Since leaving the States over 3 months ago, I have ridden in a bus or car through much of South America. (If you look at a map it is really quite impressive how much of this continent I have driven through.) I’ve ridden through the Salt Flats and Andes Mountains of Bolivia, through the Andes and along the coast of Peru, through the rain forests of Ecuador, and through the mountains, valleys, and forests of Colombia. From Uyuni, Bolivia to Bogota, Colombia. I’ve watched the sun rise and the sun set in each of these countries. I’ve had the privilege of seeing God’s handiwork and beautiful artistry in each of these places and while traveling around. From the top of the mountains to the ocean shore God’s presence and craftsmanship is evident.
However beautiful all of these places have been, they do not compare with the many Masterpieces of God’s hands that I have seen and experienced over the last 3 months.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
In this verse, Paul reminds us of who we are. We as humans are God’s workmanship! This word workmanship is better translated and understood as MASTERPIECE! A masterpiece is the thing created that took the most time and is most prized and precious to the Creator. This is who we are. Looking back at Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7 we see God creating man.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27
“Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Genesis 2:7
For everything else created God spoke and it came into being. However, with man He “formed” him. God took the time to get his hands dirty and play in the dirt in order to create man. He does this every time He creates a human. He did this when He created you and me. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to what is said in His word.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your books were written, ever one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalms 139:13-16
He knit us together. He formed us. He took the time to create each of us in His image in a unique and special way. No two of us are the same. How amazing is that! Each one of us is a masterpiece of God. A prized possession. Each of us is chosen by God for a purpose. It has been such a blessing to see and experience these masterpieces God has placed in our lives.
The people we have met here in South America have been shining beacons of God’s love. We have come to serve them and they have served us. We have come to be a blessing to them and they have blessed us. I will always remember these people as the masterpieces they are.
Do you see others as God’s Masterpieces? If not, ask God to give you eyes to see His masterpieces through His eyes. It will change how you treat and interact with others. It has for me.
