Ephesians 2:1-10                                                                                         

For We Are God’s Handiwork

Reading through the passage, it was easy for me to get caught up in the amazing news proclaimed (for indeed it is THE most amazing news) which stretches throughout the verses and overlook the last verse: For we are God‘s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (v 10)   I, as most of us, have experienced God‘s incomparable riches of grace. I know that my life can never go back to the way it was before and that God’s grace should encompass all the plans I have for my future. Thus, I realize that if God’s grace has truly brought me back to life with him, I ought to be asking myself what Paul describes in the last verse. What are the good works that God has prepared for me?

One of my favorite books describing the Christian faith is Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. It is about a man who, convicted by his guilt of sin, experiences God’s amazing grace of forgiveness and embarks on a journey to God. On his walk of faith, he encounters different people who either try to hinder or confuse his walk of faith and others that come alongside to encourage him. Just as in the book I also believe that our faith is like a journey and we go through different stages of life.

As a still fairly young person I believe it is easy to think that we “young‘uns” have the world figured out. I have had painful and very humbling experiences in arguing with other people, thinking I had all the answers, only to stumble over my own words. I have learned (often times the hard way) that I truly still am a student, not only in my professional life but also in my walk of faith. My role right now is to listen and to learn, to follow good examples so that I may be a good example to others. To slowly increase the fruit of the Spirit so that in the future I might do the works God has in store for me even better.

I believe that preparation for good works is just as important as the good work itself. Thus, all the hours that I invest in reading and studying the Bible, or all the sermons I hear, or all the talks I have with other believers, will help me in the future to do good works. I do not believe that this bars me from any good works now in the present, but I do believe that to think I am well past the point of studying the Word would be folly.

So what stage are you in and what good orks has God already prepared for you?