"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV)." We see these verses quoted most often to show that we are saved by grace, and not by the merit of our own deeds, and that is clearly so. But verse 10 also carries an equally important message, when it says "For we are . . . created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." That we were created by God is established from Genesis onward, throughout the Bible. But notice here that Paul is talking about another creation, a creation "in Christ Jesus" through salvation, by grace, through faith. This is the "new creature" creation! And look for what purpose: "to do good works". And what good works? Those that "God prepared in advance for us to do."  Is this, apart from the remainder of the passage first quoted, above, not a powerful and profound message within itself?

I heard Joyce Meyer, this morning, talking about those among the saved who say "I don’t know what God is calling me to do", or "I don’t have the financial means to help". We are all called to particular purposes, whether to preach, teach, counsel, serve the Body (being the members of the local congregation) etc. Some Christians, especially those who are recent converts, or who have 

not studied the Word and sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit through meditation and of God through prayer, do not yet know the particular ministry to which God is calling them. However, we are all called to service, and the opportunities for service, always giving the honor, glory, and credit to God, are practically endless. Any act of kindness, of caring, of nurturing, of providing for someone in need, of listening, of praying for others, done in Christ’s name, is an act of service, and of obedience to the call of Ephesians 2:10.

And, too, we are all called to witness, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the lost and with those who are saved but who have failed to grow in Christ, and are therefore ignorant of the abundance and riches of His grace toward us. So many Christians will say "I don’t know how to witness" or "I’m just not good at witnessing." This conveys a misunderstanding of witnessing. A witness is someone who testifies as to what he or she knows. Do you know Christ? Do you know the promises of His Word? Then simply telling others of what you know, in your own simple words, is all you need do in order to fulfill the mandate to witness. There is no need for flowery or ‘magic’ words. Your simple service, and simple words, gladden the heart of God!                                                       

Yours in Christ,