The Man in the Moon

Today, the prompt was "Man in the Moon". Now, I will confess I have never been able to see a man in the moon. I have tried and I have looked at photos where people have explained where the "face" is, but I can not see it. I am usually pretty good at finding hidden things in wood grain, marbling, clouds, and other things, I just don't see a man.

For this drawing I don't have verse about the moon or a man in the moon, there really aren't that many in the Bible. I do have a topic that will go with what the moon is and does.

In the beginning God... created the heavens and the earth. He divided the light from the darkness. Called the light day and the darkness night and set ruling lights in the heavens, the Sun and Moon...

As we know from science the Moon is a reflection of the light shining from the sun on the other side of the earth. It gives enough light to help guide but is not too bright to cause sleeplessness. The fact that it is a reflection is the part I want to focus on....

We are meant to be a reflection of the Son... our lives are to shine like the moon to guide others to the Son and not to cause others to stumble. There are many verses that show this truth.

"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 1 John 2:6

"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."       1 Peter 2:21-25

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5:1-2

" Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8 

There are more, I will leave a few for you to find. God expects us to love and live as Christ lived. No that doesn't mean we will have to give our lives for another, but we should live in a way that we would if that was what was needed. The point is the Love. When Jesus was on earth He reflected God's love for mankind and we should now reflect Christ's love so to draw all men to Him.

I don't always do a good job of being that reflection, yet I strive too. It is my prayer that the words I write and the drawings I draw reflect Christ and His love, not me. Thanks for reading. God Bless You!

 

Fountain of Youth

The prompt today was Fountain of Youth... I am sure we all wish there was one for real... but the image I saw or thought of first was a fountain with children playing and having fun....

If those of us who are older will think about it watching children play helps us feel young also. It allows us to experience our youth again, and if we are lucky enough to be able to move well and play too.... all the better!

Jesus loved children, he want to spend time with them even if the disciples thought it was a waste of time.

"Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”Luke 18:15-17

Jesus said to them let them come to me because they are an example to you. Unless you come to me as a child you will not be able to receive the kingdom of God. So what did that mean...

Children can believe almost anything. They believe Santa is a real person, They believe the boogie  man will get them, they trust that their parents will always be there for them, and I could go on. Is this believe, faith, or trust that they have bad. No not always, in some instances yes and we teach them the difference. Jesus wanted His followers to come with the belief, faith, and trust of children, understanding He was the only way, truth, and life, that through Him they can do all things He leads them to do.

The thing is we aren't to stay children. We are to grow and learn to desire the meat of the word and not just the milk. It is sad that many children stay children, when they could be so much more for Christ.

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:12-14

In Christ there is everlasting life... so a fountain of youth. If you haven't trusted Him as a child would just totally believing all He did is true and that He has given you eternal, everlasting life, you will not receive the kingdom of God. If you have done this I hope you are seeking the meat of the word and growing in His desire for your life. Thanks for reading. God bless you!

Light of the Lord

The prompt "Light Saber" there is not many ways to interpret this one is there. I have no other reference in this physical world except for Star Wars. But oh the possibilities in the spiritual world. Here is my (not very good) drawing today....

So let's beginning.... John 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Then further in the same chapter of John 1:4-5

 "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

Still further in John 8:12 ....

 “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

And if that wasn't enough Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path".

There are so many more references to the word and light, to Jesus being the Word and the light of the world. All I can say is this, God's Light Saber is Jesus, He shines the Word of Life to our dark hearts and makes us whole. If we follow the word we can have life and the darkness will not engulf us.  And if we have issues that need to be dealt with the word is like a two edged sword cutting to the marrow of our lives showing us the errors of our way.

The Word (Jesus) is just the personified Word (the Bible) both are a light to our troubled lives and can guide us to the path of light and liberty. I hope this makes sense, I know it seems a little far off the mark.... Thanks for reading. God bless you!

