By Lisa Wilmore
Scripture to Ponder: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is inspiring to know that God strategically made us, knows all about us, and still has His hands on us. Recently, as I prepared to speak at a Women’s Mission Society Program, I spent the week preparing the message I believed God had given me. However, at 3:30 that Sunday morning, God awakened me and shifted the direction of the message. I had heard preachers testify that sometimes God will change a message just before it is delivered. The Holy Spirit would not let me rest, so I finally surrendered and said, “The Lord is changing the message.” At 4:00 a.m., I picked up my Bible, pen, and laptop and began writing what God was placing on my heart about being “Made from Scratch.”
As I thought about being made from scratch, I remembered my grandmother, Mama Mary, who could bake just about anything from scratch. She made homemade biscuits, bread pudding, cakes, and so much more. I used to wonder, “How in the world does she know how much of each ingredient to use?” I would ask, “Mama Mary, how much sugar? How much flour? How much salt? How much oil?” She did not always use a measuring cup. Sometimes she would simply pour, sprinkle, or pinch. She would smile and say, “Baby, I just know.” She knew her craft. She knew her recipe. She knew what she wanted the finished product to look and taste like.
Sometimes she would add a pinch here and a pinch there. Then she would blend it, and taste it. If something was not quite right, she would make an adjustment. She kept working with it until it was just right. She knew what she was doing, even when I did not understand her cooking technique. She made it from scratch.
Dear Hearts, that is where the Word of God speaks to us. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8-10, that we are saved by grace through faith, and it is the gift of God,… “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” If my grandmother could look at a handful of ingredients and know what she was creating, how much more does God know what He is doing with us? You may look at your life and see a mess, but God sees a masterpiece. You may see broken pieces, but God sees the finished product.
Therefore, do not become discouraged by the ingredients of your life. You may not understand every season, disappointment, trail or tribulation but God knows what He is doing. He is still shaping and molding you as He adds what you need while removing what you do not need. Most importantly, you are His workmanship, His masterpiece, His handiwork. You were made by God, saved by grace, created in Christ, and commissioned for good works. “You are God’s workmanship, made from scratch.”
Jesus Save!
