You've probably heard of the saying, "God helps those who help themselves."
It's not true. And thank God it's not because if it was, then we'd all be without God's help.
Hard work is not as uncommon as most people think. A study by Gallup shows that on an average people work seven hours longer than the advised 40 a week that we should be working. Most of the time, we like working for things that we get, and that's a good thing!
But there are just some things in life that we cannot work for and ever earn.
One of those things is the grace of God. Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
What truly marks the life of a Christian who lives by faith in the grace of God?
It's that we stop living as if the gospel requires us to earn it because we can't. The gospel instead calls us to simply accept what Jesus has already done to give us life and live life to the full (John 10:10).
No Excuses
However, while we do not need to do anything to earn God's help it would also be a complete abuse of an acceptable kind to simply slack off because God's grace is there anyway.
Romans 6:1-2 tells us, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"
If we truly understood the gospel, we will see that God's power is one that liberates us to work, not one that liberates us from work.
Ephesians 2:10 says it this way: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
God has a plan and that plan involves giving you a job. Sure you're saved, but not to sip piña coladas until Jesus returns, but to get busy doing God's commission as we have now earned the privilege to participate.
God's grace is not a crutch that handicaps us for life. It's one that supercharges us into a legacy to be lived out for others and for God.
And that means that God gives us the ability to do things right. Though we do not earn God's grace, we can now walk empowered by it.
Titus 2:11-12 tells us, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age."
In essence, we work for God not because we have to, but because we want to. Faith is not born by good works, but it does produce good works.
