Issue 10 - Day 3

Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:8-10
8)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

I think this is one of the better known passages in the bible, and I am always reminding people of verse ten. I am always reminded of a Peanuts cartoon where Linus and Charlie Brown see Snoopy shivering in the snow. They go over and tell him, “Be of good cheer”, and then walk away. Snoopy quite rightly, as he continues to shiver has one thought. “?”

Here is the crux of the matter. Once you are saved Christ has made you a new creation. He did it. He had a purpose, which was to make someone who would do good works. Many people don’t even get that far. Are you doing good works? Even that is not sufficient, as Jesus also tells us that everything we do should be done as if it were for him. That indicates a different attitude in everything we do. These good works are not to be grudgingly, because we have to, or to earn brownie points. These things are to be done gladly, with a willing heart, out of a desire to serve God.

The final step is the end of this verse. Not only are we to do good works, but we are to walk in them. Now this is a challenge. Doing sounds like one off events, whereas walking is a continuous motion. Picture the difference between stomping in a puddle every now and then, compared to walking in the sea, following the shoreline. One is an action, the other is a way of life. God calls us to a way of life. Now walk in him.