“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
This weekend will be the final weekend of our State Fair here in Nebraska. I’m very excited, because this proud mama gets to take her daughter to the fair so that we can see her purple ribbon award on her recipe file. Having watched every step in her process of completing this and many other 4-H projects this year, I know just how hard she worked and am so happy to watch her see her efforts pay off.
The workmanship that she put into finding, preparing, and writing these recipes is one part of this award winning project, the other part of this award winning project is the very special box that is holding the recipes. One loving uncle with a special gift for working with wood added his own workmanship to her project by making a beautiful wooden recipe box to hold all of her work. Together their workmanship created something great that will be around for a very long time and will be used over and over again.
Our text today calls us God’s workmanship. We were each lovingly and carefully created by God. Just like my daughter’s 4-H project was not made to just sit on a shelf, we were not made by God’s hand to do nothing either. We are all created, each in our own unique ways to bring God glory through the work we do, using the different talents that He has blessed each of us with.
When we use our talents and gifts to give glory to our Creator, we are sharing His love for us in His Son Jesus, our Savior. The work that we do in the name of our Lord will have lasting effects that will be around for a very long time as people are brought to the saving message of faith by the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God did not spare anything in making each and every one of us and it must make Him so happy when He sees all of His efforts pay off.
Go! Be God’s workmanship today! Use the unique gifts and talents that He created in you to bless those that you will come in contact with today. Be a blessing to others, just as He has abundantly poured His many blessings on you.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You, that You created each of us and that we are Your workmanship. Help us Lord to praise You for Your gift of Grace through faith by using our good works to bring others to You. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
Showing posts with label Ephesians 2:10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ephesians 2:10. Show all posts
Friday, September 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Insecurity
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
Insecurity-noun-lack of confidence or assurance; self doubt.
As women, there are so many areas that we are vulnerable to attack. Our own feeling of self-worth is one of those big areas.
I have gone back and forth with feelings of inadequacy in my married life. My husband's mother is an excellent cook and kept the house spotless. Those are things I struggle with, especially the spotless house thing. I seriously don't know how women with young children keep a house clean all the time. Is it possible? In my mind, it is, and I certainly can't live up to it because the minute I have a room clean, someone is spilling something on the floor or messing up my laundry piles I had just so nicely folded.
Insecurity also creeps into my world when I see a new mother who doesn't seem to struggle with getting the extra weight off. I wish I could lose the weight like that, but I haven't, and feelings of self-doubt take over. Relationships are another big one. With so many moves and a bunch of painful experiences of rejection, I have had times where I wonder if I am even worthy of friendship.
While I don't see myself as a big ball of insecurity all the time, I can honestly say that I struggle with some area of self-doubt on regular basis, and I think being a wife and a mother gives me plenty of opportunity. But as I study God's word and know God more, I have learned that when I am in the depths of insecurity in my own life, it is also a time when I am not trusting God enough to know that He has chosen me, appointed me to do something good in this life. In fact, He prepared it for me before time even began. And with His help, I can overcome those insecurities. I can't do it on my own, but when I put my fears in His hands, things change.
When I root my self-worth in anything other than God, I am severely limiting the gifts He has given me to be the wife, mother, follower of Christ, friend, daughter that He has planned for me to be. So I have to daily choose to root my worth and security in Christ alone and nothing else. In that comes freedom to be the woman God has made me to be, and it finally feels good to loose those chains of insecurity!
Dear God . . . please replace my insecurities with the secure hope of your love and grace. Help me to put my trust in you instead of in myself or in this world.
As women, there are so many areas that we are vulnerable to attack. Our own feeling of self-worth is one of those big areas.
I have gone back and forth with feelings of inadequacy in my married life. My husband's mother is an excellent cook and kept the house spotless. Those are things I struggle with, especially the spotless house thing. I seriously don't know how women with young children keep a house clean all the time. Is it possible? In my mind, it is, and I certainly can't live up to it because the minute I have a room clean, someone is spilling something on the floor or messing up my laundry piles I had just so nicely folded.
Insecurity also creeps into my world when I see a new mother who doesn't seem to struggle with getting the extra weight off. I wish I could lose the weight like that, but I haven't, and feelings of self-doubt take over. Relationships are another big one. With so many moves and a bunch of painful experiences of rejection, I have had times where I wonder if I am even worthy of friendship.
While I don't see myself as a big ball of insecurity all the time, I can honestly say that I struggle with some area of self-doubt on regular basis, and I think being a wife and a mother gives me plenty of opportunity. But as I study God's word and know God more, I have learned that when I am in the depths of insecurity in my own life, it is also a time when I am not trusting God enough to know that He has chosen me, appointed me to do something good in this life. In fact, He prepared it for me before time even began. And with His help, I can overcome those insecurities. I can't do it on my own, but when I put my fears in His hands, things change.
When I root my self-worth in anything other than God, I am severely limiting the gifts He has given me to be the wife, mother, follower of Christ, friend, daughter that He has planned for me to be. So I have to daily choose to root my worth and security in Christ alone and nothing else. In that comes freedom to be the woman God has made me to be, and it finally feels good to loose those chains of insecurity!
Dear God . . . please replace my insecurities with the secure hope of your love and grace. Help me to put my trust in you instead of in myself or in this world.
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