This Happens More Than It Should

​John 12:3-5 - ”Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?”“

• Slandered For Doing Good 

Mary did a good deed. She anointed the feet of Jesus with some very costly perfume. What does she get for doing a good deed? She is slandered for it AND so is Jesus slandered by Judas for allowing Mary to anointing Him.
 
This was very costly perfume, it should have been sold and the money given to the poor, says Judas. I wonder about this perfume being sold. What were the chances of that money ever making it to the poor?
 
According to John slim to none: John 12:4-6 - But Judas… said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?" 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.
 
That money was going to have a real difficult time making it into the hands of the poor. 

• What Do You Expect? 

When you do a good deed today what are your expectations?
 
Many times we just want to do the good deed and not have anyone notice. We certainly don't want someone bringing it to the attention of others. We know God has seen what we have done and that is all the reward we need.
 
Well, that is the problem with expectations they don't always materialize. Many times we will get the exact opposite of what we expect. 

• Wait One Second 

Now if you think you are going to do a good deed and that is that. You better think again. We are in a war while we journey towards heaven and if you think the devil is going to just let you travel through this life doing good deeds without you suffering some repercussions then you need to wake up from your dream.
 
Look what it says about Jesus in the book of 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.
 
Jesus went about "doing good" according to this passage.
 
Can anyone remember what happened to Jesus while He was here on earth? Oh yeah, they crucified Him. Mk 15:10 -"For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy." 

• It May Happen To You

 One of the best things we can do while traveling towards heaven is do all the good we can and while we are doing good for others like Jesus. We might want to remember there are still people like Judas and the chief priests who will slander us and some will even try to eliminate our influence by the use of slander just one of the many weapons the devil has provided for his servants.
 
The best thing we can do is expect to be slandered for "doing good". So when the people of this world who are more accustom to being under the control of the evil one are envious of you it won't come as such a shock.
 
Doing good deeds doesn't always mean you will be rewarded immediately here on earth. In fact, "doing good" just might have a way of causing you some grief.
 
Maybe this passage will help you to see why Christians or people who go about doing good suffer: 1 John 3:11-12 - …that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.
 
You may suffer for doing good, but it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Peter says that if we suffer for doing good we will find favor with God: 1 Pet 2:20 - For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
 
I can say this much we will never regret finding favor with God. How does this come about? It comes about by doing good or what is right and then suffering and enduring this suffering patiently.
 
Think About This:
 
Good deeds should be done with intention not for attention.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

​Minister of God's Word