March 1, Grace or Works?

Today’s reading: Psalms 1-5

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” - Psalm 5:12.

God’s favor can also be labeled God’s grace. What God does, He does because He is motivated by His character of love. When you try to earn what only God can give, you try to establish that God owes you something in response to your labors. Unfortunately, God never owes you anything. When you do good works, you do them in response to God’s grace, never to earn it. Paul wrote about good works in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Do you have a grace or a works mentality? Do you give or perform acts of charity expecting to get something in return, or do you do them out of the riches of the grace that is already bestowed on you?