Walk

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

Right after one of the most familiar verses in the Bible (y'know "saved by grace through faith"...) is this little gem. Several thoughts come to mind...

We are created in Christ for good works and not by good works. In other forums I've expressed this idea by saying we don't do in order to be, we do because we are. This is more than just word-play. We can exhaust ourselves trying to do things for God, hoping that we can earn a little love and acceptance. Or we can rest in the fact that we are already loved and accepted - as much as we could ever be - and let that motivate us to serve with joy and gladness.

God prepared the works ahead of time. Dare I say it? He created us for a "purpose"! Omniscient and eternal God knew all about us - personality, appearance, relationship style - and prepared good works for us ahead of time that would teach us, stretch us, and fulfill our purpose in this life.

We "walk" in the good works. Stay with me on this... When God looked for language to describe the outworking of the good works in our lives, He used a word that described one of the most natural things we do: He chose walking. If I want a book that's on a shelf on the other side of my study, I don't say, "O.K. what did they teach me in that 'Walking in 7 Easy Steps' class? Do I have on the right shoes? Now, I stand up and extend my right leg before setting it down 14 to 16 inches in front of..." Instead, I get up and go get what I need, without thinking about it.

ATTENTION: LIFE APPLICATION POINT APPROACHING>>>

Too many believers approach "good works" with a "saving the world" mentality - Our good works must be bold, risky, and exciting. But I think good works - the kind we can walk in naturally - might also be things like loving our spouse and kids, showing kindness to a neighbor or stranger. In other words, every time we treat another person with respect and dignity, and extend the same helping hand we would want extended to us in similar circumstances, we are walking in good works.