We desire to know all; we tire of doing all we know, hoping that words can count instead of deeds. Perhaps here below they may; for above they clearly cannot in God's sight, since there it is not he who has spoken, but he who has acted, that shall be saved.

  - Columbanus, Letter IV to His Disciples (Irish, 7th century)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

  - Galatians 6.9

The reason for our redemption, Paul explained, is so that we might be able to do those good works which manifest our love for God and neighbor and, consequently, bring Him the glory He is due (Eph. 2.8-10). We are not saved merely to know that we are saved, or even to know all about what it means to be saved. The mere acquisition of Biblical or theological knowledge is no proof of salvation, though we be ever so well informed.

We are saved not merely to know, but to do. We will not reap the fruits of salvation apart from sowing the seeds of obedient faith through works of love toward God and neighbor. The Law of God, which is holy and righteous and good, points the way for us onto the path of good works that we are called to walk as Jesus did (1 Jn. 2.1-6).

We must not grow weary of doing good, since this is why we have been redeemed. Every day presents us with new opportunities for showing grace or speaking truth to those around us. But if we are distracted by mere worldly desires, we may miss those opportunities and so fail in realizing the purpose of our salvation.

We need to get our minds in gear, our hearts at the ready, and something of a plan of action in place before we arrive at those moments when opportunities for doing good are knocking. Think ahead to your day, to the next hour, the people you will encounter, the situations in which you will find yourself. With the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16), set yourself to do good. What would you want someone else to do to show the grace and peace of the Lord to you? Make plans now to show those acts to others, and do them faithfully as each opportunity arises.

God calls us to act, not just to know. Only as we act on what we know can we bring the love and truth of God to light in our sin-darkened age. It does no good to rail against sin and to lament the depths of our present darkness, if we do not intend, by every means available to us, at every opportunity, to shine the light of good works into the relationships, roles, and responsibilities of our lives.

Doors of opportunity for glorifying God are already beginning to crack open, ahead of your arrival before them. Can you see them? Anticipate how you shall go through them? Commit yourself and your day to the Lord, and not grow weary in doing good.

If you will, then, truly, you will know what it means to be saved.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.