I AM: A Masterpiece Week Five - Day One

By Central Women

I love national parks. I want to take in the wonder and beauty each one has to offer. When I see the natural masterpiece God has made, the creativity captivates my heart.

When you think of a masterpiece, what comes to mind?

Do you think of Van Gough’s Starry Night or Michelangelo’s David? Maybe the giant redwoods of California or the Grand Canyon? Usually, we think of something spectacular, awe-inspiring, or breathtaking.

But have you ever thought of yourself as a masterpiece?

For most of us, the answer would be “No.” We don’t see ourselves as a masterpiece…maybe a mess, but certainly not a masterpiece. We see our flaws and imperfections. We know the secret sins we hide from others, the things that trip us up every day in our walk with Jesus.

While those things may be true, when we accepted Jesus as Lord, the Master Artist began painting the canvas of your new life in Him. He took all those sins and flaws, the imperfections we hate about ourselves, and He nailed them to the cross.

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”

Colossians 2:13-14

Before Jesus, we were dead in our sins. We were hopeless. Yet because of Jesus, we have new life in Him. With our debts of sin canceled and our condemnation taken away, God made us alive with Christ. Did you catch that? We are no longer dead, but alive. God began His work in us. We can leave our former ways behind and live the life He intended for us—a life focused on bringing glory to Him.

God created us as His Masterpiece.

Take a moment to let that sink in.

“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

We are a beautiful work of art created by the Master Artist. You are unique, valuable, and deeply loved. The Creator of the universe created you. The same God who created the awe-inspiring vastness of the stars and planets intentionally formed the beauty of your heart.

The Greek word used here for masterpiece, workmanship, or handiwork is poiema. It has a similar meaning to our English word for poem. An author intentionally writes a poem—it doesn’t just come together by chance. Poems are not afterthoughts, but instead, they are works of love, full of detail and emotion. Poems tell a story, and so does your life in Christ. The thought that we are God’s poem overwhelms me a bit. Just as a poem or painting brings glory to the author or artist, God has written my life in such a way to bring glory to Christ and the Father. He has taken away my mess and created a masterpiece.

We are a divine work of art, created by the Master Artist.

Reflect

How is seeing yourself as God’s masterpiece difficult?

How can you change your thinking to accept God’s gift of grace and allow Him to write the poem of your life?

I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)