There is so much I saw that I want to dig into as I read our verses this week. What it meant to be aliens in that time period, being God’s workmanship, our bodies being a temple…These few verses are just packed.

In a class on Ephesians I was in a few years ago, Dave Jenkins pointed out how “workmanship” in verse ten can also be read as God’s “handiwork” or “creative masterpiece.” What a clearer picture those words give me! Think of a beautiful quilt you’ve seen and all the time, planning, and energy that went into it. For instance, I’m an armature quilter, but Liam’s Hawaiian baby quilt has taken over 2 1/2 years from idea to about half way quilted. A more skillful or devoted quilter could have done it faster, but it’s all by hand and my first full quilt, so it’s taking me a bit longer. The beautiful king sized Hawaiian quilts easily take one skillful quilter over a year to do. They are amazing works of art.

Or think of a beautiful work of art you may have seen in a museum. Many of those took the artists years from conception to finished product. We are like those masterpieces to God! So why do we get so frustrated with ourselves when we’re not finished in an instant?

Don’t get frustrated with yourself because you see a bunch of rough edges or loose threads. Instead dig into God’s word and spend time with him, so HE can mold you and form you into the Masterpiece he sees. Just think of it. God created this world in 6 days, yet he spends days, months, and years on us. Making us more like him.

The last line of verse 22 goes along with this thought: “a dwelling place for God…” that idea humbles me. I think back to what we read about the temple’s construction in the Old Testament and all the work and extravagant design that went into it. It was truly a masterpiece. But it was a man made masterpiece for God to dwell in.

The first part of verse 22 also says we are “being built together…by the Spirit.” Wow! We are so valuable to him, that he doesn’t hand us off to another to be finished. Instead he chooses to invest the time and energy to build us up and mold us over time with his Spirit.

This week I want to challenge you to believe these truths about yourself. Believe God when he says, you’re his masterpiece (v. 10). Believe him when he says, you have access to him through the Spirit (v. 18). Believe him when he says, you’ve been reconciled to him (v. 16). And most of all, believe him when he says, you’re his dwelling place and he wants to be with and in you (v. 22).

No we don’t deserve it. That’s the whole point. But we can choose to accept his gift of grace and choose life.

Additional Resources:

mybiblestudy.com – type in the verses for each day to get access to all kids of Bible study tools (Bible Studies, Commentaries, Dictionaries, etc…)
Luke 15:11-32 – to learn more about how strangers were treated and viewed
1 Kings 5-8 and 2 Chron. 2-7 – building the temple in Jerusalem
1 Cor. 3:16-17  and 1 Cor. 6:14-20 – on being God’s temple