Day 29

Day 29
Accepting Your Assignment

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Sometimes we think that it all depends on us. We are taught that the burden of the world falls squarely upon our shoulders. We are conditioned to think this way. It's the good old American work ethic. As the commercial slogan goes, "They make their money the old-fashioned way, they EARN it." This ideal is held up for all of us to follow.

There is something intensely individualistic and ego-affirming in the idea that you make your own way. We would all like to think that we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We like the idea of being in charge of our lives.

But we are actually more like the little sparrow described in an old story from the Middle East. "A man was traveling on his donkey when he came upon a small fuzzy object lying in the road. He dismounted to look more closely and found a sparrow lying on its back with its scrawny legs thrust upward. At first he thought the bird was dead, but closer investigation proved it to be very much alive. The man asked the sparrow if he was all right. The sparrow replied, `Yes.' The man said, `What are you doing lying on your back with your legs pointed towards the sky?' The sparrow responded that he had heard a rumor that the sky was falling, and so he was holding his legs up in support. The man replied, `You surely don't think that you're going to hold it up with those two scrawny legs, do you?' The sparrow, with a very solemn look, retorted, `One does the best he can.'"

Our problem is like the problem of the sparrow. We might try to do the best we can, but our best is not good enough. In fact, our most noble efforts seem altogether puny compared with what is really needed. When the sky is falling, our reaction might be to lift our hands to stop it, but it will do us no good.

We are told in Ephesians 2:9 that we cannot save ourselves by works. This runs counter to what we are taught in our society. While we might like to think we are in control of our fate, it is really an illusion. We are not the masters of our fate. We are not the captains of our souls. And if we live as if it all depends on us, we will be bitterly disappointed. The fact remains that we cannot save ourselves, no matter how much we work.

But the good news is that our salvation has already been earned through the work of our Savior Jesus Christ. That is the whole message of Ephesians 2:8-9. There we read, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." Salvation is by grace through faith without works. There is nothing we can add to what Christ has done. What He has done is enough. We only need to place our trust in His work and stake our lives on it.

But what place do works have in the life of the Christian? This is a very important question. True Christianity is a faith filled with good works. And while we are not saved by works, works accompany salvation. I believe it was Luther who said, "We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." What he meant by that was that true faith will always reveal itself by accompanying works. To quote James 2:26: "Faith without works is dead." So works have a tremendous place in the life of every believer. They are evidence of the genuineness of our faith.

God's Masterwork
What does it mean that we are God's Masterwork? Humankind by itself is not the masterwork of God. The masterwork of God is the human being who has been made alive in Christ. Our text says, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. The ultimate creation of God is the one created in Christ Jesus.

The word translated workmanship is the Greek word poema. Of course, you will readily recognize that from this word we get our word poem. But poema means much more than this. It means a "work of art" or a "masterpiece." Those of us who are created in Christ Jesus are the masterwork of God.

We human beings are certainly at the top of God's creative work of art. But it is the new creation that fully reflects His genius. Think of what has transpired in us. We have not only been created once, we have been created twice. We are part of the new creation. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). God has taken our old self and replaced it with a new self. We have experienced a radical metamorphosis of life in which the very nature of our soul has been altered. We could not do it. We're not talking about turning over a new leaf here. We're talking about a new life in Christ.

This is really what salvation is all about. Salvation is a work of God. As a Christian, you are a work of God. Indeed, you are His masterwork. It is from this perspective that we can understand the place of works in the life of every believer.

Prepared For Good Works
Our text indicates why we have been created. We are not only told that we are His workmanship, we are told that we were created . . . for good works. This new creation in Christ Jesus has a Purpose for its existence. It is for good works that we have experienced the creative power of our Lord. As a believer, you have been prepared for good works. That is the reason why you were created and left here on planet Earth.

God has done a work in our hearts to give us a nature which is now compatible with good works. Before we met Christ, we could do good works, but by nature we were selfish. Whatever works we did were motivated by that selfish nature. A nature is hard if not impossible to overcome. I heard of a story, told in the Middle East to illustrate the conflict among certain groups there, of a turtle and a scorpion trying to cross a river. The scorpion said to the turtle, "Take me across on your back." The turtle said, "If I do that, you will sting me and kill me before we reach the other side." The scorpion replied, "No I won't. Why would I? If I did, we would both die, for I would drown." So the turtle, yielding to the logic of the scorpion's argument, agreed. The scorpion mounted the turtle's back and off they went. About half-way across, the scorpion couldn't stand it any longer, so he stung the turtle. As they were sinking to their death, the turtle cried, "Why did you do it?" The scorpion replied, "I couldn't help it. It's my nature!" A nature is indeed a hard thing to overcome.

