Work because of Grace

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. 
Ephesians 2:8-10 (HCSB)

In our Human thinking we sometimes will debate Grace - vs - Works.  There really is no debate when we see what Paul writes here to the Ephesians.  He is clear we are saved by grace.  Salvation is a gift from God.  All the boasting for salvation goes to God.  He is the one who has done the work for salvation.

But also notice we are His creation.  He is created us for works.  In fact in God's wisdom and plan He has prepared, ahead of time, what He would have us do.  There are some general things, like holiness, righteousness and becoming more like Jesus, that are common to us all.  But there are also some specific things that God has created you and recreated you to be as a New creation for Jesus.  God has a very specific plan for you personally.

So the reality is for the Christ follower we are saved by Grace and God has work for us to do.  In fact the evidence of our salvation is in our works. (See James)  The question for us as Christ followers is will we be found living out His grace in our works?

Forgiveness

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1 John 1:9 (KJV)

God loves us so much that he offers us forgiveness.  It is part of His plan of grace for us as followers of Christ.  When we sin forgiveness is available.  You are never to far or to deep into your sin that Christ can not bring you out.  Our step is to confess.  We acknowledge to God that we understand what He says about our sin.  Confession means to agree with His assessment of us.  It should always be followed by repentance.

But the most amazing truth we find in this verse is not about us but about Him.  He is faithful.  He is just.  He will cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness.  It is in God's nature that no matter how far we have fallen or drifted from Him, He will always forgive when we confess our sins to Him.  As Christ followers we continue to struggle with sin, but He is faithful and will forgive.

Following Him

 “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."
Matthew 16.24


Someone asked me the other day about salvation and following Jesus.  She wanted to know if salvation was free or did we have to do something more?  The truth is God forgives us by grace.  It is not something to be earned.  But salvation and following Jesus go together,  They are two sides of the same coin.  Forgiveness is free.  We are saved by grace.  But Jesus' desire is for us then to follow Him and that can be costly.
Being a Christ Follower means that we follow Him by deny ourselves  and taking up our cross.  That means that His priorities become our priorities.  It means that we our willing to sacrifice ourselves and we surrender ourselves to His will.
Are you ready to give Him complete control of your life?  If so you are experiencing the life of the disciple.  Life is at its best when we are living for Jesus.

God Knows

I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of My people, My inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up My land.
They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.

Joel 3:2-3 (HCSB) 

Most of the time when we draw our attention to Scripture like this one from Joel, our focus is often on the end times.  This passage does refer to things that are to come.  But what caught my attention as I read was this simple truth.  God sees the minor details in my life in the midst of major things going on.  We face persecution, pain and trials at the hands of evil people.  Being a Christ Follower does not make us exempt from such things.  In fact if anything it escalates the persecution we experience.  But look at this and notice that God knew all the minor details of the abuse.  He knew a boy was bartered for a prostitute.  He knew that a girl was devalued for a little wine.

When you face the hard knocks of trials and persecutions just remember that God sees not just the big picture, but also the little things that we might think goes unnoticed.  Remember you are His child and part of His bride.  He knows all that you are going through and all that has been done to you.  Remember also that God will punish those for their abuses to His people.  He is as much a God of judgement as He is a God of Love.  He gives grace and Justice.

Grace

Grace is good. Consider its implication in our day to day living.

Just One

 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Matt 18:12-14 (NASB95)

 Have you ever heard anyone say, "if you were the only one Jesus still would have come to die on the cross for you?"  Isn't that an awesome statement?  And it is so true.  The parable that Jesus teaches here in Matthew 18 tells us it is.  Aren't you glad we follow that kind of God.

I'm glad my God is a God who values one.  I am important to Him.  All by myself He is willing to give all.  Just for me   And even more He searches for those who need to be found.  God is not trying to get us or trick us He wants us to experience Him.  He and all of heaven rejoice when a lost one is found and comes home. 

What a great loving God we serve!

Demonstration of Grace

 But I received mercy because of this, so that in me, the worst [of them] , Christ Jesus might demonstrate the utmost patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

1 Tim 1:16 (HCSB)

The Apostle Paul understood his usefulness in the Kingdom of God.  He new that even in salvation it wasn't about him but about Jesus.  Our salvation is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His grace and what He can do with a sinful being.  While our salvation certainly is a gift and benefit to us.  It is also a part of God's bigger picture of His glory.  You were not saved just for you to escape hell but to proclaim His goodness and greatness.
If we as Christ followers fail to proclaim our testimony of salvation, if we do not tell others of His grace, love and forgiveness, we are not fulfilling our purpose for living.  Be challenged by Paul to not think about what you have been given but how what you have been given can impact the lives of others as a demonstration of His grace.

You are His Masterpiece

For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Eph 2:10 (HCSB)

What do you know?

Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know.

Jer 33:3 (HCSB)

We all face times when we wonder, "what next?" There seems to be an ever constant quest for the Christ follower to determine God's will. There are many things we could say about that quest. But Jeremiah 33.3 says this one thing. If you call you will find me. If you find me I will tell you wonderful things.

God is a good God! And while not every experience we encounter we would describe as good. A good God is still in control. He has a plan and if we trust Him we will experience wonderful truths. Again we may not always experience wonderful things but we will see wonderful truths that will guide us in this life.

Call! Find! See!

Wilderness

He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels began to serve Him.

Mark 1:13 (HCSB)

I love the wilderness. There is nothing I would rather do than be outside, hike and explore places that are wild, beautiful and uninhabited. I have always had a dream to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. But while I yearn for the rugged beauty of the wild I also appreciate and appropriately fear the "wildness" of the wilderness.

Maybe I've never noticed. Maybe Mark emphasizes it and the other gospels don't but when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness it was more than Satan to contend with. Jesus was bombarded with it all. I had never noticed. Of course we know the importance and the challenge of Satan's temptation. But Jesus also faced the physical rigors of the wilderness and all while fasting for 40 days.

Let me share an insight. When we face our "wilderness" challenges there is often more than one challenge to face. In Jesus situation He faced a Satanic, spiritual challenge but there was also a physical challenge and also a challenge of living in the wilderness of a fallen world. (can I say lions and tigers and bears . . .)

Here's the point! No one ever said that being a Christ follower was easy. We will face challenges and wilderness testings. Our testing will have a spiritual side but also a worldly and physical side. But in all of this don't loose heart. God will be faithful. After all Jesus knows what the wilderness is like!

Who do you trust?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming.

John 10:11-12 (HCSB)

Here is an important truth for every Christ follower. You must understand this and even count on it. People will let you down. I meet so many people who reject Christ, or drop out of Church or are very sarcastic towards Christ followers because they have been hurt or disappointed by others.

Jesus reminds us that He is the good shepherd and He lays down His life for His sheep, but others will let you down. I have told our church family, that at some point I will let you down because I am Human and sinful just like everyone else.

The lesson here is two fold. Don't allow yourself to become disgruntled with God's people because they aren't God. Second, deal with others with grace and mercy. We all need some forgiveness from time to time.