Making Merit?

“‘You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’ This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’” Haggai 1:6-7, NIV.

Working at a rural development teaching farm just outside of Nan, Thailand, gives IMB missionary, Doug Ringer, many opportunities to meet and work with different people. Buddhism, in its purest form, is a works based, atheistic religion. People try their best to do enough good deeds to outweigh their bad deeds. However, it is interesting what things the Northern Thai believe will bring good merit.

Doug often works with a particular catering company in Nan to bring in meals for the poor farmers who come to the teaching farm for the training seminars that he leads. One day the owner of the catering business commented to Doug, “I like to do this for the poor people. It earns me merit.”

“I haven’t figured out how she thinks that charging her full rates to cater meals earns her any merit,” said Doug with a laugh. Then he suddenly got serious. “It would be funny if it weren’t for the fact that this woman, like many Northern Thai, is counting on such “good deeds” for her eternity.”

Pray that:

Northern Thai will realize that good deeds will never outweigh the cost of their sin.

Believers ministering among the Northern Thai will not become discouraged by the Buddhist mindset that is often resistant to the Gospel.

God will use the teaching farm where the Ringers work to impact many villages in Northern Thailand with the Gospel.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.