Still on the subject of “just do the right thing,” here are a few more true stories — in abbreviated form — to show us that God has an unchanging, irreversible pattern of restoring or rewarding people when they just do the right thing.
There was this man in his late 30s who was successful in business. Alas, many business people keep two books so they can pay much lower taxes. Well, my friend didn’t. He kept only one set of books — his actual sales.
One time, his taxes were significantly higher than usual. But he didn’t have enough funds to pay his taxes in full — so he prayed that God would provide the funds. But he didn’t know how in the world God would do this.
Suddenly, for two weeks, he had 4x the number of customers he normally had! God gave him what he needed to pay the BIR in full! When the amount to pay his taxes was reached, his sales when back to normal. Amazing, right? Just do the right thing.
Then there was this tall, lovely, highly-accomplished woman who was having an extramarital affair. She was advised to stop it immediately, confess, and ask forgiveness from her husband when he was well-rested, well-fed, and in a good mood — not when he was cranky or tired.
She was counseled to be ready for the consequences. Accept it with dignity. No groveling, no blaming, no manipulation. She was told that it was better that her husband heard it from her than from someone else. She obeyed, and just did the right thing.
Her husband, though shocked and absolutely crushed, forgave her. Both of them went for biblical counseling to heal their raw, open wounds.
It was a rocky, agonizing reconciliation — but they made it. Now, they’re happier than when they got married! They persevered. They just did the right thing.
Then there was this battered husband. Maybe they’re “rare” because very few battered husbands seek help. This gentleman got hit in hidden parts of his body so his bruises couldn’t be seen.
His counselor advised him to talk to his wife about the abuse in front of their close friends, so that they could be accountable to them. If she hurt him again, he’d call or go to one of their close friends immediately.
The advise given may sound simplistic, but it worked. She stopped verbally and physically abusing her husband. But after some time, the husband opted for a legal separation. He lives a much less stressful life now. Definitely safe and content where he is.
Then there was this drug addict who was kicked out of his job. When he came home from abroad, his family sent him straight to a Christian rehab center where he was led to surrender his life to Christ and study the Bible as part of his healing from drug addiction. While he first hated his parents for sending him to rehab, he was later profusely thankful to them.
Now, he’s no longer a drug addict. He’s happily married, gainfully employed, and a good father to his children. He just did the right thing.
There’s a whole slew of stories I know of, about people who were delivered from lives of quiet desperation, self-sabotage, self-destruction, catastrophic choices.
But at a certain point, they just did the right thing — they surrendered themselves to the highest power of all, Jesus Christ. Then they watched their lives being transformed — moment-by-moment, inch-by-inch, day-by-day.
Just do the right thing. Even if it’s the hard thing to do. Because in the end, life will definitely be better.
The Bible gives us this unassailable assurance: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
