Saved to Do Good

At Brandonshomes4hope, we center ourselves on the mission of helping those in need. Though fueled by the memory of Brandon, this isn't just a sentimental way to carry his legacy. Helping others is a Biblical mandate, and it's mentioned all over the New Testament as believers are challenged to seek justice, love mercy, and walk with God while helping others.

One passage that we'd like to focus on this month comes from Titus 3, which is titled "Saved in Order to Do Good." Titus is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his beloved friend, Titus. It is a letter full of challenges for Titus to set up the church in his area well. He challenged Paul to make sure that the church was set up with leaders well who were qualified and dedicated to preaching the truth of the Gospel. But, even more, he challenged Titus to make sure the church members (leaders or not) knew about the heart of the church.

Paul reminded Titus that to get the mission across, he must point all of the believers back to the salvation that Jesus provides. Titus 3:4-8 says: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Paul then goes on to remind Titus that the church is there for good works. Verse 14 says "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful." Paul was worried that the Christian church might be barren of good deeds, therefore being unfruitful.

Now, Paul put these two ideas together for a reason. He reminds us of the work on the cross, and then urges us to do good deeds. What do these two have to do with each other? Well, the secret for every believer is in the connection. We should and can strive for good deeds every day because that is an outward reflection of the mercy that we obtained by the sacrifice on the cross. When Christ died on the cross, that was the ultimate good deed. We obtained a mercy we couldn't ever deserve or repay, and because of that, it is a Biblical mandate to show that every day to those around us. The poor and needy, of course. But even more than that, we can show good deeds to our enemy. We can show good deeds to the criminal, the scoundrel, and to the neighbor we disagree with.

At Brandonshomes4hope, we want to be a tangible beacon for the mercy and good deeds that are required of the transformed Christian. We hope that this post can be a source of encouragement for you today. If there is someone that you know of in need of some tangible hope today, please contact us using the form on our website!