Doing the Good Works God Prepared for Us

             Yesterday, I heard a well-known actor talking about his faith.  He said that he prays every day that he will live up to his potential.  The more I thought about that statement, the more I thought that he was right.  We should be striving to live up to our God-given potential every day. 

            In Ephesians 2:10, Paul tells us “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV84).  God has plans for us!  He has things that He wants us to accomplish in our lifetime.  He created us to complete those good works.  How do we know what those “good works” are?

            First, we know that we were all created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43: 7).  That means that our “good works” must bring praise to our Father.  We can only glorify Him if we learn to walk in His ways and follow as He leads.  That is a learning process that requires an intimate relationship with God and the help of the Holy Spirit.

            Even when our heart’s desire is to walk closely with our God, we are often at a loss as to what that might look like.  We are each unique individuals with our own talents and abilities.  So, the next step is to consider how those talents and abilities can be used to glorify God.  There are many tests that one can take to determine their spiritual gifts, their aptitude, and their personalities.  All of these can be helpful, but none of them will accomplish anything if we aren’t willing to step into action.

            Sometimes, we think we have all the answers regarding our abilities and where we could best be of service, but then, God takes us out of our comfort zone.  He desires to stretch us and show that it’s not all about us.  It’s about His power being displayed through our weaknesses. 

            As children of God, we are not just part of the family, we are part of the family business—saving souls.  That means, that whatever talents, abilities, or opportunities that He gives us need to be embraced wholeheartedly for the good of the Kingdom.  He prepared “good works” for us to do, so we might want to embrace that fact and begin praying daily that we will fulfill our complete God-given potential, just as He intended.

Ephesians 2: 10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hi, I'm the Sun Porch Lady

  Hi, I’m the Sun Porch Lady. I recently retired and while most of the world thinks that is a wonderful thing, I've found it to be anything but wonderful. I've been going to school and/or working since I was six years old so finding myself with nothing, but free time is a whole new experience.   I have no structure, no daily schedule, and seemingly no purpose in my life.   While that may sound like heaven, I believe that Christians never retire.   God just repurposes them. As I struggled to find new purpose and bring some structure back to my life, I turned to writing.   Over the years, I have often written devotional thoughts or put various ideas to paper.   I can’t say that I’ve ever been very good at journaling but from time to time, I have written about events in my life that taught me values or made me more aware of God working in my life.   So, to keep busy and hopefully spark an interest in others I've decided to create this blog. I’m callin...
Read more

Is there a "Banana Cake" for you in 2025?

                 Most families have at least one Christmas tradition.   Our family is no exception.   One of our traditions when I was growing up was my Mom’s banana cake.   She only made it once a year, at Christmas time, and the whole family loved it—even my Father who was a very picky eater.   Once the cake cooled, Mom would cut it down the middle and then hide half of it.   She wanted to make sure that we would still have some when friends or family dropped in.   We knew better than to search for her hiding place, and she knew that if she didn’t hide part of it, we would eat it all.               When my Mom got sick and could no longer bake the cake, my Dad decided that it was my job.   As my closest friends know, I am not much of a cook—although I’ve seen some improvement since I retired.   That first year was a disaster.   Th...
Read more

Freedom Isn't Free!

             On Christmas night, 1776, George Washington engineered a surprise attack on Britain’s German allies, capturing 1000 Hessian troops.   The story of him and his troops crossing the icy Delaware that night gave hope to a new nation fighting for its life.   Regrettably, the celebration was short-lived.   Just a week later, the enlistments of most of his troops were ending, and it seemed unlikely that they would stay to continue the fight for freedom.   As he faced that prospect, Washington lined up his troops and offered this plea. “My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your cou...
Read more