Do the good you can do. Do it now. Do it before the night comes.

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Dear Christian pilgrim, closer to you than you may think are people, relationships, and souls that you can touch for good.

The thoughtless Christian says, “there is nothing I can do.” The presumptuous Christian, thinking he has all the time in the world says, “I’ll do what I can later,” and the self-absorbed Christian, when asked why he didn’t do anything, says, “I didn’t think my attention was needed.” But you, o that you will realise that:

There are lonely hearts to cherish,
While the days are going by;
There are weary souls who perish,
While the days are going by;
If a smile we can renew,
As our journey we pursue,
O, the good we all may do,
While the days are going by!

Refrain:
Going by, going by,
Going by, going by;
O, the good we all may do,
While the days are going by! – George Cooper

Do not say, “there is nothing I can do,” for you can give your widow’s mite, you can pray, you can place a call, you can send a text, you can give the gift of a smile. As that other hymnwriter puts it, whatever – no matter how small – you give for Jesus’ sake will be precious in His sight.

And please, do not say, “I’ll do it later.” Rather, be like your Lord in appreciating the urgency of kingdom work. He said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”

The days are going by, and the night is inexorably approaching. O, that you will listen to the Holy Spirit and do that good He has asked you to do and do it today, do it now. Give the gift now and meet that need now. “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,’ When you have it with you.”

Pray for those the Holy Spirit puts on your mind: The fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.

Visit the sick, the elderly, and those in prison. Find the time. They are the brothers and sisters of Christ. And you would be doing the work of Christ on His behalf.

Do the good you can do. Do it before the days go by. Do it before the night comes. Do it now so that your portion will not be that of the wicked to whom the Lord will say: “I was a stranger, and you did not take Me in, I was naked, and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.”

There’s no time for idle scorning,
While the days are going by;
Let your face be like the morning,
While the days are going by;
For the world is full of sighs,
Full of sad and weeping eyes;
Help your fallen brother rise,
While the days are going by.

Refrain:
Going by, going by,
Going by, going by;
O, the good we all may do,
While the days are going by! – George Cooper

Let us pray. Lord, please open our eyes to see the countless ways we can be sources of blessings to others. Please lay burdens on our hearts to reach out to those in need, and teach us to number our days so that we may go about Your business with urgency and dispatch. In Jesus name, Amen.

Pilgrim’s Joy Devotional, a collection of meditations inspired by Christian hymns, is a production of GospelBellsRadio.com, a community of believers learning together, praying together, and engaging the culture with the mind of Christ.

This episode was written and read by Olufemi Oguntokun. Please leave us comments in the box below.

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