Pastor's Corner

Theme for the year: Increased Greatness (Ps 71:21)

Theme for the month: The High Calling of God (Phil. 3:14)

Topic: You Are God’s Workmanship. (Eph. 2:10) (Part 2)

Ephesians 2:10 reveals that we have been "created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This raises an obvious question: "What are the good works God has prepared for us?"
Many of us would be inclined to answer this question by pointing to specific things Christians tend to do as an expression of their faith. Good works would include: attending worship services, praying regularly, studying Scripture, giving generously from our financial resources, joining a workforce in the church, visiting brethren to encourage them in faith, going for personal and group evangelism, caring for the poor, working for justice for the oppressed, loving our neighbors, and so forth. These are surely among the good works God has prepared for us. We rightly engage in these activities as people who have been transformed by God's grace through Christ.
But, if we think of good works only in these terms, we miss the extent to which God's plan for our good works are to be done. Our translation explains that we are created for good works, "which God prepared in advance for us to do." In other words, the good works of verse 10 are not obviously religious activities scattered throughout an otherwise secular life. Rather, the good works encompass the whole of the christian life and pursuits, all that we are and do by God's grace for God's purposes. It entails our private lives and the motive with which we carry out the good works. It is therefore very paramount that we ensure that our lifestyles conform to the desire of God. God hates hypocrisy. He would not tolerate those who are one moment for and another moment for Satan.
Proverbs. 25:4 says “Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth [the material for] a vessel for the silversmith [to work up]”. (AMP). The high calling of God upon our lives places a demand for a life of purity. In as much as good works are good, they are not good enough to earn us salvation. This places a demand on us to always ensure that we subject ourselves to the purifying fire of God so that we will always be acceptable vessel of good works.
Please pray this prayer: "Help me, Lord, to be a sanctified vessel of good works you have in store for me. Help me to be open to all that you would have me do. Teach me to see my whole life as you see it. By your Spirit, may I come to see every moment of every day as an occasion to do good works for you in Jesus name". Amen. May the Lord empower our spirit man with all-sufficient Grace that we may be able to stand to the end while pursuing the Purpose of our calling in Jesus name. May we not be found idle or busy for nothing while God's purpose for our calling languishes in a state of neglect in Jesus name.