When good is bad . . .

Doing something good is not always good. How's that you say?

Well, consider Matthew 24: 37-30:

³⁷ For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

Nothing wrong with any of that. All good stuff. Yet, good stuff can get you in trouble, if you are not careful. So, in the case of good stuff mentioned in Matthew’s gospel, what we really end up with is bad stuff.

Think of the number of bad children that have come from good homes. Dad or mom were so busy taking care of others that they neglected their own. As a result, little Junior or sister Susie felt neglected, abandoned, secondary and forgotten. The same could be said of marriages gone bad. Hubby is so busy making a living, keeping up with the Joneses that the wife feels treated like a second-hand piece of furniture. Useful in need, but not really appreciated all that much, just a taxi driver for the kids, a cook to keep the kids fed, and dad happy, but that's about it. All were busy doing good stuff all the way around, but in the end a disaster.

That's one scenario. There are countless others. Take marriages for instance. Think of the enormous amount of time taken to plan, arrange, and put on a wedding. Never mind the money spent. Marriage ceremonies are good, but why go over board? Bi-zillions of dollars are spent on wedding each year just to impress others, or make up for the lack of attention little Susie had growing up, or because society expects a big splash. Nothing wrong with showing love, or inviting friends and relatives to a wonderful ceremony, but these things get out of hand, and can cause more harm than good. Often, they zap the budget, that in some instances take years to recover. All good stuff, but in the end bad.

To me it is obvious that what Christ is saying in the verses quoted above is that we can get so preoccupied with the good things that we neglect to do the necessary. Good just for the sake of good, is not always necessary.

The necessary good is quite different, as for example, we are encouraged to pray without ceasing, to do everything in the name of Jesus, to love unconditionally—all good, and at the same time, all necessary. Nothing excessive or harmful here.

Sainthood, or to use a more acceptable Protestant word, sanctification, doesn't happen overnight. That takes work. It takes perseverance. It takes prioritizing, differentiating between the good and the necessary good. There is a difference. A world of difference. One causes you to miss out on the good and necessary things of God; whereas, the other brings balance and stability over the long-haul, and in the end, you inherit the Kingdom.

Paul once remarked that some say, “Shall I do bad that good may come?” Then, he answers, “Of course not. That is to be condemned.” Now, I would like to reverse the question, “Shall we do good that evil might come about?” Of course, you know the answer. Certainly not. However, that is precisely where we find ourselves when we neglect the necessary good to excessively do good, just for goodness sake. Food for thought, I hope. I say this, because, many a good person has missed out on the lasting good, simply because they did not take care of the necessary good.

May God give us the insight to see the difference.

 JimR_/