Workmanship

I have been reading and pondering the beginning as some may know from my last post. On this Daily Walk 2010 that I am doing the first chapters we read on 1/1/10 was Genesis 1 & 2. It has us ponder a thought "By God's design I am ________" and we had to fill in the blank. The daily devotion gave a few scriptures for us to ponder as a way of getting our creative juices flowing in discover the _________ part of the thought.

Ephesians 2:10 " For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Amplified version

I usually read out of the New King James Version, but I spoiled myself and purchased "The Everyday Life Bible, Amplified Version" with commentary by Joyce Meyer. I try to stay as close to the King James Version as I can as I believe with other interpretations man has the opportunity to put his own 2 cents in....ah but fodder for another blog! Anywho, I have been reading the amplified version as a way of grasping sometimes better understanding of what God is saying...I flipped back and forth between the 2 versions as I am reading most times ;o).

Back to the point at hand...sorry for the thought rabbit trail. Ephesians 2:10....God is taking me back to some foundational teaching in this verse. Many years ago He showed me this verse and the meaning of "workmanship" and I like how the amplified translates it "handiwork"....hand, we are all created by the Master Potter's hand...sorry thought processes are still pondering. Workmanship in the Greek is "poema"....the same root word we get the English word poem from. Like I said, He is taking me down some foundational teaching based upon this one thought.

We are a poem written by the Creator's hand long before we were planted in our mother's womb. Adam was created by God's own hand out of the dust. Eve was created by God's own hand by way of Adam's rib....we all were created [written] by the Master's hand. A living, breathing, active poem of God's love for other's to read. This life I call my own is a sweet prose some days, but others......

Adam & Eve took a hold of the pen and started writing their own bits of their life poems when they sinned in the garden. Their life poems went from ones of intimacy and close fellowship with the Father to dark prose of sin. The same with "my" life....when I allow the Master to recreate this poem it is beautiful prose...some of it encouraging and some a bit sorrowful; but as I see it you can't fully appreciate the sweet without a bit of bitterness...again fodder for another blog! But when I take a hold of that pen, when I decide I can better write the next part better then the Creator of not only myself but the universe I end up with dark prose of sin.

Who is in control of the pen? The Author & Finisher of your faith or you? Is your poem one of sweet & bittersweet or is it just bitter and dark? If it is the latter there is still hope and His name is Jesus. Look again at the amplified version of Ephesians 2:10 "we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus" See that??? Like a script writer makes "re-writes" to all those Hollywood scripts to tell the story from the proper angle Jesus recreates our poem...He re-writes it to reflect God's intended purpose and plan. What an awesome thought to start the new year with.

God I surrender to Your plan and purpose. Take up again the pen that writes this love poem of life. Recreate, Jesus, the dark prose to one of Your glorious light to shine brightly for others to see, giving hope to the hopeless and direction back to You. I pray Psalm 90:17 "And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands - yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it." Lord let Your favor, Your delight and Your approval be upon me as I go about Your work and Your work alone. Confirm and establish the work I do on Your behalf with Your plan and purpose. Amen