II Corinthians 9:8 (NIV):

And God is able to make all grace
abound to you, so that in all things
at all times, having all you need,
you will abound in every good work.

II Corinthians 9:6-8 (Wuest):

But [although I am not pressing
you to give] this [is true]-he who
sows sparingly shall also reap
sparingly, and he who sows in a
beneficent, generous manner, with
a view to the blessing of the recipient,
shall also reap blessings given in a
beneficent, generous manner.

Let each one give as he has purposed
in his heart, not out of an annoyed or
troubled heart, nor because of necessity,
for God loves a cheerful, ready giver.

Moreover God is powerful to make
every grace superabound to you in
order, having always an all-sufficiency
in all things, you may superabound
to every good work.

God wants us to super-abound in every good work as ambassadors for Christ. God reveals four keys in these verses on how we get to the place where a super abundance of good works will flow out of our lives and bless others around us. The first key to super-abounding in good works is that they must flow out of a good heart. A good heart is one that cheerfully loves and serves God without compulsion, annoyance, religious necessity, or coercion. One can have a cloak of religiosity like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ time and do man-made works that seem religious and good, but they are not good works as God defines them, because the heart is in the wrong place.

Matthew 15:7,8 (Wuest):

Actors on the stage of life that you
are, playing a role of that which you
are not, most admirably and with
consummate finesse did Isaiah
prophesy concerning you, saying,

This people places a correct evaluation
upon me with their lips, and with lip
service accords me all due reverence
and veneration, but their heart holds
back at a great distance from me.

Amplified:

You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably
and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when
he said.

These people draw near Me with their
mouths and honor me with their lips but
their hearts hold off and are far from me.

The Pharisees’ hearts were not close to God. Their hearts were miles and miles from God’s heart and had become hardened through sin, religion, pride, and arrogance. Through their own choice, their lives could not produce good works that were inspired and motivated from the heart of God. The Pharisees were religious actors, pretending to be on the outside what they were not on the inside. The Pharisees held back their hearts from God and voluntarily chose to live at a great distance from His true heart. A hardened heart that stands a great distance from the heart of God is not a good heart and cannot generate works that represent God’s goodness.

The word “pretenders or hypocrites” in the Greek, according to Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, “referred originally to ‘one who judges under the cover of a mask,’ thus, assuming an identity and character which he was not. The person was the actor on the Greek stage, one who took the part of another.” This actor lays aside his true identity and assumes a false one. He is no longer himself, but is in disguise, impersonating someone else. It was a pretender who covered the true motives and intentions of his heart by putting on an external show.

The Pharisees were very legalistic and ritualistic on the outside and did not take care of their hearts which became evil, prideful, deceitful, hateful, bitter, jealous, and unkind. They thought that if they obeyed religious rituals and observances rooted in the commandments of men, that it did not matter what state their hearts were in. Jesus Christ taught that this type of legalism was wrong, as the heart would stray a far distance from God and produce evil works. Jesus Christ taught the importance of taking care of the heart if you were ever going to serve Him and be fruitful. No one was more opposed to hypocrisy than Jesus Christ, and he continually instructed his disciples to be very careful to guard and protect their hearts.

God does not want us to be pretenders or masqueraders for Christ. He wants our works to reflect the identity and character of Christ . We must draw near to God and align our hearts with Him, so that they are interwoven and connected at the very core of our being. What is in our hearts will overflow into our lives. It is a principal of life, and Jesus Christ knew its extreme importance in the walk of a believer. He taught that a person is not defiled simply because he does not follow some religious tradition, but rather by the words and actions that come forth from the heart. The words that proceed from the mouth and the works that are produced in a person’s life always flow out of the heart.

Matthew 15:16-20 (New Living Translation):

“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked.
“Anything you eat passes through the stomach
and then goes into the sewer.

But the words you speak come from the
heart-that’s what defile you.

For from the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, all sexual immorality,
theft, lying and slander.

These are what defile you. Eating with
unwashen hands will never defile you.”

Luke 6:45 (NIV):

The good man brings good things
out of the good stored in his heart,
and the evil man brings evil things
out of the evil stored up in his heart.
For out of the overflow of his heart
his mouth speaks.

Proverbs 4:24 (NIV):

Above all else guard your heart, for it
is the wellspring of life.

The Message Bible:

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s
where life starts.

New Living Translation:

Guard your heart above all else for it
determines the course of your life.

NASB:

Watch over your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow the springs of life

What is in our heart determines the type of works produced in our life. The good heart brings forth good works, and the evil heart brings forth evil works. A good heart will produce good words and works that glorify God. God created within us a new nature at the time of our new birth, but He did not give us a completely transformed heart. It is our responsibility as Christians to carefully guard our hearts as a soldier or night watchman would guard a city with his life. If we neglect the heart, the enemy is at the gates and will take possession of the heart and bend it toward his wicked designs and purposes. The heart is so critical to Christian living because it affects everything we say, everything we do, and everything we are. The heart is a storage place of life and what has accumulated in the heart will eventually flow into the circumstances of our life. What is in the heart determines our character and the primary source of our behavior. The heart reveals the true nature and motivation of a person. The heart is the innermost part of our being and the core of our emotions, actions, thoughts, and words. The heart is the critical and vital center of life and impacts everything we do. It is the wellspring of life and determines the course and quality of our lives.

The heart is the seat of life, and God commands us above all else to guard what we put into it. What thoughts, what words, and what images are we putting into our hearts? Our job as Christians is to control the thoughts, words, and images that we are feeding into our mind, by the process called “the renewed mind” in Scripture, and then it is God’s job to transform our heart and lives into the image of Christ. Our mind is the gateway to our heart, and this is why God exhorts us repeatedly in the Bible to be diligent in focusing our thinking on Him and His Word instead of the negativity and fear of the world.

As Christians, we want the heart of Jesus Christ in the words we speak, in the lives we touch, in the works we do, and in the lives we lead. However, for God to work this marvelous transformation of our hearts into the heart of Jesus Christ, we can’t be careless with our thinking and the feeding of our mind. If our mind is full of junk, then we make it impossible for God to transform our hearts so that we can walk with the heart of Jesus Christ upon the earth. If we feed our minds hours and hours of television and only read a daily devotional for five minutes a day, don’t expect your heart to be in a place where you can be fruitful in service to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we read a lot of secular books in a month, but only spend a few minutes reading the Bible and in prayer, don’t expect much spiritual growth and good works to be produced in your life. The heart is of enormous value to God, as He knows that our spiritual vitality in accomplishing His good purposes depends on the condition of our heart. We must be watchful over our heart so that it reflects the qualities of Christ and not the qualities of the world.

