“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 New King James Version)
For a few months now, my wife and I have been helping a single-parent family by providing them with one meal a week, usually prepared by me. One of the two children, a teenage son, usually answers the door when I make my meal delivery to their home. Sometimes he even comes out and takes the food as soon as I take it out of the trunk of the car.
His mother told me how appreciative the son was and shared how he commented, “Mark is going to have a special place in heaven because of his kindness.” My response: “That’s not why!” The mother asked, “What do you mean?” I responded, “It was not because of anything that I did, but it was what the Christ did. You see, He died on a cross and paid the price for my sins, and because of my confession of faith in Jesus, that’s why I will have a special place in heaven. I don’t think that it will be any different than others who are saved by faith and not by works, but my special place will be somewhere in the Father’s house where there are many mansions.”
The conversation continued with the mother asking, “Then why do you do it if work is not a prerequisite to have a special place in heaven?” I responded by quoting the verse below, found in James’ epistle. Before ending the conversation, in anticipation of the question, “Why do you do to church.” I said, ”Even though I am saved by grace through faith, I go to church to praise Him for He is worthy of all praise, to place myself in the special presence of the Lord, a place where I can get progressively better, transformed by the word of God, and I go to be obedient to what is written in the inspired word of God, ‘Do not forsake the assembly of the saints.’”
No let me converse with you. Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day, I hope you will be in worship! Be blessed!
If our bodies have no spirit, they are dead. In the same way, if our faith does not lead us to do good things, it is dead.” (James 2:26 EasyEnglish Bible)
P.S. Can you imagine Jesus relating to contemporary times and asking you, “What have you done for me lately?” Love you!
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King
I am grateful for opportunities such as this to share witness and testimony to those outside the circle of believers. God bless you.
Pray that the Lord lets us recognize our opportunities. Thanks for your response, Dr. King!