I invited my good friend and colleague, Nathan Parker, to share some of his thoughts this week. He provides some great insights on applying the truth of the gospel to every aspect of our lives….
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
What do you think of when you read this verse in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians? What are the “good works” that Paul is speaking of? Perhaps you might think of sharing the gospel with an unsaved friend or family member. Or you might consider volunteering at the Alley, serving a hot meal. Or your mind might be drawn to good works done on a mission trip, whether locally or in a foreign country. Certainly these are all very good works and God is glorified when we do these things in the right spirit and with the right motivation. But what about the other 95 percent of our lives? What do good works look like there?
For far too long a mindset has existed in the church that there is a separation between the secular and the sacred, between the mundane and the spiritual. When it comes to work and vocation, we tend to elevate the ministerial (i.e. “if you’re really spiritual then you become a pastor”) and downplay other worthy vocational pursuits. Which means that when we come to a passage like Ephesians 2:10 about “good works”, our minds are naturally drawn to “spiritual” activities like evangelism and missional outreach and not to the ordinary things we do throughout the week. Unfortunately, this can cloud our judgment and make us think that unless we are participating in church activities we can’t really be doing good works.
The fact of the matter is that for forty or more hours in the week, most of us are either working (inside or outside the home) or going to school. Surely Paul did not mean for us to bracket this part of our lives as being unrelated to good works. God has saved us by His grace in order that we might do good works–not just in the church and on mission trips, but also at work, at home and at school. Everything that we do, if done in faith and for the glory of God, fits into the category of “good works.”
Matt Perman, commenting on the Ephesians passage above, says that ”Productivity is really about good works….This changes how you think about everything. It means that when you are getting your email inbox to zero, you aren’t just getting your email inbox to zero. You are doing good works. When you are going to a meeting, you aren’t just going to a meeting. You are doing good works. Everything that we do as Christians, in faith, is a good work. And therefore we are doing good works all day long — and consequently need to learn how to be more effective in them so that we can be of greater service to others.”
Working hard at what we do at home, at the office, or in the classroom is a good thing. Learning to do it more effectively and productively is a good thing as well. Doing such things reflect the glory of God to those around us. Let’s be careful to not get caught up in the mindset that separates the secular from the sacred. We shouldn’t give your work less effort it seems “less spiritual” than our church activities. The aim of all we do should be to live for God’s glory, especially when we are out around those who do not know Christ. Perhaps our godly work ethic may cause them to wonder what is different about us and may provide an avenue to share the gospel with them. In the meantime, let’s reflect the change that the gospel brings by working diligently at all we do. Another challenge from Paul comes to mind:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).
