What powerful words from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

These words make up part of the bedrock of our church’s belief. Righteousness from God comes through Christ alone by faith alone in Him, and this is revealed to us by Scripture alone. There was nothing you had to do to earn the right to be called God’s son or daughter. That’s His gift to you, given freely whether you wanted it or not; whether you fully realized it or were ignorant to the tremendous power of that reality. Because of God’s grace, you have been saved.

That’s the great Christian truism. Jesus is Lord. He’s the world’s Savior, some just don’t know it yet. Which makes me give a sigh of great relief…because when it comes to my salvation and life in Christ, it means I have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone, anywhere. All I have to do is point to Jesus, because the most important thing in my life has already been accomplished for me. And I am a full benefactor of that great achievement.

Life can feel like one gigantic series of tests (for a great illustration of this check out this link). Every next step in life is coupled with a set of rules, regulations, and expectations we must somehow learn and follow. This is how our world operates out of necessity. Our God even operates this way, which is why He’s given us His Laws to provide order and establish peace and harmony.

The problem is that we can never live up to all of life’s expectations, or God’s expectations. We can work tirelessly, make great strides, become a cut above the rest- but when is good, good enough? When has anyone ever arrived in their earthly success?

Now I’m all for motivated living, and there certainly is no such thing as the spiritual gift of bump on a log, but maybe we need to think harder about why we even try to do anything?

This is where that handy-dandy verse 10 of Ephesians 2 comes into play. Verses 8 & 9 declare that magnificent work God achieved for us:

It’s by grace you were saved, lost one! Not by your own work, but simply by believing in faith what God has done. It happened totally outside of you, it’s God’s gift so that you couldn’t take any credit.

Once we receive this Good News, then we can hear verse 10:

And because of this, you will go on to do many great things! You’re God’s handiwork after all. Created, redeemed, and restored through Christ Jesus and made to be good work machines! God’s already picked out the times and places you’ll do these great things…so why don’t you go and meet Him there?

Do you see the beauty in how God’s work and our work fit together? The one flows from the other. Because God has done His good work in us, we are now purposed to do good works through Him. Any good that happens because of us is simply the evidence of God’s faithfulness and power. Do you want credit for things in your life? Own up to the things that went against God’s Will- that was your own fleshly power at work.

The beauty of this comes when we realize that we don’t have to ever worry again if we’re good enough. You have been made good enough. You are good enough because you’re God’s possession, bought at a price. This means that we have absolutely nothing to prove to this world, but instead we are free to give everything. Free to share our time with those who need it, our resources with those who are lacking. Free to dream boldly and dare greatly because we have nothing to lose in Christ!

There are times I wonder if my life is really making a difference. I question the impact I’m having and the work I’m doing. And it all stems from that haunting question- am I good enough?

God tells me, just as He tells you:

You are good enough. Good enough to die and rise for. My Spirit rests on you, child. It’s a Spirit of power, and not timidity. The world has already been conquered through the work of my Son, Jesus. You go out and testify to everything He’s already accomplished. He is with you always. Act boldly in my name- if it is of Me, it cannot fail. Never forget that you rest securely in My arms.

And don’t forget; you have nothing to prove, and everything to give.

Enjoying the Journey,

Pastor Doug