God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 are some of our most beloved verses. Many of us have these verses memorized and tucked into out hearts. Their offering of assurance coupled with a blatant reminder is significant!
But I encourage you to add verse 10 to these other two verses.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
These three verses together pack a powerful punch when we’re having moments of uncertainty and seasons of doubt. They provide
- Assurance—God saved you by his grace when you believed
- Humility—Salvation is a gift from God not a by-product of our efforts
- Purpose—as God’s masterpieces, new creations in Christ, we’re to put our faith into ACTION
Seriously, can you imagine if we were saved by our good works? Our motives would be so skewed we’d be worse than the Pharisees of old!
BUT God gave us a better way.
Do you remember how you felt the day you accepted God’s gift of Salvation by accepting Jesus as your savior? How the love, gratitude, devotion, and HOPE exploded from your heart because you are now a new creation? How about moments since, when you felt so close to God you swear you could hear His heartbeat and touch His face?
It’s out of that love, devotion, and gratitude we do our pre-planned good works, confident our salvation is secure. This is how our works become an act of worship—even in our seasons of doubt. And it’s how we become more like Jesus—aka, sanctified! We do what He did—serving others and God with love and humility. Doing our work with excellence.
My friend we were never meant to just stand in God’s grace. We were meant to take that grace and walk out our faith in doing the good things He planned for us long ago by using the unique set of gifts and talents He’s given us. This is how we participate in God’s plan. What you do may seem insignificant, but remember, you have no idea what seeds you are sowing. But God does. And it’s our job to be faithful.
Blessings
Cheyenne