Full of Good Works

Some time ago while we were having family worship I came across what is now one of my favorite quotes. We are reading Last Day Events, and there Mrs. White is quoted as saying, "Crowd all the good works you possibly can into this life." —Testimonies for the Church, Vol 5, pg 488 (LDE 76). Isn’t that fantastic? That is what life should be about.

Tabitha knew this principle well and it was the theme of her life. In Acts 9:36 it says, “At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.”

Tabitha, or Dorcas, was an amazing lady who was always going about doing good. Did you hear what the Bible said about her? Dorcas was “full” of good works and charitable deeds. This means that she (1) intentionally looked for opportunities to do good and (2) this was not an occasional thing. She overflowed with good works. This shows us that she didn’t just do good things when the opportunity arose, but she went looking for ways to do good and to give to others and she did it all the time.

Acts of the Apostles says about her, “At Joppa, which was near Lydda, there lived a woman named Dorcas, whose good deeds had made her greatly beloved. She was a worthy disciple of Jesus, and her life was filled with acts of kindness. She knew who needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy, and she freely ministered to the poor and the sorrowful. Her skillful fingers were more active than her tongue.” (AA, 131)

We all know what happened to Dorcas. Somehow she became very ill and died. The whole community was deeply saddened by losing Dorcas. They sent for Peter and he, through the power of God, was able to bring her back to life.

Acts of the Apostles goes on to say, ““Dorcas had been of great service to the church, and God saw fit to bring her back from the land of the enemy, that her skill and energy might be a blessing to others, and also that by this manifestation of His power the cause of Christ might be strengthened.” (AA, 132)

In the story of Dorcas, Christ illustrates the nature of the true Christian spirit. He shows that the truly converted heart will live a life of intentional good works, not because they are working for their salvation, but because they truly love the Lord and love their fellow man.

There are many ways that we can be “full of good works.” One purpose of this site is to share some of the ways that my family has found to reach out to those around us. We want to cultivate a lifestyle of good works!