The Touch of the Masters Hand.
Have you ever felt worthless or cheap in the eyes of the world? Have you ever felt that you were not really what you could be or what you should be? I know that at times I have..
Read a little story the other day that I think illustrates all of our lives in that God has his hand in our lives and that we are not just a creation of his that he has forgotten about.
What a deal I got on a masterpiece. I was in Paris, touring what is probably the world’s most famous art museum, the Louvre - as they say. All day long I had been seeing these works by great artists like Michel Angelo, and Rembrandt, and, you know, all the biggies! And then I rounded this one corner and I saw this room jammed with people. It was lit with special lighting, it was guarded by security guards . . . and when I finally got into that room, there she was, the one painting you’ve heard of if you’ve only heard of one painting. That’s right, the Mona Lisa! There she was smiling at me in a painting that took up an entire wall. At the bottom was this signature - Leonardo Davinche, the artist. Now, you can’t buy the Mona Lisa, she’s literally priceless. But! I bought the Mona Lisa for .25c that day! Oh, yes I did. It’s in a drawer at home I could show it to you. Well, actually it’s a post card of the Mona Lisa. What’s the difference? Well, the post card is a copy - it’s cheap! The one in the museum is an original, signed by the artist - she’s priceless!
Sometimes we feel more like the postcard that we are an image of God and in his creation but really worth no more than the .25 cents but in reality we are worth million just like the original. There are often many times when this is the way the world looks at us, whether it be at work/school where we fail at something and we often receive the mark of the world in the big red F on the paper or the chewing out at work but this is not how God views us. I have failed God more times than I would like but He still loves me and helps me to grow. Never once have I received the big red F from God and I never will if I follow after him. None of us our cheap imitation copies of anything but we are the masterpieces of God.
Ephesians 2:10 " We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." In NIV it is "We are God’s workmanship.
We are all individual made as masterpieces of God, made in His image and nothing that the world can ever say or do can take that away from us. Just think about that for a second. We can put our names in place of the we. "I, Elliot Ross am God’s masterpiece." Sounds pretty arrogant at times but fortunately I am not the only to think this and this idea did not begin with me but rather that it came from the Word of God. God calls us his masterpieces, his workmanship.
We are called his masterpieces so that we may do the good things that he has planned for us. This is not. to say that we are his masterpieces when we do good works but that as his masterpieces we will do good works because that is partially why he created us.
We are made in the image of God, created by the best creator that has ever been around. No artist could ever have created us like God has. All of our worth is found in God . If I had painted the Mona Lisa it would be worth nothing but Davinche painted it and that has brought its worth. If we are man made people that our worth is so little but with the touch of God we are priceless. We have been designed by the Master Artist and paid for with the Masters life. We are priceless creations.
To close I want to share a poem that Pastor Bob made me read in our youth speech club in Regina and I have always really enjoyed it. It says so much about our worth.
The Touch of the Masters Hand.
It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I did for this old violin?
You will start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, who’ll make it two?
Two dollars, and who will make it three?
"Three dollars, once; three dollars twice,
Going for three," But no;
From the back of the room a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow.
Then wiping the dist from the old violin,
And tightening up all the strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angels sing.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low
Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who will make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;
And going and gone," said he.
The people cheered, but some of them said,
"We do not quite understand,
What changed its worth?" Came the reply,
"The touch of a masters hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of potage," a glass of wine;
A game, and he shuffles along.
He’s going once, and he’s going twice,
He’s going and almost gone.
But the master comes, and the thoughtless crowd
Never quite understands
The worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.
-Myra Brooks Welch
We are that violin so scarred by sin but with the touch of the masters hand we have become priceless in his eyes.
All of us have been that old violin but now we are the priceless violin changed by the touch of the masters hand.
