Actively Involved

We have heard many times all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing. I personally think in a very literal way this is true. Through being in active evil is able to persist. When we are not vigilant in being on guard of it evil is able to begin. It takes a real concerted and constant effort to keep evil at bay and to not let it creep in. Evil is like a parasite, it feeds on the life of goodness, because it cannot make its own life.

What I want us to discuss today is why is it so hard to not do nothing? If all it takes is for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing it seems to reason that for evil to fail good people just have to do something. So what is it so hard to do something? Why do we have to struggle to do what we know we should do?

We know that we are not alone in this either Paul also had a struggle with this. He writes in 9

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 7

19For the good that I want, I do not do; but the evil that I do not want, this I practice.

19For the good that I want, I do not do; but the evil that I do not want, this I practice.

Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), .

If it is a struggle for him to not do evil and to do good, then it is also reasonable for us to struggle as well.

If it is a struggle for him to not do evil and to do good, then it is also reasonable for us to struggle as well.

Let us look at 3 common causes for us to struggle with doing something good.

If we are honest motivation is a huge component. Sometimes it is hard for us to just have a drive or desire to do something good. We have enough going on with just daily things and we need to find something good to do or to act counter to our culture or to not give in to the evil inclination that distracts us.

To be honest motivation starts with a decision. We must decide we want to do good. This may sound easy but there is a different between deciding to want good and deciding to want to do good. All reasonable people want good things not just for themselves but for the world around them. It must be a greater decision than this, it must be a decision to participate in the doing of good.

Next it always helps us to be motivated when we have others working with us. This is not surprising or even novel. Many hands make light work right? Doing good is also easier to accomplish when we have help. One of the first things that is mentioned about man is that it is not good for him to be alone. We need help to be motivated. We need to motivate each other.

If we are really speaking truthfully there are 2 kinds of motivation in this regard. We can receive a general encouragement about ourselves and life and what we are doing and we can get specific encouragement. General encouragement is good. We all enjoy an attaboy or attagirl for just doing well and being helpful, but it feels so much more gratifying when someone important to us takes notice of a specific thing. For us to receive specific motivation from important people we must be specific in what we need from people and specific in what we are doing or want to do.

An example is have you shared with your spouse or parents a goal of how you want to do good? Have you shared with them the specific elements, tasks, or efforts in doing this goodness? Perhaps you have chosen a specific mitzvot you want to know more about or to keep more completely, the idea of a personal mitzvot, did you share this with your important people in your life? If you have not then do not be surprised when you do not get the attention needed about that good effort. Sometimes we want important people to take notice of us without having to be obvious about it or without having to get their attention. That is simply not always possible. What is always possible is for us to draw attention specifically and directly to what we need motivation to do. In other words ask for motivation from those that are important to you.

Another piece of motivation is the conversation around your efforts. Have you shared progress about the good you have done? Are you honest about your deficits when you have not been consistent in doing good? Do you accept suggestions and correction with humility? All of this will lead to motivation and a greater doing of good things.

So if we have a lack of motivation what can it lead to? It can lead to laziness. It just so happens that sometimes we do not want to do anything. Sometimes I just do not feel like doing good. really says alot about laziness and to me infers a lot about us when we let laziness creep in.

“There is a lion in the way!

A fierce lion is in the streets!”

14 As a door turns on its hinges,

So does the lazy one turn on his bed.

15 The lazy one buries his hand in a dish;

It tires him to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The lazy one is wiser in his own eyes

Than seven rendering advice.

13A slacker says,

“There’s a lion on the road!

A lion is in the streets!”

14As a door turns on its hinges

so a slacker turns on his bed.

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Chapter 26

13A slacker says,

“There’s a lion on the road!

A lion is in the streets!”

14As a door turns on its hinges

so a slacker turns on his bed.

15The slacker plunges his hand

in the dish—

he is too tired to bring it back

to his mouth.

