The Palette not the Painting?

While doing a study in Sunday school there was an excerpt talking about artists.
And how paintings or other works of art are beautiful but we don't know what goes into them.
Made me think....we never look at the painters palette and say..."oh my isn't that beautiful!" Or the huge piece of stone and say "what a glorious statue"
A painters palette...an artist's...For example...ewww!  What a mess.  Can you see a great work of art in that?  Can you see daVinci's Mona Lisa or any of Van Gogh's in that mess of color???

I personally am a fan of Norman Rockwell...not just because I enjoy his portrayal of people and their personalities, he also captured some of my relatives!  Namely my great great grandmother Amelia Harrington.  Now looking at his palette I would never have seen her likeness, but Mr.Rockwell, being the artist he is, took those colors and on canvas recreated my Amelia for all of history and time...or at least as long as art work survives.  I have reproductions and as long as I have them and display them...there she is!

Where am I going with this??  Not critiquing art!
We, our lives are that palette....can you relate?   Do you feel like you are a mess?  Your life is a mess?  Maybe you can see no rhyme or reason to what is happening. Or why you can't seem to "straighten yourself out".   Because WE are not the Master Artist!  We need to let God have the palette ...let Him be in control and trust that the final product will be EXACTLY what He intended.  What looks like just a mess of "colors",  a confused pile of what seems to be yuck  He knows what to do with each of part of it...when and how to use it....apply it to the canvas that is your life.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10 (NKJ)
or the New Living Translation
 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

He sees the full, completed painting.....He knows how it is going to turn out!
For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes[b] and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.
Even if we feel we are a mess, beyond repair, beyond hope....HE can restore us!
In Him we are a new creation....a new masterpiece.
 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSV)

His Masterpiece ...YOU....are created for His glory! We don't have to be the artist....we just have display His work!  We have to display Christ in us...His love, mercy, compassion.  

Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:7

My prayer for you today is that you allow God to create His greatest Masterpiece....YOU....
And all He creates is beautiful and that means YOU!  Let His love be displayed through you today!

and just a reminder....all great works of art take TIME!  So do not be discouraged if you don't feel like a Masterpiece today...through the love and blood of Jesus Christ...God sees His work completed!
I pray you take heart in that!

Your Own Moses Basket

I was watching Prince of Egypt...DreamWorks animated story from the book of Exodus. It follows the life of Moses and the mass exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and slavery under Pharaoh
*as a side note:  A very good movie, and as they explain at the very beginning, some artistic license has been taken, filling in gaps.  BUT it is fairly true to the scriptural account. I would encourage you to read all about Moses (Exodus 2 - Deuteronomy 34) before or after you watch and decide for yourself.

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” Exodus 1:22

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.  His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Exodus 2:1-4

As I watched the scene where Moses's mother places him in the basket  and then into the Nile river, with all of it's dangers, my mind began to work!  (stay with me here!)

I thought "isn't that like God...and what He has done for us?"  He has provided a way for us....salvation from death, from eternal separation from Him!

Just as his mother lovingly made the basket....and made it as safe as possible.  She placed him in the river not knowing what his fate may be but, I believe, trusting God.

God created us, loves us, but sin came into the world, evil, death.  So God provided a way for salvation, our "Moses basket", so to speak, to carry us to safety.

Moses's mother didn't know what Moses's fate might be when she laid him in his basket.  God ultimately does know ours....but He allows us the freedom to choose.  Unlike baby Moses we have the choice to get into our "basket" or not.  

The route the basket takes was not necessarily easy or the water calm.  There were dangers all around....as is with us!  There is sin which can tempt, our emotions and our actions.  BUT safe in our "basket", safe in our Saviors love, we can navigate and survive the waters.

If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

John 15:5

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." John 15:9

IF we remain in Christ, in our Moses basket, we will be able to navigate through the rough waters of life and safely arrive where God intends for us....our heavenly home!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Just as God had a plan for Moses once his basket was found....and Moses grew up in Pharaoh's house, he was the one God intended to take the captive Israelites to freedom, God has a plan for our lives too!  We just need to trust and know that God is guiding, steering  our basket!

