I enjoy going to places with lovely outdoor scenery, and spending time marveling at the beauty, creativity, and variety on display. Being in these places and viewing God’s handiwork has become increasingly more meaningful to me. Why? Because I am increasingly viewing all of creation as God’s works of art.
Yet there is one of God’s works of art that stands supreme: the human being.
As we know, in the Genesis account, at the end of each of the first 5 days of creation, it is recorded in chapter 1 that “God saw that it was good.” It was only at the end of the 6th day of creation, after creating humans, that Genesis records that “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).
I recently studied and reflected upon a verse from Paul’s letter to the believers at Ephesus, and I got a better understanding of this concept:
Ephesians 2:10 NASB For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The Greek word translated as workmanship is poiema (POY-ay-mah), which means a fabric, something that has been made, a creative masterpiece. Wow! What a rich word! And it is describing us! That is why various Bible translations render it as workmanship, handiwork, creation, masterpiece, and creative work. Notice how this Greek work looks and sounds similar to our word “poem,” which led The Passion Translation to render this verse as “We have become His poetry.”
Wow! We are God’s masterfully created workmanship! We are His carefully crafted tapestry, His exquisitely worded poetry, His beautiful handiwork! God labored over us to reproduce in us a glimpse of His nature, so that we would have the desire and ability to do the good works that He prepared for us to do. These good works are intended to serve others, and to be a reflection of His nature, so that others will be drawn to God. We are God’s ultimate work of art!
Corrie ten Boom, in her poem entitled “Life is but a Weaving,” uses a tapestry as a word picture of this concept:
My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned
This is a helpful word picture. The underside of a tapestry often looks messy and disorganized, with threads in a haphazard pattern that show little resemblance to the beautiful pattern on the top side of the tapestry. Similarly, we often live our lives, seeing for the most part only the underside of the tapestry of our life. We may sometimes think, “God, what are You doing in my life? From my vantage point, all I see are random threads. I don’t see Your handiwork in my life.” Sometimes, in God’s mercy, He will give us a momentary glimpse of the top side of the tapestry, revealing the marvelous work of art that He is fashioning. If you have ever gotten one of those momentary glimpses, you know how encouraging it is.
Let me repeat the key thought for today, rewording it to describe you:
You are God’s masterfully created workmanship! You are His carefully crafted tapestry, His exquisitely worded poetry, His beautiful handiwork! God labored over you to reproduce in you a glimpse of His nature, so that you would have the desire and ability to do the good works that He prepared for you to do. These good works are intended to serve others, and to be a reflection of His nature, so that others will be drawn to God. You are God’s ultimate work of art!
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”