No one has ever achieved salvation through human effort. But if you really have found salvation, then people should be able to see visible results of that in your life. A lot of people today claim to be Christians, yet there is absolutely no evidence in their lives to confirm it. Paul clearly devastated any argument that works can produce salvation when he wrote, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT). But he also was saying that salvation must produce works when he said, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (verse 10 NLT). Works don’t save a person, but they are good evidence that a person is saved. However, someone might say, “Hey, don’t judge me! It is not by works that we are saved; it’s by faith.” While it is true that we are saved by faith, it is also true that if we are really saved, then there will be good works. God has His plan for your life. He has a purpose for you to fulfill. Are you finding it? Are you moving in that direction, saying, “I have salvation, and because of that, Lord, what do You want me to do? What is Your plan for me?” Or, are you wandering through life, saying, “I have salvation, so that takes care of that. Now, let’s move on to what I want to do.” God has created you as His masterwork, His poem, His work of art so that you can do the good things that He planned for you long ago. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. He has work for you to do. And He is going ahead of you, preparing the way. God is manipulating all the resources of the universe so that the work you do will fulfill the plan He has for you. And even when you face setbacks or crises in life, remember that God is working through, in, and around you. Years after his brothers sold him into slavery, Joseph came face to face with them again and said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NLT). Did it just dawn on Joseph at that very moment, or did he see this earlier? Whatever the case, it was an amazing statement. Think of Joseph’s exile, his betrayal, and the false accusations against him. Still, he could say, “God sent me here. God was in this.” Maybe you’re facing a setback today. Maybe there’s a crisis going on in your life. Remember, you are a work in progress. You are under construction. | 
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