Today's Passage - Ephesians 2:8-10

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Ephesians 2:8-10   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. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   Do you know you are God's handiwork? Since you are God's handiwork, you should have a different attitude when you face your life. Handiwork is a process. When God is working on you, his hands are like the potter's hands, slowly molding the clay until it becomes the instrument he intended. While we are in this process, we can stop and take a look and feel that it does not look like anything, yet we can be sure that God's hands are continuing to work until we become his instruments. This is the hope we have in our hearts. 1 John 3:2 says, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."   Not only do we need this kind of assurance, but we also need this kind of understanding in the way we treat one another. Just like when there's construction on the road, the workers will put up a sign that says, "Under construction, sorry for any inconvenience caused!" When we see this sign, we can bear the inconvenience because we know this is only temporary. In the same way, in every Christian's life we should put up this kind of a sign, because God's work in our life is not yet finished. May God give us a patient heart to bear with one another.   Secondly, handiwork comes with a mission to do good works, which is what God calls us to do. The good work mentioned here is not referring to what people calls good deeds from good people or improvements for the general public, but it is referring to the work God has prepared for us to do. God has a mission in everyone's life. Every day we are not just living for our daily necessities, but even more we need to know the work God has prepared for us and called us to do and to do them accordingly. This kind of sense of mission sets us apart and lets us not be the same as the people in the world.   Many years ago when I went to do prayer walking in the capital, Washington D.C., I deeply felt the reality of this kind of sense of mission. Because I carry with me the mission to pray for the country, even though I am among the tourists, yet my attitude is totally different. In the Christian life, we also carry the mission God has entrusted to us. Even though we are living on earth and it seems like we are not different from the other people in the world, yet we need to carry out the work God has prepared for us. This is a completely different level for us to live. May God help us to live out this kind of a life.                                                                                     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you that I am a handiwork in your hands. You are continually shaping me in my life until it is according to your will. Lord, I ask you to open the eyes of my heart to know that I have a mission while living on earth. Let me keep this sense of mission and be a good witness for you every day. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!