“27Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it. 28Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go and come again; tomorrow I will give it to you,” when you have it by you.” ― Proverbs 3 [Amplified Bible]
When God noticed that He could physically not be on earth, He made man to take His place. He made men to love each other. He made man to be the caretaker of man. He endowed others with opportunities and advantages so they could have the power to do good to those who were bereft of these privileges.
For every measure of privilege, there’s an equal measure of responsibility. If you have been privileged to have enough, it is your responsibility to give enough. To him whom much has been given, much is expected. Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due!
At every point in our lives, we ought to know everything we own is a privilege. Others are more qualified than we are yet don’t have what we are enjoying. Others work harder and smarter than we do but may not be as prosperous as we are.
With this privilege comes our responsibility to do good to those who may lack. When you see others writhing in the pain of poverty, you need to do them good if it is in your power to. If your neighbor asks you for food and you’ve it, give it to them. Don’t tell them “God will provide” when we all know God is not a chef!
Sometimes, what others need is more than a word of encouragement. Sometimes, what they need is not Bible scriptures. If you are in the position to do more, just do it. Don’t postpone. Help deferred is help denied. What could be of essential help to someone today may not be of that same essence tomorrow.
If you have the ability to do good, don’t hold back. If you have the power to give, don’t assume others instead should. What you have is a privilege and helping others who lack such is your responsibility.
If we do good, it is for our own sake. Every kind gesture we show forth to others becomes an investment that will someday reap profits for not only us but those around us. Every good deed we do today is like paying in advance for a debt we may owe tomorrow. The beneficiaries of our good deeds today may be in the position to pay for this debt when it comes.
Times change. We may not always be at the top. When we do good to others in our prosperous times, it is very likely they may return this gesture in a multiple-fold when it’s their turn at the top. No good deed ever gets wasted. Even if we do not directly benefit from such, generations after us may.
A typical example of such is the story of David and Jonathan in the Bible. Those we invest into when we have the power to may also invest into us or anything that concerns us when they have the power to. When we do good, we do for ourselves!
Jonathan and David’s friendship was admirable. They could trust each other with their lives. Jonathan loved David as his own flesh and was willing to go any length for him as long as his safety was concerned.
He had saved David several times. Without expecting anything in return, he created escape routes for young David who was fleeing from his archenemy. Guess who this sworn enemy was― King Saul, Jonathan’s own father!
Thing is, it was David who needed Jonathan to survive. The former was a fugitive. The latter was a prince. David could have died without Jonathan giving a hoot but he had the power to save his life. It was in his power to help the young shepherd and he did. He never held back.
Many years later, David ascended the throne of Israel. Jonathan and his father were dead but David never forgot the price his friend paid to make him have access to his prize. He asked that Jonathan’s son, the crippled Mephibosheth who had been despised by everyone, be brought up to dine with him at his table all the days of his life after restoring to him his family’s inheritance. Every good deed we sow becomes a future investment for us and our children!
Every good done today is a fat cheque written for tomorrow. The beauty of this fat cheque is that our offspring may be those who will cash in on it. Every good deed sown today springs forth a harvest of more good for generations to come!
If you can help someone today, don’t give excuses. When we do good, it’s like a ball thrown up. Gravity will bring it down. Gravity will bring down all the good seeds we have sown… and they will find us someday when we also need help. Don’t defer when it could be done now!
By Kobina Ansah
The writer is a playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications, an Accra-based writing company (www.scribecommltd.com).