God’s Masterpieces
A devotional by Karen Marstaller
When I was young, my Grandma taught me how to Cross-stitch.
She was an expert with a needle and embroidery thread, and I spent happy hours going through her thread box, choosing colors, and then learning how to make beautiful stitches. Her handwork was exquisite and every time I look at an art piece that she created, I’m reminded of the Great Craftsman of my life.
In Ephesians, Paul teaches us to walk in Christ. He reminds us of our beginning—we are God’s workmanship, His handiwork. As we take a close look at our hearts, we see some characteristics that really don’t remind us of the Lord’s creative genius, and yet the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 139 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Every fiber of our being was deliberately and intricately designed by the Author of life. Even when we sin, He knows our every thought, and He remembers why He created us. On top of that, He forgives us when we ask Him, and He sets us back on the good path He’s chosen for us.
As our Savior, Christ Jesus created us for good works. These aren’t the petty little deeds we do in hopes of receiving a pat on the back from other people. Good works are actions of the heart, created by the Lord and presented to God as sacrifices to glorify Him. We don’t need to win a Nobel Prize or some great humanitarian award—we simply love our neighbors as we love God. If we show God’s love and mercy to those we meet, then we’re on the road to completing that for which He’s made us. With an open heart to serve others in humility, we obey our Lord’s commandment. Loving others like we love the Lord is our highest calling, and He sees our hearts.
Before we were even born, God set His plan in motion. His design is for us to be the lovely canvas where His perfect plan blossoms. In His hands, our lives make sense. Even when we’re heartsore and afraid to hear the latest pandemic reports, we turn our eyes to Jesus and are comforted by His words, “You are My workmanship, and I have something good for you to do.”
How do we know what to do? The best answer I’ve heard these past few months is, “Do the next right thing.” Choosing to serve the Lord by serving our brother is always the “next right thing.” We have a divine responsibility to lavish good on our fellow sojourners. We’re all His workmanship! It’s time for us to act like we understand what it means to be His creation, and His handiwork.
It doesn’t matter if we’re from French Guiana, Canada, or Brazil, just as it doesn’t matter if we hail from Indiana, Georgia, or Oregon. What matters is that we’re a product of God’s own heart. Every one of us is His design. We’re exactly as He created us to be, and the beautiful thing about God is that He always sees what He plans. What if my life doesn’t look like it’s going according to plan? Not to worry. A repentant heart brings us right back into His perfect place, and His perfect peace. With good works for us to do with our next step, or with our next breath, we reach for His hand. Our Good Father always knows the way. We trust in Him.
In our living room, a framed counted cross-stitch holds a prominent place. In the center of the shadow box, it says, “His Name is Jesus,” and around the sides are the many names by which our Lord is called.
Every time I look at the beautiful handwork, I’m grateful for the connections I have to my friend who embroidered it, my grandma who taught me to appreciate hand crafted art, and especially, to my Wonderful Savior who created me for His good works. Contemporary Christian music artist Steve Green sings this beautiful song based on Philippians 1:6 (ESV) where the Lord says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” Listen to the song on YouTube for free! Here's the hyperlink.
What an astounding privilege it is to be one of the myriad colors of thread in His great creative work. Hallelujah! Thank You, Heavenly Father (God)!
~*~
Author Bio:
“For we are His workmanship, created by Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
When I was young, my Grandma taught me how to Cross-stitch.
She was an expert with a needle and embroidery thread, and I spent happy hours going through her thread box, choosing colors, and then learning how to make beautiful stitches. Her handwork was exquisite and every time I look at an art piece that she created, I’m reminded of the Great Craftsman of my life.
In Ephesians, Paul teaches us to walk in Christ. He reminds us of our beginning—we are God’s workmanship, His handiwork. As we take a close look at our hearts, we see some characteristics that really don’t remind us of the Lord’s creative genius, and yet the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 139 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Every fiber of our being was deliberately and intricately designed by the Author of life. Even when we sin, He knows our every thought, and He remembers why He created us. On top of that, He forgives us when we ask Him, and He sets us back on the good path He’s chosen for us.
As our Savior, Christ Jesus created us for good works. These aren’t the petty little deeds we do in hopes of receiving a pat on the back from other people. Good works are actions of the heart, created by the Lord and presented to God as sacrifices to glorify Him. We don’t need to win a Nobel Prize or some great humanitarian award—we simply love our neighbors as we love God. If we show God’s love and mercy to those we meet, then we’re on the road to completing that for which He’s made us. With an open heart to serve others in humility, we obey our Lord’s commandment. Loving others like we love the Lord is our highest calling, and He sees our hearts.
Before we were even born, God set His plan in motion. His design is for us to be the lovely canvas where His perfect plan blossoms. In His hands, our lives make sense. Even when we’re heartsore and afraid to hear the latest pandemic reports, we turn our eyes to Jesus and are comforted by His words, “You are My workmanship, and I have something good for you to do.”
How do we know what to do? The best answer I’ve heard these past few months is, “Do the next right thing.” Choosing to serve the Lord by serving our brother is always the “next right thing.” We have a divine responsibility to lavish good on our fellow sojourners. We’re all His workmanship! It’s time for us to act like we understand what it means to be His creation, and His handiwork.
It doesn’t matter if we’re from French Guiana, Canada, or Brazil, just as it doesn’t matter if we hail from Indiana, Georgia, or Oregon. What matters is that we’re a product of God’s own heart. Every one of us is His design. We’re exactly as He created us to be, and the beautiful thing about God is that He always sees what He plans. What if my life doesn’t look like it’s going according to plan? Not to worry. A repentant heart brings us right back into His perfect place, and His perfect peace. With good works for us to do with our next step, or with our next breath, we reach for His hand. Our Good Father always knows the way. We trust in Him.
In our living room, a framed counted cross-stitch holds a prominent place. In the center of the shadow box, it says, “His Name is Jesus,” and around the sides are the many names by which our Lord is called.
Every time I look at the beautiful handwork, I’m grateful for the connections I have to my friend who embroidered it, my grandma who taught me to appreciate hand crafted art, and especially, to my Wonderful Savior who created me for His good works. Contemporary Christian music artist Steve Green sings this beautiful song based on Philippians 1:6 (ESV) where the Lord says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” Listen to the song on YouTube for free! Here's the hyperlink.
What an astounding privilege it is to be one of the myriad colors of thread in His great creative work. Hallelujah! Thank You, Heavenly Father (God)!
~*~
Author Bio:
During this time of quarantine, Karen enjoys reading, writing, and connecting with friends and family via phone calls, texts, emails, blogs, live-streams, and video conferencing.
She is grateful that the Lord has provided so many ways for humankind to stay in community, even when we are all hunkering down in our homes.
Karen says, “In this unprecedented time, we know that He has prepared us for such a time as this! To God be all the glory!”
You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com
She is grateful that the Lord has provided so many ways for humankind to stay in community, even when we are all hunkering down in our homes.
Karen says, “In this unprecedented time, we know that He has prepared us for such a time as this! To God be all the glory!”
You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com
Karen this is an inspired devotional. So glad I got a chance to read and ponder on it. I hope you will have many more like this. We are God's handiwork and he created us to glorify Him. I do hope my life will honor Him and be a positive testimony to family and friends alike! God Bless You!!!
ReplyDelete