Hanging on the wall in the guest room of my home is an 11×14 picture of a round vase holding blue and pink hydrangeas. I painted it myself with a group of friends at a recent birthday celebration. It came out rather nice, if you ask me. Pretty, even. At least enough to hang it on my wall.

However, I would not call it a masterpiece. It doesn’t have perfect brush strokes reflecting the technique of someone who has mastered their craft. The colors have hard stops and starts where there should be fluidity. For those reasons and a few more, it should be hiding in the back of my garage. That’s where a few of my friends put theirs. So what made me hang mine on the wall? Is it better? Cleaner? Prettier? Not even a little. I hung it on the wall because I created it. Because I put effort and heart into it. Because I painted it with friends on my birthday. For those reasons, I treasure it. To me, it’s a masterpiece.

In very much the same way, you are a masterpiece, too. Now, I know that most of us do not walk around thinking of ourselves that way. Quite the opposite, for many, But according to the Word of God, you and I are a masterpiece. In Ephesians 2:10, scripture says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Some translations say that we are God’s masterpiece. Others say that we are His workmanship. Pick any of the words you like and they still say the same thing. God created each of us uniquely to do really cool things in this world. We were ultimately created to bring Him glory. One of the ways that we do that is by doing the work that He prepared in advance for us to do.

Take Adam for example. He was the first human ever created. The Lord formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. Just a few short verses later, we see that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and gave him the responsibility to take care of it. He also assigned him the responsibility of naming all living creatures. For those of you who think platypus is a funny name, you have Adam to thank for it. My point here is that Adam wasn’t just created for God’s pleasure. Adam was created for a purpose. God designed his mind, body, and personality so that he would

accomplish and enjoy the work that he was created for. In the same way that constructor workers have strong arms or engineers are good at math, Adam was created with everything he needed to oversee the garden.

You, my friends, are no different. God created you exactly the way He wanted you. He’s given some artistic abilities and others physical strength. Each of us have been created just the way the Lord desired. One thing is certain, though. Throughout your life, you and I have been given the opportunity to develop our skills, abilities, personality and intelligence. Tha opportunity is alive as long as we are. It’s never to late to be what we might have been.

When you and I discover a vocational and/or volunteer expression of them, we bring glory to God and showcase just how amazing He is. Take, for example, Eric Henry Liddell who was a Scottish Olympic Gold Medalist runner, rugby union international player, and Christian missionary. While he is known for his running ability, he is also known for a famous quote. He once said, “God made me fast and when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Did you catch that? Eric brought God pleasure by running. Why? Because he was created to run. He trained to run. And run he did because running not only brought God pleasure, it also brought Eric joy. I write and speak because it brings me joy, but I also believe it brings God glory. Every day that I work my craft, I get a little bit better and that I believe, makes God smile.

My question to you today is this. What can you do that will bring God pleasure? What can you do that will bring you joy? Answering these questions can only be discovered when you first acknowledged that God is the master creator and you are His masterpiece. Seek Him and you’ll find answers. You’ll come to realize that your life is worthy of display, just like the artwork on my wall.

Making It Real:

Here’s a little challenge from me to you. Read Jeremiah 18:1-4 and think through these questions.

1. Who in the story represents the potter?

2. Who in the story represents the clay?

3. Based upon your answers to the two questions above, who formed whom?

4. If your answer to question 3 is the potter, do you believe the potter formed the clay with purpose?

5. What might this mean if applied to your life?

I believe in Him and You! – Tina