November 16th, 2006 to November 28th
Painting a Picture
I have this CD that has a song by William Shatner on it and the song is pretty harsh in the end. It’s a love story gone bad, mainly about how he manipulates the woman who is in love with him. There is a particular line in the song that made me think about things. He said, “You painted me into what you wanted to see.” That made me think about how I paint Christ and God in my mind. How do I picture them? How do I work in my relationship? Do I think of them as angry all the time, thus I have to be submissive or I’ll be treated badly? Do I more or less look at them as rough around the edges? I mean, Christ DID come to serve, so shouldn’t he serve me? Do I look at Christ as a super-Holy person and I walk around in shame all the time because I fall short? Do I look at Christ as though he has some melancholy, calm attitude and should treat everything as though it were not a big deal? All of these questions have good and not so good aspects to them, so this quiet time is going to explore them. And the great thing is there will be some cool pictures to go with them.
The Angry Christ
People think it is a sin to be angry. Especially when they read a scripture like this:
Ephesians 4:25-32
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
But note, it says "IN YOUR anger DO NOT SIN..." and you can just throw the emphasis all over the place except on the anger part and the meaning comes alive in all sorts of places. Now, we know Christ got angry and threw the tables at the temple... but check out this other scripture.
Mark 3:1-6
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Jesus was angry at them, but he didn't withhold any opportunities from them. He wasn't a fiery inferno of laughter looking forward toward their demise. He was deeply distressed.
A Lackadaisical Christ
Is God a "Coke Machine," as my wife has put it, to crank out blessings? Punch in prayer and out comes whatever you ask for, whether you need it or not. Is God the "WHATEVER-MAN" that you envision? God is one of action. How is my faith supposed to be?
James 2:14-19
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that… and shudder.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that… and shudder.
Now, what if instead of praying, I could just walk up to this vending machine and insert a prayer and it spit out the answer of when, where, etc. of how it would be answered to suit my little brain? Wouldn't that be GREAT?! But what's even better is that it doesn't work that way. If it did, it would take away the faith aspect. There are things out there that already exist that work just like this machine... but I won't say.
Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The Unrelatable Christ
"No one can understand how I feel..."
"Christ was tempted in every way, but HE didn't have to deal with the internet (or insert any other modern technology available)..."
"Why is it that I have to go this alone?"
Is God a God who can not relate to these situations? I think not. Think about this... from the very first verse of the Bible, God's been at work.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
So, is it possible that over time, God hasn't seen someone else go through the same experience, trial, or struggle? God created all the stars, planets, comets, gasses, plants, clouds, fruits, birds, cats, dogs, metals, liquids, different types of soils, meteors, and he also knows all the hairs on your head. We lose 100 to 125 hairs a day (normal hair loss for a person), so God is constantly checking in on MY HAIR!
Mark 4:1-12
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Do I sometimes feel I see but don't get it? Do I hear it and not understand? YES. And so many times in the past I would simple just shake my head with a big fat Yes, I do understand or I do get it or I do agree, when in fact that I don't. I've changed that recently and it has helped me a GREAT deal. And the most amazing thing is that it hasn't caused the problems that I was so desperately afraid of getting into... which makes things so much easier to continue with saying I don't get it when I don't get it.
Acts 3:13-20
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”
"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”
"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”
Christ knows pain. He knows abandonment. He understands the feeling of grief, loneliness, tiredness, weakness, and having to do things you simply don't want to do, but have to do. Is Christ unrelatable? No.
The Roughed Up Christ
Actually, this picture was the hardest one to play with, simply due to the fact that I was "messing-up" Christ's look. But then as I thought about it, Christ spent a ton of time in the sun, probably had moles, not sure about the teeth, but a lost tooth isn't impossible... I messed up his hair and beard a little and darkened the areas under his eyes (the guy got up before the sun rose to pray...). It really is impossible to say that Christ looked like this or that, but my favorite picture is always the laughing Jesus, thus I used that for this QT (which has now gone over a week - but I've had others during this, so this one hasn't been straight through).
Jesus came to serve. He fed 5,000 men plus their families. And then he fed another 4,000 men and their families. He healed the sick, the bleeding woman, raised a couple of people from the dead, healed someone without even seeing the person, wept with a woman before raising her dead son, spit on dirt and gave someone their vision back, healed a lame guy by a pool so he could walk again, spit out demons from a guy into some pigs... and that's just off the top of my head.
People like being served. Over the last several weeks I have picked up two people and given them rides to places and neither one told me they were ungrateful, but quite the opposite, they were very thankful. All it did was take a little of my time to do it. Christ spent ALL his time serving. Even on the cross, he served his mother and he served one of the other dudes on the cross. Not bad for a guy bleeding to death in insurmountable pain. How do I know that Christ was serving at every opportunity he had?
Philippians 2:1-11
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Maybe the problem in trying to be like Christ trying to be like God and not a servant. I guess I should serve more and more and more and not look for opportunities to be served to... Christ didn't look for opportunities to show how equal he was to God, but looked for opportunities to serve. That's what I should be doing. YATZEE!!!
I wonder if there was a picture, a paint by numbers picture, of Jesus, without any directions on how to paint him, how would he turn out? Would he look anything like those up above or would he be any different? The scary fact of the matter is that somewhere along the lines, my garbage is going to skew the image of what Christ really looks like. But one thing I did check out is this: The word paint (including painted) is used three times, all OT. And all are in reference to a woman putting on makeup. The first usage was when Jezebel was killed (2 Kings 9:30), the second time was used in Jeremiah 4, and here's the third usage:Ezekiel 23:36-41, 46-49
The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.”
"They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes and put on your jewelry. You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and oil that belonged to me.”
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.”
“So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”
The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.”
"They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes and put on your jewelry. You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and oil that belonged to me.”
“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.”
“So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”
Of course, what is abortion? It is sacrificing a child for a better lifestyle. "I can't afford a child right now," is generally what is said or the excuse... and thus it is a sacrifice to the "Money God." That's just what I see there. I can paint myself wrong and pay the consequence. I can paint Christ wrong and pay the consequence. But the only way that this thing can be painted correctly is the right tools. But that's a separate QT all together. Johnny Out.
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