“Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.”
and do good;
This “good” is the good of intrinsic value. The motivation for doing “good” is our relationship with Jesus Christ. We do not do good to gain approbation from God. We have his favor. We do good because we already have his favor.
Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”
This is the right sequence. That is how we prove that we know the Lord.
PRINCIPLE:
We do good because of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
APPLICATION:
What kind of “good” are you involved in now that you have come to Christ? We have to involve ourselves in other people’s problems. We confine our lives to our little world. We limit our relationships to our little family and a couple of close friends. Thus our lives shrivel into a small world.