Works

Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. There is no amount of good works to get us to heaven. Jesus did it all for us when He died on the cross at Calvary. The best person out there by worldly standards has no edge on the worst sinner. Both have equal opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Both will get the same prize at the end of the race.

And what about the works we do after we have become a believer? Many will try to help us out by providing works for us to do. We may pick and choose what we like to do from a list of opportunities to serve others through our church.

Everyone seems to have an idea what will be best for us to do. Often we are so busy doing what we think God wants us to do we miss hearing His voice.

We are to listen for the Holy Spirit. He will lead us to the works that have been prepared in advance for us to do.

Help Them

Galatians 6:1 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

I remember the story of the good samaritan where everyone no matter what level in society they were walked away from the man with the problem. Then the good samaritan came along and tended to his need.

We tend to stay away from those overcome by sin and wait for them to clean up their act. When they are ready to be with us, then we will pay attention to them. After all, we were just like them once and nobody came to help us. We had to figure it all out on our own, or so we think.

Notice this verse is not referring to everyone, just believers. That is those who are saved and walking, no matter how slowly, with Christ. No matter who we are or how many years we consider ourselves saved, we stray from the path the Holy Spirit is trying to guide us on. We get wrapped up in our todays forgetting where we came from and who we walk with.

So when that believer you know and have a relationship with is straying from the path, take them aside and humbly help them back onto the right path. And if that struggling person is you, allow others to speak into your life to help you back as well.

Temptations

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT 
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

When we think of temptations don't we generally think of the big ones? Like the temptation to do something we know is really wrong. When one of our friends is doing something that just doesn't feel right to us and we do it anyway because they are doing it.

But what about the little ones like the temptation to strike back when someone wrongs you? The enemy would very much like to help us lapse into that revengeful mode of our past. But the Holy Spirit is there to help us stay on the right path, if only we listen.

Then there is that driver that cut you off or slowed so much you got the red light? Or the temptation to speed up to make it through the yellow. Time to ask the Holy Spirit to calm you. Time to realize there may be a reason for you not getting through at the last second. Perhaps something bad was awaiting you if had pushed it.

We are tempted in so many little ways each day and do not even realize it. Time to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to us so we don't choose the wrong way and fall into sin.