I did a post

a few years ago after I heard a sermon about how important it is to do 'good works'.  I wanted to follow up with something I learned this morning while working on my verse map.  

I hear the phrase 'good works' or 'the works of the Lord' and how important they are, but I feel like that often times people will preach that or write about it in a book - and I just never really get what that means.  Authors, preachers, and teachers never seem to take the time to break down what exactly a good work is, or if they do, I just don't get it.  I wrote a post here and a few other ones in late 2020/early 2021 as I dug into what exactly the concept of works meant.  

I got busy and if I am honest, frustrated, with my lack of understanding/insight into what this means.  Mainly - how do you know what good work to do and do you begin it - does God - how do you carry on in the good works without becoming legalistic/trying to earn something.  Anyway, life went on until last month, as part of the Brighter Winter challenge, I read and re-read the book of James.  If you are at all familiar with James he talks about how important it is to show your faith by your works and I started ruminating on this idea again.  

Then this morning as I was working on my Philippians 1:6 verse map (The James Method posted a free plan to map through the book of Philippians), I hit the jackpot.  This was SUCH an amazing insight into God's Word I wanted to share it here:

As I looked up the meaning of the word good and the word works, I could NOT believe it.  Right there in the Lexicon and Strong's it answered my question.  God helped me to see THE MOST important truth - HE originates the work, it is empowered by HIM, it is carried out as a completion of an inner desire - how does this inner desire/purpose happen?  HE DOES IT ALL.  He starts it, He carries to completion, He changes our hearts and causes the desire to grow and we act in faith on that.  BUT HE DOES EVERY SINGLE PART OF IT.  How amazingly awesome is this?