Romans 12:2 (Amplified):

Do not be conformed to this world (this
age), fashioned after and adapted to its
external, superficial customs, but be
transformed (changed) by the entire
renewal of your mind (by its new ideals
and its new attitude), so that you may
prove for yourselves what is the good
and acceptable and perfect will of God,
even the thing which is good and
acceptable and perfect in His sight for
you.

Phillips:

Stop being poured into the mold by the
external and fleeting fashions of this age,
but undergo a deep inner change by the
qualitative renewing of your mind.

New Living Translation:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into
a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know God’s
will for you, which is good and pleasing
and perfect.

Our hearts are not be molded or conformed to the fashions, behavior, or customs of this present age. The word “conformed” in the Greek means: to form according to a pattern or mold; to fashion alike; to outwardly conform to something that is not a true representation of what is on the inside, and the adoption or imitation of a pose or received mode of conduct. Robertson, in his Word Pictures of the New Testament, writes “Do not take this age as your fashion plate.” A model in a fashion shoot strikes certain poses for the photographer in order to create a particular look or mood for the picture. God does not want us to be a model of this age by assuming the pose for every habit, opinion, expression, and style of this world. Wuest, in his Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, explains that the word:

refers to an act of an individual assuming an
outward expression that does not come from
within him, nor is it representative of his inner
heart life. The prefixed sun adds to the meaning
of the verb the idea of assuming an expression
that is patterned after some definite thing….Paul
exhorts the saints, “Stop assuming an outward
expression which is patterned after the world,
an expression that does not come from, nor is
representative of what you are in your inner
being as a regenerated child of God.” One
could translate, “Stop masquerading in the
habiliments of the world, its mannerisms,
speech expressions, styles, habits.”

This Greek word also conveys the thought of following a manner of life that is unstable and changing, rather than enduring. We have Christ in us, and that is our true nature. God wants our outward conduct to be patterned and molded after the Christ in us, not after the cultural behavior and schemes of this age. What mold are we pouring our life and heart into? Whom are we imitating? Whom are we copying? What are we fashioning our hearts after? Are we wearing the mask of this world? There is tremendous pressure on the Christian believer to conform to the standards and fashions of this age. God does not want us to have the heart of a conformist, where we imitate the pose of the world and think, say, and do what is popular in the world’s eyes. This age often has the thinking that it is okay to lie, cheat, hurt, and step on others, as long as I am getting ahead in life. This was the message of many reality television series: the person who could lie, deceive, backstab, and manipulate the best would be the winner of the monetary prize.

Remember from our previous chapter that the devil is the god of this age, and he has created the atmosphere of this age with all of its fear, greed, callousness, selfishness, and pride. We are letting Satan mold our hearts if we let our hearts be patterned and conformed to this age. A heart that imitates and adopts the forms, fashions, ideals, thoughts, opinions, and impulses of this world will never be able to super-abound in good works for the glory of God. You don’t have to go hide yourself in a cave, but your heart must stand out as different from the heart of the world. We love when the world hates, we are kind when the world is cruel, we are compassionate when the world is unforgiving, and we are giving when the world is selfish. We are light when the world lives and moves in darkness. In his devotionals, C.H Spurgeon said that when the Christian conforms to this world, “it cuts the tendons of your strength and makes you creep where you ought to run. Then, for your own comfort’s sake, and for the sake of your growth in grace, if you be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.”

The word “transformed” in the Greek has the basic meaning of “changing into another form, and it is not a superficial fluctuation of conduct or fashion but a living, vital change revealing a new life.” It is the process whereby that which is on the inside bursts forth and begins to manifest itself on the outside, changing the outside’s form and fashion so that all may see. It is a change on the outside that comes from the inside. It is to produce an outward expression or form that is truly representative of one’s inward nature and character. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament says, “There must be a radical change in the inner man for one to live rightly in this evil age.”

We get the English word “metamorphosis” from this Greek word, where a plain worm is transformed into a beautiful butterfly. This is a biological process that takes time through stages of development, where the form at the end of the process is often radically different from the form at the beginning of the process. It is a stunning and beautiful transformation and a complete change of character, conduct, habitat, and appearance to reflect the true inner nature. The butterfly DNA which was hidden inside of the caterpillar now emerges in all its glory in the magnificent butterfly.

As Christians, we have the beautiful gift of holy spirit and the nature of Christ (our spiritual DNA), born within us at the time of our new birth in Christ. When this spiritual metamorphosis or transformation begins, this glorious inward nature bursts forth in the outward expression of our character, our speech, our behavior, our conduct, our works, and our presence. The result is a stunning transformation of a person through stages of growth and development into the image of Jesus Christ. When people see us, they see the heart of Jesus Christ. We radiate his love, tenderness, kindness, boldness, courage, strength, peace, and joy out of our transformed heart. Good works will super-abound out of this transformed heart and life.

Interestingly, the verbs “conformed” and “transformed” are in the passive voice in the Greek. The passive voice conveys the idea that the subject is being acted upon by an outside force or power. Our heart is either being conformed by this age or being transformed by God. Is our heart being molded by the schemes and atmosphere set up by the god of this age, the devil, whereby it reflects the selfishness, pride, depression, and lusts of this world? The devil is aggressively at work to set an ungodly pattern in society that leads people’s hearts in the wrong direction: away from God. Or is our heart being molded by God Almighty into a beautiful reflection of the heart, love, and goodness of our Savior Jesus Christ? Are our thoughts and actions consistent with this present evil age, where our heart cannot even be distinguished from the heart of the unbeliever? Or, do our thoughts and actions track with the Word of God? Does our fervent love for God and the richness of His Word living in our mind and heart allow God to work His wonders of transformation in our heart?

We can put our hearts in the hands of the world or in the hands of God. Both the devil and God exert power upon the heart according to our thinking and the diet we are feeding our minds. The great battle of good and evil is a battle for the human heart, and we have an important role to play as we determine how we think, what we read, what we see, what we meditate on, what words we speak, and what images we dwell on. The battlefield for the human heart is in the mind and it is the gateway to a conformed heart or a transformed heart.

