Works
“Saved by grace through faith…not from ourselves but by the gift of God…not by works, so no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus TO DO GOOD WORKS, which God prepared in advance for us to do” ( Ephesians 2:8-10 ). Too often, we like to hear 2:8-9, but we leave out verse 10. We want the salvation, but we don’t wanna work. We want the “stimulus check”, but we don’t want to GO BACK to work after it runs out. ( Sorry yall…i just get mad when folks get lazy. ) But seriously though…Ain’t that the way it is so often ? We want the BEST in life, but we don’t want to do anything to capitalize on it. Because it’s “free” ( which it wasn’t ! ), we don’t appreciate it as much as if “we” had to earn it. Go back to your first car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or 4-wheeler … If mama or daddy was paying for it, you’d boil the tires, rawhide it, speedshift it and never think twice about it…but, if “you” were makin the note and payin for the gas, that was a whole nother story. We tend to appreciate things more when the burden is on us. Why can’t we appreciate them more, for the simple fact that someone cared enough or loved us enough to bless us with it ? When God sent His Son to earth to live us an example and teach us His ways, He knew that Jesus would have to die. He didn’t see a people that would appreciate it, but He sent Him anyway. He foresaw the cruelty and disrespect that His Son would endure, but He sent Him anyway. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” ( Romans 5:8 ). That’s how God proved His love for us ! How do we take an example like that and incorporate it into our daily lives today ? BY OUR WORKS !! For which HE created for us to do !! ( Verse 10 !!! ) Unless we “die to self” and surrender to that cross, alongside Jesus ( Luke 9:23 ) , we’ll always live verses 8 and 9, but leave out verse 10 ! This is the greatest lie that Satan uses to keep so-called “Christians”, lost and useless. They live their whole lives thinking they’d checked the right box and secured their place in heaven, but they never produced any fruit ( Galatians 5:22-23 ) that proved their allegiance to Christ ! It’s like the old Wendy’s commercial back in the early 80’s, where the little old lady says, “ Where’s the beef ?!?”. If the tree don’t “produce”, it gets chopped down ( shoot ! chainsawed nowdays ! ) and thowed in the fire ( Matthew 7:19 ). This oughta wake us ”good Christians” up ! If salvation hasn’t changed us ( 2 Corinthians5:17 ) and we’re livin life as if we’re “entitled” … we better get out the coat hangers and hotdogs ! God’s grace is amazing alright ! The faith we exhibit we owe to Him also ! Christ did the work we couldn’t do ! Now it’s our turn ! Saved unto good works … and it’s all for HIS honor and glory !! What are we waiting on ?!? Times runnin out !!