David Bahn – Reflections

Ephesians 2:8-10

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

One of my favorite songs is by Philips, Craig, and Dean, called His Favorite Song of All. It expresses the joy of God over one sinner who repents of his sins and puts his faith in Jesus Christ. The glory of God is his grace. We have been saved by grace. Surely that is worthy of praise to God – more than anything else. I wonder, however, if I miss the workmanship of God and fail to give him the credit he deserves for his work in peoples’ lives. Truth is, God’s grace is more than a cause for a mantra of praise; it is a powerful force in the life of the believer which does a work in his heart. We rightly praise God for his work of redemption – more than for anything else.

But when we see evidence of God’s work in the life of a believer by means of a kindness done or a blessing shared, it is cause for praise to God. God is moving him or her along a path of his own design with opportunities for good works, acts of kindness, generosity, mercy and love already prepared for him.

Whenever I see the work of a true craftsman – especially a wood-worker for some reason – I am impressed, and almost in awe. Someone who is truly good at his trade makes an impression on me. I guess it’s because they combine skill with knowledge and a love for their craft. So I want to be very aware of God’s work in the lives of others and praise him for his workmanship in their lives as well as my own. That’s when “We have been saved by grace” becomes far more than a mantra. It becomes the foundation for a life of good works that brings praise to God every day.

Ephesians 2

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.