Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).

Not only has God saved us and freed us, but He has also promised to do something significant through us. God has not just saved us from something, but He has saved us for something. 

When we submit ourselves to God, He frees us from sin and wrong thinking and reveals His purpose for us. Every Christian shares the same general purpose: to love God and honor Him. But how each of us fulfills that purpose will look different. There is something specific God planned for each of us to do from the beginning of time. 

Jesus is the best example of this. Jesus lived to bring glory to God (John 6:37-39). But God’s plan all along was to allow Jesus to die for our sins so we could be made right with Him. Paying the penalty for our sins was something only Jesus could do. Sin requires a perfect sacrifice. So, to free us from sin once and for all would require the ultimate, perfect sacrifice (Romans 6:23). Being fully human and fully God, Jesus was the only perfect person to ever walk the Earth and the only person who could have fulfilled God’s plan to restore our relationship with Him. 

Just as Jesus was the only one who could fulfill His calling, we also have a specific role in God’s plan. We are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).  We’ll never fulfill our purpose if we’re constantly comparing ourselves to our neighbors. Like runners in a race, we will lose focus and veer off course if we’re worried about what’s happening in the next lane. 

Ephesians 2:4-10 highlights God’s abundant mercy, stating that we are His workmanship—His masterpiece, according to some translations. God has prepared good works for us to accomplish for His glory! Each of us is unique in God’s eyes—truly a priceless masterpiece. There has never been anyone exactly like you in all of human history, and there will never be another person just like you. God has created you and blessed you with a unique combination of experiences, talents, and skills that you can share with others, particularly those who are in great need or are experiencing sorrow.

Jesus even goes so far as to say that when we serve those with the “least” in our world, we’re doing it for Him! Colossians 3:23-24 echoes this profound truth: when we serve God with our skills in our everyday lives, we’re working for the Lord. When we serve God with our individually given abilities, whether at work, home, or church, we are called to do so as if “working for the Lord,” and we’re reminded that God will see, and He’ll reward us.

We don’t have to worry about what anyone else is doing or strive to do something significant with our lives. God is the Master, and we are His masterpiece. He’s already created and equipped us for every work He prepared in advance for us to do. 

As it says in Matthew 25:23, God longs to tell us,“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”