27 Do not withhold good from [j]those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.
32 For the devious are an abomination to the Lord;
But [k]He is intimate with the upright.
33 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
But fools [l]display dishonor.
There are some valuable lessons in this passage, but I can’t get beyond the first couple verses here. The instructions seem kind of obvious, but they speak to having a generous heart. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Initially, one thinks of monetary payment, or at least I did.
Yet it doesn’t say, “do not withhold money…”, it says “do not withhold good…” Certainly, that might be financial payment. Maybe there is a community effort that you need to be a part of, and dropping $50 (or $500) is what you need to do. But it also speaks to acts that we can do for others. In our daily work, sometimes there are things we just don’t feel like doing.
However, if it would help someone else, and we have the power to make it happen, don’t hold back! As Paul told the Colossians, everything we do or say should be done in the name of Jesus. Because every action and every word reflects on Him, we should do it to the best of our ability. Even if you don’t claim to know Jesus, doing your best will find you more success.
It seems kind of simple, but it isn’t easy to do. It’s far easier to just do the bare minimum, just do what is required, and that’ll be enough. Right? The flip side is reflected as we continue reading. If we only do the minimum, if we don’t pay our friend back, because “after all, surely they can afford it more than I…” we do them harm.
Do good, do your best, and make sure you rely on God so that it truly is the best. Don’t envy the guy who seems like he is just skating through life without a care in the world. It’ll catch up to him, and you don’t want to be in the boat when it sinks. Instead, set your sights on His grace and honor, do it as if you were doing it for Christ himself, and He will take care of the rest.