Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I hesitated to write on this because it is our Verse for the Year in this church. I am deliberately not going back to January 1^st to see what I wrote then! Even saying this with the congregation every Sunday morning this year I realize that there is no Scripture I fulfill perfectly in this life, which is to say I’ve still got growing to do. However, that’s true for every believer, and the sooner and better we realize that, the happier and more fulfilled we will be. God has double rights of ownership to us, having created us in the first place and then, after we sold ourselves to sin, buying us back. As the Scripture-based song says, “I am not my own, I am bought with a price; I am purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.” We have every reason not to like the idea of slavery, but I think God allowed that human – demonic, really – institution to help us understand the position we got ourselves into with sin. We see stories on the Internet all the time about things being returned to their rightful owners, and they are presented, rightly enough, as “feel good” stories. Likewise we see stories of families being reunited, and we rejoice with those as well. God wants us to know that we belong to Him and we are His children, so the ultimate “feel good” story is when someone returns to their heavenly Father. That’s why Jesus told the parable of The Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Just before he told that parable He made a very important statement: “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) There is ultimately no real joy or peace apart from returning to the One who created us in love to be His children and do His will, for our blessing and His glory.

This is something to which I have given lip service most of my life, but I haven’t walked it out in fullness. That’s why I still have times of frustration, irritation, and even depression. Just yesterday I failed to let something slide when someone spoke in thoughtless ignorance and touched a very sensitive spot in my soul. They had no idea what they were doing, and the only ones who suffered from my reaction were myself and my wife, who had to put up with me. I still have plenty of room to grow and heal! Going back to the verse, I don’t know even a fraction of the good works God has prepared for me to do in my remaining years in this body, but I need to be committed to recognizing them when they arrive and fulfilling them in obedience to Him. The danger comes in my deciding ahead of time what they are supposed to be and launching out on my own, or conversely, drawing back from what God has planned. I need to be fully submitted to Him so that I can indeed resist the devil and have him flee, (James 4:7) for my blessing, the blessing of the people around me, and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me keep growing, particularly in my sensitivity and obedience to You, so that I may walk out all the plans You have for me. Thank You. Praise God!