Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day I pray you've started your day with the Lord and are awaiting this day with expectant hope of what He has ahead for you. I love this reminder of who we are in Christ:
As believers, we are God’s masterpiece. We are His creation and the result of a lifetime of work. This is no easy task. We have learned, in Paul’s letter to the Romans that we are inherently sinful and cannot fulfill God’s Law on our own. Here, we learn that although we are deserving of punishment, we are saved by God’s “great love for us” (v. 4). We were transformed in Christ, made alive even while we were still dead in sin.
God does not despair and give up on us as we stumble in our faith. Rather, He lifts us up and seats us “with him in the heavenly realms”. We are saved by God’s grace, not by our works. We cannot boast of this for it is nothing that we have done. We are God’s “handiwork”. Other translations describe us as God’s “masterpiece” or “workmanship.” God has perfected us through Christ Jesus. He has a plan for us that will take a lifetime to complete.
The God who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it. We are nurtured by His love and grace. We have an eternal destiny. We are His most magnificent handiwork.
As humans, we often focus on the parts of ourselves that are weak, faulty, or incomplete. Remember that God sees us in perfection. He knows the plan that He has for our life and has promised to complete it. He loves us completely and values us as His creation. we are His handiwork, His workmanship, His masterpiece. We are incredibly valuable to God.
As Christians, when we understand and appreciate the beauty of who we truly are “by grace…through faith” (Ephesians 2:8), we are moved to worship God as Ultimate Creator. We are freed to respond to the truth of God’s work in our lives, and this is right worship (John 4).
I still cannot comprehend the kind of love God has for each of us to take on all our sins on the cross and with every single moment He took on the most painful death imaginable, we can't even fathom what love He has for us. We are saved by grace my friends... We so need each other and need to be reminded of who we are in Him. Let's walk into this day with the reminder of who we are and why we are here... and our response to this incredible love.
Susie Larson shares the following:
In Christ Jesus, you are a masterpiece, brand new, through and through. You bear the image of God. You're filled with the Spirit of God. You possess the promises of God. You're profoundly positioned in the heart of God. May you look up right now and breathe a sigh of relief. No enemy can snatch you from His hand. No circumstance can keep you from His love. No sinful person can keep you from your purpose. Jesus masterfully works all things together for good for those who love Him. He'll take it all, He'll move mountains, part waters, and break-through just for YOU. He loves you. May the knowledge God's Fatherly affection put your heart at rest and your perspective back in place. You're more valuable than you can imagine.
Ephesians 2:10 (AMP) ~ For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
