Good for Nothing Now Good for God
This has seemed to be a busy day for me. I’m getting into the routine of my new responsibilities and after a busier day yesterday than I reailzed, It caught up with me today. So, I found that I needed more rest than anticipated and was not up to or didn’t seem like I had the time to get in some of my regular workout regimen. But overall, it was productive day as I enter into a new phase of life and recovery.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NCV
I’m not a big fan of horror movies; but it seems that the idea of “zombies” and the “walking dead” is in vogue. What is interesting that is pretty much what Paul says of those who lives their lives for themselves, ignoring God’s invitation for life. “In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God.” (Eph. 2:1) We don’t see the “divine and immediate” retribution for sin that some people anticipate from the way they live their lives. But don’t be fooled. The Lord already considers them “dead men walking.”
However this condition is not unique to those who are “really bad.” Paul says, “In the past all of us lived like them, trying to please our sinful selves and doing all the things our bodies and minds wanted. We should have suffered God’s anger because we were sinful by nature. We were the same as all other people.“ (Eph. 2:3)
The good news is when we have the sentence of death and we can’t help ourselves, regardless of what we do, we find that Christ comes the rescue. What an exciting story! “But God’s mercy is great, and he loved us very much. Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace. And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens.” (Eph. 2:4-6)
This death out of life comes by simply and confidently placing our “faith in Christ.” The result is we don’t have this new life by anything we do, because we would surely “boast” about our ability and then look down on others. Instead God in His mercy and wisdom provides life for all regardless of who we are.
The great reversal is that those who had the sentence of death and only did what was bad, now have new life and are able to do what is good. “God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” (Eph. 2:10)
The apostle Paul who wrote these words is a prime example. He went from a murderer of Christians and persecuter of Christ, to one who live for Christ and proclaimed life through His name. Paul lived his life doing “good” because he realized how bad he had been. He said, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Cor. 15:9)
The bottom line is that we were all under the sentence of death. The life and hope we have in Christ, is because of God’s love and mercy available through Christ. The “good” we do, we do because we have life in Christ by faith and we are now able to fulfill God’s purpose for our new life in Him.
Without Christ our “good” is never good enough. In Christ the “good” we do is all possible because of Him and for His glory.