Designing Your Day

Making Room for Good Works

What does your day look like?

From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, is your day carefully planned? Do you know almost hour by hour what you will be doing? Or do you simply walk into the day and let it unfold as you go?

I once came across a copy of the daily routine of Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers, who was also a writer, scientist, inventor and statesman. Franklin developed this routine as a young man, around 1728, and had his day carefully planned, from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m., with time set aside for work, study, meals, reading, conversation and sleep.

But it wasn't the schedule itself that caught my attention.

It was one question he had deliberately built into it.

At the beginning of his day, Franklin asked:

“What good shall I do this day?”

And at the end of the day, as part of what he called the “examination of the day,” he asked:

“What good have I done today?”

There is something worth learning from that.

Franklin did not simply hope that an opportunity to do good might present itself somewhere in the course of his day. He began the day thinking about it.

As is often my lead-in to reflecting, I asked myself: What does the Bible say about this rather good idea?

Not surprisingly, intentionally making room in our day to do good is very much in keeping with Scripture. Scripture repeatedly calls God's people to do good.

The Psalmist puts it very simply:

“Trust in the LORD and do good…”Psalm 37:3, NIV

And Hebrews says:

“And do not forget to do good…”Hebrews 13:16, NIV

Do good. Do not forget to do good.

Doing good is meant to be part of the way we live.

But that raises a very practical question: How do we make sure that doing good actually finds its way into an ordinary day already filled with everything else we have to do?

Scripture gives us some very practical instructions.

1. Look for the Opportunity

Paul writes:

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…”Galatians 6:10, NIV

Notice those words: “as we have opportunity.”

Opportunities to do good surround us. Some we can plan for; others will simply appear as we go about our day.

The question is whether we notice them—and whether we have made enough room in our day to respond.

2. Don't Forget — Be Intentional

As if knowing how easily we can become busy with all the day's work, Scripture reminds us:

“And do not forget to do good…”Hebrews 13:16, NIV

Perhaps because it is surprisingly easy to forget.

Somewhere in the busyness of work, getting the groceries, taking children to activities,

attending meetings, preparing meals and taking care of everything else that has to be done, doing good can get lost in the day.

Not because we don't care.

Not because we don't want to help.

The day simply fills up.

That is why doing good sometimes has to be intentional. We have to make room for it in the same day already filled with everything else that needs our attention.

3. Don't Postpone It — Do It Now

And when the opportunity is already in front of us, Scripture becomes even more direct.

Sometimes someone has a need and we say, “Let me see what I can do and get back to you.”

And somehow another day passes. Then another week.

Proverbs says:

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”Proverbs 3:27, NIV

And then, almost as if anticipating our tendency to put things off, the very next verse says:

“Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you’—when you already have it with you.”Proverbs 3:28, NIV

That is wonderfully practical.

If the opportunity is here, the need is here, and it is within our power to help—why wait until tomorrow?

Look for the opportunity.

Don't forget.

And when the opportunity comes, don't unnecessarily postpone it.

Scripture even encourages us to go beyond occasionally doing something good and become people who are “rich in good works.” (1 Timothy 6:18, KJV)

Why Is Doing Good So Important?

Scripture gives us several reasons:

• We were created for good works. We are God's workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” (Ephesians 2:10, KJV) Doing good is not simply something extra we add to our Christian lives when we have spare time. We were created for it.

  
  

• Our good works bring glory to God. Jesus tells us to let our light shine so that people “may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, KJV) The good is done by us, but the glory goes to God.

  
  

• Our good works meet real needs. Titus tells believers to “devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs.” (Titus 3:14, NIV) Sometimes doing good is very practical. Someone needs something, and we are in a position to help.

  
  

• Our faith should produce something in the lives of others. James gives the very practical example of seeing a brother or sister without clothes and daily food and simply saying, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but doing nothing about their physical needs. He asks, “what good is it?” (James 2:15–16, NIV)

  
  

And Scripture gives us an even more sobering reason. James says:

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.”James 4:17, NIV

Sometimes the question is not whether we have done something wrong. It is whether we knew there was something good we could have done—and didn't.

Jesus — Our Model for Doing Good

And if we want to see what a life of doing good looks like, we have no better model than Jesus.

Peter walked with Jesus. He travelled with Him, watched Him interact with people and saw how He responded to the needs around Him. Years later, Peter summarized the life he had witnessed in a remarkably simple way:

“…Jesus of Nazareth…went about doing good…”Acts 10:38, KJV

He went about doing good.

And when we look through the Gospels, we see exactly what Peter meant.

Jesus noticed people.

He noticed the sick.

One evening, when people brought their sick to Him, “laying his hands on each one, he healed them.” (Luke 4:40, NIV)

Each one.

• He noticed when people were hungry.

After a crowd had remained with Him for days, Jesus said, “I have compassion for these people…they have nothing to eat.” (Mark 8:2, NIV) And He fed them.

• He made room for people even when He had withdrawn to be alone.

After hearing about the death of John the Baptist, Jesus withdrew by boat to a solitary place. But the crowds followed Him. When He saw them, “he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:14, NIV)

Jairus came to Jesus because his daughter was dying. Jesus immediately went with him. (Mark 5:21–24, NIV)

• He touched people others avoided.

  
  

  When a man with leprosy came to Him, Jesus “reached out his hand and touched the man.” (Mark 1:41, NIV)

  
  

He made room for children when His disciples wanted to send them away. He welcomed them, took them in His arms and blessed them. (Mark 10:13–16, NIV)

And these were not necessarily leisurely days with plenty of spare time. On one occasion, so many people gathered that Jesus and His disciples “were not even able to eat.” (Mark 3:20, NIV)

Jesus knew what a busy day looked like.

Yet He made room for people.

He fed. He healed. He taught. He listened. He noticed. He touched. He welcomed. He comforted. He forgave. He served. He gave His time. He restored dignity. He shared meals.

He went about doing good.

Making Room in Our Own Day

So what does this mean for us?

Our lives can be incredibly busy with perfectly legitimate things—work, appointments, children, errands, cooking, meetings, deadlines, church activities and everything else that makes up an ordinary day.

But Scripture calls us to make doing good part of that day.

Asking ourselves “What good shall I do today?” can sound as though we need to find some grand charitable project before breakfast.

We don't.

The good we can do today may be calling someone who is grieving, sharing a meal with someone who is alone, checking in on a sick friend, helping someone with something practical, praying with and for someone, taking groceries to a neighbour who needs them, giving generously, listening without rushing, encouraging someone, making time

for a child—or simply noticing the person everybody else has overlooked.

Sometimes we can plan the good we will do.

Sometimes the opportunity will appear in the middle of something else.

So perhaps Benjamin Franklin's two questions are worth borrowing.

As we begin the day:

What good shall I do today?

Then, as we go about our day, let us keep our eyes open for the opportunities we did not plan.

And when the day is over:

What good have I done today?

And tomorrow, we do it again.

For Scripture reminds us:

“And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”2 Thessalonians 3:13, NIV

As You Go About Your Day…

Before you become caught up in everything that needs to be done today, ask yourself:

1. What good can I intentionally do today? Is there someone I already know I can help, encourage, call, visit or give to?

2. Is there some good I have been postponing that is within my power to do now?

3. What would it look like for me to become “rich in good works”?

And tonight, before the day is over, come back to Franklin's second question:

What good have I done today?

May God give us the grace and wisdom to do some good every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.