For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast Ephesians 2:8-9
One day as I was driving, I saw a signpost saying ‘works exit’. This was a warning to drivers that road works vehicles could be close by and we should drive carefully. But that’s not how I read it. The following question entered my head;
‘Have you exited from your works?’
The honest answer for me was ‘no’. There is something about the flesh that wants to work to deserve the goodness of God. Grace doesn’t work like that, grace is undeserved favour. We actually frustrate the grace of God when we try to work for it.
Now ask yourself the same question, have you exited from your works?
Works aren’t actually a bad thing. It’s the motive behind them. True grace will produce good works. In fact, Ephesians 2:10 says that we are ’created in Christ jesus to do good works…’
If the Word of God tells us about good works, we must conclude that there is ‘bad works’. This is when we perform out of self, rather than just effortlessly produce fruit as a result of resting in Christ. Bad works can look good on the outside. It may even involve doing ministry, but with the a slavish motivation.
Rest in Jesus today and produce good works!