As a teenager I was not very athletic. Although I was well liked and respected by my peers, I was often the last one picked to be on our sandlot baseball team. Waiting on the bench until finally being picked last chipped away at my self-confidence. I began to feel unworthy and that I was of no value to the team. Feelings of unworthiness in this situation affected how I felt about myself and how I interacted with people in other situations.
One day my brother, who was visiting, was asked to fill in as the team captain. Although I was less skilled than the others, he chose me first! He thought I was worthy to be on the team. How sweetly I savored the unfamiliar taste of being a valued member of the team! But it didn’t last long. With my brother gone, the very next afternoon I was back to warming the bench until the last pick was made and feeling unworthy and not valued.
It was a great new day when I learned what God’s Word says about me as a born-again child of God. He chose me and gave me the ultimate self-worth of being His daughter. When we as God’s children believe the truths about what God made us and how He sees us, we can walk with confidence toward God and with one another. We know that we truly are worthy and are highly valued by God.
Let’s see what God has to say about our worth in His eyes. With His crystal clear, 20/20 spiritual vision, what is His accurate picture of us? God sees us as holy and without blame.
Ephesians 1:4:
According as he [God] hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
Wow, talk about being special! We have been chosen by God! He chose us to be holy and without blame. “Without blame” could also be translated as “unblemished.” Since God sees us as blameless and unblemished, why not agree with Him and see ourselves in this same great way? We can break through the fetters of any thoughts we have of not being good enough because we have God’s promise that we are holy and unblemished.
Verse 5:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children [sonship] by Jesus Christ to himself [God], according to the good pleasure of his will.
God created man so that He could have companionship with him. He wanted children with whom to fellowship, and we are those desired children of His.
Not only does God see us as His children, holy and without blame, but He has accepted us in Christ.
Verse 6:
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved [or, by means of His beloved Son].
The words “made…accepted” in verse 6 are translated from the Greek word charitoō. In his lexicon, E. W. Bullinger defines this word as “to make lovely or acceptable.” God—not we ourselves—made us this way, and He did it by His grace. There is nothing I can ever do that will make God love me any more, and there is nothing I can ever do that will make God love me any less. Being lovely and acceptable to Him has nothing to do with how I feel. When I got born again, He simply made me to be lovely and acceptable to Him. God is all-knowing, so He is surely aware of where we fall short. Being fully aware of our shortcomings in our body and soul, He chose to make us accepted, spiritually acceptable, by way of His Son.
God values His sons and daughters so highly that He calls us His workmanship, His masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
God created His gift of holy spirit within us, so now we are His workmanship. The word “workmanship,” as defined by Bullinger, means “a thing produced, as with effort, object, and design.” When we become born again, we become God’s workmanship spiritually, according to His plan.
With the birth of each of our sons, my husband and I were so proud! We marveled at each little detail of those brand-new baby boys. We counted their ten little fingers and their ten little toes. We felt as if something so grand had been accomplished in bringing our sons into the world. Yet, we are only earthly parents. Our heavenly Father did a far greater work spiritually in creating us to be His masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us who we truly are today, not who we might be in the future. God talks to each of us personally by way of His Word. He is speaking directly to each of us individually! “Hey God, are you talking to me?” Yes, He is! And today we can rejoice as we picture ourselves as His handcrafted masterpiece….
This is an excerpt from the November/December 2016 issue of The Way Magazine.
Copyright© 2016 by The Way International. All rights reserved.
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