In his grace, God has not only blessed us with the gift of salvation, he has also planned for us to accomplish some things in this life for his glory. Consider how Paul makes this connection in Ephesians 2:8-10:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Paul reminds us that God saved us by his grace and also—by his grace—prepared good works for us to do in this life. And these good works are not just the ministry we accomplish at church—they happen in every area of our life. God intends for us to be fruitful in good works at home, work, and school, among family members, colleagues, and fellow students.
Scripture makes it clear that we are saved apart from our works in order to be rich in good works. Consider how Paul frames the purpose of our salvation in his letter to Titus. Paul tells his disciple that Christ died for us in order to “redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). That’s a remarkable statement. Jesus went to the cross in order to create a people who were passionate about good works.
Even so, some of us may wonder where God has placed these good works he has planned for us. We may wonder whether God has prepared good works for us to accomplish in another country, so we apply for a short-term mission trip. Perhaps my good works are located in the downtown soup-kitchen or urban ministry? Are my good works in another city or state?
While it is true that God calls some of his people to short- and long-term missions and providentially moves Christians from place to place, the good news of Ephesians 2:10 is that we don’t need to spend a lot of time searching for where we might be fruitful in good works. God has already “prepared” these good works for us which means the sphere of our good works will be determined, in large measure, by where God has placed us in our respective families, jobs, geographic locations, schools, churches, and so on.
When you start to think about where you might serve the Lord, think first about where God has placed you, the work he has entrusted to you, and the people he has put in your life. Where do you work? Who are your colleagues? Where do you go to school? Who are your family members? Who are your brothers and sisters at your local church? It is not by accident that you have a connection with these people. When we start to tally the number of people God has providentially placed in our lives, we will quickly realize that we have abundant ministry opportunities to serve and bless others.
When you start to think about where you might serve the Lord, think first about where God has put you, the work he has entrusted to you, and the people he has placed in your life.
The Proverbs warn us of the person who is looking everywhere but faithful nowhere: “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Prov 17:24). The fool is characterized by constant gazing beyond his present location and circumstances to another place and situation, convincing himself that he will really starting working once he gets to where he thinks he should be. Instead, the wise person discerns that he must serve God in his daily work, in his current relationships, and in the tasks that God has providentially laid before him, whatever they might be.
We are in danger of wasting our lives if we are always looking for good works in a place other than where God has put us. Ephesians 2:10 helps us avoid such a fate. Ask God for wisdom and seek to make the most of your time with the people in your life for their good and the glory of God (Eph 5:15-17).