But, as believers, we have a new nature --- one wholly compatible with good works. Indeed, a central characteristic of the Christian ought to be good works. Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16). It is by our good works that we will glorify God. Again, in Colossians, Paul prays for us that we might "Be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9-10). God has prepared us for good works.

God has performed a work in our hearts to adjust our nature so we naturally bear the good fruit of good works. And now we can do it, not from a selfish perspective, but from the motivation of love --- the love of God which is implanted in our hearts by His Holy Spirit.

Works Prepared For You
But God has not only prepared us for good works, He has prepared good works for us. Our verse says that we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. God has prepared two things. He has prepared us. And He has prepared the works for us.

In Philippians 2:13 we read, "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." God is at work in us to prepare us for the good works we are to perform. But the works we are to perform are the works He has prepared and ordained for us to do. There is a match here. God matches us to the work and the work to us. We are not simply told to go out and do good works. Instead, we are told that God has ordained the very works we are to perform. He has prepared them and placed them in our path.

This ought to be a very encouraging aspect of God's provision for us. To know that the very works we are to do have already been prepared for us means that we can relax. It is not up to us to go out and figure out what we should do for God. God has already taken care of that. It is up to us to find out what God has for us to do.

If we never open our eyes to the opportunities, we will never find what God has for us.
What then is the nature of good works, of the works for which we were saved, of the works that please God?

How do we discover the works God has prepared?

First, they must be covered by the blood of Christ. The service of believers is offered not as praiseworthy but as the tokens of gratitude and the fruits of grace. Even they are acceptable, not because (yet) of their own inherent worth or purity, but because they too are covered by the Blood. Because they come from grace, they are accepted for Christ's sake. But it is still HIS righteousness imputed to us not our own that saves us.

Second, they have a specific and definite character; they are not just anything we think would be "good." They were "prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." God has definite ideas what they should be. How do we discern them? By remembering their next characteristic:

Third, they must be in accordance with Scripture. Not every impulse of compassion that flows from our own wisdom is necessarily good. Surely it is good to give to the poor; but it is also scriptural that the one who will not work should not eat. We must keep both principles, the whole counsel of God, in mind lest our foolish attempts to do good actually result in evil.

Fourth, they are not one-time occurrences but constitute a lifestyle. They were prepared beforehand "that we should WALK in them." God is no doubt pleased any time we read our bibles . . . pray . . . attend church . . . give . . . witness and proclaim the Gospel . . . show his love. But what he is really looking for is a way of life that makes it natural and habitual to do so. Therefore, the works that are truly good are not coincidental but continuous; they are not random but regular; they are not haphazard but habitual, flowing from a fixed orientation and disposition of the soul.

Fifth, truly good works must have as their motive, aim, and effect the glory of God. Jesus himself said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mat. 5:16).

We must be sensitive to the daily tasks God places in our path. As we encounter these opportunities for ministry, we need to ask ourselves a very important question. Do not ask, "What would Jesus do?" as if He were not present. He is present. He lives in you! Rather, ask, "What will Jesus do through me?" You can be sure that if God has placed this good work opportunity in your path, then He has prepared you for the work, and the work for you.

These then are the works which please God, which he considers good: Christlike deeds flowing from Christlike character in response to the grace of God in Christ for the honor and the glory of the name of Jesus Christ. You cannot be saved by performing them, for you cannot begin to perform them until you have been saved. You cannot be saved by performing them, but neither can you be saved without performing them in some degree, for they are the necessary and unavoidable effects of the grace of God. "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created unto Good works in Christ Jesus, that we should walk in them." Let us so believe, and so walk.

The happiest people I know are those who are giving their lives to Make A Difference. My deepest prayer for you is that GOD will help you to know how and where you can make a difference for time and eternity.

Dear Lord, work through me for the good works you have prepared. Help me trust you to do these works knowing you have given me what is needed to accomplish the task. Amen

Point to Ponder: Service is not optional.

