“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.” ― John Wesley
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up.– Galatians 6:9
Dear Friends,
It seems that Science agrees with the Apostle Paul; we will reap rewards for doing good
I found these “7 Scientific Facts About the Benefit of Doing Good”*
DOING GOOD DECREASES STRESS – According to a 2013 study examining the relationship between volunteering and hypertension, giving back can have a significant impact on blood pressure.
DOING GOOD INCREASES LIFE-EXPECTANCY – Researchers from the University of Buffalo found a link between giving, unselfishness and a lower risk of early death.
DOING GOOD MAKES US FEEL BETTER – Ever felt a sort of “rush” after performing a good deed?
That sensation is known as ‘helper’s high’ and is produced when your brain releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals of the brain.
DOING GOOD MAKES US HAPPIER AT WORK – According to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, altruists in the office are more likely to be committed to their work and less likely to quit their jobs.
DOING GOOD PROMOTES MENTAL HEALTH – After an extensive review of 40 studies on the effect of volunteering on general health and happiness, the BMC Public Health journal has concluded that volunteering is also good for mental health.
DOING GOOD LEADS TO HAPPINESS – “People who engage in kind acts become happier over time”, says a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside who has studied happiness for over 20 years, and found that performing positive acts once a week led to the most happiness.
DOING GOOD WILL MOTIVATE YOU TO DO GOOD AGAIN – A 2012 study published in Psychological Science found that thinking about times you’ve helped others will make you want to help others again.
Of course, Paul was not thinking about these tangible, earthly benefits of doing good so much as the reward of looking back on all the good we did after our heavenly reward. But I believe that part of the reason that God asks us to help others isn’t just for the benefit of those others; surely God knows what these scientific studies show, we also directly benefit from the good that we do.
Psalm 37:3-4 says, Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
If we are truly delighting ourselves in the Lord, the desires of our hearts will be to serve God by being of service to others, and then we will be rewarded by the good feelings that our good deeds produce in others and in ourselves. When we are able to set aside our own self-interests, even for a little while, and go out of our way to help someone else, it is good for us – mind, body, and soul.
So do something good for yourself; do some good for somebody else!
Peace!
Pastor Layne
*Excerpted from “7 Scientific Facts About the Benefit of Doing Good” – goodnet.org Mirele Mann,
Editor & writer.