For 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

I am not sure if this was too much of a stretch for you....but my prayer for you is that you have jumped into your Moses basket and enjoy the ride of (for) your life!

Harvest of Blessings

When looking with  Biblegateway Blessed  is found 217 times

            Blessings 27  in the New International Version

Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Isn’t that what we all wish….to be called blessed, to be considered blessed?

But the praise…the blessing comes from where?  a "fear" or reverence for the Lord.

I like to read Psalm 23 with fall in mind....the peaceful still waters....with the fall leaves gently falling to the ground.  The green pastures surrounded by trees bright and beautiful with color.

Psalm of David

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
  He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
   he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

We all want our cup to overflow….to be blessed in abundance.  But how do we do that…..is there something we CAN do about that?

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6

Our actions and our choices, the attitudes of our hearts are directly related to what we “harvest”. It seems that a harvest of righteousness is what is important.  

¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³ “Make level paths for your feet,”^[so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Hebrews 12

To sow right living will reap a harvest of righteousness.

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6

We must strive to give in abundance those things which are mentioned in letters in 1Peter, 2 Peter and in Jude

Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 

  Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

 We should desire to spread these things  to our sisters in Christ, our families, fellow Christians, to everyone! We can if we make sure that the attitude of our hearts starts with a reverence and love for our God and Savior.  And we allow the knowledge of God's love for us and that He has all things in His control, if we rest in that it will bring us a peace, and inner joy.  Let that overflow so that we can BE the harvest of blessings poured out on others!  and in return " A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap"

AMEN!

                                                                       

Uncertain..Half Full or Half Empty

Not sure what to blog today.... I had something come to mind several days ago....Half Full/ Half Empty...
BUT I was just sitting staring at the screen at yet another tragedy....another scene of carnage.  This one not by the storms of nature, but by an individual.  A person I do not know....and I dare say no one reading this knew him.
And I wondered if maybe I should save that for another time.
It was to talk about our perspective on things...on life.  On how we look at situations....any really, as we travel through this life.
Do we see the good, the God,  in all the things around us?
So maybe it is a good one for today, because with all the tragedies that have been happening not just in our country but in other parts of the world that have been devastated by the natural disasters lately...  we might have a tendency to say....I don't see God....He has abandon us.

The Lord said to Joshua after Moses had died and Joshua was going to be the one to lead the Israelites.
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

Did all tragedy and hardship cease for Joshua or the Israelites with this statement  ...no of course not, BUT God was always going to be there for Joshua and the Israelite's  with guidance, wisdom and strength
As He is with us.
Sin is in this world....has been since almost the very beginning.
 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. Genesis 3:23

And the horrors of sin have continued to fester, and grow like a canker through out all of time....so there is no hope?....that would be a Half Full view.

BUT that isn't how we should look at it.  TRUTH says that God is with us and working even in all the tragedies, even if we don't see Him....He is still there, working, loving.  A HALF FULL view.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus LAST words while on the earth, to His closest friends.....and ultimately to us who believe and follow....And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   

SO  in all that is happening around us....PRAY, knowing that God hears our prayers. DO whatever it is we are privileged to be able to do to help serve God's people, LOOK for HALF FULL....look for God in the tragedies; kindness of others, safety and protection for individuals.  Strength and courage being demonstrated. Faith carrying people through.

 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 2 Corinthians 8:2

AND  on the other side of that Half Full/Half Empty ...how can God see you?!  are you HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY.

because we are just a portion.....and until we accept Christ as our personal Savior we will never be full.  He takes what we have....no matter how empty that may seem and HE makes it full!  TO THE TOP and OVER FLOWING!

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Filling ourselves with Christ means there is no room for other things to try to take up the empty spaces.  Bitterness, hatred, greed, lust, anger, derision, divisiveness, apathy, self centeredness, mistrust, doubt etc.

Even though we have nothing to bring Christ fills us and God sees us as FULL....not even Half Full.  He sees Christ when He looks at us!  How cool is that! 

