Good Works

We live in a work-based culture which technically is not a bad thing in and of itself. If I study hard, I will achieve good grades. If I work out and eat nutritious foods, I benefit from a healthy body. If I come up with a new idea or new product, I could earn financial or even societal gain. If I work, then I get. 

But there is no amount of work that can lead to our own salvation. We cannot be good enough. We cannot work hard enough. We cannot gain a way to God by our own efforts. We cannot work away our sin. So, in God’s great mercy, He saved us. He did the work we could not do alone through His Son on the cross. Salvation comes only from God, and only through God’s mercy. 

At the same time, the Bible still encourages good works. We are to feed the hungry and care for the sick. We are to share the gospel and serve those in need. Jesus even says that whatever we do for the least of these we actually do for him (Mathew 25:34-45). Our good works are simply practical acts of love that meet the needs of others; not anything capable of saving us from our sin. 

May our good works come from a place of overflowing gratitude and adoration for Christ in response to a saving relationship with Him. May we truly invest in that relationship, drawing nearer to God growing in both our understanding and our appreciation for all He has done. 

------------ 

Lord, may I not grow weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9) while still remembering it is not my good works that cause You to love me; You love me simply out of Your goodness and mercy. Help me to remember that my faith in You is the foundation for my house, and my good works are merely the actions inside it. Thank You for the salvation You worked out for me; I am forever grateful. Amen.