Our Lives...His Masterpiece!

"For [you] are God's [own] Masterpiece [handiwork, workmanship], created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God planned beforehand for us that we should walk in them." ~Eph. 2:10

Have you ever been to a painting class? I have a bit of a confession, I'm guilty of having gone about 10 times. All of my "masterpieces" sit in a box in my house, and my latest two are ones I'm most proud of, but I digress.

Any-who, at these painting classes, I love how the original version of the painting sits high up an easel on a stage for the entire class to marvel at. Then the master painter takes her post to step-by-step direct us in making our blank canvas slowly look like the original.

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."

~2 Cor. 3:18

How fantastic that God has an original design that He desires to transform us into. But don't be misled, this transformation does NOT happen immediately. Some people are disillusioned and believe that after they 'walk down the aisle' on Sunday during the alter call or as soon as they say amen following the sinner's prayer something spectacular is supposed to come over them that causes them to stop every evil deed they've ever done.

Not true. Does something supernatural occur? Yes! Your nature changes (your blank canvas now contains the foundational colors needed); the Holy Spirit comes to live in you (to acknowledge you as His own) and seals you (as a deposit) to guarantee us everything He promises. [2 Cor. 1:22]

From this point on, we must enlist His supernatural strength and help to turn away from sin. Every temptation we face, every inner struggle we have, every area that falls short of God's standard needs a supernatural stroke of His brush. We must allow Him to dip His brush in His cleansing waters, select colors of His choice and creatively manipulate our canvases.

I think back to areas I used to struggle with and how I fasted and wept and prayed God deliver me from. Yet every time I failed in that area and confessed my sin, I couldn't understand why He wasn't removing that struggle from me. But now I can be faced with that temptation and it not tempting to me anymore. I have no desire to yield to it. He reminds me that He was patiently delivering me through that in His time. That's how He paints our canvas.

Know this, each victory over our sins that we encounter is an example of how strong HE is and we should be so grateful that He is working His righteousness out in us.

Your Creator designed you and He is the master painter; let Him take His post to step-by-step transform your blank canvas and slowly cause you to look like Him...the original design.

I may not look exactly like my Creator right now, but I do not look like I did when I first trusted Him as my Savior. However, I keep the finished result in my view, so I know that as He continues to paint my canvas, I'm certain of what I'm pressing for. Being a reflection of the character of God.