Both verbs “conformed” and “transformed” are also in the present tense in the Greek, which indicates a continuous, habitual action that often reflects a lifestyle. Out of the heart will come a habitual lifestyle, either conformed to this evil age, or transformed by God into a heart that reflects His goodness. If we want a heart that super-abounds in good works, we must let God transform our hearts through the renewing of our minds to His Word. A transformed heart is a good heart, and a conformed heart is an evil heart. Our heart is the wellspring of our life, and every issue of life regarding our character and behavior flows out of the heart. Out of a transformed heart comes a lifestyle of good works that radiate God’s goodness and bring glory to His name. Out of a conformed heart comes a lifestyle of works that glorify the god of this age and are rooted in selfishness. What is the habitual lifestyle that flows out of your heart?

Both verbs are also in the imperative mood which commands one to perform a certain action, and speaks to something in the realm of the possible. The one commanding makes it known that he or she wants it to be an actual reality. When the imperative is used with the present tense, it is a call to a long-term commitment and a constant and continual way of life. God wants us to continually and habitually follow these two commands of not being conformed to this present age and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is a commandment of the Lord, not a wish or simple desire. God commands us to stop allowing our heart to be conformed by the fashions and patterns of this age and let Him transform our heart instead. God Almighty commands us to have a transformed heart out of which good works can freely flow. It is not impossible to have a transformed heart. It does not require 25 years of Christian service before your heart is transformed. God can transform our hearts now and continually purify our hearts everyday of our lives. Each day our heart becomes more and more transformed to reflect the heart of Jesus Christ. This transformation will not take place unless we make a long-term commitment as Christians to vigilantly guard our hearts and make the process of the renewed mind a way of life. Never again should we be careless in our thinking or things we allow into our hearts.

Psalm 51:10 (NIV):

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and
renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 86:11 (Amplified):

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may
walk and live in Your truth: direct and
unite my heart [solely, reverently] to
fear and honor your name.

Ezekiel 11:19 (Amplified):

And I will give them one heart [a new heart]
and I will put a new spirit within them; and I
will take away the stony [unnaturally
hardened] heart out of their flesh, and give
them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive
to the touch of their God]

Psalms 119:32 (NIV):

I run in the path of your commands, for you
have set my heart free.

Jeremiah 24:7 (Amplified):

And I will give them a heart to know (recognize,
understand, and be acquainted with) Me, that I
am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I
will be their God, for they will return to me with
their whole heart.

God is the great transformer of the human heart. God is the one who can create in us a pure heart; God is the one who can turn an evil heart into a good heart; God is the one who can melt away the hardness of our heart and give us a new heart that is sensitive and responsive to the touch of God. God is the one who can set our heart free. God is the one who can give us a heart to know, understand, and become deeply intimate with Him, so that we seek Him with our whole heart. God is the great director of the heart and puts in our heart the desire to love and serve him. God wants our heart to be transformed by His goodness and overflow into everything we say or do. God, above all else, wants to create in us a clean heart that is steadfast in faithful service to Him and that produces a revolutionary lifestyle of good works.

According to New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies, the Hebrew word for “clean” in Psalm 51:10 means “to be clear, bright and shining; to be pure, clean, purged; to be clean form all pollution or defilement.” God wants to create in us a clear, bright and shining heart that is pure from all the pollution of this present evil age. Our heart was meant to shine forth the beauty and glory of our wonderful Heavenly Father. Our heart was meant to brightly reflect the likeness and image of our Lord Jesus Christ. God creates in us a heart that is a living portrait of the heart of Jesus Christ and is ready for action in serving Him and loving others.

Proverbs 23:26 (KJV):

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes
observe and delight in my ways.

God wants us to give Him our hearts without any reservation. God wants us to feed our mind with His words and presence, so that He can begin the great transformation of our heart into a clear, bright, and shining reflection of His glory. Brent Curtis and John Eldridge, in The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God, state:

Our heart is the key to the Christian life. The
apostle Paul informs us that hardness of heart
is behind all the addictions and evils of the
human race…This is why God tells us in Proverbs
4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is
the wellspring of life.” He knows that to lose heart
is to lose everything. Sadly, most of us watch the
oil level in our car more carefully then we watch
over the life of our heart…It is possible to recover
the lost life of our heart and with it the intimacy,
beauty, and adventure of life with God…Our lives
have given us a unique look into the inner life of
modern Christianity, and what we have known
from our own stories has been confirmed again
and again through hundreds of encounters with
other believers: Most Christians have lost the life
of their heart and with it, their romance with God.
As we trace the steps of our journey toward God’s
resurrection of the heart, we hope to help you
discover your soul’s deepest longing and invite
you to embrace it as the most important part of
your life. It is our aim to help you “guard your
heart” to see more clearly the enemies of your
heart and the hearts of those you love; to enable
you to better enter the battle of the hearts to
which our Captain calls us.

At the heart of super-abounding in good works is the battle for the hearts and souls of people. It is a battle for people to discover the awesome goodness of God and to enter an intimate romance of love with the Creator of the heavens and earth. God is calling the hearts of men and women to come back to Him so He can restore and heal their hearts. God tenderly mends the broken heart, lovingly rebuilds the crushed heart, wonderfully heals the abused heart, and patiently puts back together the forsaken heart. Our heart is the key to allowing God to work mightily in us and through us to touch the
world with His healing goodness. If we want to super-abound in good works, then we must first and foremost take care of our hearts. We must let God transform our hearts into a beautiful portrait of His Son, as we renew our minds to His Word and love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Returning to Second Corinthians, we see that the second key to super-abounding in good works is to recognize and know that God is able. The Greek word for “able” means: the power one has by virtue of inherent ability or resources; it describes that which has sufficient or necessary power, skill or resources to accomplish an objective. It is in the present tense, which emphasizes the continual ability of God. God’s ability never fades, never weakens, and never fails. God’s ability far exceeds the strength of any problem, circumstance, worry or fear that we may ever face in life. Our God is a warrior (Exodus 15:3) who is mighty in battle (Psalm 24:8), who by His power does awesome works (Psalm 145:6), and nothing is too hard or difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:27). God’s ability is 100 per cent reliable no matter how bad the times are that rage around us. God’s ability knows no weakness, failure, collapse, or malfunction. God’s ability is always more than enough to accomplish His good purposes. God’s ability is an unlimited power source that can melt away any obstacle, any mountain, any barrier, and any difficulty. Nothing is impossible with God’s ability (Luke 1:37; Mark 10:27), and when we have faith like a grain of mustard seed in God’s ability, there is no limit to the good works we can accomplish in the name of our Lord (Matthew 17:20). Nothing can stop someone who trusts in the awesome ability of God. God’s ability is on our side; God’s ability is with us, and God’s ability is in us, and who or what can stand successfully against us?

