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Know God

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.

1 Peter 1:14-15

Watch Week Two: Spend Time

To be more like Jesus, we have to know him. We have to spend time with him and learn his character and his words. This week, we are going to look at the ways being with Jesus changes us. Let’s first look back at Genesis, when God created man.

After creating field and forest, vale and mountain, chanting birds and flowing fountains, God created his masterpiece—humans. God designed us for greatness. Not a greatness that finds satisfaction in career advancement or accolades, luxury, or the Pinterest life. It’s not a greatness that looks like success or recognition or money. It’s the greatness of being God’s representatives on earth—ruling in his goodness, offering up his beauty, and calling forth his truth. This is our design. We were always meant to be this way, but part of the fallout of the fall is that it became impossible to fully live out our design due to sin. It changed everything for humankind.

Jesus came to save us from the sin that mars our humanness and to restore us to being God’s rulers, priests, and prophets in his world. When God tells us to be holy, the emphasis is on his holiness that we, as believers, have acquired at salvation. We are positionally sanctified, meaning that at the moment of salvation we have the holiness of Jesus on us and therefore can stand before God blameless (1 Peter 1:15–21).

He’s reminding us of who we’re meant to be—set apart from the rest of his magnificent creation to display who God is. So how do we know what that looks like? By watching the only human who lived it out fully. To know Jesus is to know both the divinity we’re meant to represent and the humanity we hold according to its original, unflawed design. Christ’s earthly ministry pictures how we should live, speak, act, and think to recover our intended greatness.

Art Restoration

If we were always meant to reflect God, the creator, as his final masterpiece of creation, then sanctification is a work of art restoration. We need to understand the original painting and the painter. Knowing Jesus shows us both the creator of the artwork and the image of the original artwork. It’s a two-for-one deal. We encounter both the original design for humanity and the Christ who exemplified it in Scripture, a collection of Holy Spirit-inspired witnesses of God’s work and Christ’s life.

We are holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and when we spend time with him, we better understand his character, voice, and purpose for our lives. There’s not a best-kept secret to living a holy life or a code to crack. Your creator made you in his image, and when you surrendered your life to him, you were made holy. Spend time with your creator.

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The Power to Change

Daily Question

What does it mean that the first thing that is true about humans—about you—is not that we are fallen, but that we are masterpieces? How does this change how you think about yourself and your purpose?

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Comments (10)

Thinking on being a maser piece encourages me to know how loved and valued I am by my father in heaven. I love the verse “To be still and know I am God”. Very powerful.

Being reminded that I am God’s masterpiece makes me want to live up to that full potential. It reminds me that God created with a purpose and I need to seek Him to fulfil that purpose and live a life glorifying Him.

It is refreshing and uplifting. As humans we often think negatively; what is wrong with me, not what is right with me. We think what is wrong with others not what is right with them. We think of the fall rather than the creation of perfect humans. We are perfect in Gods eyes, He send His son for our salvation and to begin to live Heaven on earth. He left us filled with the Holy Spirit, so He would live within us. This is often not my first thoughts.

It baffles my mind that I am Gods master piece. God made us to reflect him! In his image. I have felt like I don’t have a purpose, but realizing more and more that my purpose is to love others like Christ loves, to serve, be there for others, be kind, caring, to make sure the fruits of the spirit are evident in my life. I do have a purpose! I need to let as many people as I can, know that they are Gods masterpiece. Not bad, or there sin or mistakes; God took all that with him to the cross. Everyone is so loved by God.

I love the statement that, " We were always meant to reflect God, the creator, as his final masterpiece of creation, then sanctification is a work of art restoration." That is a beautiful statement that helps me see myself more as beautiful and how God sees me. Thank you!!

Can you please tell me where I can buy Sarah’s artwork, she had some beautiful pieces?

Wow. I’ve honestly never thought about it that way. I’ve always embraced the notions that we are, at first, sinful creatures that need saving. While that is certainly true, it also doesn’t take into account that the core of who we are supposed to be is the the cherry on top of creation. I always see water falls and mountains and sky and think of them as majestic. It literally never occurred to me that I am too. But, just as a mountain stream can be polluted by the ways of the world…so, have I been. Wow…this really does change my perspective. To clean up the pollution in my soul, I have to spend time with Jesus, in the Word, hearing His voice, obeying the Holy Spirit…

If I am a masterpiece of the creator God than I LOVE everything about me that he created because he choose it for me! He chose my skin color, hair, eyes, smile, personality, gifts, calling, purpose & so much more!

I will look to the creator to find out who he made me to be so that I may make him proud by loving me and being me! And I will also delight in who he made others to be as well without wanting to be like them because I love who I am!

When I think badly of myself-the way I look or behave- it must hurt God because He created me and I proud of what He created. It’s like talking badly of your child’s art work. There might be spots that she wishes looked better or different but to me, it’s perfect.

Once I realized as Psalm 139 13-14. He knitted us perfectly together in our mothers wombs and that we are all unique, that we do not have to be perfect but yet to just walk with GOD and allow his word to renew and transform us from the inside out. Only truly then did it change the way I thought of my self and realign me with the purpose hod has placed on my heart.
Realizing I didn’t need to be perfect to walk with GOD I just needed to walk was the game changer for me. Realizing that my imperfections were yet perfectly imperfect in his eyes as he uses each one of us differently because we are all some where different with our walks with the lord and that’s ok.

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