You Are God’s Handiwork

Easter Day 3

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” C.S. Lewis

 

  • Find a comfortable chair and make a warm drink. Bring your journal and a Bible, and take a moment to thank God for the simple blessings in your life: a warm home, a family who love and need you, and this new day.
  • Read Ephesians 2:1-20. Write Ephesians 2:8-10 in your journal.

You Are God’s Handiwork

When God called me to write, I began keeping a journal. Eventually, I knew he was calling me to more, so I looked into various outlets. After thorough research, I informed God that writing opportunities are hard to come by, particularly for someone with no extraordinary skill, training, or connections. If He wanted my writing to extend beyond the 15 journals scattered throughout my house, He would have to work it out. I tried… Literally the next day, Deb Weakly asked me to write for Help Club For Moms.

What I have come to realize is that God often uses our weaknesses even more than our strengths because His plan is too great to accomplish in our own strength anyway. If I write about marriage, it is because He has guided me through marital trouble; if I write about friendship, it is because God is teaching me to be a better friend. Through our weaknesses we struggle, and through our struggles we learn to understand and help others.

God hand-selected The apostles to be heroes of the faith and spread Jesus’s teachings throughout the world, yet they were sinful and inadequate for the task. These 12 men repeatedly misunderstood and underestimated Jesus, doing things their own way, and pushing Him to utter frustration.

Through faith, Peter walked on water in the midst of the storm, but he lost that bold faith when he found himself in the middle of a raging sea (John 11:14-16). The brothers James and John bickered in prideful competition (Matthew 19:27-30). Paul entered the Bible narrative as a hypocrite who attempted to murder Jesus’s followers (Acts 22:1-21). Yet none of them lost God’s love nor their place in His plan.

Judas was a sinner like the rest of the disciples. He traded Jesus’s life for a few coins, but Jesus certainly forgave Judas just as He forgave everyone else (Luke 22). If Judas hadn’t been so hasty in ending his own life, he might have encountered the resurrected Jesus, repented, and gone on to do great things. Satan says your sins are too great to be forgiven; Jesus says those who are forgiven much also love much (Luke 7:36-50).

The beauty of Jesus’s death and resurrection is that all condemnation died with Him on the cross. From that generation on, we are called to “live by the law that gives freedom… Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13). We are to accept this mercy, and only then can we freely give mercy to others.

I am a weak, imperfect person, but I am in good company. God planned from the beginning to use sinful, broken people to build His Kingdom on earth. As I repeatedly tell my children that God has a fantastic plan for their lives, God echoes that He has a great plan for me as well. God’s grace also extends to you. You too are a part of His magnificent plan, and He longs to set you free from your burdens. My friends, flaws and all, “You are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,” (Ephesians 2:10).

Questions to Ponder

“Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:35-36

  • Are you living as God’s beloved daughter, or are you holding onto current or past sins? Pray that God will teach you how to rest in His grace and mercy.
  • Do you believe God has a great plan for your life? Pray God will spark passion in your heart and reveal His plan to you.

Faith-Filled Idea

Talk to your children about how they fit into God’s great plan. Explain to them that they were created in just the perfect way to fulfill God’s exciting purpose (Ephesians 2:10).  All our strengths and weaknesses are for His glory.

Ask your children what their dreams are, what excites them. If we delight in God, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). Those desires may change, but God put them there for a reason. Encourage your children to dream big and trust God to do great things in their lives!

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Heather Doolittle
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7 Comments on “You Are God’s Handiwork”

  1. Oh Heather, this study really spoke to me! I especially LOVE this part: “If Judas hadn’t been so hasty in ending his own life, he might have encountered the resurrected Jesus, repented, and gone on to great things.” Wow! I have never thought about that before!

  2. So many great thoughts here. I’m thankful for God’s redemptive hope. I love what you wrote- we are all sinful & imperfect, but God intends to use us anyway. We are His workmanship. Thanks Heather for this encouraging study ♥️

  3. I am a few days late, but this is such a great Bible study Heather. Thank you! I especially love all of the verses you chose. James 2:12-13 and the reminder that condemnation DIED with Jesus on the cross is huge. I plan on talkig to my girls today based on your faith filled ideas. I love the encouragement to do that with our children. I often think they are too young to fully grasp this, but they are not! Love you friend. 🙂

  4. Yesterday, I shared with my children, per your faith filled idea. It was a blessed time and an opportunity for all of us to serve God by praying for specific people who don’t follow Jesus. Thanks!

  5. Wow Heather!! What GREAT perspective!! Thank you!!

    “Judas was a sinner just like the rest of the disciples. He traded Jesus’s life for a few coins, but Jesus certainly forgave Judas just as He forgave everyone else (Luke 22). If Judas hadn’t been so hasty in ending his own life, he might have encountered the resurrected Jesus, repented, and gone on to do great things. Satan is the one who says your sins are too great to be forgiven; Jesus says those who are forgiven much also love much (Luke 7:36-50).”

    1. Thank you! This particular topic is close to my heart. God has covered over so many of my sins, but I spent years struggling with my own self image and seeing myself the way God sees me: holy and blameless (Col. 1:22).

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