August 21, 2024 WHY WE WERE CREATED
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We hear much about how important it is for us to know our identity-and that is true. Much could be said about our identity as believers; but the passage above is a central part of our identity; no matter what we may know about our identity, if we miss this part, we have missed the mark. In this passage, it clearly states why God created us-that’s real identity! To know why we were created is powerful, and it’s liberating. No longer do we have to wonder why we are here and no longer do we have to try to find our purpose. How beautifully simple; we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. That’s it. We are His workmanship; made for a purpose. Do not overlook verse eight above; we are saved by grace through faith, not by good works-but we were saved for good works. If our salvation is not resulting in good works, then we are not spiritually healthy. And it’s not just any good works; the good works we are to do have been prepared by God! Many civic clubs and various groups promote ‘good works’-and that is a good thing; but in most cases, the works are done in order for the organization to get recognition for the good work. Why is it so important for the followers of Jesus to do good works? God is a good God and it is His nature and His desire to bless. Because we have been given a new nature that is of God, we too should have a natural desire to do good works-that’s just who we are and that’s what we do. We get blessed when we bless others, but that is not to be our motivation; we do not do good works to get a pat on the back. We do good works because God is our Father. You could never list all of the good works that one could do; it could be as simple as giving someone a glass of water or opening a door for someone; speaking an encouraging word; praying for someone; visiting the sick; giving financially; teaching a class; preferring others over yourself—you get the idea. We cannot meet every need we see; but if we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirt, He will direct us. The Spirit will lead us in specific ways, but at the same time, it should be a natural way of life for us to be about the good works that God has prepared for us. We should not feel compelled to do good works, rather, we should be looking for opportunity to be about good works. Finally, and very important: we do not do good works to get credit for it and we are not to be prideful of any good works we do. Only by the grace of God at work in us can we as mere flesh and bones do the good works that God puts in front of us.
Matthew 5:16 “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Blessings, Buddy
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We hear much about how important it is for us to know our identity-and that is true. Much could be said about our identity as believers; but the passage above is a central part of our identity; no matter what we may know about our identity, if we miss this part, we have missed the mark. In this passage, it clearly states why God created us-that’s real identity! To know why we were created is powerful, and it’s liberating. No longer do we have to wonder why we are here and no longer do we have to try to find our purpose. How beautifully simple; we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. That’s it. We are His workmanship; made for a purpose. Do not overlook verse eight above; we are saved by grace through faith, not by good works-but we were saved for good works. If our salvation is not resulting in good works, then we are not spiritually healthy. And it’s not just any good works; the good works we are to do have been prepared by God! Many civic clubs and various groups promote ‘good works’-and that is a good thing; but in most cases, the works are done in order for the organization to get recognition for the good work. Why is it so important for the followers of Jesus to do good works? God is a good God and it is His nature and His desire to bless. Because we have been given a new nature that is of God, we too should have a natural desire to do good works-that’s just who we are and that’s what we do. We get blessed when we bless others, but that is not to be our motivation; we do not do good works to get a pat on the back. We do good works because God is our Father. You could never list all of the good works that one could do; it could be as simple as giving someone a glass of water or opening a door for someone; speaking an encouraging word; praying for someone; visiting the sick; giving financially; teaching a class; preferring others over yourself—you get the idea. We cannot meet every need we see; but if we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirt, He will direct us. The Spirit will lead us in specific ways, but at the same time, it should be a natural way of life for us to be about the good works that God has prepared for us. We should not feel compelled to do good works, rather, we should be looking for opportunity to be about good works. Finally, and very important: we do not do good works to get credit for it and we are not to be prideful of any good works we do. Only by the grace of God at work in us can we as mere flesh and bones do the good works that God puts in front of us.
Matthew 5:16 “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Blessings, Buddy
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