Imagination and Creativity – In His Image – Purity 697
Purity 697 04/05/2022 Purity 697 Podcast
Good morning,
Today’s original piece of art featuring what I think of as a “pink
bonsai” tree on a cliff of similar hues overlooking clouds and either a blue
sky or ocean or lake below, comes to us from our friend in the UK, Philip
Hand. Dendrophiles and arborists will
have to forgive my classification of Philip’s creation if it isn’t technically correct
but that is one of the things that is great about art: it allows us to utilize
our imaginations and to have our own interpretation of what we see.
Phillip utilizes his creative talents to recreate sights he has
seen or to create original pieces to simultaneously bring delight to others, provide
himself with a sense of peace, and also gives God glory by pointing to the Lord’s
magnificent creation out in the world and inside of Philip!
When we look at a magnificent piece of art and admire the person
who created it, we should also take one step further and recognize that the
artist, his work, and the entire context of their creation was all put in place
by God in the earth and that all the galleries and all the museums in the world
contain wonderful creations from men who were all given life by the Grand
Artist that spoke the world into creation.
Whether the painter, sculptor, architect, or craftsman
recognizes that fact that the part of their artistic talents that “just came
naturally” to them were given to them by God or not, God rightfully should be recognized as “an
inspiration” for every creative work of man because He not only provided the
raw materials and the setting for the work by creating the universe, He also shaped
the course of history to create the environment in which the artist was given
life and felt moved to work their craft.
Our ability to appreciate art, to imagine and think about abstract
concepts, to “create” the things we imagine, to recognize that truth of a
Creator above us, and to begin the search to know the ultimate meaning of life that can lead us
to know the Lord is the evidence that we are different from the rest of the
living creatures on this planet.
Although man can be wickedly savage and depraved, our capacity
for creativity and to love show us that the Bible is telling the truth when it
reveals that mankind was made in God’s image.
But unfortunately, our creativity and imagination can be short
sighted and be used for our own selfish means and we can willfully deny that
there is a God that provided us with all that we have.
That’s why the Lord sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth.
God sent Jesus to teach us that there is a God who loves us and who calls us to
use our talents for good and who wants us to be reconciled with Him.
Christ revealed Himself as God in the flesh through His creative
works. Christ’s miracles of healing disease, multiplying limited resources to
provide a meal for thousands with the loaves and the fishes, making water into
wine, walking on water, casting out demons, and raising the dead to life were
done so we could recognize that this Son of Man was God the Son. And what was this “creative genius”, this artist,
this miracle worker trying to tell us?
What was His message? Jesus said
in:
John 6:38-40 (NKJV)
38 For
I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who
sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has
given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40 And
this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and
believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last
day."
God created the universe and made
mankind to have dominion over it. God wanted us to freely live and create a life for ourselves
with the gifts that He gave us to give Him glory. But Adam, although admittedly
tempted and deceived, imagined a life independent of God and His good counsel
leading to the fall of man and the broken world of sin that we live in
now.
But The Lord imagined a way to bring
sinful mankind back to Him. He sent Jesus Christ to create a way where we could
be forgiven of our sins, have peace with Him, and live with Him eternally. Through faith in Christ we can be set free
from the guilt of our sin and experience a new and eternal life with which we
can contribute to the creative works of God’s kingdom.
Through living according to God’s ways,
our transformed lives can be a thing of beauty in and of themselves but they
can also inspire others to come to Jesus and to become a part of God’s magnificent
tapestry of love.
So keep walking and talking with God. Everyday is another opportunity to create another “good work” that will give God glory. Through loving our neighbors as ourselves and by conforming ourselves to the image of Christ, we contribute to the masterpiece of God’s kingdom. We may not have skill with paints or the other implements from the world of art, but our very lives can be the form of expression we can use to bring joy and peace to other people’s lives and that will reflect the love that the Original Artist has for His creation.
______________________________________________________________
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book
for Men”.
This
morning’s meditation verse is :
Romans 3:24 (NLT2)
24 Yet God, with undeserved
kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when
he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Today’s Bible verse reminds us that God declares us righteous through Jesus
Christ and that it is through His kindness that we are forgiven and freed from
the penalty of our sins.
Okay, if you’ve got a déjà vu feeling, you are not the only one . Rather recently the Bible Promise book from
men shared Romans 3:22 & 23 and I
gave a commentary that included the context and the content of today’s verse.
