GOLDEN DEEDS

Mike McDaniel

Much is said at this time of year about “keeping Christ in Christmas” and recognizing “the true meaning of Christmas.”  However, those who read and respect God’s Word realize that there is nothing in the Bible about Christmas or celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25th.  To learn of its origin necessitates consulting an encyclopedia rather than the Scriptures.  This celebration came from man and not God (Col. 3:17; Gal. 4:10-11).  God has kept the date of our Lord’s birth from us (Deut. 29:29).While I am thankful that people are remembering Christ at this time of year, we need to rejoice in Christ (Phil. 4:4), in His birth, in His teachings, in His miracles, in His compassion, in His death for our sins, in His resurrection, and in His ascension to the throne at God’s right hand every day of the year. Let us seek to emulate His example of selfless sacrificial service every day God blesses us to have.

A hymn we sometimes sing is entitled “A Beautiful Life.” The writer of “A Beautiful Life” was a man named William M. Golden.  He was born January 28, 1878, in Webster County, Mississippi. He was the son of James and Camella Hood Golding. William later changed his surname to Golden. It is said that he wrote most of his songs whole serving an eight-year sentence in the state prison. That puts an interesting spin on the lyrics, with their emphasis on the importance of our actions, and our unavoidable appointment “to meet the deeds that [we] have done”.

A woman named Judy Arline Puckett commented on a blog about this song in 2012.  She wrote, “Mr. Golden was a very good friend of my mother’s family when she was a child. The Golden deed was a nice play on words, with his name.” Mr. Golden explains what a golden deed is.  It is helping those who are in need. The message of the hymn is obviously the need to live a life of works that shows our faith. “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). A sense of urgency is added immediately by adding that my life on earth is but a span. “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10). The uncertainty of this life is seen even in Golden’s own story; he was killed in a traffic accident near Eupora, MS in 1934, at the age of 56.  On one occasion, Jesus referred to man’s entire life span as one day, including his own life.  “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (Jn. 9:4). Jesus understood the urgency of doing His work while He had the opportunity.

“A Beautiful Life” is a song that is filled with statements of resolve for spiritual growth and service.  It begins with, “each day I’ll do a golden deed by helping those who are in need, my life on earth is but a span, and so I’ll do the best I can.”  This thought alone should be resolution enough for any one of us, and think, what a difference it would make to Christ and to everyone around us if we would keep it all year long!  “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).  God can work through us to make us the next instruments of blessing to those in need.  A little kindness can make a big difference.

Each December, millions of people around the world watch Frank Capra’s 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful life” on Christmas Eve. The story focuses around George Bailey, a man who has a worldly vision for his future that is constantly put aside because of his selfless devotion to the town he lives in, and the people in it. In the end, when George thinks he and his Savings and Loan have been ruined by the evil Mr. Potter, his friends save him and reciprocate his golden deeds. It reminds me of the principle found in Proverbs 18:24, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”  To have a friend, we must be a friend.  In that movie, George Bailey was a friend to many.  He was one who sought to help people, to do golden deeds, who thought of others before himself, and it became contagious.  Bedford Falls would have been much worse without the existence of George Bailey.  As Paul said in Philippians 2:4, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

Golden deeds by the people of God will one day be rewarded (Mt. 6:1-4) as God “will render to every man according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6).  Not only will God reward us, but we will always enjoy the memory of what we did.  Thomas Le Mance wrote, “Several years back, I was lounging around in the living room listening to the radio when my dad came in from shoveling snow.  He looked at me and said, “In 24 hours you won’t even remember what you are doing now.  How about doing something for the next 20 minutes that you’ll remember 20 years?  I promise that you’ll enjoy it every time you think if it.”  “What is it?’ I asked, “Well, son, there are several inches of snow on Mrs. Brown’s walks. Why don’t you go see if you can shovel it off and get back home without her knowing you did it?”  “I did the walk in about 15 minutes.  She never knew who did the job, and my dad was right.  It’s been a lot more than 20 years, and I’ve enjoyed the memory every time I’ve thought about it.”  Let us try to do golden deeds each day.