Do What Is Right and God Will Make Right of What You Do

Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.

1 Peter 3:13-14 (NRSV)

RIGHTEOUS precedes peace. The Bible speaks of it no less than on seventeen occasions. So it is to peace that we go when we have chosen to do what is right — if we have faith that God will look after us… that blessing will follow.

If we suffer for doing what is right we know that we are blessed as our account is paid. But if we suffer and don’t do what is right, we must pay as well as suffer. Who do we pay? God, of course! If we have done what is right, even if we’ve suffered, God is pleased in heaven and we might be here on earth via his Spirit. Don’t you feel pleased when you miss out knowing you’ve done nothing wrong? I can assure you that blessing can be known in and through you when you cheerfully recognise that God knows and God commends, and that no commendation is like his!

Yet we still struggle knowing the injustice meted out is just unfair.

And this is why reading our Bibles for the encouragement they bring is so vital. We need to be reminded that we can be blessed for doing what is right under duress. We need to reclaim, afresh, the knowledge that an application of grace to others bequeaths grace all over us, like a boomerang. As we forgive in the mode of injustice, by doing what is right in any case, we are blessed with a sense of purity’s assurance — there is no self-righteousness in this, whatsoever.

We know that grace bestowed is a relational investment. For an enemy we determine cause that one day they may be a friend. What a wonderful way to love others by doing what is right in advance! We love because we can. Simple.

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We tend to make of ourselves a very small target for others’ misuse and abuse when we try to do what is right. Mostly. Generally.

The more we do what’s right, the more life works out right.

Whilst this is no perfect rule, it’s worth applying.

Doing what is right is the chief way we learn the wisdom in life: God blesses what is blessed. He curses what is already cursed. It’s wisdom to follow what anyone can observe about the way life works.

© 2015 Steve Wickham.