The Subtle Line Between Good and Right

There was once a hungry beggar sitting by the roadside. A preacher walked past him, looked at him, and began preaching about the coming of Jesus, repentance, confession of sin, and belief in Christ. He even thumped his Bible against the beggar’s head before leaving.

Later, another man passed by. He saw the beggar’s condition, went into a nearby store, bought some bread, and gave it to him. The beggar ate immediately.

Now tell me: who did the right thing, and who merely did a good thing? Clearly, the man who fed him did the right thing. The beggar needed bread, not a sermon.

James 2:8 (GNT) says, “You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’”

Love sometimes looks very practical.

Even Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Even God cannot stand before a hungry man unless in bread’s form.” You might disagree with Gandhi. After all, God can do anything. He could have made the beggar feel full while being preached to. He silenced lions for Daniel, right?

But here’s the question: if God always intervened, how would we learn obedience? How would that preacher know what he did to the beggar wasn’t right?

James 2:15–17 asks what good faith is without action.

And here is something interesting: the right things are always good. But good things are not always right. That difference can change history.

Saul: When Good Became Disobedience

In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel commanded King Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites: “don’t leave a thing” (1 Samuel 15:3, GNT).

But Saul and his men spared King Agag and kept the best sheep and cattle. Why? To offer them as a sacrifice. It sounded spiritual. It sounded noble. But it was disobedience.

Samuel responded to Saul’s blunder like this: “Which does the Lord prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey Him than to sacrifice the best sheep to Him” (1 Samuel 15:22, GNT).

Saul chose what looked good instead of what was right. And that decision reverberated across generations!

Esther 3:1 tells us that Haman was a descendant of Agag. Saul’s incomplete obedience eventually placed the Jewish people in danger centuries later! Disobedience is not always loud. Sometimes it looks reasonable. Even religious. But it spreads.

The One Thing

In Luke 10:38–42 (GNT), Martha was “worried and troubled over so many things.” Mary, however, sat at Jesus’ feet and listened.

Jesus said only one thing was needed. Martha wasn’t doing something evil. She was serving. But Mary chose the right thing. Sometimes, the right thing feels unproductive. It feels small. It feels passive. But it aligns with heaven.

Spurgeon said it clearly: “The way to get the revival is to begin at the Master’s feet; you must go there with Mary, and afterwards you may work with Martha.”

A Hospital Lesson I’ll Never Forget

In 2014, I was an intern in a multispecialty hospital in Bangalore, India. I worked under the Head of the Department (HOD) of General Medicine.

One day, a critically ill patient with severe pneumonia was brought in. His lungs were failing. His breathing was laboured. Every possible intervention was considered. But each option would likely cause more suffering.

After careful assessment, the HOD made a decision: he signed a DNR form, Do Not Resuscitate. As an intern, I felt uncomfortable filling it out. It felt like writing a death sentence. Like we were giving up.

The patient died later that day. It wasn’t good. It didn’t feel good. But it was right.

The right choice prevented a violent and painful end. It required wisdom. It required restraint. And later, the HOD was questioned by the administration. The decision looked suspicious. Risky. Even wrong. But it was right.

You see, the right thing can look questionable. John the Baptist was accused of having a demon (Luke 7:33–34, GNT). Jesus was called a glutton and a drunkard. Yet both were doing what was right.

1 John 2:29 (GNT) says, “…everyone who does what’s right is God’s child.”

We won’t please everyone. That’s impossible. But we must seek wisdom to discern what is right in His eyes. Because sometimes God asks for only one thing. Not the impressive thing. Not the emotional thing. Not even the “good” thing.

Just the right thing.

Come! Just like some of the “Hall of Faith” members, let’s do what is right and receive what God has promised (Hebrews 11:33, GNT).

Writing helps me slow down and listen better to God. Some of the reflections, like this one, are in my debut book, Seeing Through God’s Eyes: Discerning Biblical Wisdom for Faithful Living, made available for FREE. The download link(s) are here, if you feel like checking them out.

Thanks for reading!

© Dr. Anudeep Manne