The Good Works Planned for Us

The Power Behind Purpose

On my night stand right now there is a cellphone. It’s about the size of my hand and fits perfectly into my back pocket. It has a gold, sparkly case and one of those cute little beaded keychains attached to the bottom for hanging on my wrist. But this cellphone can’t make calls. This phone can’t be used to get directions to the closest grocery store or gas station. I can’t use it to set an alarm or a reminder that a bill is due to be paid. I can’t scroll through Instagram or read an ebook on it. It can’t fulfill the purpose of a cellphone.

This cellphone was made by my five year old daughter out of recycled paper, cardboard, plastic and a few other items she scrounged up from the art closet. It was crafted by my daughter over the course of a few days. She put her whole heart into making this masterpiece. While it is rather impressive to look at, it can never do what a cellphone should be able to do. Its purpose has been relegated to pretend play. No matter how hard my daughter tried to make a real cellphone that worked, she couldn’t. She didn’t have the knowledge, power, or resources as a five year old to make a functional cellphone. An item’s purpose is limited by the power of its creator. 

A Grand Workmanship

So imagine what the God of the universe can create. Imagine what can be conceived by the God who has infinite knowledge too wonderful for us that we could never attain (Psalm 139:6). Imagine what a God who is rich in both mercy and great love (Ephesians 2:4) can fashion together. Imagine what the same powerful God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Ephesians 2:6) can establish when He wills. Imagine what can be brought into being by a God who is sovereign over all (Isaiah 46:10). What could the creations of such a Creator look like?

Us. He created us as His workmanship. You and me, friend, are the workmanship of an all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, merciful, and sovereign God. 

Our complexities and intricacies as humans reflect our Creator’s power and His own beauty. Our purpose as created beings has already been prepared for us by our Creator. We were not created to be passive reflections of God’s image, like a piece of pottery He shaped and fashioned to be put up high on a shelf only to be admired but never used. We are one of God’s good works, created to go on and do the good works He has prepared for us. Our good works therefore are actually the realization of God’s own good workmanship. He is the power behind our purpose.

Resting in the Power Behind Our Purpose 

It’s easy to get tripped up by or stuck on wondering what our purpose is. We often ask what we should be doing or what God wants us to do. What are these good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do? I believe that we find that answer all throughout Scripture. We are called to love God and our neighbors (Mark 12:30-31). We are called to be reconciled with other believers and built up together into God’s dwelling place (Ephesians 2:22), and we are called to take the good news of the gospel to the nations (Matthew 28:19-20), just to name a few. 

But what happens when we don’t know what that looks like? What happens when we’re not sure what loving our neighbor looks like on a typical Thursday afternoon in our neighborhood? Or when we find ourselves at odds with a fellow believer in small group? Or when we don’t know the words to share with our unbelieving co-worker? These kinds of questions can tempt us to doubt our purpose or leave us feeling inadequate.

In these moments, friend, I encourage you to go back to your Creator. The power to live out our good work rests solely in who He is and what He has already done for us in Christ Jesus. Look to Him, seek Him, know Him, grow in both your knowledge and your love for God, for as His workmanship He has a good, good plan for you.