Sculpted by the Truth – Part 1

God’s Word states in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV). The word handiwork is defined as “work done personally and intentionally by the hands.” When we receive Christ as our Savior, our life is not ending, but really just beginning. We are part of God’s new creation, according to II Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) which states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (she) is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We can know by reading these scriptures that God has personally created us by His own hand, and He continues the process of making us into the creation He wants us to be.

Have you ever seen a piece of jewelry called a cameo? A cameo is a gemstone usually made of onyx, sardonyx, or agate. Shells are also used for cameos and generally yield the most delicate pieces. The most common expression of the cameo, which you probably have seen, is a profile or portrait of a woman’s head. Cameos are most often worn as jewelry and are usually set in gold or silver and worn as a brooch or necklace.

The cameo is created in an art form called “relief.” This is a mode of sculpture in which the figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane and surface. When a cameo is created, there are layers of different colors. This carving is set upon the contrasting type of material which provides a background of another color to set off the figure. Therefore, in a cameo, there is an ability to see the figure, which has been carved. The light, in contrast to the dark, enables the piece to showcase its distinguishing beauty.

In the Bible passage of John 17, John portrays Jesus as He prays that His followers will be set apart and sanctified from the rest of the darkness of the world. In the previous chapters of John 13-16, Jesus instructs His disciples while they are on the way to Gethsemane. He tells them that He will soon be “glorified.” The passage in John 17 contains the longest of the Lord’s prayers in the Gospel records, and it is the only one that is prayed while He is in the presence of the disciples.

What Jesus prays in this prayer relates to us today as His followers. He shows us by His words that His chief concern is that we live a life that glorifies God. In our life experience, there are many entanglements that try to influence and grab us, but one of the messages of John 17 is how to overcome or stand out from the world. In verses 13-19, the Lord prays for our sanctification. He gives us the gift of His Word to enable us to walk in the way of holiness. Verse 17 states: “Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth” (NIV).

This week allow God’s Word to sanctify you in truth. So instead of allowing situations and circumstances to mold you, allow the Word of God, His truth, to shape and sculpt you.