Ephesians 2: 8 – 10 NLT
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
No – the same verses as yesterday are not a mistake. We’re going to look at them again today. These verses are so key to what being a Christian means. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Those are the verses we concentrated on yesterday, the verses that directly tell us that being a child of God is completely God’s doing. We can’t work to be accepted by God. Instead we must accept his love and grace, the gift of salvation because of Christ’s death and resuurection.
Today we are going to focus on the third verse: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
God has plans for us – “good things”. I wonder what comes to you mind when you read those 2 words. Good things: a nice home, a good job, a loving family, great friends, excellent health, fun vacations, a solid bank savings account … As I’ve read the Bible over the years, I have noticed that God can provide all those things just mentioned. David went from being a shepherd to being a king winnng battles and establishing Israel as a mighty nation. Solomon had incredible wealth and intelligence. Yet, neither of those two men had a perfect life. They faced difficult situations too. When you read about Jesus’ disciples or the Apostle Paul, they had challenging lives with tons of hard times. So just what are God’s plans, good plans?
Look at the introduction to this verse: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus”. As a believer, you have become a new person. The Holy Spirit lives within you giving you guidance and help in your life. God does have plans for this world, but his plans are to bring people to him. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3: 16) You are his “masterpiece”. You are a unique individual and you have a special place in God’s plans.
You might be thinking. I know I’m unique; there isn’t anyone else just like me. But … I’m not that special. I’m not an extroverted, smart person who other people are attracted to. I don’t have am important job with influence on those around me. I’m actually working many hours a week just to put food on the table. I’m not amazing at all. Stop! No matter what you think of yourself, God has plans for you!
Let’s look at some verses that help us realize what God has for us:
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15: 5
“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3: 5
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4: 7
“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2: 12 – 13
“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5: 16
God is with you and he can give you whatever you need to be a witness for him. You can help God bring about his plans. As you go about your day, ask him to help you be a person that demonstrates his love to those around you.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Our song for today is Trust in You by Lauren Daigle.