So in light of, not just today's horrible tragedy, but all those that have been happening....do not lose heart or hope....do not look at the "glass as half empty"

Trust that God is in, around and through it all.  That for those of us who believe the "glass is not only half full....but full to overflowing!"

So do not fear, for I am with you;

    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

AMEN!!!!

S.Y.A.T.P. 2017. Fix Your Eyes

Some of you may not known what SYATP stands for....See You At the Pole is an international student driven movement, which takes place the 4th Wednesday in September.  Students gather around their school flag pole to pray.  When my children were in school they were sometimes the student to initiate it.  Last year we attended in support of those students doing it.
So I wanted to share a few thoughts as I looked at the theme verse for this years SYATP event...which is Hebrews 12:2.
I am going to look at the verse before and the verse after as well.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneerand perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

The theme video talks about how so connected we are today...when many are so very isolated at the same time. We have the world at our finger tips, but some many are lost.  That a war rages for our attention!
Isn't that so very true!  We have cell phones, and satellite phones (when we want service no matter where we are).  We have computers and tablets and smart TVs.  We can buy and sell to any one anywhere in the world and even see them when we talk to them!  We can have news (or what passes for news) 24/7.

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. 

We need to be sure we are not wrapped up in or totally trapped by all the things of this world, the things that can distract us from what is truly important. And not just distract, but draw us into sin.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
We MUST make sure our focus is on Jesus, so that we can stay focused and move forward on the path Christ has for us, because we know what HE has for us is perfect!

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Christ suffered what He did for US...for the joy that not only He would receive, but that we who believe will receive as well.  We are to remember what Christ endured on our behalf so that when things get tough, and they will, we won't get discouraged!

SO today, remove all distractions at some point and focus on Christ, the One who endured the shame, the pain, the cross....for YOU!  GIVE Him your undivided attention sometime today!
And then go run the race!! 

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

I was at a beautiful park for a lovely wedding this past weekend.  While waiting for the wedding to start I noticed a rowing team practicing on Onondaga Lake.  I enjoy watching rowing teams....I am in awe of the precision, the moving in unison.  And it brought to mind something that I wrote, what I thought was a few years ago.  I searched my computer (thank the Lord for digital libraries!) and it was more than a few years ago....almost exactly 22 years ago!       

           One Boat's Crew

              By Tracey Thompson

                             Nov.  1995

There once was a boat.  Not very large, but it wasn't any dinghy either.  This boat had a crew, they knew the destination they were

headed.  On that they all agreed. They also agreed on who their Captain was.  He couldn't be with them in body, but he was in spirit so to speak.  He had left them with a log book of past voyages and all his rules and regulations. The crew also had an old radio, but you had to listen very quietly to hear anything.  Sometimes there happened to be a little more static than other times.  I'm not sure if anyone ever noticed, but the static always coincided with someone standing in the wrong place.  Depending on where crew members were standing the static would be more or less. Sometimes when the static bothered and they couldn't hear  Captain on the radio, some crew members had to move.  Not always to a totally new spot, but just a little one way or the other and it was easier to hear.  Usually crew members would volunteer other to do the moving.  There was sometimes a problem with the rowing:  They might argue as to who would get what oar, some would row, some wouldn't row without others and some didn't care to row at all. The biggest problem was the direction to row this boat. Remember I had said that they all agreed on their destination, but getting there caused some difficulty. Sometimes discussions would get heated and the boat would rock.  They would hang onto the boat (it was solid and firm), making sure they didn't lose their log book and radio. Now, discussing things, even rocking the boat some, isn't always bad.  Things get figured out that way.  But if they rowed ten feet and rocked for ten days, they weren't going to get very far.  They had to figure out which way would be best for the crew. The crew spent months, years out on the water, rowing a little, rocking a lot; row; rock; row; rock.  They all agreed they wanted more rowing, but couldn't seem to get that accomplished. They were also busy with other duties on the boat.  The crew had to figure out what the Captain would do.  They were a loyal lot and they wanted to make him proud.  They had to listen to the radio, but it was older and didn't seem to be working well.  They studied the log books and realized that all their directions were going to the same place.  Getting to that destination and following Captain's rules was what was most important. Some crew members had to give up going the old, always traveled route and try the new.  Sometimes the crew with the new paths had to concede some old routes were best.  They had to look at it from the Captain's eyes whether or not the route traveled was good for the crew and would be what pleased the Captain best. Sometimes two routes would serve the exact same purpose but be very different.  This is where the crew members had to shine.  For the good of the crew, the boat and the destination, they would have to say "let's try your route".  I always figured in the back of their mind they would be thinking "and if that doesn't work there is always my way".  But regardless, they conceded, with no malice or feelings of being trod upon. They became supportive of one another.  Funny thing about this crew, though some would have liked it different, no two rowed the same.  Every style you could imagine on that boat.  Rather than insisting that all row uniformly, which in the past had caused much boat rocking because some were struggling to do what didn't come naturally for them, they gained an appreciation for each unique  

