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Tag Archives: matthew 5:16

“You look for approval too, don’t you?”

Seth Castell http://littlefriendsphoto.blogspot.com/#sthash.MKMa4XSZ.dpuf

This guy seems to be saying, “I done good, didn’t I?” We all need affirmation in our lives. We need to know if we are making good choices, doing what’s right, living a commendable life.

But what is a “commendable” life? We read in Matthew 5- ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. For those who have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we have a light to shine. And we ought to let it shine!

But that light is to shine “before men.” People need to SEE our faith in action, our convictions in practice, our values being put to use. A faith not seen is as good as no faith. We need to be visible, not so we can point to ourselves, but so we can point to Him.

People need to see our “good works.” Good works, I would suggest, have gotten a poor reputation in many Christian circles. We act and speak as if they are not important. It is true that no one is saved by his or her good works. We are clearly told this in Ephesians 2. There we read, ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Good works will save no one. But after one is saved there are plenty of good works to do! In fact, a life of good works has been marked out for us. God has prepared in advance such works for us to do!

John Wesley put it well when he said, “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” And that kind of life is commendable!