Looking at the recent art work of a landscape I am doing for sure you would say there are over fifty shades of green.
Creating the shades with just three green shades and adding other colors is really making me think of God and His creation.
The world is God's canvas and all of nature is His masterpiece. The detail is amazing, right? You are probably like, dah, nothing you are telling me is new! Right? You are laughing at me now.
FOCUS.
The title of this piece should be FOCUS!
Fifty shades of green is catchy.
Beloved friend, as Paul would say, listen, look be conscious of Jesus presence.
I totally, 100% percent believe we can't proceed in this world right now without Christ.
May Christ be the center.
As Paul went into Corinth to set up church. He then left and heard that his beloved were quarreling about who should they follow Apollos, Cephas? They were quarreling on doctrine. Hmmm? Sounds like today, with celebrity Pastors all around us. People trying to rewrite the bible to fit their choices.
At the core of all of this is:
unbelief
lack of understanding who Jesus was, is
the lack of understanding of the promise of a Messiah is fulfilled.
the bible and it's relevancy for today
Jesus promise to return.
purpose (why we exist, the mission of Christ)
FOCUS!
Lack of FOCUS=confusion
Jesus came! His word upon dying and resurrecting from the dead...
PEACE BE WITH YOU.
Peace is knowing Him.
Lack of peace is not knowing Him...which is confusion.
Peace is not a guarantee of perfect life...meaning all the material possessions...great health etc.
It is walking, talking with Jesus...filled with hope for His return.
As I read about Paul and what he was saying to the Corinthians I am convinced that he was loving on them not by giving in and letting them be and possess anything they want, but he was telling the truth about the real meaning to Jesus and life. Pastors that are telling you what you want to hear are Pastors who want to fill their pews and be popular. This day and age Christianity is not popular. It goes against the counter culture, therefore we are being sensored and silenced.
Paul is sending out a message about his desire to be a servant, steward and Father to the people.
With our fast paced world we see more self-serving attitudes rather than servanthood, stewardship and Fatherhood. Role models who are living the life that the disciples were trained by Jesus to live.
It is hard being humbled. You do something and the Holy Spirit convicts you that wasn't really part of God's plan for you. It's humbling but not condemning. There is a difference because when you listen and go back to repair a relationship. apologize, accept an apology, take back material things you shouldn't be buying right now, turning off the news, turning off the tv series, putting down the drugs and alcohol...you feel better, your letting God work and that feeds our souls not vice versa.
People are searching...they may not even realize it, but they are. We pray and wait. The waiting is hard.
But let God fill you mind in the waiting.
Lately my head is playing a worship playlist. Even songs from my childhood are playing. It has been fun listening, tuning into what God is doing. He is trying to help. Trying to take the load of over thinking.
Let's take a quiz.
Answer good or bad to...
One variant of Covid after another will this be our life for eternity...continue with that impulsive thought, how will that look...what will the medical world be like...how can I afford that...how can this continue because it causes so much division...not everyone is on the same page...
STOP IT
From there if you don't stop and seek the Lord you will spiral down. That is what is going on in our mental health world.
The spiraling of impulsive, imagination, false narratives (not varifiable imformation) of thoughts. Depending on the government or person to make things right in this country. If you are saying to yourself, "I'll wait for the covid to away and then everything will be okay." You walk around and take that a step further counting on it getting better and then you will do such and such or go here and there. You are setting yourself up for a sink hole. A place where you won't be able to get out. Your inner joy is depending on the fixing of problems and then you will get better. Rather than just getting up, following the leading of the Holy Spirit and living for Christ.
Paul was trying to tell all of the churches, "You are off, you are not living for the right reason, the right goals."
Your time management is skewed.
You are barely just making it through all of life struggles, yet you are miserable, but you made it through the fire.
The fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
1 Corinthians 3:15 If it what he has built up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
The message for today is to put aside your agenda...read the bible and it's future warning (because much of it is playing out today) realize that there is more to life that meets the eyes.
2 Corinthians 4:18 "There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever."
It takes a whole lot of FOCUS TO be able to live in the realm of Jesus calling.
It is counter cultural.
Paul wanted to visit the Corinthians again, in his letter he asked, "What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
Better asked, "You want me to come hit you over the head? or come with love and gentleness and we could look at this together with meaning and truth?
We can't hit people over the head to help them find truth.
It is word and deed, not mere talk but in deed and in truth.