Honestly, when I came across today’s verse I thought I may have lost my
spot in the book and was going over old ground causing me to have a small
moment of panic. I was momentarily worried that I was going to be redundant and
it may annoy someone.
But you know what?
I think that the truth of what today’s verse is sharing is something
that we can benefit being reminded of.
The fundamental doctrine of grace is counterintuitive to everything the
world teaches us about being self sufficient and earning our own way through
life.
So it is good to be humbled by the fact that it is God who declares us
righteous. We don’t earn it. Christ paid
the cost and it is only through our simple faith in Him that we avoid the penalty
of our sins and are set free.
Unfortunately this is something that we can take for granted. “Yeah I
know, Jesus paid for my sins. I’m forgiven. Can I go now, I got work to do.”
Simple phases like that reveal that we have let the world steal our
joy. The fact that we are forgiven
should be a great relief and be used as a continual source of peace.
Because it is based on what Christ did, we can’t screw it up! That’s
good news! Because man, I screw up things all the time! To minor errors to colossal
blunders, I have the potential to really make mistakes and could condemn
myself.
But I’m forgiven. I can try to
fix the mistakes I make in life and may or may not succeed in those efforts. My
mistakes can result in the loss of finances, relationships, and the good
opinion of others but whether or not I can fix my mistakes, be reconciled to others,
or regain a good reputation in this world ultimately it doesn’t matter! Because at the end of the day and at the end
of my life here on earth, I am forgiven and am declared righteous by God.
If nobody loves me because of the messes I make or the silly things I
can say at times, God still loves me and He will never leave me or forsake me.
He forgives me and declares me righteous because of His undeserved kindness.
When they tell you to put on the whole armor of God, remember that all
of those metaphorical pieces of armor merely point out that you are in Christ and
you are forgiven and made righteous.
With these assurances from God, nothing can “touch us”. Nothing and no one can separate us from His
love or prevent us to from being the people that He created us to be. Thank you God, Thank you Jesus, Thank You Holy
Spirit!
As always, I
invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent
Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in
Christ with their walk.
Today we
continue sharing from June Hunt’s Overeating: Freedom from Food
Fixation.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private
study and to support his work. This resource is available on many
websites for less than $5.00.
G. How to Grab Good Food “On the Go”
We’re
all tempted … and too often we succumb.
We’re standing in the checkout line at
the grocery store, surrounded by racks of candy bars, chips, and all other
kinds of products dripping in saturated fats and sugar. As the cashier totals
up the cost of our asparagus, bananas, and ever so lean chicken … plop … a big, fattening candy bar winds
up in the mix. How did I let that happen?…
we later lament.
Besides planning ahead and
predetermining not to “give in” to unhealthy foods, the following tips can help
when those cravings crash upon us outside the home. And by committing our
desires and goals to the Lord, Scripture tells us we will find success.…
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will
establish your plans.”
(Proverbs 16:3)
Plans
for the Road
• Avoid
ordering “junk food,” which is high in fat and low in nutrition.
• Don’t
eat at restaurants without planning ahead.
• Eat
at restaurants that offer a variety of healthy foods.
• Keep
a small cooler in your car with healthy snacks.
• Predetermine
the best foods to order when eating out (fish, turkey, chicken, spinach,
broccoli, asparagus, etc.).
• Take
healthy foods with you when you are away from home (fruit, nuts, white cheese).
As
you consider your strategy for eating on the go, remember that both planning
and implementing are necessary for success. And remember that you are not alone
in making plans because the Lord Himself makes and carries out His plans.…
“ ‘I know the plans
I have for you,’ declares the Lord,
‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.’ ”
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Reducing
Body Fat
Question:
“Should I eat only once or twice a day in order to lose weight?”
Answer: No! You can optimize your body’s fat
burning ability by eating five times each day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch,
afternoon snack, and dinner. Keep portion sizes no larger than your fist.
Remember, caloric intake for women will be slightly lower than for men because
women have a naturally slower metabolism.
The
priests serving God’s chosen people were to follow strict instructions
concerning the fat of offerings, as recorded in the Bible.…
“They shall remove all
the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the
priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make
atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.”
(Leviticus 4:31)[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
June Hunt, Biblical Counseling
Keys on Overeating: Freedom from Food Fixation (Dallas, TX: Hope
For The Heart, 2008), 35–36.
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