You are God’s Masterpiece
Hi, this is Joni with an encouraging word from Ephesians Chapter 2.
And I know you’ve read it many times: Ephesians 2, verse 10 where it says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I was visiting a church the other day and the pastor made reference to this same Bible verse. He explained that that word “handiwork” is the Greek word “poeima” – that is, we are God’s workmanship, something he is taking great delight in creating. This pastor then encouraged all of us in the congregation to stand up, reach out and touch someone sitting near us. “Give them a hug,” he said, “and if you can shake their hand, give their shoulder a squeeze.” Everyone happily complied, giving each other hugs and pats on the shoulder. When the congregation was told to sit down, he said, “Friend, I want you to know that you have just touched one of God’s masterpieces! You have touched a work of art, the very handiwork of God himself!” Wow!
For some reason, that little exercise made Ephesians Chapter 2 come alive for me. You are not just a work of art in the making; God is doing the creating and that makes you a masterpiece. Unlike an ordinary painting, there is nothing ordinary about you. You are exceptional – because God is the artist, you are His masterpiece in progress. It got me to thinking. You know how art museums are places where curators hang the works of great painters, beautiful and expensive paintings? And so what do curators do? Well, I remember once visiting the Louvre museum in Paris. The place was filled with beautiful and expensive paintings. As we walked along ahead Ken and I saw a large group of people down the far end of a corridor. It was a small crowd and they were standing in front of a painting. ‘Wow, must be something famous’ I thought. And it was. It was Leonardo de Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, the one with the famous smile. And because this was such a valuable work of art, actually, a priceless one; the curators had not only put it behind glass to ensure the temperature and humidity would not damage the Mona Lisa, they also had roped it off to keep people away. There was even a security guard standing nearby. All this was so curious, I thought. The painting itself was quite small, and it was virtually impossible to enjoy any details in the painting because you had to stay your distance. Don’t touch. Don’t come near. Your hands are not invited to touch this masterpiece.
Well, God treats his masterpieces quite differently. On the contrary, he invites us to draw near to each other, not stay our distance. Just like this pastor I mentioned, God invites us to touch and embrace one another, to hug, to hold. And believe me Ephesians Chapter 2 underscores that, as God’s workmanship, as his masterpiece. Oh my goodness, we are far more valuable than any painting created by human hands. We are not to be separated and segregated away from one another.
I hope this speaks to you today; I hope this serves as a good illustration of the value that God places on your life, and on the lives of others around you. And may it also serve as a reminder to you that God wants us to draw near to others; maybe even getting involved in repairing the damage on one of those masterpieces of God near you—embracing and encouraging, touching and lifting up the hearts of those around you who are weary or dealing with illness or injury. These people are God’s handiwork and it just may be their heart needs to be mended; they need to be reminded that they, too, are a masterpiece in progress.
Previously aired as #7829 on 5/3/12.
© Joni and Friends