We must always remember that it is not our ability, but God’s ability in us that gives us the power to super-abound in every good work. If we rest on our own ability, we are going to burn out quickly in service for the Lord. God has given each one of us gifts, talents, and natural abilities, but to fully utilize these wonderful gifts they must be energized and rest upon the awesome power and ability of God. Without God, we will never reach our full potential. We are fellow workers and laborers with God, and together we go forth in the world and into battle as a tightly knit unit, clothed with His ability and overflowing with His power. With the holy spirit of God alive within us, our good works will be energized and inspired by God’s spiritual power. To be a truly good work according to the Bible, the work must be energized by the power of God. Without the spiritual energy of God, the good work is simply according to the ability of man and has limited power and strength in bringing God’s goodness into a circumstance or situation.

We have forgotten that Christianity is about the awesome power of God like the world has never seen, and this power is at the center of every good work we do in Christ. God is even given the name of “the power” in Mark and Matthew. This power will crush evil, turn darkness into light, repel back the advance of Satan’s kingdom, and bring deliverance to every captive. God’s power absolutely shatters the enemy and his devices. This power overcomes resistance and always produces a magnificent change of heart, circumstance, life, and direction. As Christians, we are the power plants of God, ready to disperse His energy to the world. Look at the words of the Lord Jesus to Paul on the road
to Damascus:

Acts 26:15,16(a),18 (Phillips):

“Who are you Lord?” I said. And the Lord
said to me, “I am Jesus whom you are
persecuting.

Now get up and stand on your feet for I
have shown myself to you for a reason-you
are chosen to be my servant and a witness..

I send you to open their eyes, to turn them
from darkness to light, from the power of
Satan to God, so that they might know
forgiveness of their sins and take their place
with all those who are made holy by their
faith in me.

This is the essence and purpose of every good work that proceeds from our new nature in Christ. These good works are to open people’s eyes spiritually; turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; and give them the chance to believe the gospel, be saved, and receive forgiveness of sins and a new birthright as a son or daughter of God. This takes an awesome power source to accomplish these wonderful works as this cannot be accomplished by the simple works of men and women without God. Think about how much power it takes to turn people from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God! This can only be accomplished by God’s ability and power, as it lives and breathes in us, unleashed mightily by our faith. This commission of power isn’t some simple religious creed, but this is true spiritual power that is more massive and powerful than a million nuclear bombs.

God has given us His ability and His power in the gift of holy spirit we received at the time of our new birth in Christ. In the Book of Acts, Jesus Christ instructed his disciples right before he ascended that they would receive power when the gift of holy spirit came upon them. They would not receive a religious creed or a certificate or a pat on the back, but they would receive the very power and ability of God Almighty. Jesus Christ knew how important it was for his disciples to realize the enormous power that they received in the new birth as Christians, as they are thrust to the front lines of a battle between the spiritual forces of good and evil.

No earthly source of power or might can even compare to the power we have in Christ, given to us as a free gift when we are saved. God does not want us to sit on this power source, but he wants us to utilize it to demonstrate his goodness and power to the world. This power of God can cause enormous change in our lives and the lives of those
we touch, when that power is activated for the service of God. This gospel we preach to the world is pure spiritual power that comes from the heart of God to rescue and deliver all those who have ears to hear and hearts to respond to this powerful message.

Romans 1:16 (Phillips):

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. I see
it as the very power of God working for the
salvation of everyone who believes it, both
Jew and Greek.

(Wuest):

For I am not ashamed of the good news. For
God’s power it is, resulting in salvation to
everyone who believes, it, both to Jew first
and to Greek.

I Corinthians 2:4,5 (Revised English Bible):

The word I spoke, the gospel I proclaimed,
did not sway you with clever arguments, it
carried conviction by spiritual power.

So that your faith might be built not on
human wisdom but on the power of God.

(Wuest):

And my message and my preaching were
not couched in specious words of philosophy
but were dependent on their efficacy upon a
demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

In order that your faith should not be resting
in human philosophy but in God’s power.

I Corinthians 1:18 (New Living Translation):

The message of the cross is foolish to those
who are headed for destruction! But we who
are being saved know it is the very power of
God.

(Amplified)

For the story and message of the cross is sheer
absurdity and folly to those who are perishing
and on their way to perdition, but to us who
are being saved it is the manifestation of the
power of God.

I Corinthians 4:20 (New Living Translation)

For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of
talk; it is living by God’s power.

The Message Bible:

God’s way is not a matter of mere talk; its
an empowered life.

The message of Jesus Christ is a message of power. It is not a lifeless, dead, powerless bunch of clever words, but is a gospel of the very power of God. This mighty power of God absolutely transforms and changes our lives, first spiritually with the new birth, and then this power can transform every nook, cranny, category, and facet of our lives. God wants us to live by His power, as our words and actions are empowered to bring His goodness as brilliant light into every circumstance, problem, and dilemma in life. God’s goodness is the power of God in manifestation and the result of God’s endless faithfulness and love. Each good work in Christ has the power of God stamped on it, and this power can move any force, change any object, overcome any obstacle, and transform any heart.

I am going to take you back in time to your high school science class, as understanding some basic scientific principles on power, energy, and work will deepen your understanding of the power of God and the good works that it produces. Energy is the ability or capacity to do work. Work cannot be done without energy. When work is done, energy is transferred to complete or accomplish that work. Energy is usable power.

There are two basic categories of energy. First, there is potential energy, which is the stored or inherent energy, ability, or capacity to accomplish or do something. Think about the potential energy stored in the nucleus of an atom and look at the enormous release of energy when the nucleus is split apart. An object can have stored energy based upon its position; such as a rock resting on the top of a hill has gravitational potential energy. This gravitational potential energy can be increased the higher the vertical height of the object. Some substances have potential energy simply because of their nature, as a chemical such as petroleum, natural gas, or propane. The food we eat contains potential chemical energy that the body stores until it is released when we work or play.

There is also kinetic energy, which is energy in motion. Kinetic energy is the
release of potential energy to produce motion and ultimately to do work. Examples of kinetic energy are: sound, which is when force is applied to an object and causes it to vibrate; electricity, which is electrical charges moving through a wire, and radiant energy, like light which travels in waves. A speeding automobile, a thrown baseball, and a waterfall all have kinetic energy. Energy produces the greatest change and has the greatest display of power when it is on the move. Energy was not meant to be simply dormant and never utilized.

