Works of God

Lately, the phrase 'works of God' has appeared everywhere for me, or so it seems.  

It all began a few months ago when I signed up for and printed out Grace Goals, and several verses referenced 'works of God', and I thought 'hmm' what exactly does that mean, and how can I determine what that is?  

But then life happened and I forgot to look deeper.  

Then, a few weeks ago I heard a sermon and the person who preached it mentioned the importance of the works of God...which got me thinking...again.  

While that phrase is thrown around a lot, and I have read verses that talk about it a LOT, I don't actually know what that phrase fully entails.  So I wrote and asked the person who preached the sermon to shed some light on what they meant when they were saying 'works of God'.  I also pulled out my phone and utilized the Blue Letter Bible app and did some digging on my own, using one of the verses he referenced to see if I could get some ideas.  Perhaps, if I figured out what he meant, then that would shed some light on what exactly good works refers to and I could know if I was moving in the right direction or not.  

He did follow up with me, and with a sermon, but still, I am not sure that I have it nailed down, that I have settled this matter in my mind and my heart in a way that I am confident, in a way that I can say I do the works of God in my life, faithfully.  Do some verses simply mean your vocation?  While others refer to your roles in life that God has given you - like being a wife, mom, homeschool teacher, etc;  Or do they all actually just speak of spiritual disciplines and what we sometimes refer to as random acts of kindness? And once you have settled what exactly you are supposed to do, where/when does His Spirit work this in your heart vs. what are your responsibilities?  

Basically, for me, it narrows down to this - how do I know what a work of God is, how do I know if He has called me to that specific good work/deed?  And, as a side note, why am I just now taking the time to ponder this and ask myself these questions???  So, I am embarking on a study of the 'works of God' and will daily post here, until I have it (somewhat) figured out, just as a way to keep me accountable and moving forward, preventing 'life' from distracting me.  Feel free to leave a comment or a verse if you have any insight.