Sometimes The Good You Do Don't Do You Any Good?

I actually heard someone say this. I thought about it for a moment because a moment is all I needed to realize that as quick as it rolls off the tongue, a person not being knowledgeable in Christ, could think that statement is profound. Sometimes the good you do, don't do you any good. Really? Does that type of thinking go along with the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"? When I heard the person say the title of this entry, I had that moment. But when it came to writing material based on it, I couldn't even come up with a testimony. Hey, I don't get writer's block!

Going back to the mission statement for Kingdom Living (written at the top of this blog), the material for me to write started to flow again. In defining good, you already know, that's God. Jesus said it to His disciples (Luke 18:19 AMP). Now when accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also agree to be followers of Him. It is the definition of Christian. We desire to be more like Him. So when we do things that are pleasing in His sight, it is without malice, grumbling, or with an ulterior motive. We do so because we are blessed and continue to be while others either don't know who they are in Christ or haven't yet chose the abundant life. Twisted statements, like those mentioned above, makes sense to them. To them, it is profound, sound, and words to live by. The road to hell statement, has been said often throughout my childhood.

When we do good for others, we do so for others to be well off. We do so, because we have been provided for. We do so also out of obedience in Christ. He did it, so we do it too. How can this not be good for you? How can this lead you to hell (3 John 1:11 AMP)?

When you are doing something for someone else because you owe it to him/her, do you feel frustration because you don't wish to pay back the debt, or you might have issues with the person that hasn't been sorted out, or you could be thinking that this good thing you are doing is going to advance this person even higher then he already is (1 John 5:1-3 AMP)? Thoughts like that could worry a person into an early grave. Why? Because it is what the enemy does. It might have started out as a test to see if your heart is as good as you would like it to be. The test shows you what God sees and what you need to rid yourself of. If you don't use better words to push out those negative thoughts, then you are what I like to call, "feeding the beast." The more you grumble, complain, or look at what someone else has and compare it to what you don't, the beast gnaws away at the blessings you do have until the only thing you have left is your health. The ease Jesus came to give, you have opposed it - hence comes disease. So if this defines, that road paved to hell - well, I guess it would make sense. But it would also show that your intentions weren't good, which then becomes biblical and the truth (Proverbs 21:27 AMP).

I was going to write an entry on why a Christian would be bored. I had a hard time getting material on that too. Then I saw a banner on facebook. It said: only boring people get bored. Which in a sense is scriptural. Christianity is a faith walk. We walk in the spirit so not to fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16 AMP). The Word also says that faith without works is dead (James 2:20 AMP). Its as if you can have as much faith that God will do this or that for you, but without any effort from you (the ability God has put in you), would He be a good Father to do it all? A man can guide his children to assist them to walk, but if he walks for them, they will never try to walk themselves. If man assists a baby bird to come out of his shell because the baby bird seems to be struggling so hard to get it off, he kills the baby bird. He might have had good intentions in the assistance, but the bird needs the struggle to get his lungs activated. Because of human assistance, the baby bird never gets that necessary struggle to breath appropriately and eventually dies. God is good.

Some seeds might be a good snack and that's all they will ever be. Other seeds can do more if planted in good soil though it has a process to go through even in the dirt to get to where it needs to be and produce fruit. There is an outer covering that has to sloughed off otherwise, it won't grow. Water and the minerals in the dirt gnaw away at the outer covering to get to the inside. When the minerals do,  along with heat from the sun, the seed then germinates and grows. This is also what happens to a believer. The serpent, when cursed after the fall of man, was told by God that he would eat the dust of the earth for the rest of its days. The dust of the earth was also used to create flesh (man). The struggles man goes through is first because of the curse. Then we find the Lord who came not to condemn man but to give him life. Without Jesus, man would continually be cursed, having good

intentions based on his own definition and still going to hell. God allows man to go through what he does so he can not only live the life he has chosen but an abundant life having produced much fruit (1 John 5;10-12 AMP).

Understanding this basic concept can move a hum-drum life into the stratosphere. But it is up to you. Can you still do good and be content or have you turned to the dust once again (2 Peter 2:20-22 AMP)?

Everyone Likes a Clean House But Everyone Doesn't Like To Clean Their House

This subject matter has been sitting with me for awhile. I have written bits and pieces thinking that I didn't want to step on anyone's toes or make someone feel bad about themselves, but if God gives it to me, about me, then there are some of you that need to take heed to.

I suppose more of the subject matter became relevant when I heard Bishop T.D. Jakes teach a lesson on incorporating one's self with divine partners and not keeping what God has given to you to yourself. Though the lesson was poignant, I couldn't help but think that just because someone is eager to help you get to that goal doesn't mean that he/she is that divine connection. Bishop Jakes has taught lessons on that as well. If I could paraphrase him for a moment, "how can you take me where you have never been?" There are those that can get excited with you for that new enterprise but are only there with you for the ride. Abraham had Lot that I don't recall did one ounce of prayer, counseling, or one bit of encouragement yet when it came time for the blessing, he was right there to get his share. Once Abraham started growing up in the things of God and seeing that Lot wasn't a help but a hindrance, they had to go their separate ways (Genesis 13:10-12 KJV).

