Why Do Good?

“Finders keepers! Losers weepers!”

That statement, which some think comes from an ancient Roman law, has guided the decisions of many children. It has also found its way into the lives of many adults. If someone loses “it,” and someone else finds “it,” what’s the right thing to do with “it”?

In Deuteronomy, the Hebrews were told that they were to care for and return animals, as well as any property that someone might have lost, to their rightful owners. The reason for this rule is that when someone protected and returned the property of another person, that one was kept from being envious and greedy. Envy and greed seem to be the “gateway” to almost every other sin.

“Turn from evil and do good,” advises David. He wanted the “just,” those who lived “moral lives,” to know that the Lord loved them and that He would always be faithful to them. Additionally, David added, that the “just” will “inherit the land” – have eternal life.

How blest we are to know that God wants us to have hope in Him and look forward to being with Him throughout eternity. God has placed within every heart the longing for Someone to bring completeness and purpose into their life. The emptiness, the loneliness, the “desire for something more” that we find in God is the “inheritance” that awaits those “who turn from evil and do good” and find fulfillment and meaning in God.

But there is more to look forward to than our future inheritance. We can look forward to God’s presence, power, purpose, and peace in our lives today and every day. He loves the “just”- those who live lives of fairness and justice because He is fair and just. And He will never forsake the “faithful” because He is faithful. What more can we expect?

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son. In Him, we can find power, peace, presence, and purpose for living. May we follow His example. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:  Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. Psalm 37:27 

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