Work is the result of the movement of energy. Work is the moving of energy from one place to another, and work describes how much energy is transferred. Power or force is how energy moves, and power is the rate at which energy is used. Energy cannot be transferred or utilized without power or force, and it is this energy that is moved by power that changes things, moves things, empowers things, and enables things.

When we were born again, we received the greatest source of potential energy or usable power ever given to a person-the gift of holy spirit. This spirit of God birthed within us is the very energy and power of God Almighty. We are filled with all the fullness of God. The fullness of Christ fills every cell of our being, as we have been made fully alive in Him. What a power source! What an incredible amount of energy! Do you realize how much power is living within you as a Christian? This is not the power to destroy, hate, condemn, judge, or ridicule. This is the power to live like Jesus Christ did upon the earth and touch the hearts of people with the love and compassion of God.

This new nature in Christ is God’s ability living within us and gives us the inherent capacity and ability to do His good works upon the earth. This spiritual energy is usable and will effect great change when it is placed into movement in the world. As Christians, we decide to make this stored powerhouse of God’s energy within us kinetic energy, when we move out into the world trusting God, having faith in His Word, walking by the spirit, living love, and renewing our minds to the Scriptures. The spiritual energy of God is released like a mighty, rushing river and flows out of us into our households, our communities, our nations, and our world producing works of God’s goodness wherever this energy moves and flows. Great power is released from the manifestation of the spirit of God in our lives, and miracles, wonders, healings, changes, deliverances, and transformations take place in the lives of all those we touch with the power of God.

The movement of God’s spiritual energy given to us in Christ produces works of goodness that break the power of Satan in a person’s life and bring great wholeness and deliverance. This energy source of God that lives within us will never diminish, never short-circuit, never be subject to shortages of power, and as a great fire of God can burn away every chaff, every bondage, every depression, every prison, every oppression, every misery, and every fear. This great source of holy spiritual power cannot accomplish the good work of the Lord unless this spiritual energy becomes kinetic and moves out from our lives into the valley of human need. We must move by touching people with His love, healing people with His Word, delivering people by His power, helping people with His abundance, and bringing the goodness of this gospel of power and salvation to all the
world. These are the good works produced by the awesome energy and power of God.

Perhaps no verse in Scripture sets forth the truth of this awesome ability and power of God that lives within us, and what it can accomplish, better than this verse in Ephesians:

Ephesians 3:20 (Amplified):

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence
of) the action of His power that is at
work within us, is able to carry out
His purpose and do superabundantly,
far over and above all that we dare ask
or think {infinitely beyond our highest
prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or
dreams.

New Living Translation:

Now all glory to God, who is able, through
His mighty power at work within us, to
accomplish infinitely more than we might
ask or think.

Our God is able, and there is limitless potential and opportunity for God to do super-abundantly above all that we may even dare to ask or think, because of the mighty power of God that works within us. God will do infinitely more than you can ever imagine in your life if you will simply let Him. Don’t limit yourself in Christ. Don’t limit what awesome accomplishments God and you can achieve by the exercise of the most awesome spiritual power on Earth. Think big, dream big, and act big with the energy and power of God to begin to move mountains and change the course of history in the lives of all those you reach. What a blessing that this power of God can be activated to carry out His purpose and accomplish His good works upon the earth.

The third key in II Corinthians in super-abounding in good works is to know, recognize, and live with a great understanding of the grace of God. These good works originate by the grace of God, and must be rooted in His grace, if they are truly to retain the title of good works as God defines them. Let’s go back to the definition of “grace” earlier in the book, which defines this beautiful word in Scripture and shows the heart that God wants in us as we excel in good works.

Grace is a free and spontaneous willingness to bestow good on a person that is destitute of it, either in a way of kindness or in a way of compassion. The word excludes all idea of merit in the object of free favor. Grace means a doing of a work graciously and freely with no expectation of return, and finding its only motive in the bounty and
free-heartedness of the giver. It was used to describe an act that was beyond the ordinary
course of what might be expected and that causes wonder, admiration, joy, and pleasure. Grace is unearned and unmerited favor and comes from the heart of God’s love to accomplish His mighty purposes. Grace is a kind, pleasing, affectionate disposition to a person to accomplish a beautiful and gracious work. Grace brings joy and thankfulness to the recipient, as it is a kindness which bestows on one what he does not deserve. Grace originates in God, not in man, and proceeds from the intense, burning, and everlasting love of God. There is nothing so beautiful and nothing so compelling in the Bible as the
grace of God. It is amazing to see the grace of God at work, and it is breathtaking to see what the grace of God completes and achieves. The grace of God brings the goodness of God to a person in abundance and allows them to enjoy all the good that God has freely given them.

All of our words and works in Christ should have the touch of the grace of God. We give our heart and soul freely in the service of the Lord, not out of compulsion, pride, legalism, or arrogance, but out of a heart of thankfulness for all of the grace and love God has freely bestowed upon us. Our good works that come energized by the spirit of God within us are a free gift in the lives of all the people we reach out to in Christ. People will not deserve or earn salvation, healing, deliverance, restoration, and rescue that comes when God moves in their lives through your life and ministry in the Body of Christ. We just love people and graciously give them all that we have, so that they might strengthen
themselves in God and walk in His amazing love and power. With the grace of God in our good words and deeds, there is an overflow of kindness and compassion like the world has never experienced, for we are living portraits of the grace of God. God so loved that he freely gave to us, and we so love people that we freely give of our life to them, so that they may know and experience the wonderful goodness of God.

Matthew 10:1,8 (NIV):

He called his twelve disciples to him and
gave them authority to drive out evil spirits
and to heal every disease and sickness.

Heal the sick, raise the dead cleanse those
who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely
you have received, freely give.

Colossians 3:12 (NASB):

So as those who have been chosen of God,
holy and beloved, put on a heart of
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience.

Ephesians 4:32 (Amplified):

And become useful and helpful and kind to
one another, tenderhearted, compassionate,
understanding, loving-hearted, forgiving
one another readily and freely, as God in
Christ forgave you.

