What Will We Do?

I often like to sit and watch my children, to listen to the way they interact and talk with one another and the way they interact and talk with their friends. For the most part, when I watch and listen to them, they are laughing, playing, or learning together. However, there are certain times when I like to watch and listen to them in the midst of conflict and disagreements. It is in these moments that I observe the way they react and behave when things are not going their way and when they are facing opposition.

This morning I was reading in Psalm 139 -  a familiar passage that brought a new thought to my mind. Psalm 139 begins;

O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.

This reminded me that God enjoys watching His children - that He enjoys watching me. Not only is God watching me in moments of joy, triumph, and success. He is also watching me in moments of sorrow, heartache, and temptation. Not only that, He is watching to see the way I will react when things are not going my way and when I am facing opposition.

My children will often look for their mom or I - or they will call out for help - when they are not sure what to do and when conditions are beyond their control. Sometimes, knowing that the situation is getting away from them, I will sit and wait for their call for help. I believe that God also waits for us to call out to Him. Will we recognize that we are unable to handle life alone? Will we recognize that their is a God that created us, loves us, and wants the best for us that is waiting to come to our rescue?

Psalm 139 concludes;

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Painting Jesus

I shared this illustration to close the service yesterday morning:

An artist once painted a picture of The Last Supper. He took it to the writer Tolstoy for his opinion. Carefully the Russian master of words studied the canvas. Then, pointing to the central Figure, he declared; “You do not love Him.” “Why that is the Lord, Jesus Christ,” exclaimed the artist. “I know,” insisted Tolstoy, “but you do not love Him. If you loved Him more, you would paint Him better.”

How much do you love Jesus?

How are you painting Him - through your love, your words, your actions - in the world around you?