Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We live in an old house. Seriously, you guys, there is paneling on the walls. Paneling! I have recently gotten estimates from several different painters to come in and either paint the paneling, or take it down and texture the walls. One thing each painter has pointed out is the importance of properly priming the walls. If the walls aren’t primed properly, the paint will just scratch right off.
Trying to do good works without first coming into a true relationship with God through Jesus Christ is like painting the walls without priming them first. There is really no point. Unless the layers beneath are ready for the paint, it’s not gonna do much good. And unless our soul-layers are primed with that God relationship, we can do all the good works in the world. They will just peel right off, and underneath, our ugly, godless souls will be revealed.
But when we prime our souls with a relationship with our Creator, the transformation is remarkable! Then, and only then, does His character come and attach itself to our lives. When we have a close relationship with our Father, the good works are just a natural consequence. We love more, because He has placed His endless, boundless love within is. We care more, because we now have His capacity for kindness and generosity and compassion.
Friends, God wants us to be His hands and arms and feet on this earth. But a hand or an arm or a foot that is not somehow attached to the head is not very efficient at doing anything. And if a lone hand or foot tries to do something without a head attached, well that’s just creepy. There is nothing good about that picture. So, if we want to have any hope of making any kind of real difference for the good in this world, we have to first be attached to the head, Jesus Christ.
And that is God’s goal for each of us. He wants to come in and do an extreme makeover on our souls. He wants to do away with our ugly, pointless, aimless lives and make us into creatures of true beauty and worth. He created us for this purpose, and He waits, primed and ready, to make us like Him.
Dear Father, I want that extreme makeover that only You can give.
I love You.
Amen
I want that extreme make-over over and over again, growing closer to our Lord each day until my old self will some day be completely out of the way. Life is good!
Good morning,
I’ve always said: “We want a paint job, a face lift. He wants to come in and do a complete overhaul, a transforming work inside where it counts.”
The amazing part of it is that when he’s done, we are more like ourselves than we’ve ever been before.
We are the highest and best of ourselves. We are God wrapped in our own quirky, unique characteristics.
This is when our own uniqueness truly shines.
We lose nothing of ourselves in this overhaul. It is a great mystery.
Love,
Jlo
I agree with both of you ladies. And yes, Judi, it is such a mystery. God created us to be just like Him. And yes, He created us all unique and beautiful in our individuality. He doesn’t want a bunch of clones. Rather, He wants to make us into the people He intended for us to be when He created us – each with unique quirks and personalities and talents, beautiful displays of His artistry and creativity.
Yes, it is a mystery.
I like the creepy image of the crawling hand detached from the body: The Thing from the Addams Family. Sure, that hand could get around and do things, but served its own interests. When we’re attached, we get commands from brain central and obey those. I’m happy to know I’ve got a brain! (i.e.: God directing, not me!)
thanks for all your wonderful thoughts–they keep me going! Susanne
I’m enjoying this ‘series’ Renae! I’m pretty much in need of a makeover myself!
Yes, I find that I am in constant need of a makeover. BOTH physical and spiritual. 🙂
–r