16A slacker is wiser in his own eyes

than seven people who answer sensibly

15The slacker plunges his hand

in the dish—

he is too tired to bring it back

to his mouth.

16A slacker is wiser in his own eyes

than seven people who answer sensibly

Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), Pr 26:13–16.

We can all find reasons to explain why one might not want to do anything. Some of them are even justified. It is kind of hard to do something when one is ill or dealing with some diffculties at that moment, but we cannot allow these things to form patterns of behavior that prevent us from doing good.

As well we should understand that doing good is not the same is doing great things. The good we do should impact the world around us most often in small ways and less often in total changes to life. Often times we are able to do good with little effort we just have to put forth some effort.

A method to over coming laziness in regards to doing good is to change our habits and patterns of behavior. I read an article recently in which the author found it took about 10 repitions of something to start a new habit. The author sited several studies from different behaivoral psychologists that supported the idea. The most impactful one to me was a study performed at Air Force boot camp. The article details an exercise in which the drill sergant has all his recruits make their bed. He then turned the light off and had the recruits get in their bed as if they where going to sleep. He would then turn the lights on and the recruits got up and made their bed and stood at attention next to their beds. Now in boot camp they repeated this drill many more than just 10 times, but 10 was what it took for most people. The author of the article tested this by establishing the habit of hanging up his jacket when he entered his appartment. He would unlock the door walk in hang up his coat and sit down. He immidiately got back up put his jacket back on and walked out locking his door behind him. He did this 10 times in a row immidiately 1 after the other. He reported the next day he would automatically hang up his coat instead of just throwing it on the couch when walking in his apartment.

What if we tried this approach with a mitzvah we struggled with. Just practice it 10 times a day one after the other until it became habit? Or if there is some good habit we want to establish, have we tried actually practicing outside of the situation we want to do it in? I dare say in doing this we would be battleing against the laziness that can effect us all. Laziness does not just go away one has to battle it away and vigilantly keep it away.

After we are motivated and we are ready to over come the laziness, what is our next obstacle? For some people it is just starting. Some people are motivated and not lazy but they just need to start. This can be harder than it seems. Some times we need resources such as time or money to start doing specific good things. This is not really what we are discussing in this case of starting good things. Why might someone not want to start something that they do want to do? Typically it is fear that holds us back. We fear failure, being judged for our efforts, and numerous other things. We cannot let fear hold us back from starting good things. Sha’ul writes to Timothy about his mission. In verse 7 he tells him something that should apply to all of us.

7 For Elohim has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of self-control.

The Scriptures Chapter 1

7 For Elohim has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of self-control.

Do not fear starting the good work that Adonai has inspired us to do. It is not by our efforts that they are done but by his will. Our choice is to participate in the good works he has set a side for us to do.

Do not fear starting the good work that Adonai has inspired us to do. It is not by our efforts that they are done but by his will. Our choice is to participate in the good works he has set a side for us to do.

Some people also need to be told it is OK to start something. We sometimes feel like we need permission to start things. So you are permitted to do good works you can start. Adonai has given us permission to do good works. tells us in fact to do good directly.

Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version Psalm 34

14Keep your tongue from evil,

and your lips from speaking treachery.

15Depart from evil and do good.

Seek shalom and pursue it.

and your lips from speaking treachery.

15Depart from evil and do good.

Seek shalom and pursue it.

As well it is quoted in . So this is not something for a time or people but all time and all people. It is for me and for you to do good we may begin.

As well it is quoted in . So this is not something for a time or people but all time and all people. It is for me and for you to do good we may begin.

So what do we have? We have the motivation and the drive and the permission to begin to do good. So what good are we going to do? Who are we going to share it with that they can help us stay motivated and stay driven to do good? I encourage those who do not know what good to do to pray and ask for inspiration. As well I encourage them to choose a mitzvah to make a personal mission or effort to pursue. If anyone needs ideas talk to friends or with someone here for ideas. There are so many ways to do good it is not hard to find something we can participate in.