You: A Thing of Beauty
Read Ephesians 3: 8 – 10
Jesus Christ loves beauty. Therefore, He loves you. Don’t discount that statement and thereby diminish your own self-worth. In considering the enormity of “all things” don’t forget one thing —- you. You are the product of His creative genius and love. “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
You are a work in progress and perhaps the greatest beauty is yet to be seen. We are His workmanship.” The word “workmanship” translates the Greek POIEMA. In that you can hear our English word poem. From where does a poem come? It comes from the mind of the poet. God has you in mind in His workshop. POIEMA can be translated “masterpiece.” If you are a Christian, you are a masterpiece of God’s handiwork. He is in the continuous process of conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ.
John 15:16 should cause you dignity and give a sense of self-worth: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” We are “Created in Christ Jesus.”
God wants to make you what He can contemplate with delight. Every improvement He desires is for your good and His glory. It IS for your good.
How this new spiritual creation comes to be is explained in Ephesians 2: 8 & 9. It is by grace. Grace means to give divine favor. It means God giving to us everything we need without us deserving it. It means the blessing of God granted to us without us meriting it. We obtain this grace by faith. Some argue that our faith is our work which merits God’s favor.
Think for a moment. When you are thirsty and reach for a drink of water, what quenches your thirst, your hand or the water? Your hand is only the means of receiving the water. Our faith, which has in it no merit, is simply the means of receiving God’s unmerited favor.
The Lord chose one of the most common everyday principles as the connecting point by which salvation becomes ours. It is faith. It is a common every day act in which we engage many times.
Faith that is basic to human nature is what our Lord uses to draw us to Himself. If we can have faith in the promises and potential of earthly things, surely we can have faith in Him.
It is a gift of God. Gifts are purchased for us by those who love us at no cost to us. That loving purchase was made at Calvary.
Though salvation is not by works it should logically lead “Unto good works.” Therefore, resolve, today I will think as the apostle Paul: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) Therefore, go get ‘um.