Daily Inspiration - A Passion for Excellence (Excerpts from Max Lucados Grace For The Moment) In Christ Jesus, god made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing. Ephesians 2:10 The push for power has come to shove. And most of us are either pushing or being pushed. I might point out the difference between a passion for excellence and a passion for power. The desire for excellence is a gift of God, much needed in society. It is characterized by respect for quality and a yearning to use Gods gifts in a way that pleases Him.... But there is a canyon of difference between doing your best to glorify God and doing whatever it takes to glorify yourself. The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish. Exploration (Ephesians 2:8-10) 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Application When someone gives you a gift, do you say , Thats very nice-now how much do I owe you? No, the appropriate response to a gift is Thank you. Yet how often Christians, even after they have been given the gift of salvation, feel obligated to try to work their way to God. Because our salvation and even our faith are gifts, we should respond with gratitude, praise and joy. Verses 8, 9 We become Christians through Gods unmerited favor, not as a result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please ourselves. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, Gods intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church. Verses 8-10 We are Gods masterpiece, work of art, workmanship. Our salvation is something only God can do. It is His powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us His masterpieces, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work. Verse 10
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:18:38 +0000
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