Once we are in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, good works demonstrate fruitfulness in our lives.  If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you cannot count on good works to save you.

Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

The difficulty comes because we place our emphasis on our own abilities and worthiness.

In the Bible, God tells us that all haved sinned and fallen short of God's glory.  None of us are worthy of God's love.  That's why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to become our worthiness.  Jesus  makes up the gap between what we are and what He demands.

Our sin was the core issue, so Christ took our sins on His shoulders and bore the price of our failings.  Now, when we approach God, we approach Him through the salvation He offers through Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." (Titus3:4-7)

You are right that we must want to be in relationship with God, but these verses place the integrity of our relationship on God; and not on our shoulders.  We are saved by grace, not good works.

We do good works after we are saved, as thanks for what God did for us, not to earn salvation.