What in the World are You Doing?
What in the World are You doing?
A story is told of a man who refused to read the book of Job in the Bible because he thought it will only convict him to work because of the title “job”. The days of long term career and employment are over. The average stay on a job is now 4.6 years according to the 2012 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact we don't have enough skills for jobs of the future (5, 10 years and beyond). It is changing rapidly. Imagine the level of current and future dissatisfaction and restlessness for all who define themselves by their career and paycheck? You are “in Christ” and not “in a job/career”.
We are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works. We are saved by grace thru faith. Apostle Paul makes this very clear in Ephesians 2:8-10:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
What am I (and you) called to do and have I discovered it before it is too late? If there are good works, there must be bad works too. We are only called and fashioned in Christ for good works.
Before we believed and trusted in Christ, the expectation is that we just do what everyone else does “according to the course of this world” Ephesians 2:2. The word translated “course” also means “meander” meaning aimlessly and going with the flow. Are you still meandering? We quickly change to careers and outside jobs wherever there is more money. There is nothing bad about career moves for the right reasons. The work God has called us to do is not just a career which is one of the means to accomplishing your God ordained purpose. Good work is done everywhere and in any place.
If our good works are “prepared beforehand”, we therefore must discover the good works God has “fashioned” us to do. How? We do so daily by checking in with God who already made and knows them. We cannot just assume we know or that it is what we are currently doing. What is the good work? The work itself does not matter except to do what we are called to do according to the will of God who called us. Whatever He calls me to, that I do. It comes down to hearing the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to do His work in and thru me. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Our good work is to point people to God and be used to assist them in believing in Jesus the Son of God. We are to encourage people to have faith in God through our words and deeds/works. “16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
There are specific times/periods and specific works we are designed for and we must discover and do them. They can only be done in Christ. “5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”. John 15:5. Jesus is the source and path to follow to do His work. His path leads to a specific destination – good works and a response of “good and faithful servant”. There is no greater work than Jesus has done. He laid down His life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for others. Jesus is our example and He said to “learn of Me and to take up your cross daily and follow Me”. All our works are done in appreciation of Him who by His Grace saved us. Are you on the right path of doing good works? Good intentions and mere hard work will not get us to our destination but only when we are in the right direction leading to God’s way and path.
Work also implies labor, effort, perseverance and it is enabled by God's grace. Paul would say, “10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). 13 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing (Philippians 2:13 and 14),
Can we start the day by going to the Father and asking what He has created us to do today? He will surely show us. It will be the things that are in front of us that are so obvious for that day and hour e.g. a sick child. It could also be things we may not know immediately but we commit to trusting, surrendering and obeying His Will. It is a life of faith in Christ Jesus who is leading us and whom we are following; after all we are followers of Jesus. Are you going to meander aimlessly this day, this week, this month, this year? Paul would later say in Ephesians 5:15, “15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is”. I would add and do them.
Let's never overlook and think the work is always outside. Let's begin at home for charity begins at home. There are plenty of good works outside. Only do the ones the Father have sanctioned otherwise you will burn out quickly. Avoid the danger of outside good works because those are the ones noticed by others that we get accolades for. I call this the “big head syndrome”. Soon your head will explode when those praises come and/or when they stop coming. Am talking to myself; you don't have this problem. Remedy: give all the glory for the good works to God as well as all the failings. You and I will fail and will not get it right 100 percent. Failing does not make us failures but just that we need go back to the Father to hear clearly and try again. O yes, He is patient with us.
This week, my daughter Grace (5 years old) learned to ride the bike without the training wheels. She did not get it right and was afraid at the beginning. Now after three days she is cruising on our cull del sac. A neighbor asked me today is that your daughter I saw on bike? I said proudly yep. Let's make our daddy Abba Father proud for our good works not for our salvation I must add. Grace had her first bruises today. Are we going to have bruises in the course of doing God's work? A big YES. It may be physical, verbal bruises of insults and people not understanding what we are doing because the Holy Spirit instructed us on what to do and may not have done same to them. Obstacles should not stop us from doing God's good works.
Our good works are evidenced by fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, etc.(Galatians 5:22). Our bad works are evidenced by the lust of the flesh – hatred, contentions, jealousy etc. Galatians 5:19.
Again, What in the world are you and I doing? Let’s do good works as evidence and not reason for our salvation. Think home, school, work, neighborhood, church anywhere and everywhere for good works.
