By Pastor Steve Nickodemus

Just So…

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link

“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 New International Version

Jim, our dear friend who lives with us, is an amazing cook.  He comes by it naturally as he comes from deep Italian roots.  Cooking and food to him are a very important and emotional part of family life.  We are benefiting at our house with having a live in Italian chef!

When Jim is making something, he wants it to be just so.  Here he is putting the finishing touches to our meal.  He wants it to be just right.

When God made you, He wanted you to be just right, to be perfectly made and in perfect harmony with Him. But when sin came in and we rebelled against Him, all creation including us was damaged and fell out of eternal fellowship with Him.

This is why He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  He paid the price for our sins upon the cross so that we might be made right with God and be brought back into fellowship with the Father.  In Christ Jesus, we are again God’s perfect handiwork, redeemed and restored to do the good works he created for us.

Our Father is continually working on us, his creation, His handiwork, that He might put just the right finishing touches upon us.  He is not content with us simply being saved and going to heaven.  But He has a wonderful, perfect plan for you and me as we live out our lives following Jesus. He has some wonderful acts of love and mercy and faith that He wants to accomplish through us.

And our Lord is infinitely patient with us, continuing to bring about His forgiveness day by day, showing us His grace and continuing to mold us and refine us and get us just right.  In Christ Jesus God looks at us and say, “That is very good!”  Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado