pramsay posted on February 09, 2006 06:00 1265 views

After you finish reading this Bible Bite you will get on with your normal daily activities. What’s normal for you? Throughout your day do you perform good deeds to benefit others? Or is the ‘good works’ thing for christians who are retired and have nothing better to do? God intends for all of us to be distinguished by good works. One of the defining marks of every believer should be their good works.

Did God save me just to deliver me from going to Hell? No – that is just one of the benefits of being saved. But Ephesians 2:10 is crystal clear on WHY God saved me: “For we are His workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO (for the purpose of doing) GOOD WORKS….” The Lord expects our days to be full of good works. It should be the norm not the exception. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men that they may SEE your GOOD WORKS and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” They often HEAR our GOOD WORDS but are we wowing them with our good works?

Caleb whispers to Juliana as they walk out the door: “Wow! Did you ever see anyone like her before! I have never seen anyone so kind and so considerate and so thoughtful and so polite and so helpful and so generous and so, well…whatever!!…. as Bethany. She’s amazing. She always sees something to do and some way to help out. She is sooooooo unselfish.”

“The other day,” Juliana responded, “someone told me that Bethany is a saved person. I think that means she goes to church or something. But whatever it is she has, I am impressed. I would like to have what she has. Like, she does all this stuff with a smile on her face too. It’s not like she is forced to do it. Someday we should ask her what makes her so different from the rest of us.”

You know what makes her different? It’s not her church or her religion. It is CHRIST. She belongs to Him. His life was marked by good works and hers is too. Acts 10:38 says: “Jesus of Nazareth….who went about doing good.” The Lord Jesus asked this question in John 10:32: “Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

When Paul wrote Timothy about christian widows he said something like this in 1 Timothy 5:9-10: “Look at this woman’s track record since she became a christian. Has she exhibited Christ-like qualities that are expected of every believer? Ask some basic questions. Was she faithful in her marriage? Is she well known for all her good works? Did she care for children and orphans – those who were vulnerable, fragile and in need of support? Has she always been hospitable and helpful to strangers? Has she shown care for fellow-believers? Like did she wash their dusty old feet? Did she help those who were in any kind of trouble? In other words: did she diligently pursue every good work? Has she lived for herself or for others? Did she please herself or her Lord?”

How does my life measure up? It’s not too late to change. Ask the Lord to make you more aware of the needs around you and to have the desire and courage to help out wherever you can to shew the kindness, compassion, and generosity of Christ.

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