Masterpiece

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” - Ephesians 2:10 NLT

This passage of scripture has been wrecking me lately. It is only one sentence long, but there is so much to digest within these words. So, let’s dig in:

“For we are God’s masterpiece.”

A masterpiece is often a piece or a collection of pieces that an artist is most proud of + thinks is the most beautiful. God created the sky, the mountains, starfish, and lions. Each of these show off God’s handiwork. Think of each species of animal, plant, or rock as a “collection” of His work. Then, there’s humans. His most grand collection. You are a part of the pinnacle of all His collections. You are a part of His favorite collection. You are a part of the collection that far outshines the other collections. You are His masterpiece.

“He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,”

You are no longer dead because of your sins but righteous because of Jesus (2 Peter 2:24). You are detached from you old self. The self that was walking in sin + holding fast to sinful ways. You are not condemned for your past decisions. Sin no longer separates you from God. Yes, you will still experience the consequences of your sin. But those sins don’t define who you are. Those sins are wiped away then replaced with love + grace. Being created anew in Christ means a whole new path. A path that is directed by faith from a heart fully sold to Christ.

“So we can do the good things”

SO. This is the key word. This is a productive word meaning that it creates action. It connects a cause + effect. It shows there is purpose in the being created anew. We were created new in Christ so that we can do good things. “Good things” sounds unbearably ambiguous. What are these good things? The good things are the fruits of your relationship with Him. The best thing that comes from this is the work God does in your heart. It won’t be the possessions that we get, but the person God creates us to be. He made us new SO He could bring us closer to Him + look more like him, for our good.

“he planned for us long ago”

When a graphic designer is tasked with designing something, they are first given the goal for the design. They think about the purpose of the design, what is it supposed to do? Then, they draw a sketch of how it should look to be the most effective it can be. That’s how God created you. Before you were created, He had a plan for you + your life. Each talent, gift, sensitivity, + desire you have was put in you purposefully. He gave you a purpose. His purpose for you to know Him + make Him known. These gifts were given to you intentionally so you can see Him in a new way or to bring Him glory. Look at your gifts + know that God gave them to you. Nothing is wasted.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR you?

Since you are God’s new creation, created to do the good things He planned for you long ago, you can be confident in your gifts. A lot of times when you become aware of your gifts, it can be easy to have a death grip on it. You try + control them. You do it from a good heart! You want to honor your calling, you want to work hard, you want to be the best, but you may burn yourself out. You may find that this blessing has morphed into a burden.

Your gifts + dreams can sometimes be scary + burdensome. But they only become scary + burdensome when you focus on the gift rather than the one who gave it to you.

Your gifts are powerful in cohesion with the Lord, but powerless on their own. So, relax. God is the one orchestrating all of this. He has a plan, THE plan. Trust him with your gifts + your dreams. He is faithful to do immeasurably more than you imagine, it may not be in the way you imagine, but I promise it will be good.