Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 1-4
     New Testament Reading: Ephesians 2

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Our conversion is not the end, it is just the beginning. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. We are part of God’s new creation and God continues to work in us to make us more like Christ Jesus. God has to work in us before He can work through us. After we are saved, we begin to experience God’s deeper work preparing us for the work of His ministry.

We are created in Christ Jesus for good works. We are not saved by good works but saved for good works. We are not saved by faith plus good works, but by a faith that works.

God saves us by grace through our faith for us to do works of ministry. His plan was never for Christians to sit in pews and give our offerings, to hire a professional to do the work of ministry for us. God has gifted every single believer with spiritual gifts to do a work of ministry within the local church. God saves us and adds us to His church in order for us to do works of ministry.

The works Paul writes about have two special characteristics. First, they are good works. These good works are not from a person’s goodness but from a new nature given by God and the Holy Spirit working through them. Jesus said, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matt 5:16). We do not perform these good works to glorify ourselves, but to glorify God.

Second, these works are not only good, but they are prepared. God prepared good works for each of us to do. This is an amazing statement. It means that God has a plan for our lives and we should walk in His will and fulfill His plan. Paul is talking about the gracious plan of a loving heavenly Father, who wills the very best for us. We discover God’s exciting will for our lives as the Spirit reveals it to us from the Word of God (1 Cor. 2:9-13).