I am quite familiar with Paul mentioning (Eph 2.9) that if we could get to heaven by being nice people and doing good works, it would make our heads swell as if we had something to boast about. I can easily relate to that.
But it never connected with me that the same Paul is writing the same thing to the Romans (4.2).
"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God."
And in the way Paul says it to the Romans, it warns Marcos that when I feel like boasting, I should just make sure God does not hear it!
Being able to participate in good works is God’s gift to us. It is a response that comes from the work God does in our lives. So, think about your motives- Are you doing good to get or simply to give?