"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV
This morning I woke to the rat-a-tat of a woodpecker forcefully pecking out a tune on the metal chimney cap on top of the roof of our house. Woodpeckers drum their music on resonant objects to scavenge for food, to attract mates, to establish territories or to just plain communicate. A woodpecker doesn't peck because he or she is forced to do it. With reinforced skulls that protect their brains, and tails that help stabilize their position, they peck (up to 20 times per second) because it is their nature. That is the way God created them.
The Bible tells us that we've been created by God to do good things. It is supposed to be our nature, but is it? Sadly, because of sin in the world, we have strayed from the path that God intended for us to walk. While the woodpecker was created to peck, we weren't, but we often do. The Bible tells us, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 ESV
We weren't created to climb the corporate ladder stepping on people's toes along the way, or to use our talents to glorify ourselves, or to use our gifts merely to support ourselves. God made us to be the body of Christ, to care about each other, to use our talents and lives to glorify Him and His ways — not because we have to — but because we want to — because in Him, it is our nature. That is the way that God created us.
Thank you, Lord, for Your amazing workmanship. Every bird, every animal, every plant, every person was created unique and precious in your sight. Help us put away our selfish human nature and let the beauty of your workmanship be revealed in us. In Jesus' name, Amen.