“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).
When you hear the words “good works,” what comes to mind?
Are good works when you praise and worship God in church or sit down and read your Bible? Yes. Are good works when you show kindness to someone—such as a family member, a friend, or a coworker—or when you lend a helping hand to someone in need? Yes. Are good works when you listen to what God says in his Word? Yes. Does telling other people about Jesus and his love for them count as a good work? Absolutely!
Are those the only things that come to mind? Are those the only things that count as good works?
Don’t get me wrong; those are all incredible examples, and if you’re doing them, God bless you and give you the strength to keep doing so!
However, if that’s our only definition of good works, might it be too narrow? Might we be missing out on other opportunities?
In Luther’s Catechism, good works are defined as “the things believers do according to God’s will, out of thanks to God for all he has done” (Northwestern Publishing House: Milwaukee, 2017, p. 197).
That definition broadens our scope of good works, and changes the question: “When you hear the words good works, what doesn’t come to mind?” (Obviously, whatever is contrary to God’s will doesn’t count as good works. But beyond that, what doesn’t count?)
Luther’s Catechism goes on to tell us that “in his mercy, God delights in everything a believer does out of love for Jesus. God looks at us through Christ, whose righteousness covers our imperfection” (p. 198, emphasis added).
Sit back and reflect on that for a moment. God sees and delights in everything you do in life as a new creation in Christ—which is what you are. He delights in you and everything you do, no matter how big or small it may seem.
I don’t know about you, but that knowledge brings intentionality and purpose to the things I do—things I often consider common, ordinary, and not at all worthy of the definition of a good work.
Be honest: when’s the last time you did the dishes and thought to yourself, “Right now, God is delighting in how I am using the gifts he’s given me to do this to the best of my ability. What an opportunity to show him how much I love him!”? It’s been a while for me. (Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever thought about doing the dishes in that way.) God forgive me for that!
But doing the dishes, the laundry, the work—whatever it may be—faithfully to the best of our abilities and with a thankful heart are all considered good works in God’s eyes and are opportunities that God has prepared in advance for us to show him our love and thankfulness. That puts things into perspective!
Are all of those opportunities what we would call enjoyable? Maybe not, but perhaps our definition—our framework—for what enjoyable means is too narrow.
There’s still joy to be found in doing those things. We know who we’re doing them for and why we’re doing them. Freely out of his great love for us, God has given us forgiveness for all of our sins and a home in heaven. We’ve been set free from the burdens of guilt, shame, and self-centeredness to live our lives out of thankfulness to God in everything we do.
So, dear Christian, keep being who God made you to be. Keep reflecting Christ’s love with your words and actions and know that in Christ Jesus, God sees everything you do according to his will and delights in it—and in you.
Treasured for generations as a lifelong devotional and teaching resource, Luther’s Catechism continues to offer rich lessons about salvation, the sacraments, Christian living, and more for you and your family. You can check out the book here, and you can download the FREE discussion guide on Luther’s Catechism for your family Bible study or personal devotions here.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.