The Work of an Artist

…there is strength where there was no strength before…

Meditation Thought: “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)

“I – perfect love, perfect power – am with you – broken vessel – always.” What happens when a skilled artist takes a broken vessel to repair? He restores its beauty, he restores its use and so blesses those who use it, when it had been unable to be of use before.

God created the perfect vessel – which was broken by sin. But God sent his repairman-artist to mend and renew. There is strength to be used – there is strength where there was no strength before. And there will be no weakening as long as the vessel is kept safely in the care of the Artist, where He can keep it in good repair, using His strength to keep it strong and useful.

 

 

The Beauty of Grace

…they will be attracted to an unusual beauty, a sweetness of spirit, someone who is effective and willing in helping them.

Meditation Thought: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“I put on you the mantle of my grace for all to see. The beauty of my grace is to shine immediately to all those who look at you. My power is beneath that grace, working through you – but if you are not cloaked in my mantle of grace, and appear powerful in your own right, people see your human power, which will blind them to my power working through you.

The mantle of my grace protects you. If your own pride and thirst for power and recognition grow to the point that they burst open the fasteners of the mantle and it falls away, then what is visible is only your arrogance. If you stay meek under your mantle, keeping yourself healthy and fit and the proper size by feeding on My Word and My Guidance, and not indulging in the food of the world – false pride, selfishness, greed – so that you get too fat for my mantle of grace which I have thrown over you, the ones to whom I would have you witness of Me will not see a common, gross, unattractive creature, unappealing to them; they will be attracted to an unusual beauty, a sweetness of spirit, someone who is effective and willing in helping them.

In the first attraction they may not perceive that your power to help them, and their attraction to you, is not of your own doing, but is due to your dependence on Me. In deeper communication with you they will understand that your effectiveness is based on My power released in you: This is the purpose of each of my believers – to bring my beloved children to recognize Me as their Father and to delight in Me as their Guide and Protector, and the One who created them in love.”

Over. Come.

The evil says “come”  the Lord says “come”. We must decide where to go.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Overcome: Over. Come: “over” implies a movement upward – we move “up” to God’s higher methods, more effective methods, when we consult Him. “Come” – implies the invitation to movement. The evil says “come”  the Lord says “come”. We must decide where to go.

We have our “manual” – all we need to do is to consult it, to determine which destination we must choose. Good is always concerned with love, with peace, with joy, with giving – evil is always concerned with malice, with conflict, with envy, with taking.

 

What was Impossible Becomes Possible

You must see yourself as part of a great Body, able to accomplish miracles which would not happen if you think of yourself as an isolated cell.

A sense of response to meditation on several verses and a devotional:

“My strength shall pour into your limbs, into your heart, as a transfusion. What was difficult before shall become easy, what was impossible shall become possible. The ‘greater works’ shall be done through you and through the other members of my Body as my strength surges through that Body.

You must see yourself as part of a great Body, able to accomplish miracles which would not happen if you think of yourself as an isolated cell. Seek that interconnection with the other parts of the Body and coordinate with the rest to cause the whole to function as it was created to function. The Head wants the Body to function, it does not want it paralyzed! Respond to the impulses from the Head so that the Body will be active – not only active, but vibrantly active.”

Choose the harvest by choosing the Seed

Once we know the Truth – our relationship with our Creator, our dependency on Him, and the glories of being totally His child, then we know what seed to sow to reap the best of harvests: peace, joy, love and communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

As the parables are the echoes of the principles, so are the material laws echoes of the spiritual laws. The elements of everyday living are really a school we are attending – once we recognize that we are attending a school in which to learn, we change our actions accordingly. We have purpose, we seek knowledge, we become alive and aware in a new way.

As our Teacher inspires us as we learn in one area, we begin to see an interrelation of which we were ignorant, we find knowledge of fields which were completely unknown to us before. But every field has one thing in common: the results are based on the action, or in other words, the harvest depends upon the seed sown. Once we know the Truth – our relationship with our Creator, our dependency on Him, and the glories of being totally His child, then we know what seed to sow to reap the best of harvests: peace, joy, love and communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

Imitating Jesus

As we exercise our spiritual capabilities, they expand.

