The idea of doing good and helping others as well as to ourselves is something important. Many people have been blessed because of this innate intuition we have to do good, so the bible exhorts us to not to become weary or tired of doing good. But, then the reason for which we do things tends to either invalidate or set us up for a reward for those things we good that are good. The religious Jews in Jesus’ time found themselves struggling with the hypocrisy that comes through religion (Lk11:52). It is the flesh reaping process for when one starts doing things for others to see; it is the corruption reaping. God is a rewarder of good (He11:6), and this he does if we do not faint. Paul exhorts the church that we need to pay special attention to those of the God’s family or of the faith (Ga6:10). But, because so many wolves in sheep clothing have come up these day that we at times are not sure who is of the family and who is not; who is just a visitor.
Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
One thing for sure is that neither religiosity, agnostics or atheism is any good. Paul tells us of one thing that is good and pure and this is “a new creation”(Gal10:15). The question to what is a good religion is always in people’s mind and James gives us a clear description of it in chapter 1:27 “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”. So, to be a new creation one needs to be born again as Jesus told Nicodemus (Jh3:5) of that of water and spirit. So, to be born again one needs to be baptized in the waters and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, new creation entails leaving the old ways behind (2Cor5:17) and walking in the new; which is not as easy as it sounds like (Ro6:4). When we come to Jesus Christ he puts all the old things of our life behind us, but it is to our efforts to keep them there and that is a real challenge. John tells us in Revelation that God makes all things new (re21:5) and it is up to us to not bring back the dead or old things. Today, many have become fearful of the cross; whether it is the conversation, following, or the suffering that comes thereby, it has been taboo and made to something not welcome. The cross is the catalyst of a new creation and we must embrace it and not be afraid of it.