God has freely given us so much in Christ. We are now commissioned to go forth
in the world and freely give to all the great benefits of the grace of God out of a heart full of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and love. We are to imitate our heavenly Father and our loving Lord Jesus in all of our works. Grace is one of the greatest qualities of God, and it is the foundation of His magnificent goodness. Without the grace of God, there is no true goodness of God. Grace is an absolutely fundamental characteristic of the goodness of God and is inescapably linked with His goodness, like a beautiful symphony instrument that is a critical part in producing a breathtaking score of music. We imitate God’s grace, God’s compassion, God’s love, God’s kindness, God’s gentleness, and God’s heart in every word we speak and every work of our hands and heart.

Ephesians 5:1 (Amplified):

THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy
Him and follow His example], as
well-beloved children imitate their father.

Ephesians 5:1,2 (The Message Bible):

Watch what God does, and then you do it,
like children who learn proper behavior
from their parents.

Mostly what God does is love you. Keep
company with Him and learn a life of love.
Observe how Christ loved us. His love was
not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love
in order to get something from us but to give
everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Moffatt Translation:

Copy God, then, as his beloved children, and
lead lives of love, just as Christ loved you
and gave himself up for you…

The Greek word for “imitators” is mimetes, which means to “mimic, copy, imitate, and to follow as an example.” We get our English words “mimic and mime” from
this Greek word. It is in the present imperative, which means that it is a command that God wants us to habitually follow as a way of life. The present imperative calls for a long term commitment and a constant and continual way of life. To imitate, copy, and mimic God as Christians is not a suggestion, but a command to make this lifestyle our habit of life. We are exhorted to constantly imitate the heart of God. This is who you always wanted to be like. This is who you were meant to be like. God originally created us in His image, and He has always desired children in whom He can reproduce His
heart, His love, His goodness, and His qualities.

E.W. Kenyon, in God Reproducing Himself in Us, states:

Every real father desires to reproduce himself
in his son (or daughter). The Father’s dream is
to reproduce himself in us…The very genus of
Christianity is the ability of God to build himself
into us through the Word, so that in our daily
walk we live like the Master.

How wonderful it is to live like the Master as God builds Himself in us more and more each day! What an awesome way of life-to copy and imitate God in all of our words, actions, thinking, and motives. We continually mimic God’s goodness in everything we do. Our lives should shine forth as a living copy of all the characteristics of the goodness of God.

The word “children” in the Greek means: true offspring or genuine children by birth, and posterity. The word “beloved” in the Greek is from the word agape, which we have previously studied, which emphasizes the preciousness of the object loved. It is to love with wonder and admiration, prizing the worth of the person loved. It means to cherish with reverence and to have an internal feeling of satisfaction, kindness, and regard for the beloved person of His affection. God cherishes you; God prizes you; God values you; God admires you; God treasures you; God counts you worthy to be called His son or daughter. We are God’s beloved, esteemed, unique, dear, favorite, true and genuine offspring and birthed children in Christ.

Now because of this special love relationship as father and children, we imitate and copy the qualities and characteristics of our Heavenly Father, and follow the love example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our model of conduct to be imitated. We should follow in the footsteps of our Lord and endeavor to be like him in all aspects of our personal life. Jesus Christ exemplified every single quality of God’s goodness and illustrated the perfect blend of characteristics that God always intended a person to be. He perfectly represented the heart of his Father and manifested the character of God by the way he lived.

By the grace of God, we received a new divine nature of Christ within us when
we were born again that is now a part of who we are and what we can become. We can make a deliberate decision to manifest the character of Christ one work, one thought, and one word at a time. However, this is not a solo task, but we have the help of our Heavenly Father every step of the way. God is working mightily within us to fashion us in the image of Christ as we live, move, and breathe in His presence resting upon the foundation of His Word.

In Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, Christ’s People-Imitators of Him, he said:

Behold! what a change divine grace will work
in a man, and in how short a time…A Christian
should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ…
You have read lives of Christ, beautifully and
eloquently written…but the best life of Christ is
his living biography, written out in the words
and actions of his people…we should be pictures
of Christ, yea, such striking likenesses of him
that the world would not have to hold us up by
the hour, and say, “Well, it seems somewhat of
a likeness;” but they would, when they once
beheld us, exclaim, “He has been with Jesus; he
has been taught of him; he is like him; he has
caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth,
and he expands it out into his very life and every
day actions.”…that I will ever maintain-that by
grace we are saved, and not by ourselves; but
equally must I testify, that where the grace of God
is, it will produce fitting deeds…When should a
Christian, then, be like Jesus Christ? Is there a
time when he may strip off his regimentals-when
the warrior may unbuckle his armor, and then
become like other men? Oh! No; at all times and
in every place let the Christian be what he professes
to be…My brethren, let me say, be ye like Christ at
all times. Imitate him in public. Most of us live in
some sort of publicity; many of us are called to
work before our fellow-men every day. We are
watched; our words are caught; our lives are
examined-taken to pieces. The eagle-eyed,
argus-eyed world observes everything we do, and
sharp critics upon us. Let us live the life of Christ
in public. Let us take care that we exhibit our
Master, and not ourselves-so that we can say,” It
is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.”…
Yea, even of some true Christians we may say it is
scarce a life. It is a dragging on of an existence-one
hasty prayer a day-one breathing, just enough to
save their souls alive, but no more. O my brethen
brethren, strive to be more like Jesus Christ…Oh!
my brethren, there is nothing that can so advantage
you, nothing so prosper you, so assist you, so make
you walk towards heaven rapidly, so keep your head
towards the sky, and your eyes radiant with glory,
like the imitation of Jesus Christ. It is when, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk
with Jesus in his very footsteps, and tread in his ways,
you are most happy and you are most known to be
the sons of God…Then, to put in the strongest form
I can, for Christ’s sake, endeavor to be like him…How
would Jesus, standing here, show you his hands this
morning! “My friends,” he would say, “behold me!
These hands were pierced for you; and look here on
my side. It was opened as the fountain of your salvation.
See my feet; there entered the cruel nails. Each of these
bones were dislocated for your sake. These eyes gushed
with torrents of tears. This head was crowned with
thorns. These cheeks were smitten; this hair was plucked;
my body became the centre and focus of agony. I hung
quivering in the burning sun; and all for you, my people.
And will ye not love me now? I bid you to be like me…
Be like Christ, since gratitude demands obedience; so
shall the world know you have been with Jesus…Let me
entreat you to study the character of Christ. The poor
Bible is almost an obsolete book, even with some
Christians. There are so many periodicals, and such
ephemeral productions, that we are in danger of
neglecting to search the Scriptures. Christian, wouldst
thou know thy master? Look at him. There is a wondrous
power about the character of Christ, for the more you
regard it the more you will be conformed to it. I view
myself in the glass, I go away, and forget what I was.
I behold Christ, and I become like Christ.

