How good I am! What fine things
I have done! By J. R. Miller. They will be
like Jews sent by the Lord. Micah 5 7 The lives of godly
people are sometimes compared to the Jew. One point of likeness
is the quiet way in which the Jew performs its ministry. It
falls silently and imperceptibly. It makes no noise. No one hears
it dropping. It chooses its time in the night,
when men are sleeping, when none can see its beautiful work. It
covers the leaves with clusters of pearls. It steals into the
bosoms of the flowers, and leaves new cupfuls of sweetness there. It pours itself down among the
roots of the grasses and tender herbs and plants. It loses itself
altogether, and yet it is not lost. For in the morning there
is fresh life everywhere, and new beauty. The fields are greener,
the gardens are more fragrant, and all nature is clothed in
fresh luxuriance. Is there not in this simile a
suggestion as to the way we should seek to do good in this world?
Should we not wish to have our influence felt while no one thinks
of us, rather than we should be seen and heard and praised? Should we not be willing to lose
ourselves in the service of self-forgetful love, as the dew loses itself
in the bosom of the rose, caring only that other lives shall be
sweeter, happier, and holier, and not that honour shall come
to us? We are too anxious, some of us,
that our names should be written in large letters on the things
we do. even on what we do for our Master,
and are not willing to sink ourselves out of sight, and let Him alone
have the praise. Our Lord's teaching on the subject
is very plain. He says, Be careful not to do
your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you
do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when
you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored
by men. I tell you the truth, they have
received their reward in full. That is, they have that which
they seek, the applause of men. But when you give to the needy,
do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father who
sees what is done in secret will reward you. The meaning would
seem to be that we are not to wish people to know of our good
deeds, our charities, our self-denials, that we should not seek publicity
when we give money or do good works, indeed, that we are not
even to tell ourselves what we have done, that we are not to
think about our own good deeds, so as to become conscious of
them, not to put them down in our diaries, and go about complimenting
ourselves, throwing bouquets at ourselves, and whispering,
how good I am, what fine things I have done. This is an insightful
test of our lives. Are we willing to be, as the
Jew, to steal abroad in the darkness, carrying blessings to men's doors,
blessings that shall enrich the lives of others and do them good,
and then steal away again, before those we have helped or blessed
awaken to know what hand it was that brought the gift? Are we
willing to work for others, without gratitude, without recognition,
without human praise, without requital? Are we content to have
our lives poured out like the dew, to bless the world and make
it more fruitful, and yet remain hidden away ourselves? Is it
enough for us to see the fruits of our toil and sacrifice in
others' spiritual growth and deeper happiness, yet never hear
our name spoken in praise or honor, perhaps even hearing others
praised for things we have done? If you go about doing good in
simple ways, in gentle kindness, not thinking of reward, not dreaming
of praise, not hoping for any return, you are enshrining your
name where it will have immortal honor. Our lesson teaches us
that this is the way we are to live if we are followers of Christ.