An Unfinished Work of Art

An Unfinished Work of Art

An Unfinished Work of Art

This may seem to be a strange title for a small, but potentially growing, collection of thoughts around verses of Scripture and conversations between God and me which I feel are, perhaps, of relevance to more people than only me.

An Unfinished Work of Art – that’s what each one of us is.  You see, God is gracious and comes to find us wherever and however we are. No-one is excluded, no matter their past life experiences. All are called, all are chosen, all are welcomed, all are loved. When God first calls us, He has been searching for us, He comes looking for us, but we are so lost in our sin that He cannot bear to look at us.  But, and here’s the rub, He loves each one of us so very much that He can’t bear to leave us as we are – so when we accept His calling, we become a continuous work in His hands, a continuous transformation into the likeness of Jesus.

When the great artist and sculptor Michelangelo died, he had deliberately left some pieces unfinished – sculpted figures only partially free of the materials from which they were being made. I can empathise with these trapped figures – I can no more free myself from sin and its consequences than they can free themselves from their stone prisons. No matter how hard I try – I can’t change myself, but …

Thanks to God and the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross, you and I will not remain unfinished – although the work won’t be completed until we see God face-to-face in Heaven. In the meantime, we welcome the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in our lives – and God has promised that He will complete the work which He has started in us (Phil 1:6). In Phil 2:13 we are reassured that it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

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