Good Works For God's Glory

Disicple Makers Basic Training: Week 4

Q: What Good Works Am I To do?

A: All our efforts and resources are to be used in ways that glorify God, and should be in accordance to His Word.

Good works begin with humble submission and obedience to God’s commands. At the most fundamental level we are told to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:27-40). And since love is more of an action than a feeling, we are told to perform acts of kindness, care and charity.

We were created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).
If we don’t do good works we are considered to be spiritually dead (James 2:17).
Faith produces good works (James 2:22).
We are told to do good works in public (Matthew 5:15).
We are commanded to inspire other people to do good works (Hebrews 10:24).

Some of the most basic good works include obeying and showing respect to those in authority over us. We are called to be holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4) before God, and to keep ourselves from being corrupted by the world. We are to honor our parents, submit to our husbands, and obey our masters.

We are also called to do good works for those who are in need of help. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, protect the orphan and care for the widow (James 1:27). And that’s not all. Right at home we are to help mom clear the dinner dishes and give little brother a hand with his shoe laces.

Since we are stewards of the life and resources God has given us, virtually everything that can be done as unto the Lord can be considered a good work. Here are some examples.

Worship is a good work.
Prayer is a good work.
Tithing is a good work.
Attending church gatherings is a good work.
Disciplining your children is a good work.
Voting wisely is a good work.
Checking your motor oil is a good work.
Saying thank you is a good work.
Controlling your temper is a good work.
Brushing your teeth is a good work.

Work and Vocation
In our current culture it is easy to view work as a means to an end, a way to earn money rather than a noble activity in and of itself. The primary vocation of believers, who are called to faith, is that of being children of God. But this includes serving the Lord through good works in the world. Theologian John Pless writes:

Luther understood that the Christian is genuinely bivocational. He is called first through the Gospel to faith in Jesus Christ and he is called to occupy a particular station or place in life. The second sense of this calling embraces all that the Christian does in service to the neighbor not only in a particular occupation but also as a member of the church, a citizen, a spouse, parent, or child, and worker. Here the Christian lives in love toward other human beings and is the instrument by which God does His work in the world.

Wisdom In Work
We need wisdom to perform good works, and it is important to do them in a way that honors God. It is easy to get distracted by competing allegiances for our energy and attention. The Bible warns about trying to serve two masters, because we will tend to favor one and despise (or neglect) the other( Matthew 6:24). Some things in life need to pruned, and others fertilized to produce the fruit of works. A man may need to give up his golf game to make time for serving someone. He may need to give up a costly habit to free up his resources to support ministries in his church.

Diligence In Work
While a sincere heart and good intentions are sufficient to start a good work, they might not finish it. It is wise to plan one’s work out carefully and to ask others for counsel (Proverbs 24:6). “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Each day is an opportunity to expand the Lord's Kingdom on earth through productive stewardship. It has been said that a failing to plan yields the same results as a planning to fail. I tell my children to make a plan, and then work the plan, revising things as necessary. If it is bad stewardship to waste food while feeding the hungry, it is bad stewardship to be careless while doing one’s work.

I’ll close with two views of stewardship, courtesy of my friend, Ron Strom.

The World
Adolescence: rebellion, irresponsibility
Time is your own, waste it on yourself
Go for the gusto, you only live once
My life is my own to please myself

The Bible
Youth: time of preparation, fruitfulness
Time is God’s gift, use it to His glory
Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven
I was bought with a price to serve my Master

May the Lord bless you as you perform good works.