Father, thank you for making me in Christ for good works. Help me today to find out what they are and to do them with joy and by the enabling power of your Holy Spirit. Amen
A story is told of a man who refused to read the book of Job in the Bible because he thought it will only convict him to work because of the title “job”. The days of long term career and employment are over. The average stay on a job is now 4.6 years according to the 2012 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact we don't have enough skills for jobs of the future (5, 10 years and beyond). It is changing rapidly. Imagine the level of current and future dissatisfaction and restlessness for all who define themselves by their career and paycheck? You are “in Christ” and not “in a job/career”.
We are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works. We are saved by grace thru faith. Apostle Paul makes this very clear in Ephesians 2:8-10:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
What am I (and you) called to do and have I discovered it before it is too late? If there are good works, there must be bad works too. We are only called and fashioned in Christ for good works.
Before we believed and trusted in Christ, the expectation is that we just do what everyone else does “according to the course of this world” Ephesians 2:2. The word translated “course” also means “meander” meaning aimlessly and going with the flow. Are you still meandering? We quickly change to careers and outside jobs wherever there is more money. There is nothing bad about career moves for the right reasons. The work God has called us to do is not just a career which is one of the means to accomplishing your God ordained purpose. Good work is done everywhere and in any place.
If our good works are “prepared beforehand”, we therefore must discover the good works God has “fashioned” us to do. How? We do so daily by checking in with God who already made and knows them. We cannot just assume we know or that it is what we are currently doing. What is the good work? The work itself does not matter except to do what we are called to do according to the will of God who called us. Whatever He calls me to, that I do. It comes down to hearing the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to do His work in and thru me. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Our good work is to point people to God and be used to assist them in believing in Jesus the Son of God. We are to encourage people to have faith in God through our words and deeds/works. “16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
There are specific times/periods and specific works we are designed for and we must discover and do them. They can only be done in Christ. “5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”. John 15:5. Jesus is the source and path to follow to do His work. His path leads to a specific destination – good works and a response of “good and faithful servant”. There is no greater work than Jesus has done. He laid down His life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for others. Jesus is our example and He said to “learn of Me and to take up your cross daily and follow Me”. All our works are done in appreciation of Him who by His Grace saved us. Are you on the right path of doing good works? Good intentions and mere hard work will not get us to our destination but only when we are in the right direction leading to God’s way and path.
Work also implies labor, effort, perseverance and it is enabled by God's grace. Paul would say, “10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). 13 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing (Philippians 2:13 and 14),
Can we start the day by going to the Father and asking what He has created us to do today? He will surely show us. It will be the things that are in front of us that are so obvious for that day and hour e.g. a sick child. It could also be things we may not know immediately but we commit to trusting, surrendering and obeying His Will. It is a life of faith in Christ Jesus who is leading us and whom we are following; after all we are followers of Jesus. Are you going to meander aimlessly this day, this week, this month, this year? Paul would later say in Ephesians 5:15, “15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is”. I would add and do them.
Let's never overlook and think the work is always outside. Let's begin at home for charity begins at home. There are plenty of good works outside. Only do the ones the Father have sanctioned otherwise you will burn out quickly. Avoid the danger of outside good works because those are the ones noticed by others that we get accolades for. I call this the “big head syndrome”. Soon your head will explode when those praises come and/or when they stop coming. Am talking to myself; you don't have this problem. Remedy: give all the glory for the good works to God as well as all the failings. You and I will fail and will not get it right 100 percent. Failing does not make us failures but just that we need go back to the Father to hear clearly and try again. O yes, He is patient with us.
This week, my daughter Grace (5 years old) learned to ride the bike without the training wheels. She did not get it right and was afraid at the beginning. Now after three days she is cruising on our cull del sac. A neighbor asked me today is that your daughter I saw on bike? I said proudly yep. Let's make our daddy Abba Father proud for our good works not for our salvation I must add. Grace had her first bruises today. Are we going to have bruises in the course of doing God's work? A big YES. It may be physical, verbal bruises of insults and people not understanding what we are doing because the Holy Spirit instructed us on what to do and may not have done same to them. Obstacles should not stop us from doing God's good works.
Our good works are evidenced by fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, etc.(Galatians 5:22). Our bad works are evidenced by the lust of the flesh – hatred, contentions, jealousy etc. Galatians 5:19.
Again, What in the world are you and I doing? Let’s do good works as evidence and not reason for our salvation. Think home, school, work, neighborhood, church anywhere and everywhere for good works.
Father, thank you for making me in Christ for good works. Help me today to find out what they are and to do them with joy and by the enabling power of your Holy Spirit. Amen
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