style of rowing. With each rowing in his own way, but all in the  same direction it made for an interesting boat that left a very diversified and distinct wake. It also gave the crew lots to visit

about while they rowed. The crew realized that going a route that other crew members chose wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't giving in or giving up anything.  It was working together, cooperating with one another to get to the destination that was so important to all of them.  They had to be willing to make it work, whether or not it was the same route they would have personally chosen.  They began to discuss different routes in a way that would make the Captain proud.  The radio was easier to hear. If the static got to be too much there were many volunteers to move themselves not someone else.

Though many routes were tried; old retraveled, new charted, even old and new merged together (a tricky one) the boat rowed along. Loosing crew members and gaining new crew members, but knowing they were going to reach their destination and that their Captain would be pleased with them.  Pleased with the love and compassion each crew member had for each other (there is something to love and admire about everyone), that each member had learned to be more flexible (to help eliminate static), malice had no place on this boat, and their wake would leave a definite and joyful mark for other ships and boats to see.

This originally may have been written with a church body in mind, but as I sat at the wedding I thought maybe it can apply to marriages, families, and groups that you spend much time with....small groups, ladies studies, mens' studies etc. We are to function together, all parts are important, and we have to do our part.  BUT our purpose should be the same....live for, serve and worship the Lord.

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. ⁴ Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, ⁵ in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. Romans 12:3-5

Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Romans 12:11

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:

Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.”   Matthew 4:10

So, spend time with and listen to Your Captain....read His Log Book daily.  AND row to the best of your ability and with all you've got!!

Wet Noodle

I think this will be my biggest stretch in analogies yet ....but again....my brain works in mysterious ways!

I was boiling pasta the other day....got distracted and the result was not a very good one.
and it got me thinking ..isn't that like sin?

We have rules/directions when we cook.  It is the same in our Christian life, but our directions are found in the bible.  The bible gives us what we need to know about sin.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:7-8

 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18

Sin can seem okay...."I got this"..."It is only a little" "a short time"  "just once" etc etc....but then we can get distracted while in the middle of the sin.
The longer we remain in sin...the less effective we will be.  We won't be serving the purpose we were designed for!
The pasta didn't even look the shape it was supposed to be when I put it in, it began to fall apart, it was unable to hold it's integrity.
The longer we remain in sin...thinking it isn't doing any damage....the more it causes changes, in how we look or act to those around us.  We lose our effectiveness, our ability to serve others.

 I can strain and run cold water over the limp noodles  and they will suffice, but they definitely would have  much better if  I had paid closer attention to the directions and not gotten distracted in the first place.

But unlike the pasta we have redemption!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
1 Corinthians 5:17

We can be made new and whole.  Ready to serve our purpose!

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
 as far as the east is from the west,    so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12

 But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.   1 John 1:7

So if you feel "boiled" beyond usefulness, beyond redemption, take heart! There is hope!

No matter how long we have been "stuck in the boiling water", stuck in our sin...we just need to call out to Him, the One who can save us, forgive us, redeem us and restore us!

Praise the Lord, my soul;

    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
 who satisfies your desires with good things    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.    Psalm 103:1-5

AMEN!