Meditation Thought: “He who believes in me will also do the works that I do.” (John 14:12)

Jesus came to teach us the way, not just preach about the way. He is our example; therefore we can learn to imitate Him – but in order to imitate his results, we must imitate his works. That includes the attitude (willing, self-sacrificing, compassionate), the spirit (listening to the Father and obeying Him), and the action (travelling where the need is, doing whatever is needed to bring comfort and healing).

As we exercise our spiritual capabilities, they expand – just as exercising our lungs expands our capacity, or exercising our muscles makes them grow. We must keep using our capabilities, or they will atrophy. Therefore, we must stay in prayer, practice diligently what we learn of God, seeking constantly for new enlightenment. As we have results, we will be encouraged, and try even harder – and the deeper the channel we dig for God’s love and power to flow through the more “works” will be accomplished through that channel.

Perfect Method

Help me to be alert so that I can be an apt pupil.

Meditation Thought: “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 GNT)

“works for good” – the good is not limited to those who love God, it extends to others too – often resulting in adding children to God’s Kingdom.

“with those” – “those” are needed to be used by God, and in order to be used, they must be aware of God’s call, to heed that call and act on it, and to trust God with the results, not judging the immediate results, but knowing that the ultimate results will be good for everyone and for God. The trusting is as important as the initial response, for the trusting is the acting on the faith – the believing that keeps the energy moving toward the completion of the purpose of God – whether that purpose was initiated by a call from God, or as by His response to a call to Him in prayer.

“everything” – Life is made up of a series of “things” – things involving seconds, things involving years – things that are crucial, things that are irrelevant, things that change the course of history, things that seem to not matter at all – but every one of these “things” is important enough for God to express His care, and His interest. All of creation is His and He is vitally concerned with all of it – He does not judge, as we do, that some “things” are so unimportant as to be unworthy of His attention. We need to think more in line with God’s example, so that as we work in tandem with Him, we accomplish His purpose more quickly than if we seek to accomplish that purpose by devising our own methods being ignorant of His more perfect method.

Prayer: Dear Father, I ask You to work in me in such a way that I will be using Your methods of accomplishing the tasks You set before me. Help me to be alert so that I can be an apt pupil. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Listen More

Put your mind at rest now that you know how to proceed.

Meditation Thought: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) and “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

If I remain alert to His leading, and am obedient, He will have me be a doer, for I will recognize and acknowledge the true Giver, who is using the attributes which He gave me. I can be happy in what I am doing, but must remember that what I’m doing has no meaning aside from obedience to God, and I must constantly check to see that I am on the path where He wants me to be.

Perceived reply: “Oh, my child, relax – I did not give you qualities which I want to use to cause you distress and doubts. I gave them to you to further my kingdom, to the extent of your willingness to dedicate them to me.

Listen, listen more than you ‘do’; this assures our harmonious working together for a common goal, and should enable you to push aside doubts and fears, as you concentrate your energies with a devotion and dedication that shuts out evil forces. Do not try to proceed to the work without fully understanding the instructions, for that is where danger lies.

Put your mind at rest now that you know how to proceed. Spend adequate time in reading My Word, and communicating in prayer, in serving others as a privilege of serving Me, and be open to my instructions through all channels. This formula will not fail, for your energies will all be dedicated to Me, and not siphoned off in useless contemplation.”

The Whole or the Part

Would I have created you if I did not intend to enjoy you?

Meditation Thought: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

Prayer: Lord, I want to live as Your servant – a happy, contented, competent servant. I feel so downhearted… guide me!

Perceived Answer: “‘I AM’ with you. Trust this statement despite your downhearted mood this morning. Remember the times I have worked good for you out of your miseries. Many times you were annoyed with what took place in your life only to realize later that that which you perceived was bad was actually the situation from which I worked good for you. 

I see the whole; you see the part. You must trust Me as one who loves you – would I have created you if I did not intend to enjoy you?”

Run to Win

Run. Do not dawdle, be distracted or wander off the course.

Meditation Thought: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1)

“Run, run to the goal – to complete communion with Me – do not dawdle, be distracted, or wander off the course. Set in mind clearly that you are running to win – not in the sense of beating others, but in the sense of reaching your goal as quickly as you can. You know the ways of running faster: Time spent with Me; in My Word, in your mind searching for my plans for you and how to accomplish them in expressing my love to others by service to them.”