What Works?

“Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work” John 4:34

If you look at the life of the older son and the life of the younger son in Luke 15, one thing is consistent – work! The older son was working in his father’s vineyard, the younger son was applying for work. But one’s works is good works and the others’ works is dead works. It’s possible to be serving God with dead works but it’s also possible to be serving God with good works. I am praying that everyone reading this today will have good works, in Jesus Name. So what is the difference between good works and dead works? Simple- good works is you are working because you have a part of your father’s riches, a part of the inheritance. Dead works- you are working because you want to be a part of the inheritance. These are two different things.

Christianity has nothing to do with paying God back. The older son is working because this is his father’s business, right? Such people don’t have a specific closing time. The only time they take a break off work is when they are tired. On the other hand, the people doing dead works are working because they want bread at the end of the day. The difference is always clear. It is not everyone who is serving in church that is doing good works. I interact with workers and I can tell who is doing dead works and who is doing good works. I know the workers that are working because it is their Father’s business. For such people it doesn’t matter whether their head of department is around or not, they are working because it is their Father’s business. But the people with dead works are working for rewards. They are working so that maybe God will favor them. The mind set is, if I do God’s own –He will sort out my own. Have you heard that before? Dead works! And guess what, such people even have scripture as motivation. They agree to serve in church just so that God will answer their prayers – because you will serve the Lord your God, He will bless your bread and water, He will not put any of these diseases upon you.

Some of us need to change our orientation on our service to God. But the key thing here is every son works – good works or dead works – every son works. So my first question to you today is: are you working? If you are not working, you need to check your status because every son works. And my second question to you is: are you doing good works, dead works, or no works?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I put my hands in Yours, empower me to do only good works so that my Heavenly Father will be glorified, in Jesus Name.