When Good Works Aren\u2019t Really Good
\nCopyright by Shea Oakley
\nAll rights reserved<\/p>\n
\u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.\u201d\tEphesians 2:8-9<\/p>\n
Our truest good works are a function of the authenticity and intensity of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Any human being can perform such acts, whether they are a believer or not. In fact, by common grace, there are individuals who appear to out-give many Christians. But for the child of God loving acts of kindness towards others must be grounded in passionate communion with our Lord. Unfortunately this is sometimes not the case. Often we try to love because we fear temporal and spiritual consequences if we do not. The result of trying to do the work of God apart from the power of God is compulsion and effort grounded in our flesh. It may be a blessing to the recipient for a time, but ultimately it isn\u2019t good for us because it isn\u2019t fully genuine.<\/p>\n
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the vine and we are His branches. The power to bless others in Spirit and in truth comes only from this \u201corganic\u201d relationship. The overflow of God\u2019s love for us, appropriated, is what we are to give to others. We\u2019re told that \u201capart from Him we can do nothing\u201d and this is uniquely true in the area of good works. <\/p>\n
We hear a lot about \u201cburn-out\u201d in the Church today. It is described as a condition in which believers have toiled so hard in ministry that they have worked themselves into physical and emotional exhaustion. If we can \u201cdo all things in Christ\u201d, some say, then why does this happen? The answer may be as simple as this: these individuals were trying to do the work of God in the power of the flesh. <\/p>\n
When a Christian deeply connects with his or her Savior the result is a supernatural outflow of His love. When we are caught up in the love of Christ we find our cup full to brimming over and it is an easy thing to bless others with that love. We find the strength to do even the most difficult and sacrificial acts of charity and it is not burdensome to us to do so. We become loving because God first loved us.<\/p>\n
When believers try to do good works for bad reasons, such as from a fearful compulsion that comes from seeing God\u2019s love as conditioned by obedience, truly good works become impossible. If love is not sincere then it isn\u2019t love. Helping another out of fear of the consequences that might result if we don\u2019t is not love. Love involves truly caring about the wellbeing of another and acting out of that care. Human beings do not naturally love this way, at least not to the degree that God wants us to. Only a Christian can have the superabundance of affection and devotion needed to sincerely, sacrificially give themselves away as Christ did. This potential can only be fulfilled if we fall passionately in love with Him and then stay near Him and with Him.<\/p>\n
As in so many aspects of the Christian life it is only through intimate relationship with the Lord that we can become who He wants us to be, but the decision to seek after such intimacy is ours alone to make.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Good Works Aren\u2019t Really Good Copyright by Shea Oakley All rights reserved \u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.\u201d Ephesians 2:8-9 Our truest good works are a function of the authenticity and intensity… <\/p>\n