In Christ - I am God's Workmanship

I am God's workmanship...Ephesians 2:10

Max Lucado/Grace for the Moment Volume II, pg. 109 -

"Over a hundred years ago, a group of fishermen were relaxing in a Scottish seaside inn. One of the men gestured widely and his arm struck the serving maid's tea tray, sending the teapot flying into the whitewashed wall. The innkeeper surveyed the damage and sighed, 'The whole wall will have to be repainted.'

"'Perhaps not,' offered a stranger. 'Let me work with it.'

"Having nothing to lose, the proprietor consented. The man pulled pencils, brushes, and pigment out of an art box…In time, an image began to emerge: a stag with a great rack of antlers. The man inscribed his signature at the bottom, paid for his meal, and left. His name: Sir Edwin Landseer, famous painter of wildlife.

"In his hands, a mistake became a masterpiece. God's hands do the same, over and over. He draws together the disjointed blotches in our life and renders them an expression of His love."

What an awesome affirmation - we are God's masterpiece - His work of art! He takes all of our weaknesses - strengths - fears - hopes - dreams - gifts - mistakes - abilities - good choices - and bad - and He weaves it all together to create a masterpiece that rivals anything Michelangelo ever created! Artists can often "see" the finished piece of art before they begin - they look at all the details of the raw material and can visualize what it will become, even before they pick up a brush - or a chisel. God sees ahead - He sees the finished product. He's using every tool in His box to shape us into the image of His Son. We can't see the completed work - but He can - and it gives Him pleasure! The next time the enemy whispers in your ear that you're worthless - the next time someone says something demeaning and unkind - the next time you're tempted to write yourself off as a total failure - remember that you are GOD'S work of art - and He's creating a masterpiece! Sharon For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.