I woke up thinking about my sermon from Sunday. I love how God uses my sermon prep to bring something before me that I need to be reminded of. The sermons He gives me are just as much for me as they are for others. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-10 about how we are God's workmanship. Verse ten reads in The Living Testament:
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.
In The Passion Translation reads:
We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!
I love the idea that we are "His poetry"! That makes me feel think about how a poet takes time to write a poem with making every word perfect. God took time to create us making us perfect in His image. In the beginning of the chapter we read how God brings people out of death and re-creates them when they come into relationship with Him. We no longer have to live participating in the ‘junk’ of this world when we allow Him to ‘re-create’ us! Praise His Holy Name! I dug into the word 'poetry' and found in Greek the word is poiema. It means 'something made' and in context is something made by God Himself. As a new creation skillfully and artfully created in Christ, we are given a new life. Part of this new life includes supernatural attributes. When we accept Christ into our hearts, we are made anew. When we allow His Holy Spirit to have free reign of our life, He blesses us with supernatural power. I have seen healing in people's physical bodies, emotional bodies, and most of all spiritual bodies through the Holy Spirit. This makes us not just be 'His poetry' but 'His divine poetry'! Woo hoo! Gordon wrote, "Each of our lives is the papyrus on which the Master is producing a work of art that will fill the everlasting ages with His praise." That is the desire of my heart. I want to "fill the everlasting ages with His praise." We all are God's masterpiece...His poem...His work of art! As we believe this, our life changes. We begin to understand our incredible value in Christ. C.S. Lewis said, "We are a divine work of art." Just think about all the expensive pieces of artwork in galleries all over the world. If they are worth a lot, would we as God's one-of-a-kind human masterpiece not be worth even more? When we see ourselves in this manner, we will realize we are not worthless as many feel. We have value. Thinking this does not make us conceded. It makes us proud to be a child of the King. There are many who have trouble believing this because of the way they were raised with being put down by their parents. Our Heavenly Daddy does not put us down. Instead He lifts us up. He encourages us. He loves on us. Sunday I shared what Joni Eareckson Tada wrote in her book "A Place of Healing" where she describes herself as God's 'poiema'...
“(God) has a plan and purpose for my time on earth. He is the Master Artist or Sculptor, and He is the One Who chooses the tools He will use to perfect His workmanship. What of suffering, then? What of illness? What of disability? Am I to tell Him which tools He can use and which tools He can’t use in the lifelong task of perfecting me and molding me into the beautiful image of Jesus? Do I really know better than Him, so that I can state without equivocation that it’s always His will to heal me of every physical affliction? If I am His poem, do I have the right to say, “No, Lord. You need to trim line number two and brighten up lines three and five. They’re just a little bit dark.” Do I, the poem, the thing being written, know more than the poet?”
Woo hoo! God inspired me through Joni to do better at seeing myself as His 'poiema' and realize my worth in Him to a deeper degree. He encouraged me to allow Him to continue writing my story. Before we allow Christ to have free reign of our life we are nothing compared to what it is when we allow His love to flow in and through us. I want more of Him to flow in and through me. The desire of my heart is to be like the Apostle Paul who allowed God to make him in the workmanship He desired. Through his obedience many came to know the Lord. He did not fear anything that came his way but instead stood in God’s strength. Some of my favorite Bible verses come from the Apostle Paul .These are ‘Sheila translations’…
II Timothy 1:7…God does not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power, love, and self-control.
Philippians 4:13…I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Romans 8:28…We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to His purpose.
Woo hoo! Yes! He empowers me because I am ready to be His workmanship. I love the illustration from Spurgeon about the painter. He wrote:
“You have seen a painter with his palette on his finger and he has ugly little daubs of paint on the palette. What can he do with those spots? Go in and see the picture. What splendid painting! In an even wiser way does Jesus act toward us. He takes us, poor smudges of paint, and He makes the blessed pictures of His grace out of us. It is neither the brush nor the paint He uses, but it is the skill of His own hand which does it all.”
God created each of us to fulfill the desires of His heart. He did not create us to ‘do’ but to ‘be’! I am grateful of the reminders He put before me last week when He placed this sermon on my heart and again this morning as He had it on my mind. I am so grateful in a world that tears us down He is there to lift us up. When I become discouraged, He is there to encourage me. Praise His Holy Name!
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace! Thank You for the knowledge I have worth in You! Thank You for re-creating me and continuing to mold me into the person You desire me to be! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of Your Holy Spirit. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. May You go before me and be seen in all I do and say. Lord, I pray today will be a better day for Doc. I pray He will be able to not just get through the day but to enjoy it in the process. Give him rest for this evening with the teens. I pray for restoration and healing in him. I also pray for Little Richie who is undergoing an exploratory to determine what is causing his sickness. Oh Father, how I pray it is not the leukemia showing its ugly head. I pray for his family to have Your peace and Your strength. I pray for: my Momma; Dale who started with OSU yesterday; Little Weston's whose fever broke; Little Finn who continues his battle; Little Natalie as she continues her battle; Rita; Lynn as she awaits test results; Maxine; Mike; Mike; and so many others with major physical issues. May You be greater than their issues. May Your peace come down upon them and their families in a mighty way. Lord, I know I overdid yesterday and that is why my body doesn't want to go today. But I am relying on Your supernatural strength and wisdom throughout this day. Thank You Jesus for being My Creator! Amen.
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