I Am Created to Do Good Works for Christ

Posted on Sep 14, 2015 Topic : Weekly Devotionals

"We are...created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10)

We all know what it is like to feel small. As we look around us, it is easy to see people who are performing with peak proficiency, people who are being accomplished with quickness and creativity. In comparison, we often feel small and feel that we are inadequate, incapable, even inept.

But here’s something important to remember: In God’s economy, bigger isn’t always better. Remember the poor widow in Luke chapter 21 who gave her gift to God? Her “widow’s mite” was the equivalent of only one-twentieth of a penny. Based not on the size of her gift, but on the size of her sacrifice, Jesus singled her out, saying, “This poor widow has put in more than all the others” (Luke 21:3). He was indicating the small offering from her humble heart had far more value than all the other gifts. The widow’s mite was mighty—she had given with a sacrificial heart.

The issue is not size, but sacrifice. The smallest kindness, the smallest deed, will not go unnoticed by God. A small work is a great work when the heart motive is right in God’s sight.

A.W. Tozer wrote, “It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act.”

As a child of God, do you realize God has already prepared, in advance, a fulfilling and meaningful work for you to do? This plan was in His mind even before you became His child. Perhaps you might think, But I’m not really capable of doing anything significant. Be assured right now you are fully equipped to do a precious work, a powerful work, a work of love.

I know a woman who takes the “teddy bear stance.” All teddy bears have one common characteristic: their arms are open wide. Think of the people in our world who are never hugged. What a ministry this dear woman has—encouraging others with a warm embrace! She stands with her arms open wide, ready to share God’s love.

Have you ever felt insignificant because no one noticed you were reaching out? Your sacrificial effort may have seemed too small to be appreciated. Remember, as you see yourself through God’s eyes, you can know even an unseen deed is not hidden from His view: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these…you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). In God’s sight, no sacrifice of the heart is small.