By the grace of God, we now represent Jesus Christ upon the earth. He earnestly desires our heart to be his heart, our feet to be his feet, our mouths to be his mouth, our hands to be his hands, and our love to be His love. Our works, our words, and our heart are to represent all the goodness that is wrapped up in Jesus. As we grow in the Christian faith, our lives will bear more and more a striking resemblance to Jesus Christ. We have been counted worthy by God to radiate the glory of His love and goodness to the world, and be living demonstrations and examples of the character of Christ in everything we
do. People will know that Christ lives in you and that you have an intimate relationship
with Jesus when they see the nature, power, and glory of your good works.

II Thessalonians 1:11,12 (Amplified):

With this in view we constantly pray for you,
that our God may deem and count you worthy
of your calling and His every gracious purpose
of goodness, and with power may complete in
your every particular work of faith (faith
which is that leaning of the whole human
personality on God in absolute trust and
confidence in His power, wisdom, and
goodness).

Thus may the name of our Lord Jesus be
glorified and become more glorious through
and in you, and may you also be glorified in
Him according to the grace (favor and blessing)
of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (the
Messiah, the Anointed One).

New Living Translation:

So we keep on praying for you, asking our
God to enable you to live a life worthy of his
call. May he give you the power to accomplish
all the good things your faith prompts you do.
Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored
because of the way you live, and you will
honored along with him. This is all made possible
because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus
Christ.

Don’t we want to honor the Lord Jesus by imitating him in our lifestyle? Don’t we want the name of Jesus to be glorified through and in us by our words and works? God
has a gracious purpose of goodness for your life that you can fulfill through the power of faith. How exciting life can be when each day we become more and more like Jesus, until one day we shall see him face to face and be completely transformed into his image. The world desperately needs to see Christ in your life and your actions.

The fourth and last key in super-abounding in good works in II Corinthians is that God has given us “all sufficiency in all things.” The word “sufficiency” in the Greek means: self-sufficiency; being independent of external circumstances and people, and a perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed. The Christian believer needs nothing external to be satisfied in life, because everything necessary in life is provided within the new nature of Christ and the power of the holy spirit. Our sufficiency is not in the external things or in external relationships in the world, but our sufficiency and dependency is in Christ. We are not disturbed, disquieted, or distracted by what is going on around us, but we calmly rest upon the sufficiency of God Almighty. The good works super-abound out of our sufficiency in Christ and his abundant supply, not our external circumstances or the external condition or atmosphere of this age.

Because of God’s abundant grace and ability, we have sufficient strength, power,
and ability to do whatever needs to be done to further our growth and service in the Lord. We have what it takes in Christ to be victorious in every circumstance, in the face of every problem, and in the midst of every dilemma. No matter how the spiritual war rages around us, we have the ability of God, the love of God, the power of God, the resources of God, the peace of God, the joy of God, the strength of God, and the endurance of God living within us in our new creation in Christ. It is now a part of our very nature. This is our God-given sufficiency that is more than enough of what we need to face the challenges of daily Christian living.

What is going to be our response to this unlimited resource and this powerhouse of strength of God’s ability that resides within us? Are we going to let it lie dormant, or are we going to utilize it in a dynamic way that will transform our lives and the lives of all those people we touch? Are we going to rely upon God’s ability, God’s sufficiency, and God’s power in our daily way of life, or are we going to rely on our own self, our own inadequacies, and our own strength? God has given you everything you will ever need in Christ to accomplish the mighty purpose and calling He has placed on your life. What we have in Christ is what every man, woman, and child upon the earth are deeply longing for and intensely desiring. People are searching for the meaning, the strength, and the satisfaction that can only come from the transformation of heart and life through the power of the new birth and limitless potential and opportunities of a new life in Christ. No one but Jesus can offer such sufficiency, such peace, such love, such fulfillment, such contentment, such deliverance, and such purpose in life.

Colossians 2:6,7,9,10 (REV):

THEREFORE, since you have accepted Christ
Jesus as Lord, live in union with him.

Be rooted in him, be built in him, grow strong
in your faith as you were taught; let your hearts
overflow with thankfulness.

For it is in Christ that the Godhead in all its
fullness dwells embodied.

It is in him that you have been brought to
fulfillment. Every power and authority in the
universe is subject to him as head.

Verse 10 (New Living Translation):

So you also are complete through your own
union with Christ, who is the head over every
ruler and authority.

Verse 10 (Phillips):

Moreover, your own completeness is only
realized in him, who is the authority over
all authorities, and the supreme power over
all powers.

We are absolutely complete in Christ. The word “complete” is the Greek word pleroo, and means: to be filled to the absolute brim; to liberally supply; to cause to abound; to fill to the top so nothing is wanting; to make complete in every particular, and to carry through to the end and accomplish. It is to be filled so full that nothing is left empty. Picture a glass of water that is so completely filled that one more drop of water poured into it will cause it to overflow. We are filled to the brim with the fullness of everything Christ is, at the moment we are born again of God’s spirit.

A. W. Tozer, in God’s Pursuit of Man, says, “He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if their were no others.” All of Christ’s love, all of Christ’s heart, all of Christ’s strength, all of Christ’s compassion, all of Christ’s ability, all of Christ’s peace, all of Christ’s humility, and all of Christ’s power are a part of the poetic masterpiece of the new nature that God has created within us. He has given Himself fully and without measure to each one of us in the Body of Christ. No one has been left out. No one is lacking.

This is almost too much for the mind to comprehend or the heart to grasp. We are full of the nature of Christ, and nothing is lacking or missing in this new nature. This is an unlimited resource of sufficiency, no matter what is happening on the world stage. There can be wars, recessions, violence, and evil of every kind imaginable that fills the earth, but we are still complete in Christ.

Think about this wonderful truth! The fullness of Christ dwells in you! We are not filled with an idea or a philosophy or an influence or a sensation or an experience, but we are filled with the living, breathing Christ. Christ is at the center of our spiritual new nature. His magnificent fullness flows into every nook and cranny of lives, when we let him be Lord. Then it overflows like a mighty river out of our lives into the valleys of human need in our communities. This mighty river never runs dry as its source is the unlimited fullness that we have in Christ. Our good works flow out of the fullness we have in Christ, and no human circumstance or problem can diminish or reduce the fullness of Christ that has been created within us at the time of the new birth. This is why we always have all sufficiency in all things in Christ, and now it is our responsibility to utilize this wonderful resource to walk forth and do good, bringing honor and glory to God.

