Inheritance, Not Wages
OPENING PRAYER:
God of grace, remind me of everything you have already given me in Christ. Settle my heart in your love before I ask what I should do. Amen.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10
Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul explains that salvation is entirely God's gift. Then he shows where good works fit in.
REFLECT:
Pastor Rodney said this part of Matthew 25 blew his mind: The King invites the sheep to "take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." The sheep were not working for their salvation; as Pastor Rodney put it, they were working from a changed heart. An inheritance is not a paycheck. No one earns an inheritance by working overtime. It is received because of who you belong to.
Paul says the same thing. We are saved by grace, through faith, not by works. And yet he immediately adds that we were created for good works that God prepared in advance. The order matters. The heart change comes first, and then the action. We do not serve the forgotten in order to be saved; we serve them because we have been saved.
This guards us from two dangers. One is pride, the belief that our good deeds make us worthy. The other is passivity, the belief that because salvation is free, how we live does not matter. Grace sets us free from earning, and it also sets us free for serving. We work from our salvation, not for it.
APPLY:
Take a moment to thank God for specific ways he has shown you grace. Then ask, "What good work have you prepared in advance for me this week?" If your heart has ever been stirred for kids in foster care, take a step by signing up for the Fostering 101 class. Find out more in the Pathway App or at pathwaychurch.com/fostercare.
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will take action to remember the forgotten.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, thank you for an inheritance I could never earn. Let your grace move me, not guilt or pride. Use my hands for the good works you prepared long ago, so that others might see your love. Amen.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.