Paul is in prison but God is at work.
Wherever you are and whatever is happening, God is at work in you, right now.
God isn’t at work producing the circumstances you want; God is at work in bad circumstances producing the YOU He wants.
Let’s read what he says:
“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 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10
We get the word poem from the word Paul used, ‘workmanship’. It means ‘that which is made’.
So we know a poem is, ‘a piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by particular attention to diction (sometimes involving rhyme), rhythm, and imagery.’ Think about how you are His poem …
God makes us and He uses us. He uses us and makes us.
Moses is remembered for the 40 amazing years of leading God’s people through the wilderness. But before that he spent 40 years as an unknown shepherd.
Joseph became 2nd to Pharaoh but before that he suffered for 13 years.
David became the most famous King of Israel but before he that he was in exile.
Paul in prison, the apostle with the greatest revelations has already known 3 years in the Arabian Desert. He is not attributing the prison to a work of the evil one. Disciples know that God is the active working agent in their life and there is no other, no schemes of man nor plans of Satan that can thwart the beautiful poem which God is producing in you!
An intriguing painting was once displayed at the Louvre art museum in France called “Checkmate”, painted by Friedrich Moritz August Retzsch. It is now said to be in private hands after being sold at Christie’s in 1999. This painting depicts 2 chess players, one is Satan whom appears arrogantly confident, and the other player is a man who looks forlorn. If Satan wins, he gets the man’s soul. According to legend, a chess champion visited the museum once and after studying the painting, noticed that the arrangement of the chess pieces were incorrect. According to him, the devil who thought he was winning, was in fact not winning. The man, who thought he was losing, was winning, because according to the pieces left on the chessboard, his king had one more move left, which would make him the winner of the game! He called the curator and they determined that the title didn’t fit the scene because the forlorn-looking player actually has the ability to defeat his opponent, though he obviously doesn’t realise it. The painting is a lie. His king can still make another move!
Disciples know that their King always has one more move.
The widow of a man from the Elisha school of prophets has lost everything and the creditors are not satisfied. They took everything apart from one small bottle of oil and now want the sons as slaves. Its checkmate. But the KING has one more move.
Thousands of people have walked miles and miles from home just following the Jesus’ team. They are now in danger of suffering through hunger. No one has enough money. There is only 5 loaves and 2 fish. But the KING has one more move.
On some people today checkmate has been declared. The person who wrote that is a thief, liar and a killer. But the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords has one more move.
There is still a move the King can make. It’s not over.
Pain is not bigger than purpose. The enemy’s best plot is not bigger than God’s purpose for your life.
He is the active agent in your life; He will never lie to you; He will never confuse you; He will never leave you; He will not renegade on His promise to you; He will not take back His gifts; He will never be defeated; He will never be too big for your problems; He will never be too small for your problem; He will never cancel your calling; He will never be overcome; He will never be too late; He is working in you. You are His poem!
You will never get to heaven and be met with an apology, ‘I tried my best.’ You are His work. His poem
We are God’s poem, His writing in our lives, His feelings and ideas with rhyme, rhythm and imagery! Isn’t that beautiful?!
Missions Paul 