Originally published Monday, 30 November 2015.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
Xylon and I spent a couple of hours wandering around the Museum of Modern Art in New York about 18 months ago. We couldn’t figure out how a couple of pieces of string attached from the floor to the wall could be worth millions. But they are.
I can see how someone would pay a lot of money for a painting. Some paintings are really beautiful. Many paintings have the abilitity to lift the soul, take you back to a time in your life, and add beauty to the surroundings.
To tell you the truth there is a lot about art I don’t understand. I can’t tell a van Gogh from Picasso or talk about painters from the Renaissance era. Even now I’m just typing things I know about art so I don’t sound like I know absolutely nothing. The truth is what I know about art is contained in this paragraph.
One thing I find fascinating about art is that the value of a masterpiece is determined by who made it.
A Picasso is valuable because of who painted it.
Experts in art decide that Picasso’s work stands out from his peers and a value is set on it.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I feel like others have determined my value. And when I feel that way it’s not very often that come out with sum value of “priceless” or worth millions.
However as I read Genesis, and the story of how God breathed life into man, created him from the dust, shaped him into the likeness of God I’m reminded that the people around me do not determine my value.
Like a Picasso, my value is determined by who made me.
What other people say about your family, your choices or your lifestyle does not determine your worth.
The number written on a pay slip does not determine your worth in society, God has already determined your worth.
How other people treat you because of your language, culture, or race, does not determine your worth.
We have worth not because of anything we have done but because of who created us. (tweet this)
God created you as his masterpiece.
I love the language of The Voice bible that writes Ephesians 2:10 as “We are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.”
Today, if you feel worthless because of something someone did, or said, remember that your value is more established than a Picasso painting.
As Sarah Coleman puts it, “The unchanging God has determined your unchanging value.” (tweet this)
God says you are valuable because he created you. When I remember that, and I lean in to hear God tell me that I'm worthy, beautiful, loved and enough. And then I recall that where others only see some string suspended between the wall and floor, other see a masterpiece.
When God looks at me he sees me as I really am: his pièce de résistance, his best and most important work of art.
Ponder: Do you believe that you have value simply because God created you?
Prayer: Lord, I’m struggling to believe I'm valuable today help me to understand that my value comes not from others but from you. Thank you that I am your masterpiece, created in your image, to do good things that you planned for me long ago. Amen.
*This blog is heavily influenced by a 15 year-old blog by Sara Coleman. I found a print out of the post while going through some of my old things this weekend and was surprised to find the original still online. Just goes to show that things live forever on the internet. I tried to track her down for permission to share her insights but was unable too. If you know her I’d love to let her know how her words helped me.
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{You might also like these posts}
If you feel unloved, unimportant or insecure
How to determine your value to God (or what losing half my salary taught me)
How I learned not to worry about tomorrow
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- This was orginally published on my site in July 2015. To read more devotionals like this go to ilovedevotionals.com
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