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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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God’s Work of Art
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The Master Craftsman was at work again. His creative genius was deliberately poised, fully aware of the masterpiece within His hands, and contemplating the impact of her future. The Craftsman knew already what lay ahead, and He knew the intrinsic detailing that made this artistry perfectly designed to fulfill His very own purpose. Lovingly He cradled the work in His hands of strength, supporting, giving, breathing it seemed His own breath into His unique creation. "Ahhh," He sighed. "You are the work of my hands. You embody the essence of who I am. Your place will be a quiet one, but it will brilliantly display my glory."
Does it all sound a bit far-fetched? Mystical? Or, maybe just, impossible? Ephesians 2:10 says, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." The concept is that each of us as believers is an individual work of art created by God. An artist expresses himself through his creation, or to put it another way, the finished artistry reveals something about the artist. In the biblical parallel, the Master Craftsman reveals Himself through the lives of believers that He has fashioned. Because you identify yourself with God, everything you do or say that is seen or known by others, passes along a picture of who God is. When you embrace and forgive the one who has offended you, you reveal a loving, accepting, and forgiving God. When you do your job with diligence and to the utmost of your ability, you reveal a God of integrity. Patient words that are clothed in understanding tell of God’s patience even while He exhorts us to do better. Bitterness, demandingness, laziness, or aloofness convey a much different God. Consider your own life in your very ordinary, or perhaps not-so-ordinary world. What is the picture of God that you show to others? To the others in your family? To those at work? To the difficult people in your life?
The potter wedges, kneads, cuts, compresses, and slams the clay to purify it for use. Life situations can seem to slam us, turn us inside out, or cut apart our hopes and dreams, yet the Master Craftsman is at work, and with our wills submitted to His, and our love wanting more of Him, we have the assurance that not only is God in control, but His concern is for our good, and ultimately He will be glorified. Others will see His essence. They will understand Him perhaps as they never have before, and prayerfully, they too will become works of art in the hands of the Master Craftsman.
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— Bev |
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