Good Works

First of all I ask you who read this to begin in prayer. Ask God to reveal to you His meanings in my writings. 1John 5:13 says "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life." So you believe in Jesus Christ...now what? Are you content with your beliefs and possibly just going to church on Sunday, or do you want more? Are you like Abraham and have a desire to see more of God? How far is far enough for you when it comes to your walk with Christ? These are questions I want you to ask yourselves right now. Ask God what he thinks.

Doing good works is something that I think many people get confused about in Christianity. On one hand you have non believers saying that they don't see Christians doing as much good as other religions and on the other you get the Christians saying that we are saved by God's grace "so we don't have to do good works." Although it does say in Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.," the very next verse says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Now I know it doesn't say that we have to do good works to get saved. Quite on the contrary, I believe it is saying that God created (2cor 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.") us so that we would be able to do good works in His name. This is where those questions in the first paragraph come in. Are you willing to have a deeper relationship with Christ? Even if it means losing

the things of this world? John 15:7 says "Whoever has My commands and obeys them he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father and I too will love him and show Myself to him." This verse didn't say anything about salvation, but it did talk about being loved and seeing Christ.

So how do we DO good? The actual doing part I believe is an act of your free will and choosing to be obedient instead of turning from God's plans for you, so I can not help you with that except to say that it says in Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future...'" I can, though, tell you what God has given me about three scriptures in the bible which tell us about being able, prepared and equipped for good works.

All Christians are able to do good works that are pleasing to God according to Ephesians 2:8-10 which you read in paragraph two. This verse is states we were created for good works and is the foundation of three verses that God used to inspire me to write this. The best real world example of this verse would be like if a friend told you what kind of flower they like. Since you love your friend you would buy what they like so you would please them. I look at this as a much better situation than buying that flower just to make a friend. God already loves us. Do not do good works because you want Him to love you more. Do it out of the outpouring of your love for Him and you will be closer to Him.

After knowing that we are able, we need to know how to prepare ourselves for good works. 2Timothy 2:20-21 says "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter,