BIASED TO DO GOOD
God is always up to something good – He is good; He is out for me because He is good and full of mercy. The Word
of God is alive and active and able to take us on a journey with the ability to minister to each one of us, uniquely.
We are biased to do good; this is a theme that knocks on our hearts constantly – as believers we have a bias to do
right. We are created beautifully and are precious and we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. To do these
good works there must be a spiritual birth (John 3:3); as born again believers we are biased to love because God is
love and He dwells within born again believers. It is a reflex action for us to do good unless we are conformed to
ungodly patterns. Romans 12:2 ‘Be no longer conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind; then you will know what the good, pleasing and perfect will of God is.’
We believe the Church to be a House of prayer for all nations; that rich, poor, everyone is welcome; like a magnet of
God people are made welcome because God draws as each one of us are created to come together as one. This is
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 being answered. Over time we will serve shoulder to shoulder in kingdom purposes. Over
times past this has not been the case and there has been a repulsion by non-believers (believers conformed to the
pattern of ‘this world’) over the centures; God desires we be one – connected, knitted together.
Every five minutes a believer is martyred. There are opposing forces that prevent unity, oneness – John 10:10 Jesus’ desire is that not one be lost. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy – to oppose what Jesus prayed because
he knows just how powerful love and the resultant oneness really is. 200M believers are being opposed on a daily
basis by this force. The devil continues to do everything he can towards disunity; he is disarmed and defeated but
wags his tongue – he is biased to lie, John 8:44. He knows Psalm 133 and he curses and won’t bless; his native
tongue is lying and He’ll discourage any move that is made towards oneness in God. We, believers, have the
opportunity to ‘speed the day’ 2 Peter 3:12, to encourage the move of God; in fact it is a reflex action for us as we
also desire unity.
God is always good and He is out for good, Hebrews 13:8; yesterday, today, forever He remains the same.
See the Book of Jonah (‘Dove’). He was asked to do something and ran the other way. Old Testament account – it is
the same together with the battle between being led by the spirit or by flesh/our own choice.
Jonah was asked to bring a saving message to Nineveh; the people were ‘like lions’ – who had terrorised families and
nations, flayed people; they were cruel, brutal and greatly feared. To these people God asked Jonah to take this
message: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” He didn’t want to go; he was culturally pickled, at this
stage ruled by emotions.
God kept calling Jonah – this is a love story; a story of call; of grief; of sadness; of storms; of fish; of will and of
yielding; of the turning of a city as they responded to the message.
We see God’s great love in pursuit of Jonah and we see His great mercy and compassion for lost humanity; for
people who didn’t know their left hand from their right. We see God testing Jonah’s faith – causing him to wrestle,
causing him to come to terms with the facts that God loves all, there are no favourites.
Jonah didn’t want to go because ‘to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD,
“Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew
that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from
sending calamity. 3 Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4.
Jonah became angry and greatly displeased; he was ticked that God showed mercy and compassion – he/we must
have been living in two worlds - he was very angry and preferred to die than live – built himself a shelter so he could
watch and see what would happen to the city. God grew a vine to help ease his discomfort, then a worm and a hot
wind to cause the vine to die - again Jonah had more concern for his comfort and a plant than for the city of 120,000
people who could not tell the right hand from their left. Jonah’s thinking was filtered. God came for life and to save,
then and now.
God is rich in mercy, slow to anger and compassionate. What the enemy means for evil God means for good and for
the saving of many souls; He always works for good. Any other path for Jonah meant shipwrecks and things still
happen even when walking really closely with God. There is no room ever however for prejudice towards another
nation, no room for hate nor favouritism in this House; it is contrary to God’s nature and purposes.
See illustration of Dirk Willems. 15th Century, martyred for being ‘re-baptised’ (Dirk was baptised on confession of
faith); chased and arrested for this faith and helped the very man who would become his murderer. It is recorded
somewhere that when asked why he would save that man out of icy water, he replied: ‘Just a reflex’ – he heard the
cry of his pursuer because he was no longer conformed to the pattern of this world. He had learned to wrestle with
the things of faith; to take his thoughts captive, to be conformed to Christ. He knew the forgiveness of God that God
desires everyone be free from guilt and shame. Dirk’s pursuer would have seen him released after he had received
mercy and seen God’s wisdom in action but his supervisor (standing on the shore reminded him of the duty he had
signed up for).
When we sit at home as Jonah did, or when we stand on the sides of the frozen lake like Dirk Willem’s pursuer’s
supervisor did it is very easy to have no compassion. When we encounter Christ, from then we are connected with
Him and everything makes sense; when we get close to humanity our hearts are wrenched and it is then we are
‘moved’ with the same love and compassion that God has for humanity, for each and every one.
Believers are biased for good; cease with the natural struggle and let the bias happen.