As we embark upon another year, let Let us celebrate His goodness and mercies and embrace our role as His workmanship, living our lives to glorify Him!
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
Grace is the foundation of our lives. Through God’s grace and mercy, we entered His kingdom, and we will continue to need His grace to live on this earth and represent Him well. Regardless of how well we know the Bible, how long we have walked with God, or the ministry position we hold, we remain in desperate need of His grace to carry us through life’s journey.
We will make mistakes, have misunderstandings, mistreat others, and act unlovingly. In those moments, we will need His mercy to cover our sins and redeem difficult situations. No one can boast about God’s grace and mercy because they are freely given, and no one can claim they have outgrown their need for His mercies and grace! This truth should keep us in a humble posture toward everyone—both the saved and the unsaved.
If we move into the New Year with a humble estimation of ourselves, we will be in a much better position to live out the rest of the scripture (v. 10). We are His workmanship—we did not create ourselves. God created us, and He will unfold His purpose and plan for our lives. God creates people and things intentionally and with a purpose (see Genesis 1).
Sometimes, we may not know what our purpose is, but that doesn’t mean we lack one—it simply means we don’t yet understand it. There are many things we don’t know. What should concern us more is knowing Him. The more we know Him, the more settled we are in Him. He gives us understanding in His time and in His way concerning those things that concern us and His heart for people.
The scripture above says, “created in Christ Jesus.” To me, this imagery resembles a woman pregnant with a baby. The woman carries the baby in her womb with hope and expectation that the baby will live a unique and individual life. The parents look forward to watching their child grow into adulthood, teaching and training them. They get excited when they see similarities in their child that reminds them of themselves. They desire to see their child becoming a mature, loving, and responsible person.
Similarly, we were created in Christ Jesus with hope and expectation. The scripture goes on to say, “for good works.” I was created by Him and for Him. I was created to know Jesus, and out of that relationship, my purpose is to do good works.
Why do we need to do good works?
After the fall, the world became filled with sin, darkness, and self-preservation—none of which represent the Lord well. People often live self-absorbed lives, but as believers, we are called to do good works because God is good, and He calls us to take on His nature. By being caring, truthful, and loving, we can be a light in a dark world. This will help others understand and know that there is a God who is good, loving, and faithful. Through a saving knowledge of God in Jesus, people can be freed from their own darkness.
Lastly, the good works that God has prepared for us are not something we need to conjure up or strive to accomplish. Scripture tells us that these works were already in God’s mind beforehand. He has prepared and ordained them. We don’t need to worry about doing enough or knowing exactly what those works are. Instead, we simply need to posture ourselves in humility, availability, and obedience—and He will unfold the rest before our eyes.
This perspective makes the journey exciting. It removes the unnecessary burden of trying to figure out what we need to do and keeps us focused on simply loving our Father. When we maintain this posture, we will be ready and willing to act when He asks something of us.
Some good works will be exciting and joyful, like leading someone to Christ. Others will require us to die to ourselves, such as loving someone who feels unlovable. Regardless of what He asks us to do—whether the world considers it important, valuable, or exciting—He considers it good work, and that’s all that matters!
Image by Claudio Henrique Claudio from Pixabay