"Created in Christ... for Good Works."

"I ask for the grace to pray and meditate faithfully.  I ask for patience, tolerance, empathy, compassion, and gentleness.  I ask to abstain from anger, anxiety, arrogance, compulsive behaviour, cynicism, discouragement, and self-importance.  I ask to know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."


Ephesians 2:4-10
⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ^*—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.


1) "...dead through our trespasses;" "...alive together with Christ;" "...by grace you have been saved;" "...raised us up with him;" "...seated us with him in the heavenly paces in Christ Jesus;" "...immeasurable riches of his grace;" "...by grace you have been saved trough faith;" "...this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God;" "...not the result of works, so that no one may boast;" "...we are what he as made us;" "...created in Christ Jesus for good works;"


2) perhaps I should have broken this passage in two, but I didn't want to end with "by grace you have been saved," I wanted to get to "For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works."  Perhaps works righteousness is in my veins?  I work and work and work.  For no less than 19 years, I've worked every method at my disposal: 12 step program, focusing, spiritual direction, counseling, therapy, "the Work," lectio divina, centering prayer, Ingatian prayer, silent retreats, yoga, erotic tantric massage, heart circles, group therapy, men's spiritual retreats, transcendental meditation, journaling, "The Artist's Way," and prayer, prayer, and more prayer.  I've dabbled in some techniques and others have become long time faithful companions.  I've made the best use I can of every tool that has been offered to deepen my healing, integration, and growth.  All that work.  But it isn't the work that brings the growth.  "It is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast."  So the thought comes, "Why bother doing all that work!?!  19 years of consciousness building down the tubes, because grace is a free gift."  But then there is the next line, "For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works."  I do the work, because that is what we are made for.  Given the heartache I've been experiencing over my "constant companions" the last several weeks, this feels hopeful.


3) What is the invitation in all this?  Praise God, by grace we have been saved.


Breathprayer: "Created in Christ... for good works."