Ephesians Chapter Two Devotion- We are HIS self-portrait

We’ve heard it said when we were little, “God doesn’t make Junk” or “God doesn’t make mistakes.” But somewhere in the middle, we lost sight of what a miracle we genuinely are and how precious we are in His sight. We lost the awe of how remarkable our uniqueness is on this earth. Our distinctive DNA, our one of a kind fingerprints, our only ours retina, our nobody has my freckles pattern. We lost the magic of feeling like a snowflake. I can remember hating the freckles on my nose when I was little. Now people are having them tattooed on. What’s up with that?

We are His masterpiece, but I will be honest, I can really trash talk God’s workmanship. I am the worst when it comes to finding my flaws, blemishes, and failures. My husband is quick about correcting me when I gripe about my thighs, menopause belly, or wrinkles. I gave up a long time ago complaining about my curly hair or stretch marks. Now, I am grateful for the ease of my curls. I am a very lazy hair girl. And My stretch marks are well-earned tiger stripes.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ”Ephesians 2:10 NLT

This verse convicts me. Paul had a messy past. He has an irritation or frustration that he referred to as a thorn that he never got relief from and not to mention, he was hated by his own people. However, he writes these lines, “we are his workmanship.” The Greek word for workmanship has a few lovely meanings that I find picturesque; Fashion, celebration, to perform a promise, and declaration! (heart face emoji)

What an image! We are His celebration! His promised ones and His declaration!! This is an encouraging and marvelous thought to hear what it means to be fashioned by our Creator!

You, sisters, are His celebration. His promised ones. A vessel, a temple, fashioned with the intention of doing the good things HE has planned long before you were even here. This verse is reminiscent of the Song of Solomon when we read the King calling His bride, his fair one!

This should make us look at ourselves with a bit more appreciation of our King's work! Our life is His declaration! Our earthen vessels hold more than extra baby fat. They contain more than yesterday’s calories we regret. We are a container, vase, alabaster jar created to carry some very pricey perfume. The Fragrance, the Living Water, The Anointing, Treasures of Heaven are stored up in our earth suits. I have said it for years, and it bears repeating; Our bodies are a suitcase to carry the call of God to a lost and broken world. I’m not going to harp on how you treat your earthen vessel. That’s between you and your maker. I am going to ask you how you speak to it? Are you framing His artwork with the rights words? Or are you insulting it with complaints? We don’t have to love our body's shape to appreciate its purpose. As long as it stills moves, may it move for Jesus.

Can you view yourself as a masterpiece container, holding the message of the cross, carrying the call, being a vessel that is poured out? Can you see yourself as A holy temple or a dwelling place? We are jars of clay and the potter is more concerned with what is inside the cup than outside. The creation of our body is to hold the Spirit of a Living God, and each vessel, like a vase showcasing flowers, displays the beauty of our King- uniquely. You are more than a bag of bones made to pay bills and lose weight. You are HIS WORKMANSHIP, and He put a lot of thought into the creation of you. As I am wrapping this blog up, I heard the Lord say, “You are my self-portrait.” Genesis 1:27 we are made in His image. I have a flood of verses that come to mind, but I want to end here: We are heaven's reflection placed on this blue marble to bring His Kingdom to earth as His children, ambassadors, coheirs, and aliens of another world.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:20-22 NLT