A Re-Created Masterpiece

By David A. Sargent

     “In the world of the ‘Oops!’ this is a masterpiece,” said Kevin Tibbles of NBC Nightly News.
     Recent video footage in a museum in Taiwan reveals a 12-year-old wearing a t-shirt and shorts with a drink in his hand touring the museum when suddenly he stumbles over a platform and reaches out his hands to brace his fall. Unfortunately, as he fell one of his hands punches a hole in a painting on display.
     "The child fell and pressed onto the painting, putting a fist-sized tear in it," said an employee at TST Art of Discovery, which organized the exhibition.
     The painting, an oil-on-canvas entitled “Flowers” by Italian artist Paolo Porpora, dates back to the 1600s and is part of a collection of 55 artworks on display in the country's capital, Taipei. The painting is worth $1.5 to $2 million.
     Fortunately, the organizers of the exhibition did not seek damages from the boy’s family. The painting was restored on site and is now back on exhibition. *
     God created a masterpiece that has also been marred … God “made the world and everything in it” (Acts 17:24), but His highest creation is mankind, for man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Man is one of God’s created masterpieces.
     But man has marred God’s masterpiece by sinning against the Creator. The problem is universal, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
     Our sins have “ruined” God’s masterpiece, and we deserve to be cast aside and destroyed, like a ruined painting.
     But the good news is: God is in the restoration business! He loves us so much that He wants to make us whole again, fully-restored to fellowship with Him and “on-display” to the world as His beautiful re-creation. He restores us “in Christ.”
     Because of His great love for us, God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Through His blood, we can be cleansed of sin and fully restored. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
     “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
     To be found “in Christ” and receive new, eternal life we must place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27). Then, as we “walk in the light” of His Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
     God wants to re-create YOU into one of His masterpieces! The Apostle Paul wrote to some people whose image had been marred by sin but cleansed by God’s grace in Christ Jesus: “You are His workmanship” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
     Won’t YOU allow God to re-create you in Christ through your trusting obedience?

- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled "Living Water."  To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org

* Information gleaned from NBC Nightly News and ABC News