Devotionals for the Heart: Poems

We are the Poems of God
A devotional by Voni Harris

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

What do “Ode to a Grecian Urn,” “Cat in the Hat,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” all have in common?

They are all poetry.

Yes, John Keats, Dr. Seuss, Robert Frost and Shel Silverstein were all poets. Such a great variety of poetry, each poet individual and personal.

Each poem individual and personal.

Each reader individual and personal.

But did you know that you are a poem?

Yes. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul calls us Christ’s “workmanship.” That’s sweet to hear, and stirs us to do the good works God prepared for us to do.

When you take a moment to look at that word workmanship, though, there is brain explosion, full of color and beautiful sound, for the word is translated from the original Greek word poiema, which means “something made.” In this context, it means, something made by God!

Just think!

God did not run some raw materials through a human creation factory.

He created each of us … He created you … individually, personally, purposefully, skillfully, artfully. With a huge diversity. He did so the way the poets write, only perfectly, and to a level we cannot comprehend with our human minds.

And He loves us.

So let’s go out and get on these good works He has prepared for us to do!

You may ask, “Wait, what good works?”

Allow me to answer in storytelling style…

I’ve seen two movies recently that provoked me to look at that. Sports movies like Overcomers. Running movies like Chariots of Fire. I loved each one!

In Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell says, “When I run, I feel the pleasure of God.” In real life, he stated, “I believe God made me for China.” Liddell knew deep in his soul why God made him: to be a missionary in China. His running feats and his Olympic gold message gave him a platform to share Christ and prepared him for China.

How did Liddell know this deep in his soul?

In Overcomers, the coach is urged to do one thing: strip away all he does and discover who he is.

It’s about our identity in Christ.

Regardless of your identity or title be it that you are a spouse, a parent, a teacher, a doctor, a writer, an athlete, a victim, or alone … your identity as a child of God, your title of being a Christ-follower is what really matters.

Remember this: Those identities and titles that describe us to each other and show us our place in this world, don’t matter unless they come from who you are in Christ. And that starts with the word we looked at from the beginning of this blog …

Workmanship.

Poiema.

Strip away all the things you "do" that define you and seek to understand who you are in Christ then watch Him change your world!

After all, we are each God’s unique poem to the world.

~*~
Author Bio:

Voni Harris writes from her family’s home on the rain forest island of Kodiak, Alaska.

A legal-eagle husband, a breathtaking daughter, an adventurous grandson, and two enthusiastic dogs all conspire to keep her from spending too much time at the computer.

She holds a Radio-TV degree from Drake University, and her short story “The Wedding” was published in Heart-Stirring Stories of Romance.

Voni's novel Nothing Hidden won the 2013 ACFW’s First Impressions contest and the 2015 Daphne du Maurier unpublished inspy suspense category. It was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis finalist.