Verse to Remember: For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

React (and share) to the below statements:

1. What is holding me back from accepting God's call to serve him?

Day 30

Day 30
Shaped for Serving God

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23

There are some people who define their trade. Talk baseball and folks naturally think of Babe Ruth. Speak of inventors and Thomas Edison comes to mind. If poets are the subject of study, William Shakespeare's name will surface. When it comes to architects, however, Frank Lloyd Wright is among the best of the best. Read his biography. The words "genius," "brilliant," "unprecedented and "inspiring" are the tags people hang on his work.
Wright's architectural style is impressive, but his attitude is astounding. At the age of eighty-three he was asked which of his works he would select as his masterpiece. He replied: "My next one." Frank Lloyd Wright exhibited a work ethic that God would commend.

Writing to disadvantaged workers in the first century the Apostle Paul said: "Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." (Colossians 3:23)

Paul's focus was men and women caught in the grip of slavery, but his words apply to all of us. "Don't live to please the person who signs your paycheck, but the God who gives you life," says Paul. When I do that, my work ethic changes. Knowing it is Jesus Christ that I am ultimately serving, "good enough" is no longer good enough!

God created us to be people who serve him by serving others. We are people who are to be in relationship with others. We are to be people with PASSION. When I meet someone I often ask them "What is your Passion?" instead of "What do you do or what is your job?" Some people light up - others don't know their Passion. If they don't know their Passion, it is not because they don't have one (God always gives us the Passion to do what He wants us to do), it is because it has been so long since they have worked in God's given Passion area. Sad. I usually ask, "If what you are doing is not your passion - why do you keep doing it?" Is it worth it? Are you happy? Life is too short to be wasting time outside of the PURPOSE of God's will and outside of the Passion He wants us to have.

What is on your agenda today? What is your attitude toward it? What is your Passion? What is God telling you?

Today why not look at the projects on your "to do" list and then pray this prayer: "Lord Jesus, take my agenda - make it yours - and give me the joy to do what you have in store for me to do. Help me to discover the PASSION that you have given me to do your will. Amen

Point to Ponder: I was shaped for serving God.

Verse to Remember: There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 1 Corinthians 12:6

React (and share) to the below statements:

1. In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?

Day 31

Understanding Your Shape

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10 

"The world knows no different than to think that the gifts it has, be they wisdom, art, knowledge, power, honor or riches, it has of itself, and it does not believe that it has received them from God. Therefore it boasts of them, uses them only for its own benefit, and does not serve its neighbor with them; yea, it wishes to be highly honored and praised by those who possess them not. On the contrary, Peter teaches us Christians here that all gifts temporal and spiritual we have are gifts of God, which he gives to us for the purpose that one should serve the other with them; and the more one has received from him, the more he has to give an account for."  Martin Luther

Passion

What is your spiritual passion?

Take a few minutes of refection on these two questions:

What topic of conversation would keep you talking late into the night?

What would I most like to do for others?

What you've just begun to do is define your passion. Everyone of us has at least one. Passions can change according to our stage in life. Passions can get sharper in focus, or they can get broader in focus, as the years go by. But the fact of the matter is, everyone of us is passionate about something.

Imagine what would happen if you combined your spiritual giftedness with the passion that you have. Do you know what the result would be? You'd be passionately doing something supernatural.

And that's my point. Ministry doesn't have to be drudgery. You should have a joy, as Paul says in Ephesians 5:19-20," Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  

A crucial part of ministering effectively is doing something that you are passionate about, and happy about - music in your heart.  If more Christians had "music in their heart" more people would be attracted to us and ask why!  Try it!

Dear Lord - Make me passionate about you and what gift(s) you have given me to serve others and carry out your PURPSOSE in my life.  Keep me away from the things that detract from that PASSION.  Amen

Point to Ponder:  Nobody else can be me.

Verse to Remember:  "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10 

Questions to reflect and respond to:

Respond (and share) to the statements below:

What would I most like to do for others?

