Blog # 61 A WORK OF ART - by God's design

Blog # 61 A WORK OF ART, by God's design. Think for a moment of a great artist in a paint store. Moving among the colors spread out on the shelves, the artist selects several of them and brings them into his studio. The artist has a commission to paint a picture of a beautiful sunset. The colors chosen at the store are to be used in the painting. In order to play their part in the creation of the painting the various colors must give themselves, some of them spread on the canvas just as they are, others to be blended with darker shades of the same color or lightened with white. Each of the colors is poured out and recreated in the skill of the artist to share with the other colors in the final masterpiece. We have a parallel with the artist his colors and his masterpiece in God's dealings with us who believe in God. As there were other colors on the shelf in the store not chosen for this particular picture, so it would seem there are some persons in the world who have not yet come to know the Lord personally, perhaps through no fault of their own. But we who do believe in God and love God know we have been chosen by God to share in a very definite way in creating with God a certain reality which can very well be called a masterpiece, a vine, a body, a church. We know God wants all men and women throughout the world to share in the destiny of Jesus, but for the time being many do not know it, many do not believe. We who do believe are like the colors selected by the artist. But in order to share actually in the plan of God for us we must believe, be born from above, change, be holy, become like little children, forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts, reform our lives. As Jesus put it on another occasion, unless we take up our cross daily and come after Him we cannot be His disciples, we cannot share His destiny, we cannot die, rise, and be glorified through, with, and in Him. We remain merely colors rather than an integral part of a beautiful masterpiece.

Blog #56 SINGING IN HARMONY WITH GOD

Blog #56 SINGING IN HARMONY WITH GOD Recently I was reflecting upon how we can relate to God. But at the beginning instead of seeing God as the object of my imagination I used Abraham Lincoln. The name of Abraham Lincoln is still known around the world, almost like that of God. I can imagine myself related to Abraham Lincoln as hired to cut his lawn. His lawn is a very real part of his life. Even though he could be adept at law and government whether his lawn is cared for or not, people will think more or less of him, even as a statesman, depending upon the condition of his lawn. So it is with God. Some of us seem to see ourselves primarily in a capacity of 'caring for God's lawn', taking care of His creation, helping the poor, etc., without Him present in it for the time being, except indirectly. If the world does not produce enough food for all the people, if the poor are neglected, etc., it reflects upon God. Lincoln is a better President when his lawn is cut. God is a better God, as it were, when we take care of things for Him. After all, He told us to do this when He said we should love one another. Then I can imagine myself relating to Abraham Lincoln much the same as to the electronic computerized 'living' statue of Abraham Lincoln that was in the Illinois building at the New York World's Fair in 1964. It looked just like Lincoln, and was dressed like him. It was programmed to speak several of his speeches just like he would have done. Listening to the statue from the audience, if you had the same dispositions in 1964 as you might have had a century before when the real Lincoln said the same words you would be ready to act now as you would have acted then. Some people seem to see themselves relating to God in a similar way. He gives us words to say, things to do. And people around us, hearing these words of God and seeing these acts of God are affected by them just as if God Himself were here. The poor are clothed and comforted, the sorrowful rejoice,etc. But there is another way of relating to Lincoln that seems to come closer to illustrating the best way we can see ourselves as relating to God. Suppose Lincoln decides to sing a song. He doesn't have to sing in order to be a good President but he WANTS to sing. Not only this, but he wants to sing in HARMONY. He cannot do that alone. It seems this is something like what God has done with us. God created us because He wanted us. He teaches us the words of His song and its melody in various ways, such as through His word in the Bible, in the life death,and Resurrection of Jesus, through creation around us, people, the Church, and our individual conscience. Then He invites us to sing along with Him, helping, serving, celebrating. Our free response in faith adds harmony to what God is doing. In all of our life it is God working in us and we responding to Him that co-creates the beauty joy and harmony of our Christian experiences. We are not just cutting God's lawn or merely imitating Him or merely serving Him, but rather we are singing along with God in the harmony of our song of love. Neither God nor we could do it this way alone. Harmony of its nature takes different notes and blends them together in a single sound. God planned it that way. God's love for us as individual believers is a share in God's eternal everlasting love for all creation. Every note counts ! Thank You, Lord!