When we walk in obedience to the Lord, He guides us to another step to accept another assignment. I’ve had that experience in the last week. There were things I was told to do (and I did them); there were things I was told not to do (and I didn’t do them). And then yesterday He gave me an opportunity to walk in works He has planned for me, showing me that I am only a part. The responsibility for the outcome is in His hands, I’m only to walk in the steps for which He directs me. This morning I read the following devotional that encapsulates His guidance, and shows how many hands He uses for His good works. “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.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

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Our three-year-old granddaughter loves to help in the kitchen, so her parents gave her a child-friendly knife and cutting board. When my husband and I were visiting and making a batch of chili, her mommy got out her daughter’s tools so she could sit at the table with me. My husband cored a bell pepper and spread it out for her. While I chopped onions, our granddaughter carefully diced up the pepper. Later she helped me rinse the beans and add them to the slow cooker.

That night at supper, she was delighted when we told her daddy that she had helped make the chili. She couldn’t read a recipe, buy the produce, brown the ground beef, or create a meal all by herself. Her parents provided the tools and raw ingredients. My husband prepared the pepper. I supervised each moment and guided her. But she felt the joy of participating.

In the same way, Jesus gives us a gift that we could never create by our own efforts: salvation. He prepares good works for us to do. He guides us to the place where we can serve and empowers us each step of the way. We are as dependent as a three-year-old in the kitchen. There’s no room for boasting in any step along the way. But there is plenty of room for joy. At the end of our lives we can–with the same joy as a little child–tell our heavenly Father, “I helped”.

Source: Mornings With Jesus 2017