For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
Whenever it came to buying tools, my dad always went to Sears. Period. It didn’t matter that Monkey Wards might have been cheaper, or that we could walk to Ackhurst’s (the local hardware store) just down the street. When it came to buying tools, Sears was the place, and Craftsman was the name. That was the list. That was it.
As you walked through the aisles of tools, you saw Craftsman in big, bold letters. When you picked up a Craftsman tool, it seemed heavier than other tools. When you cradled a Craftsman tool in your hands, it had a certain feel to them. They fit so well in your hand. They were balanced. They were sturdy.
With my dad’s skills, determination, and Craftsman tools, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. He finished off two bedrooms and a club basement. He added a driveway. He built a model train platform and a luggage carrier for the top of our car. He rebuilt a rotted wooden hull on our first boat.
And best of all, there was a lifetime warranty on all Craftsman tools. Bring back a broken tool and you got an immediate replacement. No questions asked. They were well worth the extra cost. They were well worth the added time.
In Jesus, we are remade by the one and only craftsman of the universe. And being his workmanship is so much better than just having a name slapped on us. We were made new once-and-for-all. Our relationship with God has been remade for all time.
And not just with tools that we find at a store, or that we can use. No, we’ve been made his workmanship with and through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. His one-time payment made a way for us to be born again[1].
Yes, we’ve been born again. But why? To what purpose? We weren’t made to just sit on display, to look nice as people walked by. Or to be put in some dark, hidden, drawer. Or to just sit collecting dust on the shelf.
No, we were made his handiwork for a purpose. We were made his handiwork to be active. We were made his handiwork to be used by God, building his kingdom, achieving his works in this world.
God has already put in his order. He’s already laid out his plan. He knows what he wants us to do. He’s made us into exactly the kind of handiwork that’s specially designed to do his work.
Our life response is through thankful and loving obedience. We are to reorder our life, our words, our behavior. We should want to realign our life to be the kind of people he wants us to be. Doing the kinds of things he wants us to do. Saying the kinds of things he wants us to say.
And our obedience isn’t to be just hit or miss. Here or there. We are to be in the groove, in the habit. To be in the place of doing what God wants. In our daily walk with him, we’re to walk with his good works. We are to be side-by-side with him, and side by side with his good works. Stride for stride with him and his good works. Shoulder to shoulder with him and his good works.
Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
Zephaniah 3:9
He does the saving. We do the walking with him. We’re responsible for our obedience, and God does the creating of fruit and harvesting. It’s to infect our lives each and every day.
There was a girl at the church I grew up at. Every year she’d never show up for anything. Worship. Youth group. Bible study. Activities. She was always not there.
And then summer camp came along. She came to camp and then suddenly she was everywhere. Doing everything. Playing guitar. Singing. Praying. Studying her Bible.
But then she’d slip back into her past pattern. Slowly at first, then more and more. Eventually, she wasn’t around anymore.
God has saved you in Jesus. He has gifted and empowered you in and through his Holy Spirit. He’s even outlined your purpose and works for you to do.
Are we going to be the handiwork he’s made us to be? Are we going to show up just when it’s convenient? When we feel like it? Are we going to actively and energetically be his handiwork, doing his work? Where and when he wants. With the people he brings to us?
He’s done so much for us; how could we do anything but to be his handiwork?
Noodling Questions
How do you feel about being God’s handiwork?
Where do you feel most at home, most energized, when you are serving him?
Where has God produced the most fruit in your life?
[1] John 3:3-8
Comments