Why would we forget to do good?

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 NIV 

This past week I heard a motivational speaker, Robert Jackson, share about his childhood experiences.  On one occasion, he was walking to school when he was confronted by a local gang. They told him to stand watch while they went in to rob this home.  He was not a good kid, but he knew this was wrong and he told them he would not be the “look out”.  They responded that if he did not do what they asked, then they would beat him up.  He replied, “then you need to start beating.”  For the next 3 months, they beat him up on the way to school.  Not one time did an educator ask him about his bloody nose or signs of being in a fight.  By the time he was 21, three gang members from that group were dead and one was doing life in prison.

Why would we forget to do good and share with others?  The starting principle is all people are hurting and have unresolved needs.  Maybe they haven’t been in a physical fight, but they may have had a heated argument with a spouse in which damaging words where shared, or one family member is dealing with a crippling addiction to alcohol or drugs, or perhaps the pressures and demands of life are causing them to contemplate ending their life.  People are hurting and many times it is below the surface.

So, why would we forget to do good and share with others?  What excuse comes immediately to your mind?  Part of the answer is located in the verse.  “With such sacrifices, God is pleased.”  To take steps to engage in “doing good” will require sacrifice.  The biggest of these sacrifices will NOT include money, but rather your time.  You can’t meet every need, but people are always worth the sacrifice of time.  Jesus had time to talk to the woman at the well, spend the afternoon with Zacchaeus, go to a party at Matthews house, or go into the wilderness with his disciples.  All of these “time” investments communicated to people that God “sees” them.  These investments (sacrifices) changed  the ones with whom Jesus spent time.

This side of heaven is your only opportunity to sacrifice your time and money.  Since heaven is in our future, sacrificing now is sometimes easy to forget. Remember to engage in doing good.