Good Works and Dead Works Discussion Continues

Someone else posted a rebuttal to my response to "good works and dead works" post. He wrote:

The definition does not fall apart. You have just added more to the definition. Good works must be faith based as well. Take your guy who went to make repairs at the church. God will still bless him even if that is not what God wanted him to do. He was acting out from his heart. God judges the heart, not the motive or whether we got the "calling" right. I can't find the words here to convey what I want to say. But, God will bless all we do if our heart is right. Yes, we may do something that He didn't call us to do, but because of His grace - He will bless it.

Here's my reply:

The operative word there is grace. In another word, there is a problem that requires God extending grace.

Do we then say, I'm not going to worry about that problem because God's going to extend grace anyway? Of course not. We keep making course corrections.

I never said that we or our work are not blessed if we fall short. In fact, God blesses us and our work all the time. Sometimes, he does so for no apparent reasons but to give us joy.

It's like when you ask your child to come in for dinner. Instead of coming in right away, the child stays outside for a little longer. But, when the child comes in, the child gives you a rock and says, "I got this for you". So, you smile, say "Thank you", pat the child on the head, and get the child ready for dinner.

Just because you blessed the child for bringing you a rock, does it make the child's unresponsiveness and ridiculous effort to please you "good work"?

In the same way, God's blessing on us or our work does not validate our action(s) as good work. What kind of criteria is that?

Doing whatever things that we think is good without consulting the Lord does not constitute good work.

Believing sincerely that it is good does not make it good.

Ephesians 3:10
For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

There is indeed a set of good works that God has reserved for us to do.

Good works require that you seek out what God wants.

Not doing so would be you telling God what He wants.

There are too many people who says, I'm good at (whatever that person is good at), so therefore that's what God wants me to do. That's just backward.

We need to ask, "God, what do you want me to do?" And then discern if what we are good at fits into what God wants.

Here's my gripe. While we are on this side of eternity, we are in the business of being perfected in our faith. Too often, people stick tight to whatever they've been doing for the nth number of years because "they are now good at it", never stepping out of their comfort zone, never allowing their faith to be stretched.

Their excuse: "The ministry would be more effective if I stay at this position."

I want to scream, "GOD DOES NOT NEED YOU TO DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!!! HE CAN DO IT HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!! HE CALLS YOU TO COME ALONG FOR YOUR BENEFIT!!!!!!!"

If you are truly interested in doing good works, you need to be seeking what God wants you to do.