Relationships of all kinds also has their course of action. Once reaching the potential of it, you have to know when it is time to say when. I have mentioned in a number of posts that I watch the hoarding shows whether on TLC or AMC. The justification to live in squalor fascinates me right up and when the light comes on for them to change. There was this man, that I believe I have written about before. He was an educated man in his forties and so nice looking he could have been a model in GQ magazine. He is soft spoken and was interested in finally dating. I don't recall him ever stating that he was in any sort of relationship prior to this woman he met. She was nice looking too, but she thought what all of the other viewers were thinking, "really... all of the women on the face of the earth and you want her?" She was so thrilled that  they agreed to move in together. He moved some of his things in her house and when the relationship started to get serious, they decided to divulge in telling other matters about themselves. Apparently, she went first, because afterwards, she was still there telling the camera her narrative wondering what he could possibly say while he was doing the dishes and keeping everything so neat in her house. He finally told her and she was back at the camera with her narrative. She kept saying, "how bad could it be? He is always cleaning here. He makes me a little uncomfortable." They arrived to the house with it looking so pristine on the outside. She even made comment with it being a wonderful looking Spanish Tudor. He smiled. He didn't say too much once he told her his little secret. Then he unlocked the door to allow her to really see what he was referring to. Her mouth gaped open as she glared at the mountain of garbage that met her at the door and spilled into his sunken living room. He took her hand to guide her up the trail and for her to not step where ever she chose to. You see, the sunken living room allowed for him to pile the mess even steeper until they were only a few feet from the ceiling. She tried to be brave to see it as a minor set back. She decided to assist him in cleaning it all. She emphatically stated that it was not a reason to discontinue their relationship. What caused her to drive away was when he grabbed her hand and they had to go to the outside garbage bin together to toss a half full garbage bag and even with that he had to go back in it to take some garbage out of it. She was in total disbelief and could no longer see herself with him. She left him and he sought therapy.

That one episode had so many life lessons in it:
- Just because he says its good doesn't mean it is good.
- The outside of a package can be beautiful, but is it what you asked for?
- Soft spoken and educated can still mean crazy!
- Without God, there are too many blind spots and being side swiped is inevitable.

These same life lessons stems into politics, believe it or not. I was at an impasse as to who to vote for as Mayor of a town where I use to reside. The candidates were nothing to write home about and aside from having an excellent orthodontist, there was absolutely nothing appealing about what they stood for. Both were for getting a casino up in the city and both were for more jobs which was the purpose for the casino. I waited for someone to ask, how was that going to produce more jobs when every manager of every business knows that the best thing to do is hire someone with experience? Having never had a casino in our town before, who was really going to be hired? But no one asked anything. Many people rallied to get this thing built. There were so many other issues at hand like why lay off the police department and social workers, closing down schools, and boarding up libraries. I just couldn't believe the platform was to take the little money that was left and build a casino. It was like putting a band aid on cancer. Sweeping garbage off the floor and tucking it under the carpet. Everyone can see the pink elephant but no one is saying anything.

There were people on every other corner with ballots for citizens to sign to get this casino up and running. Why didn't they remember the promise of getting the lottery put in and the revenues from all of that money was going into getting a better education for the children? 13 billion I saw on one bill board but the news report states that 40 schools were closing down. Were there a shortage of children? Nevertheless, the so called temporary casino was built and then there was another and another. Three casinos in record time. Shouldn't there be more revenue for the city? Where did all of the jobs go? Is the economy better or worse for that brilliant idea? Oh, and where is the mayor who administered the band aid for this? Let's just write for the purposes of this blog, just where you think he is.

I have had friends who appeared to be one way and they were not at all who they professed to be. Every once in awhile, I might see one or two and the conversation will begin as if we missed each other and why hadn't we kept in touch and then within a few minutes on the phone or deciding to have lunch, there it is sitting with us. The very reason we stopped talking in the first place. What happened? It seemed like such a good idea at the time. How could we be so attracted to each other as friends, business partners, and/or a  relationship and then be so different in such a short period of time? Recently, there was an associate who expressed to me that a long termed friendship ended abruptly because she became angry with this person. This associate, when asked why this friend became so angry with her, shrugged as an answer to my question. Really?

We have a responsibility in presenting this body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1 KJV). While some may think in making the presentation of this body as being muscular or curvaceous, God will be looking at the heart (1Timothy 4:8 KJV). Just like in cleaning the attic to an old home and finding certain childhood toys that were put away, there are things we would rather not discuss or even think about. There are matters that were never dealt with. There are people that tend to annoy us for reasons we could not explain. We are responsible for finding those things out. Some of us wear our pain on the outside covered in extra weight, tattoos, or with heavy make up. All of that doesn't hide the truth. No matter what you do,  the truth will come to the light. It is written (John 3:19-22 KJV).