As an artist, I’ve looked at many blank canvases. When you’re staring at a completely new canvas, you can’t help but see all the possibilities that it could become.
I have painted a particular canvas multiple times before. Layer upon layer. I can’t seem to get it the way I want! It’s almost always easier to just start over. It’s easier to paint the canvas white and begin again.
Only Christ can take your canvas and make it white again. Only Christ can make it new and start afresh.
Only you can let Him.
Allow Him to take your scribbles and turn them into His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10). We look at our lives and see what a mess we’ve made. Christ can’t help but see all the possibilities that it could become.
Have you ever imagined a “sit down” with God? Just you and God. Maybe over coffee or something. You know, casual. You could ask Him all your questions and just sit and enjoy His company?
It might go down like this:
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:18-20 NASB)
This is God laying it out pure and simple. In fact, it doesn’t get any more simple. It doesn’t get any more beautiful.
First He says “Let us.” I love that! God says “Let us reason this out. I don’t want you to be confused! I want you to get it!”
Though our sins stain us, if we but obey, they’ll be as pure as snow. Stained! Once something is stained, it’s ruined. You usually throw it out. But God can remove the stain. And not only that, he can make it better than before! Whiter and purer than it ever could be on its own!
By the way, that “sit down” you are imagining? It can happen any time you want. All you gotta do is call on His name. He’s ready for you. He’s wanting to clear all the confusion you may have. He wants you to get it.
He desires a sit down with you even more than you desire one with Him. Let that sink in for a minute.
I ordered a pizza. The pizza delivery guy did something weird. He put a big red bow on my pizza. But that’s not it, He also attached balloons to it. Then he kept on and on about how much I was going to enjoy this pizza and how this pizza was better than the pizza from the shop across town.
Not really. What he actually did was deliver the pizza. No song and dance.
We are called to deliver the Good News of Jesus (Matt. 28:19,20). We don’t need to dress it up. We don’t need to put a bow on it. The message is powerful enough on its own.
Have you ever knocked on your friend’s door and stood there and waited? Well, if he didn’t answer the door you would leave, right? He’s either not home, didn’t hear you, or busy. Or maybe he did hear you, but he’s acting like he didn’t. Maybe he’s ignoring you on purpose! Whatever the reason, you wouldn’t just stand there and keep knocking. Eventually you would leave.
Thank God The LORD is not like that!
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 NASB)
Jesus stands and knocks.
Even when you didn’t hear Him, He stands and knocks. Even when you are busy, He stands and knocks. Even when you are ignoring Him and pretending that you are not home, He stands and knocks.
He’s persistent like that. He won’t give up. He won’t stop reaching out to you. He won’t stop coming over to visit.
I was just watching Billy Graham’s 1987 Crusade in Denver. He is, of course, the master and one thing he said that I loved was the “whosoever” in John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV)
Everyone knows John 3:16. Even the secular world knows it. Have you ever read it and replaced the word “whosoever” with your name?
Do you believe in aliens? I guess it depends on who’s asking. If it’s Ridley Scott, then no. If it’s the Apostle Peter, then yes. Because… dun, dun, DUNNN! YOU are the alien.
Ahhhhh!
1 Peter 2:11, Peter says “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (NASB)
Why does Peter call the various churches, “elect resident aliens?” Or strangers? Or sojourners? Or pilgrims? Because they were not in the homeland. They were scattered throughout the land. They were longing for their true home.
Today, we are not in our homeland either. Wait! I live in ‘Merica! Yes, Yes. Settle down. I am talking about your REAL home. Your home is not this physical land. You knew that, right? Your real home is with your Father. Your Father is in Heaven. Our REAL home is Heaven, people!
We are a long ways from home, for sure!
What do we do until we get home? I’m glad you asked. Read on to verse 12: “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Keep your behavior excellent.. uh-oh. Peter is telling us to step it up! Represent Christ like you are supposed to! It may lead to someone accepting Christ. It may lead to someone glorifying God. And that is our main objective while we are away from home anyways: Glorifying God!
We may not look like E.T. (at least I hope no one out there looks like E.T.!) but we are aliens nonetheless. We are sojourners and strangers and pilgrims in a strange land. Not for long though, buddy!
Soon we will be with our Father. Soon we will be home.
May God’s Love be with you
#ChildofTheKing #CitizenofHeaven
Yesterday I thought I would read Luke. It’s my habit to look up how long a book is first and then get started. For some reason my eyes fell on verse 45 of the last chapter. And that’s as far as I got.
It reads, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45
I read that verse several times and marveled at it.
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Jesus had to open their minds so they could fully understand the Scriptures. Although these men had grown up with the Scriptures and many had studied it, they didn’t really understand it all the way.
Not until Jesus stepped in.
In John’s account (20:22) He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles (and us today) can understand the Holy Words of God.
The devil promises to GIVE you things, but he can only TAKE things. He can’t give anything. He’s a taker.
A promise is only as good as the person promising it.
If the source of your promise is, “the father of lies,” then perhaps it would be prudent to check the fine print. If the source of your promise is, Jehovah-Jireh “The Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14) then perhaps it would be prudent to PRAISE HIS NAME!
The devil was a murderer from the beginning. His very dialect is lies. It’s his native language. There is no truth in him (John 6:63). Is this the type of person you want to make a promise with?
God is/was/will be a Creator from the beginning. His very dialect is life. It’s His native language. There are no lies in Him (Heb. 6:18-19). This IS the type of person you want to make a promise with!
God promises to TAKE things. He’ll take your pain, your hardship, and your fear. God promises to GIVE things. He’ll give you rest, love, and peace.
Why are we here? What’s the meaning of life? What is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything?
Well, it’s not 42.
You know, philosophers have spent their entire lives trying to answer life’s big question. Poets have driven themselves insane looking to crack it. Artists have painted and sculpted interpretation after interpretation attempting to reveal it.
I don’t know what all the hubbub is about. Life’s biggest question has life’s simplest answer.
What is the purpose of life? Ok, here it is. Got something to write it down? Are you ready?
The reason we are here is: To glorify God. That’s it. Boom.
God created us for His own Glory, Isa.43:7.
There. Everyone can now rest their pounding heads. You’re welcome.
What did we ever do without GPS? Recently Britt and I went to visit my sister in South Carolina. We didn’t study a map. We didn’t plan out the trip. We just punched in the destination and trusted the GPS. In fact, there were even times that I said, “You know, this doesn’t look right… but, the GPS says to go this way, so… it must be right.” The GPS got us to my sister’s house safely AND at the exact moment it said it would. Amazing.
As Christians we have a built-in GPS of our own: The Holy Spirit. Jesus told the Apostles: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you… But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:7 & 13.
There is comfort in trusting that the GPS knows what its doing, isn’t there? It’s nice to have a reliable guide right there in the car with you. When you are looking for guidance in your spiritual journey, consult the Holy Spirit. He is there for Discernment, Guidance, and Comfort. Trust Him to get you where you need to go!
GPS stands for: Global Positioning Satellite/System. The Holy Spirit blows that out of the water! He is more than Global, He is Universal! He is Eternal. He is your Eternal Positioning System. But it doesn’t do much good to get the GPS out and then not use. It doesn’t do much good to ignore the GPS and go your own way!
Allow Him to Counsel you. Allow Him to Help you. He will get you safely where you need to go and at the exact moment you need to be there.
