I love Ephesians 2:10, where the author boldly states, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Jesus Christ, ….” because it’s clear here that God didn’t make mistakes when He made us. On those hard days, when people’s words cut or circumstances are stressful, this verse leaves no doubt that God designed us each intentionally, and He did it just the way that He wanted. The verse even goes on to say that He did so with a specific purpose in mind for us.
This is a verse that I come back to on those hard days – but even so, it can be hard to know how to live into that. That’s why I was eager to for this opportunity to study Sharon Collins’ devotional Becoming His Masterpiece: Reflect and Pray Edition.
Becoming His Masterpiece is a 52-week devotional, one for each week of the year, and each week has a specific theme. I don’t think the theme matches up with the verse above exactly, though the point is for us to grow through each devotion. Rather, each week’s devotion includes a unique piece of art created by the author.
The author’s own story reflects Ephesians 2:10. She’s not a master artist, nor does she have a long history of writing devotions, but she’s stepped out in faith for this project as she was led, and it’s clear through her writing that it is Spirit-led. The devotions include a bit of story or analogy and are heavily grounded in scripture. They don’t delve deep into a single verse but instead examine the weekly theme through several scriptures.
Following the devotion and art are additional scriptures to ponder and a few questions on which to reflect. Both pieces include space in which to write out your thoughts or prayers.
Each devotional is a double-page spread. The book itself is quite large, with the pages being full-size. This makes the book, while not heavy, weighty enough to lay fairly flat when open, so that it’s easy to write in it. The pages are glossy and think, making it quite sturdy.
After several pages of devotions, there are a few lined pages for additional journaling and reflecting. That pattern repeats throughout the book.
I was hoping for big, colorful art pieces in Becoming His Masterpiece. While the pages are colorful – some are even tinted in pastel colors – the art is never more than a quarter of a page. It would be nice for that to be a bit bigger for easier study.
Collins’ art is colorful, though, and it appears to be layers of paint and found objects. It is symbolic or representational in style, and it looks like it would be fun to create. I personally love drawing or painting with scripture, and I like these colorful, thought-provoking additions to the devotions.
I’m going to enjoy working my way through Becoming His Masterpiece this year. I like the style, the simplicity, and the scriptural basis, plus the addition of beautiful art to consider. If those are elements that you’d enjoy, order a copy of this devotional for yourself – and enter this giveaway, too!
I received a complimentary copy of this devotional from FrontGate Christian Bloggers. All opinions are my own.
