When I think masterpiece, I think of the music of Mozart and Beethoven, the art of Picasso and Michelangelo, or the works of Shakespeare and Mark Twain.
But, there is one artist greater than all of these combined. In fact, all of the greatest works of all time only scratch the surface of this artist’s creativity and grandeur. That artist is God.
God’s creation, without a doubt, has the most impact and beauty out of all the art in the world. It even serves as inspiration for all human art.
We each have our favorite parts of nature. For me, there is nothing like walking outside on a calm 85 degree day. God’s creation makes my heart light. It reminds me of the beauty of God and His ability to create the masterpiece of the world.
After He completed each creation, God said, “It is good,” and it was. In fact, God’s creation displays His glory. It declares His existence loudly and clearly for all to see, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender or any other social construct.
“The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words: no sound is heard from them.Yet their voicegoes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun,” (Psalm 19:1-4).
The dependability of the heavens and earth (the sun always rises, winter turns into spring, the moon correlates with the tides, etc.) depicts the design in God’s plans. The intricacy of the human body’s internal systems or the food chain displays the divine hand in creation responsible for inventing the order and complexity of nature.
Then there’s another part of God’s masterpiece that can’t be ignored: humans.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10).
As a part of God’s creation, we have special duties. Among our many roles are the callings to cultivate the earth, make disciples, follow God and much more. We are given the ability to think for ourselves and to make our own decisions out of free will. God created each one of us to be beautiful. We each have a unique role in the grand scheme of creation.
The artists at the beginning of this article are an example of God’s creation and are also creators themselves. They were able to create because they were first designed by God to reflect His glory. God gave Michelangelo a small portion of His ability to create beautiful art perhaps to point to Himself. He provided Mozart’s ability to create beautiful music which may depict the symphony of Heaven.
God has given each one of us gifts and a sense of creativity that we may use to bring honor to Him. Using our talents for the glory of God can be a personal act of worship to God.
It is also important to recognize and appreciate the creation of God for its beauty and ingenious design. If we fail to worship God, in Luke 19:40 Jesus says, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Let’s not leave worship to the rocks. Instead, we should glorify God by enjoying His creation and using our creativity for Him.