We know that we will be blessed in heaven but what does a life that is blessed on earth look like? The Lord makes it very clear the life that He blesses on earth.
Psalm 41:1,2 How blessed is he who considers the poor;
The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble.
The Lord will protect him and keep him alive,
And he shall be called blessed upon the earth;
The Lord says that the poor will always be with us. He has called us to do good works and with the poor always being with us there will not be any excuse for anyone why they did not do good works or help the poor. The poor test us. We can judge the poor or find a reason why we do not need to help them but the Lord has told us over and over again to help the poor.
Mark 14:7a For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them;
We can do good to the poor whenever we wish and Jesus comes to us in the disguise of the poor.
Matthew 25:34-40 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Jesus went around doing good.
Acts 10:38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
A Christian should be known by their good works and if they are then men will glorify God on account of them. This is one aspect of what it means to be the light of the world.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
It won’t always be easy but the Lord wants you to persevere in doing good.
Romans 2:7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
The Lord says to give to those who can not pay you back. If you give to those who can repay you then that is your reward. If you give to those who can not repay you then the Lord will give back to you, here and at the resurrection of the righteous. You will be blessed on earth and in heaven.
Luke 14:12-14 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Is there anyone that you can do good to today? Then do it, for you may not always have the opportunity. You will be glad that you did.
Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
Instructions To A Young Life 