His Workmanship

God has been speaking to me the last several months about serving Him and helping others learn of His love and salvation. One of the verses used over the weekend at a seminar was Ephesians 2:10. This ties right into what God has been tellling me.  (This week I've been researching the verses used at a seminar I attended over last weekend, will blog about the seminar another time.)


Ephesians 2:10
NASB For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The Message: No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making & the saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

NKJ: For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The King James version is identical except these words are used:
for: unto
prepared beforehand: hath before ordained

Complete Jewish Bible
For we are of God's making,created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do.

NIV
For we are god's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Definition of WORKMANSHIP
1: something effected, made, or produced


We all know that we were created by God and this Scripture goes on to remind us that contrary to popular belief, He created us to do His work. I really like the way The Message puts it '...to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.'


Interesting side note: yesterday, I made an appointment to talk with the volunteer director of our local Christian Cooperative Ministries organization. I'm hoping to volunteer in the soup kitchen or in some way with the homeless. Today's study just reaffirmed to me that this is what I am supposed to be doing!