For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

The television series “Hoarders” chronicles the lives of individuals obsessed with getting and keeping things for which they have no immediate use. While we shake our heads with disapproval at the chaos this brings, most of us would confess to holding on to Grandma’s china soup tureen or the luggage we found on sale, even though we have no dinner parties or vacation trips in our near future.

Our God is no hoarder. He has redeemed us by grace through faith in his Son, Jesus — not for display in a china cupboard or storage in a closet, but for good works that he has already planned for us to do. Through Jesus we are saved to serve our neighbors, family, and the world.

Eileen Ritter
Byron Center, MI

Lord, as you have loved us, help us to love and serve others. Amen.

Reflect: You have been saved by grace. What opportunities do you see for service today?

Read: Hebrews 13:1-8 and Jeremiah 29:11