For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).

I’m definitely not a green thumb, but I love having plants in my home, especially my favorite peace lily. It makes the house feel happy and homey. Plants, like us, were created by God. They are masterpieces of divine artistry: as they simply ARE what God made them to be, and they then DO what God designed them to do (Ephesians 2:10).  They can’t take credit for their beauty or their blossoms.  All of the glory goes to God. 

One of the purposes of my peace lily is to bring beauty to my home. I keep it on a table by the window and it brings a smile to my face when I look upon it.  We were also created for a purpose–to do good works. This brings a sort of beauty to all of the people around us.

When I first got my plant, I moved it outside in the summer and brought it back inside for the winter. I did this for a few years in a row. Every time I moved the plant, it seemed to wilt and feel unhealthy for a while before it eventually adjusted to the new setting. I finally decided to keep it inside beside the window all year long. This caused it to thrive and the leaves and blooms grew toward the light.

Likewise, we aren’t designed to thrive in every environment. We were designed with special gifts and talents that God gave us for a purpose. This purpose is different for each of us. Verse 10 says that God even prepared in advance the good works that we were designed to do. 

The one thing that we have in common with the plant is that we all need to stay beside the light (Jesus) in order to thrive. We aren’t meant to just be in the “light” at church or the occasional devotional reading. The light should permeate every part of our lives. When we are seated next to the Sun (Jesus), the good works should flow out of us. They are in essence our fruit.

My peace lily is always growing toward the Sun. Even if I turn my plant around so that the leaves face away from the window, the plant redirects its leaves back to the light. It loves the sunlight and when I look upon my peace lily’s leaves, it points me to the light. Likewise, when people look upon us and see our good works, we point others to Jesus (the Light). Just like a plant, every aspect of our lives should be touched, shaped, refashioned, and redirected by the Light, Jesus.

Do you realize that you are God’s divine masterpiece? You are a one-of-a-kind piece of art that was created for a purpose- to do good works. What good works can you do today that would point your family, co-workers, neighbors, or church members to God?