3 Transfiguration Tools the Master uses for His Masterpiece
THE CHISEL, SCRAPER, AND EVEN SOME DYNAMITE
Ephesians 2:10 NLT tells us” For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Isn’t it crazy to think that you are God’s masterpiece? Yet, that’s exactly what His word says. Sometimes we just give this verse a nonchalant shrug of acknowledgement but don’t really buy into it. How could we? With all our flaws and cracks, God must be just trying to be nice. God means what He says. No, we may not see a work of perfection but that’s because we are still a work in progress. Any artist whether painter or sculptor finds just as much joy in the process as in the finishing touch. So stay put and let the Master do His work in you and through you. Full disclosure, it’s going to hurt now and then. The Master uses different tools to do His work. We’ll go over just 3 for now. The Chisel, the scraper, and even some dynamite is necessary.
MOUNT RUSHMORE
When talking about some of this world’s most breathtaking monuments, we have to include our own nation’s Mount Rushmore. The intricate details on this depiction of 4 of our nation’s greatest leaders looks like it could only be done with precision tools. Did you know 90% of Mount Rushmore was carved with dynamite? Beloved, sometimes life’s dynamite will go off. Especially when we least expect it. According to Romans 8:28 God will also work this together for your good. I’ll tell you what. Becoming blind was definitely a painful stick of dynamite I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But it shaped me into the Mount Rushmore for God I am today. I am blown away that in the 14 years it took to carve this masterpiece out no lives were lost. Believe me, these explosions are painful but they won’t kill anyone. They were meant for carving.
DEAD SKIN
I’m sure I’m not the only husband who is told over and over again, “You need to put lotion on.” I’ve never really had ashy skin growing up so I always thought Ria was just being over-zealous about this whole lotion thing. Until I felt my knees one day and eventually my elbows. Figuring it was just dry skin I started applying lotion. A few months later they were still dry. Then a miracle and revelation happened. When I was younger I would go over to friends’ homes whose family had a lot of money. There was one thing that always struck me odd about rich families like theirs. They always had a rock thing in their tubs or showers. I remember thinking I can’t wait to get rich enough to have a rock in my shower. Just recently I got the revelation about these rocks. They weren’t decorations or financial milestones. They were for scraping. The skin on my knees and elbows weren’t dry. They were dead. The rocks were for scraping off dead skin. Now they got fancy and made shower scrubbers with one side for scraping. Get ready for some scraping. Say goodbye to all those dry spots you keep trying to revive. They need to be scraped off so the new skin underneath can breathe.
THE SCULPTOR
God tells us in Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Before anyone saw the stone God already saw the masterpiece. You were always His masterpiece. It’s only hard to see that because we keep looking to ourselves to become that sculpture. In the words of one of history’s most famous sculptor,
You’re the sculpture. Not the Sculptor. Your job is to be obedient. When He says move you move. Stay put you stay put. He does the chiseling. Get ready to become very familiar with the chisel. Scraping takes place now and then and life’s dynamite explode with even less frequency. The chiseling continues every day. Molding and shaping us more and more into the image of our Creator. Chiseling away any and everything that doesn’t reflect Him. I am so excited for you and can’t wait to see the masterpiece He saw way before you were in your mother’s womb.
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