The Pristine Product of God’s Handiwork

The thing about those home renovation shows is that they make things look so simple. After watching them, I feel like I can make anything. The first time it really happened was the unforgettable time that I created a shelving unit for my garage. It was made of solid wood, four legs, six shelves, and a lean like the Eiffel Tower.

In Ephesians 2:1-10, we find God as a kind of home renovator. Only He doesn’t renovate homes, He renovates souls. He is the purchaser. We are the project. More specifically, “we are his workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). This is an interesting use of words. In the original language, the term “workmanship” is the word from which we receive our English word poem and it is packed with meaning.

Poems are arguably the most powerful forms of literature. No other form can inspire quite like it. This is because poems are the musical expression of language. They don’t just communicate ideas, they also communicate feelings. Great poems are long-lasting and laborious to create. They can be complex, yet simple. They have been known to cause peace and create war.

Behind every great poem is a great poet. If we are the workmanship, then God is the workman. If we are the artistry, God is the artist. He shapes and molds and paints and arranges us that way He desires. You are His masterful work, His enduring monument, and His heavenly expression.

You are the Masterful Work of God

Poems are not like easily produced pros. They are laborious arrangements with carefully chosen words that are designed to evoke the deepest of emotions. A great poem is not written in minutes, but hours and days. It takes work. It takes thought and creativity. A poet pours out all of Himself for the sake of the poem.

In this context, the word “workmanship” denotes the idea of a masterpiece. God, who is the master of all things, works in us to masterfully form a work of art. He takes His time, carefully shaping our hearts and molding our minds to His perfecting design. He has a mental picture of us and He works it out with each brush stroke. In other words, you are a divine masterpiece.

You are the Enduring Monument of God

W. J. Dawson, a Christian author turned evangelist, said that “many great books come and go, but a true poem is as fresh after long centuries as when it was first written.” Good poems withstand the test of time. They know no decay. They are eternal gems that can be enjoyed forever.

Dawson continues by saying that poems never die because they are “permeated with the spirit of beauty” and the “combination of fine gifts.” The eternal God creatively works with His divine gifts to infuse eternal beauty into redeemed soul. Every work of God is an enduring monument to His creativity.

You are the Heavenly Expression of God

John Henry Jowett, a British preacher at the turn of the twentieth century, said that poems are the “unveiling of the deepest and most intimate secrets of God’s heart.” The Lord’s “image is projected over every page, and it is the poignant personal element in poetry that makes it so beautiful, and gives it its enduring charm.” By this, he means that poetry bears the signature of its poet.

God’s fingerprint is all over your transformation. Your life is designed to say what God wants it to say. And no artist makes a work of art to hide it in plain sight. Rather, he desires that everyone behold it. God wants the world to see His handiwork. He desires that His glory be seen. You are His heavenly expression to the world.

Is God a careless artist? Does He make second-class art? Of course not. The Lord makes masterpieces that span eternity and proclaim His goodness in an undeniable way. You are God’s pristine product. Now show Him off.

A New Discipleship Resource

Creative Content for Christian Men

Watch Now

Instead of comments, I accept and encourage letters to the editor. If you want to write a letter to the editor, you can do so here.