of Scripture, and yet no one see any particular effects from it. That’s okay. We don’t need to see such effects if our primary concern is pleasing the Lord. Prayer, for example, is still good even when we don’t see an immediate effect, and even if God’s answer is, “No.” The outcome doesn’t change the nature of the good act.
3. Even if others disagree. Disagreement is not the measure of whether something is right, nor can the disagreement of others be what determines our consciences. Romans 14 demonstrates this well. If we act in faith, in all good conscience, and consistent with Scriptural teaching, then someone disagreeing with our application has no bearing on whether or not the action is good. Now it is possible that we have decided something is good when it’s not really consistent with God’s word, and we need to be careful not to justify ourselves. This is one reason why a constant study of Scripture is needed.
Keep doing good because good actions will never be a waste of time. As Paul by the Spirit wrote, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:9-10).
