Making Your Life Count (Part 1): Hand-crafted for Specific Works

Introduction to the “Making Your Life Count” Series

Each of us has only one life to live, but how ought we to live?  Many people are simply pushed along through life responding to forces beyond their control, trying perhaps to squeeze in as much happiness as possible amidst the demands of life.  Others are more intentional in how they live their life, doing their best to steer their lives to accomplish goals they have set for themselves.  Some use a little of both methods.

But how should the committed follower of Jesus live?  Does the Bible give us any idea about how to live our lives? Does God give Christians a basic framework spelled out in the Bible, and we then make plans that suit us within that framework; or is there something God has uniquely designed for each of us?  If the latter is true, how would we even find out what God’s plan for us is?  (And for that matter, would we even need to?)

If you are reading this now, you are alive.  Congratulations!  That means that up to now, you have been living your life.  Have you felt like you have been living it the way God wants you to live it?  Do you feel like your life has been making a difference for God?  Regardless of your answer, it should be apparent that we cannot change how we have lived in the past.  BUT, we can change how we live in the future.

No matter how old you are, every person alive has a “rest of your life” to live.  For some, this will be a relatively short period, for others, quite long. But no matter the length, we will see in this study that God has things for you to do.

If you only knew how much you were worth…

The key verse for this post is Ephesians 2:10, which says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV). The first part of the verse helps lay a necessary foundation, that we are considered by God to be of great value.  In this verse, the Greek word poiēma is translated in a number of different ways.  The NIV says “workmanship”; The Amplified says “handiwork”; and NLT says “masterpiece”.  The bottom line is that this first part of the verse tells us that you were made by the hands of a master craftsman, and you are a work of art, a masterpiece.  You are not mass produced.  They didn’t just break the mold when you were made, there was no mold.  You are not an accident (even if your parents told you that you were).  You were made on purpose, with a purpose, and you have a purpose.

The Psalmist said something similar when he declared in Psalms 139:14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (ESV).  I used to think this was just speaking about our physical bodies, but now I think it is talking about what makes us unique individuals — personalities and traits as well as our bodies — that are God’s wonderful works.

You need to value yourself as highly as God does

It is important to not downplay the fact that you are masterfully crafted and highly valued, because when you disrespect yourself like that, you are in some sense disrespecting your Creator, and you will find it hard to believe that He has created you to accomplish great things — which He has.

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God has GREAT plans for you… Shouldn’t you find out what they are?

We have already looked at the first half, so let us now focus on the second half.  The phrase “created in Christ Jesus” may seem a little confusing.  What does it mean to be “created in”?  I think that what this is saying is that while any person can do good works, it is only when we have been made into new creatures by being born again — that is, by putting our hope and trust in Jesus — that the good works that the Apostle Paul is writing about here can be done.  By putting our hope in Jesus, he gives us a new heart, and he comes and lives inside of us, sets us free from sin, and makes us new again.  When we are changed like that, then we are ready to do the kind of works that God prepared for us to do.

What kind of works are these?  It doesn’t say here, but I think that the implication of this whole passage is that these are things that bring the Kingdom of God on earth.  Sometimes they might be obviously Kingdom things like leading people to faith or performing miracles, but I think we need to think bigger and wider, not to exclude these things I just mentioned, but to include other things — things that would often be thought of as being in the secular realm.  I will expound more on that in my next post.

To sum up: we are hand-crafted masterpieces, who, living in Jesus, are meant for particular works that God designed us for and specifically designated for us to do.

Discussion Questions

1) How do you feel or what is your gut reaction to the claim that you are a “hand-crafted masterpiece”?  Why do you think you react that way?

2) Do you have any inkling what works God prepared in advance for you to do? What do you think they are?  What makes you feel this is what God has prepared for you to do?

This is part of an earlier message had all the parts posted on this website, but which was very long.  That message came out of a sermon given at Harvest Church in Hampstead, Maryland, USA, in April 2012.