God speaks to our potential, not our limitations

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Ephesians 2:10 New Living Translation

God always speaks to our potential.

Having made us, He knows us and what we’re made of. There are gifts residing within us that are pulsing with potential. These are ‘Creator endowed gifts,’ not the cheap plastic gifts of self-actualization and self-improvement that we read about in the book store. Those self-produced products puff up our pride yet add no real confidence to our lives.

God seldom speaks to our limitations.

He knows about them, but would rather concentrate on potential, not debilitating restrictions that hold our feet to the ground, keep our spirits from soaring and place the realm of possibility too far over the horizon to contemplate.

Michelangelo was once asked how he produced an exquisite angel out of rock. “I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free,” was his response.

– Like God seeing the warrior in Gideon and chipping away until the warrior came out.  Judges 6

– Like God seeing the potential Apostle and chipping away the pride of a frantic  Pharisee until he had released Paul,  the man He knew was there … a world-changer. Acts 9

– Like seeing the leader in Moses and chipping away the years of running and uncertainty and postponed calling until he was ready to lead the procession to the Promised Land! Exodus 3

– Like seeing a regal queen and chipping away layers of an orphaned slave girl until Esther was ready to win both the king’s heart and her people’s deliverance.  Esther 2

 None of the people above could look in the mirror and see what God saw. Limitations? Oh, those were obvious to them and they had most likely cultivated those over the years. It’s easy to pick out from our past many reasons why our future isn’t very exciting.

Here is the testimony God has given each of us: “I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].” Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible

 Let’s allow the Sculptor to chip away everything that is keeping the angel hidden inside!