Looking out at work to be done
Linda Pollock
January 30, 2024
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Ephesians 2:10 (NRSVA)
10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
In this verse from Paul’s letter to the Body of Christ in Ephesus, he startles me with the truth that, “God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” This is our purpose, and it is made manifest repeatedly in diverse ways.
Recently, I had a Sunday off, I turned on the TV and tuned in to a YouTube teaching ministry I value. I was very comfortable, my coffee and toast never tasted so good! I loved what was being said, and when I switched off the TV, I switched off my response! You see, the teaching was from the USA, the church was heavily involved with many service projects in their community, but I was thousands of miles away and didn’t have to get involved. So much for being created for good works.
Friends, it is so much easier to do good works when you are grounded in a loving community of Faith, where you can be part of the Body of Christ practically as well as prayerfully.
The next part of the verse reminded me that our mission in life has been laid out for us from before creation! EEEK!
“…which God prepared beforehand…”
Our service in the Kingdom of God is not willy-nilly, easy-ozy, if ‘we can be bothered’! It has already been prepared, set up, by God — for us, for me, for you. Nobody else can complete the mission we have been given. It is our work and, IF we choose to accept the mission, we will be equipped to do it.
The final part of the verse is the bottom line for me, “…to be our way of life.”
Following Christ Jesus is not a one-off event, it’s not a week-long mission trip or a 6-week Lenten programme. It is a way of life and requires constant attention.
Sitting in church or watching on the internet, listening passively to teaching, is fine if you want to look out at the world and do nothing. But as the beloved community of saints, and one with the beloved community in Ephesus, we are invited to be co-workers with Christ Jesus, it is what we were created for.
What are you looking out at today. Is it a screen showing what others are doing or is it the vision Christ Jesus has for you and the community where you live and work?
Prayer:
Eternal God, thank You that You are still at work in and through us, Your beloved creation. Help us to look out at our surroundings and ask where we might do the works we have been created for in Christ Jesus, to serve You and others. We pray in the Name of Christ Jesus, Who completed His work for us. Amen.
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