Faith And Works

Ephesians 2:8-9

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.

Trying to live a good Christian life can be confusing and frustrating at times. I have been through many times, of so much frustration trying to figure out God's plan for me, that I couldn't count the times.

We know we are saved by grace, and not by anything we did to earn it. We see big-time preachers, and a lot of us think that is the answer. We see someone like a mother Theresa, and think that is the answer. All of that would be wrong.

The truth is, God called each of us for a special purpose. We fit into his plans for other people's lives. It could be our prayers for others, small kindnesses we show others, or giving of our time or money.

God made it real simple for us. He gave us an instruction book called the Bible. We don't have to be frustrated, confused, or feeling useless. Just follow his word, enjoy his presence in your heart, and follow as you are led by the Holy Spirit.

James 2:17-20

Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, you have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my work. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

As we can see, faith and works go together. Just remember that salvation is by grace, and that grace inspires us to do the things of God. To give you a good idea of the kind of thing I'm talking about, Galatians 5:22-23 will give you a perfect idea of the kind of works we are talking about. There are others of course but this is a starting point.

Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. As I said this is a good starting point to give you an idea of the type of works that we are all called to do. If we do them we are following God's plan for our life until he directs us to do something else. God bless you and your family. Praise the Lord!

Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you.
Praise the Lord!
Amen