Tony Evans - Destiny: Let God Use You Like He Made You

T he great Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo once said, In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.

In every imperfect, jagged-edged, bulky, unshaped block of marble Michelangelo set his eyes on, he saw the treasure within. He once described the process this way: I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. Michelangelo could do this because he didnt see what the marble was; he saw what the marble would be.

He saw a masterpiece.

Friend, you are a masterpiece. In the book of Ephesians, we read this about another Artist: We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The Greek word translated workmanship in this verse refers to you, me, and every other child of God. It is poi ma , from which we get our English word poem . This word denotes a work of art or a masterpiece. You have been made as a work of Godyou are His poi ma . You werent created on the assembly line or as a random object thrown together to fill up space or time. When God made you, He went to workintentionally and delicately crafting your personality, looks, passions, skills even allowing your imperfections and planting your dreams all into one magnificent work of art. In fact, God did more than plant your dream inside of you. God dreamed a dream for you. Did you know that God has a dream for you? He does.

You are His masterpiece. You are Gods dream. Whats more, you were made with a purpose. That purpose includes responsible stewardship of Gods authority. It includes expanding His dominion. It includes more than merely showcasing your talents. It involves impacting your world for good by ruling the realm where God has positioned you.

Destiny and Authority

When God set about to create Adam and Eve, He said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule (Genesis 1:26). Theologians often refer to this passage as the initiation of the dominion covenant . It reveals that God placed mankind on earth to serve as His stewards over His creation. He placed us here and gave us dominionthe authority to rule. David echoes this covenant in Psalm 8:4-6:

What is man that You take thought of him

And the son of man that You care for him?

Yet You have made him a little lower than God,

And You crown him with glory and majesty!

You make him to rule over the works of Your hands ;

You have put all things under his feet.

When God gave us dominion, He said it came with two conditions. First, our authority is an extension of His authority. By charging mankind with dominion, God relinquished His direct rule over the things of the earth and now rules through mankind. In essence, He made mankind managers over His creation. Managers dont carry out their own processes, procedures, or initiatives. They oversee tasks and people in a manner that reflects the goals and vision of their superiors. God is our Superior, and we have been placed on earth to manage His creation under Him.

The second condition of the dominion covenant is that if you rule according to Gods intentions, you will receive Gods provision. In other words, He will supply all that you need when your decisions are based on His principles and purpose.

However, the reverse of that is true as well. God gives you the freedom to rule your world according to your own goals apart from Him, but if you do, you will lack His provision and His backing, just as any manager would lack the provision of his company should he choose to carry out his own goals and not those of his leadership.

God has designed you to have all that you need to productively rule your world. Yet in spite of this provision, many people today are being ruled by their world rather than ruling the realm in which they have been placed. This can be due to their own personal sin, someone elses sin, or even something as seemingly negligible as setting their own goals above Gods. Anytime you operate outside of Gods purpose for your life, you will experience the consequences of ruling on your own, such as relational, social, emotional, or financial chaos. Things no longer function as smoothly as they would under God.

I am not saying that if you live according to the will of God, you will never face challenges. There will always be challenges. Even if you do what is right, you will face trials simply because you live in a sin-soaked and fallen environment. In addition, God often uses trials to strengthen and develop you. But Jesus said that if you follow Him, those trials will not overpower you. They will not shake you. In spite of them, you will feel secure and peaceful. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

In other words, the chaos around you shouldnt override the calm within you. Living out your destiny simply means living according to Gods divine design within you. It means carrying out the full authority you have been granted and ruling in the realm where He has placed you. It entails fully developing and maximizing the masterpiece known as you .

Characteristics of a Masterpiece

You Are Rare

Several characteristics make up a masterpiece. The first one is that a masterpiece is rare. In order for something to be a masterpiece, it cannot have duplicates all over the place. Replicas or prints may exist that reflect the unique nature of the original, but there is only one masterpiecejust as there is only one you. In all of Gods family, no one else is like you. You are unique. You are rare, which is exactly how you were designed to be. Knowing that truth should free you from trying to be like someone else, to look like someone else, or to adopt someone elses skills, calling, purpose, or personality. God already has someone else. If you become like someone else, who is going to be you? He made only one you, and you are that one.

Maybe as you grew up you were told that you were the wrong gender, the wrong race, or the wrong height. Maybe you felt as if you were born in the wrong place or placed in the wrong family. Perhaps you felt as if you werent smart enough, skilled enough, fast enough, strong enough, or vocal enough. You may have felt as if you didnt have enough raw potential. But let me tell you something about you. You are a masterpieceone of a kind. When God created you, He chose every piece about you and planned for you to use it to fulfill your destiny. You are exactly who God intended you to be. And God often uses the weaker and less likely people in this world to accomplish the greatest things. That way He gets the glory, and He knows you will depend on Him to do it. As a masterpiece, you are rare. You are one of a kind.