“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
When you look in a mirror, who and what do you see? We usually only notice our outward appearance – the length of our hair, the occasional pimple, and our skin tone. But what do you truly see – who are you? What motivates you to do what you do? What are your dreams and aspirations? What are your core values and guiding life principles? Perhaps you need a longer look in the mirror and try to answer these questions that go beyond skin-deep.
Probably the most important question for you is how God sees you. Who are we before our Creator and Life-giver? How does He look at us beyond our physical appearance? What does God see in our minds, hearts, and souls?
God’s open invitation
When God created us, His intention was for us to join Him and His servants in the divine life of goodness, pleasure, and joy. It’s like a heavenly dance and feast, and He made us to be part of it. Of course, He extends an open invitation, allowing us to accept or reject freely. We can choose to live our lives on our own terms, pursuing our own purposes and goals. We might aim for personal success, wealth, fame, and recognition around the world. Alternatively, we can freely say yes to God, follow Him, and live according to His ways. Both options are available to everyone.
What happens if we choose to go our own way? How does God see us, then? God does not give up on us and will do everything in His power to draw us back to Him. God is patient and will bear with us as much as He can, but there is a limitation. He will give us a lifetime to choose to follow Him, regardless of whether the decision is made early or very late. But in the end, God will say to the person, ‘Your will be done.’
If the person rejects God at the end, God will honour that decision. Unfortunately, rejection of God will lead to rejection of everything that is from God – all beauty, all goodness, all perfection, all that is worthy of our lives. It is the sad end of enjoying everything that comes from God, yet rejecting God Himself. God will never force us to choose Him; even in the end, we will be forever separated from Him.
How does God look at us when we decide to follow Him? He delights in and loves us, and He provides ways and means for us to draw closer to Him. Because God is the God of all time, He sees us in the past, present, and future.
The Lord restores us
Our past is something we cannot change. But if we are in the Lord, He can redeem our broken and sinful past. This might mean we need to reconcile with those who took advantage of us through forgiveness – or maybe it is the other way around, where we need to ask forgiveness from those we offended. In everything, God can work for the good of those who love Him (see Romans 8:28). God can redeem all our darkest pasts and make us whole again.
At present, He sees a struggling person striving for holiness in an unholy world. He knows that, at times, we will fail and sin, but He offers repentance to restore us to a place before His throne. He is patiently forming our character through various tests and trials. Like a master sculptor chiselling his Obra Maestra, He slowly chips away our faults and weaknesses daily. Yes, this process will involve some discomfort, but any transformation does. We can choose to resist the change, but if our hearts are genuinely committed to following God, we will not struggle in vain.
We are like people with toothaches who come to a dentist. The dentist will surely try to alleviate the toothache, but eventually, he will also care for your overall dental well-being. He is not satisfied with just the present moment. He will only be satisfied with the outcome – our complete dental wellness.
God is also not just happy with the here and now; He is after His masterpiece, His Obra Maestra, His Magnum Opus – a mini-Jesus in you.
In the future, He sees His very own masterpiece in us as our ultimate outcome. God sees a perfect you – redeemed by the blood of His Son, formed in character perfectly like Jesus, yet we have our unique self. We will maintain our uniqueness yet be like Him in character. He sees His very own divine life flowing in us. He sees us in the light of eternity, enjoying His very presence and life, together with all the angelic and holy creatures in His courts.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.”
1 John 3:1-2 (ESV)
Top image credit: Elderly sculptor with a focused expression on perfecting his masterpiece, AI stock artwork from stockcake.com. Image in the Public Domain – free to use.
Tom Caballes is a National Coordinator of the Lamb of God, a community of the Sword of the Spirit with seven branches located throughout New Zealand. Tom and his wife Mhel and their two daughters [with his son-in-law and grand-daughter] live in Wellington, New Zealand.
GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION