God's Handicrafts

UV 3391/10000 God’s Handicrafts
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2 v 10

Since we are the work of God created by His hands, we need His Word or Christ Jesus to be our Redeemer, Our model of perfection, the very image of God. We need to aim for the perfection of Jesus in our thoughts, words and deeds. We should not allow a corrupt thought or motive to develop in our minds or for a corrupt word to emerge from our mouths. We are not mass manufactured but each one of us is uniquely created to manifest one aspect of the myriad aspects of the image of God. He has prepared us in Christ to fulfill His purpose for our lives with our unique character, gifting, backgrounds and experiences in life. We must be careful at the same time not to do or say anything that is not acceptable or pleasing to God.

Our faith in Christ which is deep and strong is the root while good works or deeds are the fruit. It is further a reflection of the inner fruit of the Spirit that should rise like life giving sap to formulate the good deeds that we should do. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control are the motives behind our good deeds. For instance, we spread love and joy through our acts of charity to the needy. Peace and patience restrain us from acting in anger or respond to provocations. Faithfulness enables us to be persistent and hopeful in our prayer life. Humility enables us to be servant leaders. Self discipline keeps us from being either indulgent or indolent.

The way we behave, communicate and work should reflect the excellence of Christ in our lives. The Holy Spirit is poured on us even as He was present with Bezaleel ( the craftsman of the Tabernacle ) , Daniel, the Jewish slave turned civil servant of ancient Babylonian empire and many other faithful witnesses. He is the One who helps us and enables us to excel for the glory of the Lord. Though our salvation is complete and finished in Christ, our character, our works and our sanctification is a continuum wherein God is still working in and on us. He continues to shape us with the spiritual chisel of His word, with experiences, both pleasant and tough, with different people He brings into our lives. We only need to submit and not resist His work in us.