Transcript
Commercial Announcer (0:00)
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Amica Insurance Representative (0:15)
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Commercial Announcer (0:31)
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Joel Stein (Ministry Host) (1:00)
Hi, this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.
Joel Stein (Speaker/Preacher) (1:06)
If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend?
Joel Stein (Ministry Host) (1:10)
We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life.
Joel Stein (Speaker/Preacher) (1:14)
Hallelujah. We bless you in this place and we thank you for the power that you've given us. You know, I pray for people all the time, and they want to know the will of God for their life. You. You know, they're really looking to find their assignments from God. And I think that's a good prayer to pray because that means God is drawing you and he's working with you and he wants you to follow Him. You know, we all want to know the will of God for our life. God, what's my assignment? But can I tell you this? God has already laid out your assignment for you. He's laid it out. He's prearranged your assignments. God is already working in you. We can't wait around for our assignment to find us. We have to move out in our assignments that are laid out for us today. See, God has plans and purposes for each one of our life. In fact, he is working those plans and purposes out in us. Listen to what Ephesians 2 says. It says that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. See, we are God's handiwork. He is making us. He is molding us. We were created to do good works. It goes on to say which we're already prepared in advance for us to do. You see, God is working through us in our good works. You see, sometimes I think that we think good works is kind of like good deeds. We think well When I held the door open for this stranger, that was nice. Or we think, you know what? My husband has been driving me crazy lately, but I haven't yelled at him, even though he deserves it. You know, those are nice things. And I think sometimes, which are good deeds. And they are good works, in a sense, because something is working in you when you do that. But I don't want us to think that these good works are something that God's going to love me more. God, do you see what I've been doing for you? Have you ever fallen in that train of thought? I mean, I'll raise my hand, okay? I'll be the first one in here. I know nobody else is going to raise their hands. But you know what? Sometimes you think, God, I am doing all this good stuff. Where's my blessing? You know what, Lord? They're not as nice as me, but you're blessing them. You see, I want us to not look at these good works as our Christian duty. Because we're Christians, we have to do these good works. Now, first, let me say this. God is a blessing. God, he blesses obedience. He's a rewarder of those who seek after him. I'm not really talking about the blessing. I'm talking about the good works. And I don't want us to fall into the trap of if we do good works, God's going to bless us. I think he will reward us. But don't do good works to get the blessing. You see, you can't even get saved by good works. The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith. It is not of ourselves. It is a free gift. It's free. You can't be good enough to get saved. You can't be rich enough to purchase your salvation. It's free. But I think sometimes we fall into this trap that I'm gonna do good works, God, so that you will bless me. You see, God created us to do good works. So if God created us to do good works, we know exactly what we're supposed to do. We know that we will walk in our assignment when we do the good works. What is a good work? A good work is when you're patient. That's a good work. A good work is when you choose joy, when you choose peace, when you choose long suffering, when you're a mother serving your children, when you're a husband going out every day to work. Those are good works. Because within those good works, God is working something in you. Those good works. God is working in you. When you come up Against a challenge, a person that's trying to put you down, guess what? There's a good work to be done right there and you get to choose it. But sometimes we run into these challenges and we're miserable. We think, God, why?