You Are Called: Discover Your God-Given Gifts To Fulfill Your Purpose by John Bevere
Thursday Oct 16 Day Four
“For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9.
Think about this from your own understanding of Paul’s statement in this passage as well as other verses you may be familiar with. How would you define “grace” in your own words, as Paul uses it here, and how would you define “works” as Paul uses it here?
The focus of these two verses is the grace of God. It’s clear, abundantly clear, that we are saved by grace which is a gift from God. The 21st century church has done an excellent job of communicating this truth. We can never ever work hard enough, live pure enough, or sacrifice enough, to earn the privilege of spending eternity with our Creator Almighty God. This familiar scripture has been the most looked to reference to reveal this very important truth. However, we may have neglected what comes next. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.
BOTTOM LINE #1
Notice the next word after the 9th verse is “For.” This word “For,” is a conjunction which joins these two statements together. This tells us the beginning of Paul’s statement in verses 8-9, is not complete on its own. This word “for” means because of this, verse 10 should not be left out when reciting verses 8 & 9; otherwise, we don’t get the complete meaning of what’s being communicated. You ARE God’s workmanship, His handiwork.
Some personal questions to consider; thinking especially, of what we see in Ephesians 2:10:
How would you express your overall purpose in life as intended by God?
How does that purpose relate personally to Jesus Christ?
How does that purpose relate to God’s work and efforts as seen in this verse according to God’s truth for us in Ephesians 2:10, “before you were born He planned certain things for you to do?“
What kind of hindrances have you experienced, or would you expect to experience, in seeking to know and live out God’s unique plans for you?
What could you do to overcome these hindrances?
In a simple statement address to God, let Him know how much you desire to know with certainty, his plans for you, and how he expects you to live them out.
BOTTOM LINE #2
Paul states in Ephesians 2:10 that we are his handiwork created for a specific purpose to produce good works. To summarize in these three verses combined, Paul, in essence is saying we’re saved by grace to 1., be somebody, a child of God; and 2., we’re equally empowered by that same grace, and now listen to this, 3., to do something! We should never overemphasize one truth to the neglect of another truth, but let me emphasize up front, that who WE ARE in Christ Jesus, IS absolutely paramount to WHAT WE DO, because anything we do, or are called to do, SHOULD BE AN OUTFLOW OF WE ARE.
Think about your typical activities; what you actually have been doing during your wake time over the past week, or so. What statements do these activities make about who you truly are?
It’s tempting to shy away from the “do something aspect”, since it relieves us from any pressure of laboring to build the kingdom, but the serious reality of this our labor, energizes us. Jesus says in John 4:34 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” He also in John 20:21 said, “As the Father sent Me, I also send you.” By putting His two statements together, we clearly see that our food is to do and to finish the will of Jesus who sends us. Food strengthens us. If we don’t eat, we become weak and are good for very little. A few additional worthwhile questions to ponder:
What kinds of tasks or working situations have you experienced being energized by your efforts and labor? Through your relationship with Christ, as you remember His words, what would it mean in your life to say just as He said, “My food is to do God’s will and to finish His work,” what would that work involve? What does being sent by Jesus as He teaches in John 20:21 mean to you?
BOTTOM LINE #3
Doing the will of God strengthens us. Is what you’re doing in your life strengthening you? How passionate are you about the work you’re now doing? If you’re lacking passion, assess your situation carefully. Why do you think you’re lacking fulfillment in this area?
To Be Continued