Ephesians 2:10 We’ve Got Work to Do
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (NIV).
That’s a picture of a magnificent animal, standing tall, looking forward as if he has a task to do, and he’s ready to do it. He is a striking animal that God has created. Well, I believe that God sees us in much the same way He sees the animal in the picture, but with one big exception. God created the animals, and then He created man in His image, and that’s an important difference. Then, many years later, He created me and He created you.
We are told in Ephesians 2:10 that God has prepared work for us. If we read the verse closely and slowly, we discover that we were created for a particular purpose, a job that was itself, specifically prepared for us. That makes it pretty special, particularly when the one who created the universe chose us for a particular task. Implied is the idea that He has formed us and given us the abilities that we need, for this special task. If He chose me for this special task, then He didn’t choose someone else for the exact same task. That indicates that I am special to Him, the only one of all the people ever created who is exactly right for this job. Since God has spent time and energy preparing us for a task and preparing a task for us, it follows that we are able to do it well, but how can we do it well if we don’t know exactly what it is? Sometimes it seems as if God has left us alone to discover just exactly what He wants of us. He hasn’t, but He does want us to also spend time and energy, as He has, in discovering what His plan is for us. How do we do that? I’m no expert, and I don’t suppose that there is anyone, aside from God, who can tell each of us what we should be doing.
There are several obvious things to do to prepare. We can read the Word. We can pray. Then, we can read the Word, and we can pray. I would suggest that we then read the Word and pray. A few people are definite that they know by this time exactly what God has planned for them, but that’s not most of us. We get to study, read, and pray for a longer period of time, and sometimes we even have to try different jobs until we find out what we do best, and what we enjoy doing most. That makes for a longer journey, but any walk with our Lord is fruitful. Some of us try many things until we finally know our special place in His plan. I certainly can’t tell you when you will know God’s special call on your life, but I can tell you that it will be a blessed and satisfying journey during the search. I do know that whatever the task prepared for me, it is important, and God expects me to perform it to the best of my ability. So, Lord, I commit myself to the task you have chosen for me, and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. Lord, I ask for your help, wisdom, and encouragement along the way.