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The Secret of “Good Works”

Do you know that God has created you to do “good works”?

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Every disciple of Jesus Christ is called to do good works and bear fruit that will last.

Jesus said to His apostles: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” John 15:16

Doing “good works” is proof of our salvation. We are not saved by the good deeds we do, but rather by the infinite mercy of Our Saviour Jesus Christ who died for us, but doing good works proves that we are now stepping up to our Baptismal calling.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Preparing to do Good Works – First we must GET READY

Before we can begin to do good works, we must be prepared in Spirit. This preparation commences as we repent and confess our sins asking God to purify us. God prepares us by blessing us with His Holy Spirit and nourishing us with His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21

Once we have repented and have been cleansed of our sins, God will fill us with His grace so we can begin the good works He has prepared for us to do.

The Secret Ingredient for all good works is FAITH

“…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Nothing good is accomplished without God and every good work is performed through the grace of God living within us. Alone we cannot accomplish anything, but by humbling ourselves and emptying ourselves of our pride and self-confidence, we can turn with total confidence and trust to the omnipotence and goodness of God working within us.

All Good Works are performed by God living in us and working through us!

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13

Have confidence in Jesus for He is Our God and He will create in us both an understanding of GOD’S WILL and the PATHWAY TO SUCCESS.

God wants us to have faith that He is living in us and He will work through us. We need to believe in Jesus and allow Him to use us. We need to have faith in our God and trust HIM! He will prepare us, He will inspire us, He will give us His grace, developing our talents, illumining our minds, strengthening us with the gifts of His Holy Spirit so we can courageously and wisely fulfill whatever He has planned for us.

Jesus said, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23

We must use our talents for the Glory of GOD!

We are all given different talents, some people receive more talent than others. That is not a sign that God loves some people more than others for God’s love is infinite. He loves each and every one of us with an eternal and endless love. However, the more talent we receive and the more influence we have to help bring people to salvation the greater our responsibility to apply those talents to please God and give Him glory.

What’s often missing: PATIENCE, ZEAL, TRUST, URGENCY and WISDOM

Every disciple of Jesus is called to help to convert and save souls—This is “The Great Commission”

Before Jesus ascended into heaven He instructed His apostles to do this: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 19-20

When I started my online ministry approximately five years ago, I was not really sure what God wanted from me, but I was ready to leap into the unknown to try to give Him glory. I did my best to share the Scripture and a bit about my own spiritual conversion to try to help others in their own faith journey. Early in my work, a man said to me, “you know what I am going to do today?…I am going to forgive someone who has hurt me.” I smiled to God and thought “wow, You have already accomplished something amazing!” Then years passed and I continued to share reflections and I wondered “am I talking to myself or is someone really listening?” I had to become patient and I had to challenge a worldly mentality that says “if I don’t see the results, I will stop what I am doing.”

In God’s plan of salvation we are working in many different ways to help people and sometimes we won’t see the results. We are planting seeds of faith in the hope that God will water those seeds and that they will mature and bear fruit, but we must be willing to work with total trust that God sees what we cannot see and that God is indeed using us in His plan of salvation. We owe God our best effort, our passionate zeal and enthusiasm and our continued trust in His wisdom to work through us as He desires.

The world is so broken by sin and there is an urgency for good works. God needs us, His disciples to dedicate our entire lives to Him. We must listen attentively to His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, revealing to us His Will and His Way.

What’s needed: FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE 

Have faith that the Holy Spirit is God living within you. Faith is like the root of the tree. The tree that will bear fruit must have its root planted in a rich, fertile foundation. Our rich, fertile, spiritual foundation is Jesus Christ. We believe in Him. We trust in Him. We adore Him. We hope in Him and We love Him to the point of death.

Our Hope in Jesus will give birth to a tree that will bear fruit that will last. The fruit that will last is LOVE. Love never dies! Love is selfless and humble and it prefers to give than to receive.

The fruit of our good works is always LOVE. It is love to forgive. It is love to ask to be forgiven. It is love to give and it is love to receive.

Jesus said, “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.” John 5:20

THE LOVE OF JESUS IS AMAZING!

Could anything be more amazing than Our God of infinite power and holiness lowering Himself to suffer and die for our salvation?

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

PRAYER AND MEDITATION ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST IS GOOD WORK!

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to work for someone you didn’t like or respect? Did that comprise your work ethic? Did it affect your morale? Did it affect your job satisfaction? Did it affect your creativity and enthusiasm? Did it affect your willingness to go beyond the typical ‘call of duty’?  Even if you have never been in this situation you can imagine that it would be difficult to give your absolute best to someone you didn’t like or respect.

Disciples of Jesus we work for Jesus!  LOVE HIM!  Let us do everything for Jesus and for His glory! Let us pray and meditate on His Passion to be filled with Divine energy -LOVE- so we can fight the battle against Satan. When you see your Saviour Jesus Christ lying on the Cross to be crucified for you, your relationship will cease to be casual.

“We LOVE because He first LOVED US!” 1 John 4:19

JOIN The Mercy Movement. Disciples of Jesus Christ are uniting daily in prayer at the time Our Saviour Jesus died for us on the Cross, 3pm (in our local time zones). At this time we contemplate the Passion of Christ as we pray for the salvation of all souls.

If you believe in God, then you must believe that prayer is the key that opens the heart of God and the Passion of Christ is the key to understanding how much God loves us! God wants to save His people! God is counting on us, His disciples, to pray for all souls, especially those most in need of His mercy. We must pray for global change, for an end to war and a peaceful restoration of human existence where all mankind will respect and love one another!  This is URGENT — PLEASE JOIN IN!