Peter Wade, in his book In Christ: A New Creation, beautifully illustrates this unlimited source of living water that lives within us:

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of
this water will be thirsty again, but whoever
drinks of the water that I will give him will
never be thirsty forever. The water that I
will give him will become in him a spring of
water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:13,14)
The contrast is obvious: the life that he was
making available would not need to be “topped
up” daily or even weekly at church. He said
without any help from me, without any daily
drawing of water, there would be a “spring of
water welling up (flowing, bubbling) continually
within” (Amplified Bible). The Living Bible
renders it as a “perpetual spring.” What a vivid
word picture on which to meditate! No wonder
I get excited about this completeness, this infinite
supply. Every day and in every way the spring is
within me working. Without any conscious effort
from me, the “perpetual spring” keeps bubbling
and flowing-and never runs dry. He did not say
“will never thirst, if…” the only condition to be
fulfilled was: “whoever drinks of the water that
I shall give him.”-and drinking is the act of
receiving His gift. God’s gift is complete, it is
self-perpetuating, it is infinite supply…When Jesus
visited Jerusalem some later He boldly stood up
and taught, On the last day of the feast, the great
day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone
thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of
his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now
this he said about the Spirit…(John 7:37b-39a).
“Out from his innermost being springs and rivers
of living water shall flow (continuously)”
(Amplified Bible). So this perpetual spring is God’s
spirit within the believer; it is the life of God, the
wisdom of God, the power of God resident within.
It is what was later revealed to Paul as the New
Creation in Christ-complete and self-perpetuating.
What is needed today is a revelation of the
completeness of the New Creation. All God’s
righteousness, spiritual blessing, fullness, power,
all things, are part of the New Creation placed
within us by God. These blessing develop from
within into an outworking or manifestation in our
lives.

Our new creation in Christ, the gift of holy spirit within, is likened to a wonderful, surging, life-giving, flowing river of spiritual living water that lives within us as a gushing, perpetual, infinite source of vivacious and life-changing water. This river of living spiritual water is to flow out of our hearts into the lives of those we reach out to and touch with the goodness of God. The super-abundance of good works flows out of this mighty river of living water. This spiritual water satisfies one’s thirst for God: it refreshes, revives, restores and heals. Water was extremely valuable in the times of the Bible and often in scarce supply. In Rev. G.M. Mackie’s Bible Manners and Customs, he explains the importance of water in Israel:

It is hard for Westerners to appreciate the value
that drinkable water had to the Easterner. Natural
springs were extremely rare in Israel, and most of
the riverbeds were dry for the summer. Wells were
both difficult and dangerous to dig. Water was so
valuable that it was a show of distress, repentance
or love to pour it out to Yahweh…A standard way
to increase the available water supply was to dig
large cisterns in the ground. These were usually
bottle-shaped cavities or pits that could hold
hundreds and even thousands of gallons of water,
and which, hopefully, would fill up during the
rainy season.

Think about how valuable the living water is that flows out of the heart of a Christian believer! We live in a world that is in a severe drought and in desperate need of God’s living, vibrant and life-changing water. We are children of the living God, the fountain of living waters, and He lives within us. His water supply will never run dry. We are not a broken cistern that holds a limited amount of water, but a surging river of God’s spirit, God’s love, God’s power, God’s strength and God’s peace that flow out of us into the world and quench the thirst of all those who come to the living water of Christ.

Peter and John did not have money or possessions to give to the crippled man from birth who sat for years and years at the gate of the temple called Beautiful in Jerusalem. What Peter and John did have was a mighty river of the fullness of Christ living within them, and out of this abundant power source flowed a magnificent good work that changed the life of this man.

Acts 3:6-10 (English Standard Version):

But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold,
but what I do have I give to you. In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up
and walk!”

And he took him by the right hand and
raised him up, and immediately his feet
and ankles were made strong.

And leaping up he stood and began to
walk, and entered the temple with them,
walking and leaping and praising God.

And all the people saw him walking and
praising God,

And recognized him as the one who sat
the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking
for alms. And they were filled with
wonder and amazement at what had
happened to him.

This beautiful section of Scripture illustrates the blueprint of good works that should flow out of our new creation in Christ and the amazing effect these good works have on people. Peter looked intently on the man and said, “What I do have I give to you!” All the love, power, and strength that Peter received in the new birth creation in Christ was flowing out of him like a mighty river to this man with a tremendous need. This marvelous good work that was energized by God and flowed out of Peter raised this man up, made him strong where he was once weak, and brought him complete deliverance. The effect of this good work caused this man to walk, leap and praise God with great joy and thankfulness. This good work caused a reaction of wonder and amazement to all those who saw it.

When we super-abound in good works as a Christians, we can raise people up when they are downtrodden, make them strong in the Lord, when they are weak, and bring deliverance, when they are held captive by the bondage of the devil’s schemes in
this world. People will praise God and leap for joy at the wonderful goodness of God.
Great wonder and amazement will follow these good works, as many will be awestruck at just how big and wonderful the goodness, love, and power of God is to all those who believe and trust in Him.

We need to let this wonderful power of the holy spirit gush out of our innermost being and into the circumstances of life that we face on a daily basis. We need to effervesce and overflow out of our heart all that God has made us to be in Christ. We have an unlimited supply of spiritual power to energize every good work and bring glory to our wonderful God. So often we construct a dam or a roadblock that prevents the outflow of God’s living water in our lives. These dams can be fear, worry, thoughts of inadequacy, doubt, disobedience, ignorance, and indifference. We have the greatest
source of spiritual energy, love, and power within us as Christians that the world has ever known. Let it flow out of you like a mighty river as God works within you to direct its energy into the lives of those in need of His tender mercy, His complete forgiveness, His awesome healing, His unconditional love, and His unfailing strength.

Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible):

I have strength for all things in Christ
Who empowers me [I am ready for
anything and equal to anything through
Him Who infuses inner strength into
me.; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s
sufficiency]

We have all sufficiency in all things because we are self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency. We are ready for anything and equal to anything; we can excel in every good work and we can stand against every spiritual foe through Christ who empowers us for a life of Christian service.

What an awesome responsibility to super-abound in good works for our Lord, and when we practice these four keys, our lives will be a sterling example of the goodness of God in action.