Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Are you a poet? Do you like poetry? Poetry can take many faces. It can be fixed metrical lines, the regular rhyming patterns that we are so familiar with, or even an irregular prose. But good poetry is often highly fixed in a particular style. It is written to a pattern, and designed to meet a purpose. Not always, I suppose; some poetry is much more dynamic and fluid, but to be good, it is dependent on the instincts of the poet, trained by study and experience of life to write words that illuminate and meet the need.
The word poem is based on the Greek word poema, a thing created or made. And a poet is one who creates, one who makes. This is the word used in Ephesians 2:10, where it describes us as God’s masterpiece. We are the work God has placed his creative interest in. He planned from the beginning to accomplish something wonderful through us.
I’m always encouraged by this knowledge, that God has created us anew. It might be easy for some to glance over that statement without a second thought, but it always makes me pause. God has created something fresh in us. He purposed to do it - it was no oversight or recalculation. It was his plan all along. And if the original creation was something to hold in awe, that even God could describe as good, then imagine how he looks upon this new work he has made. It is a delight to him, full of potential, full of hidden value.
It can be easy to get caught up in the madness of life - work, sleep, the daily grind - and forget that we have been created for a purpose. We are not to live our lives haphazardly. We must accomplish the plan God has for us - to do the good things he has already prepared for us. Not as a means of getting a pat on the back from a heavenly, distant father. Not even to escape the sting of punishment. Simply because it brings God glory, as an outflow of our thanks for what God has accomplished - and continues to do, remember!
This creative act God has already set in motion, and is doing today, is often taken as our own. Instead of trying to follow the example of Jesus as a result, we think that we must do the right thing in order to move God - to motivate him to act on our behalf. Nothing of the sort. We don’t do good things to earn salvation. Good actions are nothing we can boast in. Rather, they are one more reason to boast in what Jesus has done, what God as the consummate artist has created.
Are you busy today? I know I have been lately. So busy that it is hard to keep my mind attentive to Jesus’ voice throughout the day. I’d ask you to consider, as I am, where is God right now? What is he doing and how does he want you to follow him? Is it as simple as a kind word to the guy in the next office over? Or is it a patient response to a child who won’t stop whining about some passing desire? The moment by moment activity is only a distraction from God if we let it be. God intends to use these passing moments to do something amazing, to write words of love, to thankfully remember our great provider, to offer a helping hand or a hopeful smile.
prayer
God, thank you for this day. Help me to pay attention to your voice. Help me to find strength and hope in the way you have continually guided my life. Jesus, lead you body into a deeper love for the community - help us to offer the true good news to the world. And help us to remember that it is still good news for us today!