“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have,
for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
(Hebrews 13:16)
There is no such thing as a godly Christian who lives for himself, for the very nature of redemption places the believer into service to both Christ and to others. As children of light, we are to display the grace of God through deeds of love, mercy, and charity. That is to say, “doing good” is not optional; it is the outworking of true faith.
James makes this plain when he tells us that faith without works is dead. For what use is a profession of faith that never translates into visible mercy toward the needy? A man who sees his brother hungry or cold and says, “Go in peace,” yet offers no help, does not possess true faith. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). True faith lives. True faith works. True faith gives.
The church of Christ follows its Head, whose earthly ministry was one of constant giving. Scripture speaks continually to the necessity of good works: feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, comforting the afflicted, welcoming the stranger, serving the prisoner, caring for widows and orphans. And not only are our friends to be recipients of mercy, but also our enemies. “Do good to them that hate you” (Luke 6:27), for this is the nature of grace.
To do good is to live as Christ did. It is to reflect His goodness in a fallen world. And such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Not that they earn merit. They do not. But they rise as a fragrant offering when done from a heart redeemed by grace.
In Matthew 25, which portrays the final judgment, Christ commends His people not for grand theological achievements but for simple acts of mercy: “I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink.” The righteous are stunned, unaware they had done anything notable. But Christ reveals that in serving the lowly, they served Him.
So whether feeding the poor, clothing the naked, or showing hospitality, we are offering these things to Christ Himself. Every dish given, every coin shared, every hand extended in mercy bears witness to a living faith and a heart ruled by grace.[1]
The one who hoards, who clings tightly to wealth, who ignores the suffering of others, lives as though God cannot provide. He shows no trust in the Father who “giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). But the one who gives freely, who acts as a steward and not an owner, who lives open-handed and compassionate, proves that Christ reigns in the heart.
Bonaventure’s words are well suited here. God has given time, talents, wealth, knowledge, and grace. These are not self-serving gifts for us to display, but tools for labor. The servant will be held accountable for them. The fruitless tree will be cut down, but the faithful steward who spends and is spent for others will find great reward.
So let us be fountains, not reservoirs. Let us pour out, not stockpile. Let us shine, not store. Let the poor be served, the broken comforted, the weary lifted, and the enemy loved. For these sacrifices are not wasted. God sees them and He delights in them.
Contemplation:
- Faith proven by works. I see how empty my confession becomes when I don’t act. I can say all the right things and still neglect the needy. But You call me to action. I can’t hide behind words, I need to love in truth. Show me when I fail to live out what I say I believe, and help me respond with my hands and my time and my goods.
- Serving Christ through others. What I do for others, I do for You, Lord, which is a humbling reality. So help me see You in the face of the stranger, the widow, the hungry, and the poor. For You are there, hidden behind need. If I serve them rightly, I serve You. If I ignore them, I ignore You. Let that truth burn into me and shape my behavior.
- Sacrifices that please God. You are not pleased with performance or reputation. You are pleased with sacrifice rooted in love. That encourages me. It means my quiet, unseen labor is not forgotten, for it matters to You. Let me never hold back what I can give. Let me see giving as worship.
- Living open-handed. I have not always trusted You, Father. I’ve clung to things, fearing loss. But You provide richly, and You call me to share freely. Help me repent of my fear and greed. Make me like a channel so that what You give flows out to others through me.
Prayer (Supplication)
Lord God Almighty, You are the Giver of every good and perfect gift. You have fed me from Your own hand, clothed me in the righteousness of Christ, and shown me mercy when I deserved wrath. You called me to live as one who knows what grace tastes like. And now I ask You: conform me to that call.
I am weak in obedience. I delay when I should act. I offer words when I should offer help. But You commanded that I not neglect to do good. You taught that sharing with others is a sacrifice that pleases You. Make that true in me.
Break the hardness in my heart. Tear out the selfishness that guards my comfort. Deliver me from the grip of possessions. Make me fearless in generosity, not reckless but ready—ready to meet needs, ready to bless, ready to serve. Teach me to see others not as burdens but as divine appointments. And let my eyes be open to misery, not turned away from it.
Grant that I may live this day as one who understands the weight of my calling. Let me serve not to be seen, but to reflect Your Son, who made Himself poor so that I might be rich. Let me give not as a rich man showing pity, but as a debtor serving his Master. Fill my hands with readiness. Fill my mind with wisdom. Fill my mouth with comfort. Fill my life with compassion.
Let me not wait for the perfect moment. Let me act now, in the small things—the food shared, the visit made, the burden borne. Let these become my habits and my joy. And let them testify to a faith that lives.
Preserve me from hypocrisy. Let me not speak of love while withholding it. Let me not profess faith and deny it with my conduct. Let me not sing Your praises and ignore Your people.
Remind me that in serving the least, I serve You. Remind me that in giving to the poor, I lend to the Lord. Remind me that the King takes notice of every cup of cold water given in His name.
So then, Father, grant me strength for this work. Let my faith work through love and let that love cost me something. And when I fail, as I surely will, forgive me quickly, restore me fully, and send me back into the field.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Hebrews 13:16:
Phil. 4:18; Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 6:18; Ps. 37:3; Micah 6:7-8; Luke 6:35.
[1] “Governing these three institutions and orders is the common order of Christian love, in which one does not only serve the three orders but every person in need with all kinds of compassionate activities, such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, forgiving enemies, praying for all people on earth, suffering all kinds of evil on earth, and so forth.” Martin Luther, “Confession of the Articles of Faith against the Enemy of The Gospel and All Kinds of Heresies,” in Word and Faith, ed. Hans J. Hillerbrand, Kirsi I. Stjerna, and Timothy J. Wengert, vol. 2, The Annotated Luther (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2015), 269.