Day 32

Day 33

Day 34

1. Servants think more about others than about themselves. Servants focus on others, not themselves. (Phil 2:7) Unfortunately a lot of our service can be self-serving. We serve to get others to like us, to be admired, or to achieve our own goals. That is manipulation, not ministry. Real servants don't try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes. Here's a good measuring stick for how I'm doing. How do I react when I'm taken for granted, bossed around, or treated as inferior? (Matt 5:41)
2. Servants think like stewards, not owners. Servants remember God owns it all. In the Bible, a steward was a servant entrusted to manage an estate. That's a good parallel to our lives today. To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life. God is the creator and owner of all things!  I cannot give God anything - it is already His.  Am I being faithful in the management of HIS RESOURCES and using them as HE intends? God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant.
3. Servants think about their work, not about what others are doing. They don't compare, criticize, or compete with other servants or ministries. They're too busy doing the work God has given them. The world, and even much of the church, does not understand what God values. We are to be conformed to the image of Christ - not to the image of the world.  Can others see that we are different from non-Christians?  Your service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say. Public opinion will change like the wind. Focus on the audience of One - pleasing Him.
4. Servants base their identities in Christ. Because they remember that they are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth. Jesus washed the disciple's feet. Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. (2 Corinthians 10:18)The closer you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself.
5. Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They enjoy helping people, meeting needs, and building for God's Kingdom (not their own). They "serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps 100:2) because they love the Lord, they're grateful for His grace, they know that serving is the highest use of life, and they know God has promised a reward. They have the long-term eternal perspective in mind.

 

Gracious Father, help me to think as a true servant today. I need Your help - that I would have the proper focus - not on the opinions or praise or comparisons of others, but the persistence to do what You've called me to do today. I desire to show my love for You by caring for others in my world. Amen

 

Day 35

Day 35
God’s Power in Your Weakness

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

What are we going to do with our weaknesses?

• Deny?
• Defend?
• Excuse?
• Resent?
• Hide?

There are times in our lives when we lock ourselves behind closed doors. Harboring hatred in our heart cannot be repaired unless we open the door of our heart and claim Romans 5:5 - allowing the Holy Spirit to fill our heart with love. We may live behind the locked door of pride or selfishness. No one can unlock this door from the outside. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to do this, and we must ask for His help. Bitterness and hatred are terrible doors to be locked behind, but once again, these doors must be opened from the inside. 2 Corinthians 12:9 addresses this very subject when we read the words of Jesus: "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." God is capable of barging in your locked door, but He won't do this. He waits patiently outside the door of your heart, until the day you ask Him to help you unlock your burdens and allow Him in.

Remember the painting we have all seen - Jesus waiting at the door, hand raised, poised to knock? If you look carefully, you will note there is no handle on the outside of the door. No, the door of our heart and our troubles must be opened from the inside. If you need help today, call on the power of God who created the universe. Unlock that door, and invite Him in to help, support and save you from your deepest troubles.

A young boy was walking with his father along a country road. When they came across a very large tree branch the boy asked, “Do you think I could move that branch?” His father answered, “If you use all your strength, I'm sure you can.” So the boy tried mightily to lift, pull and push the branch but he couldn't move it. Discouraged he said, “Dad, you were wrong. I can't do it.” His dad said, “Try again.” This time, as the boy struggled with the branch his father joined him and together they pushed the branch aside. “Son,” the father said, “the first time you didn't use all your strength - You didn't ask me to help."

There is no way we can do the will of God - except in the power of God. The way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself. It sounds opposite to everything we have ever been taught, but its right for you and me. The key to everything is to see all things in perspective. We were not created to go it alone. You and I were designed to act in concert with God and also with one another.

"My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9). We see this often in Scripture, like when Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). HE will get you through. HIS strength works in weak people.

In Psalms 43:5 we find: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God." God is the help of YOUR countenance (He will put a smile on your face), and He is YOUR God (He will bring you through). He is strong and you are not, but He loves you and me.

Deep within us we find “signposts” that say "Keep Out" to God. Don’t touch my body Lord, not my child, my money or my work. It’s time to trust Him in EVERYTHING and see God's strength operating in you. Do you want the joy of the Lord? Take down your "Keep Out" signs and trust in Him who will deliver you from all your fears.

Dear Lord, May we all come to know the sufficiency of your grace. No matter what our circumstances, teach us to rely on your grace to sustain us. Thank you for the gift of a church family. Empower us to reach out to others, both within our church and without, and offer them love, support, and encouragement. May our lives be testimonies of your grace. Amen.

Point to Ponder: God works best when I admit my weakness.

Verse to Remember: My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

React (and share) to the below statements:

1. Am I limiting God’s power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses?
2. What do I need to be honest about in order to help others?
3. What doors in my life am I not inviting Jesus into?