Two Heads

Today the drawing prompt was "something with two heads"  While things in nature can have two heads at times, and tools can have two heads I decided to draw a Ogre boss from a dungeon in the game "World of Warcraft". This boss has often made me laugh, because one of the heads seems to be superior and the other one rather simple, but I bet the simple one is the more intelligent of the two.

Now, we use the adage, "two heads are better than one" quite often, especially when we have a job to do and we need help completing it. I am not sure in respect to the character above that really matters, they will never win the battle.

The Bible says the same basic thing in many places, today the verses in Ecclesiastes are what come to mind.

"Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

 So what are the verses saying, they are quite literal, I think. You can go through life all alone, coming against things that you can make it through alone, why? God saw that Adam was alone and it was not good. He made the animals for him, but none were suitable for what he needed. So, God created Eve. Now, let me stop here and say I know God did this so that they could multiply, and yet he also did it because two are better than one.

God not only expected Adam and Eve to be husband and wife, but for all humankind to be friends and help each other. To pick each other up, to keep each other warm, to help each other fight, and to be a strong cord against whatever may need dealing with. So why do we turn our backs on those willing to help or those needing help. What causes us not to except that two heads are better than one and that a threefold cord is not easily broken? One word sums it up, PRIDE. I know that is why I don't let people help me, or why I don't see a need that I can help with... wait that would be I ignore a need I can help with because of my pride.

It is my prayer that I will start looking for help in the right places and always be willing to offer help when I can be a help.

Thanks for reading. God bless you!

Tree of Life

Today, the drawing prompt was Tree of Life... now many things ran through my head the first time I saw this prompt. I settled on one, because in all that I do and all that I am, it is the most appropriate for me, I think.

Okay, so some of you may be thinking, "how does a cross represent the tree of life?" And others of you will get it right away. Let me explain my thoughts.

The Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible is in the Garden of Eden, it was there along with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It probably was a normal looking tree, maybe a dogwood, maybe not.

"And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Genesis 2:9

There was only one tree God told Adam he could not eat from. That was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil....

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17

Eve was created after God gave this command to Adam and he told her. It doesn't say how he told her or when, but if he is anything like us today some of the "threat" or the "urgency" of the command must have been lost in the translation. Anyway, I am sure you know the rest of the story... The point is they could have eaten from any and all trees except the one they ate from... even the Tree of Life. 

So, because of Adam's sin (eating from the forbidden tree), God had to keep them from eating from the Tree of Life before the right time and His sovereign plan could unfold.... 

 "Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."   Genesis 3:22-24

Jump forward a thousand or so years (give or take some) Jesus, God's perfect Son enters the scene and becomes the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is reticulated, rejected, and hated, yet He loved us all enough to lay down His life on the cross, so that we who believe in Him can have everlasting life. Yes, the cross was a means of torture and death, it is also a symbol for Life... it is made from a tree... it is the Tree of Life for all who believe.

There are only ten words one must believe to put your faith in Jesus and become a child of God...

"Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead."

 If you believe that Jesus did what is stated above with all your heart, then you are a child of God. Believing that statement above is all it takes to go to heaven, you don't, you can't do anything but believe... Jesus did it all, he is the only one that could.

Some of you may think how can you believe that, it is a fairy tale, or truth but not exactly. There are a lot of people who believe Jesus lived and died, it is the rising part that stops them from believing it all. If that is you we can talk, I will share my thoughts, you can question me... I want everyone to come to know and love my Lord, but I won't be pushy, you have a right to believe what you do and I have the same right to believe what I do. I love all people, to the best of my ability which, let's face it isn't ever enough. I will in this blog write my opinions and thoughts, if you agree great if not okay...can we still be friends??? in my mind yes!!! Thanks for reading, God bless you all.

Seeing Clearly

Today's drawing was Looking through a keyhole. There were so many ways to interpret that but here is my take today, some other day it might be different....

In the Bible it speaks of the way God sees things and the way we see things being quite different.  Here are a few verses....

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. " 1 Corinthians 13:12

" For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. " James 1:23-24 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. " Isaiah 55:8-12

"But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor." Micah 4:12

God see everything all the time. He is omnipresent, omniscience, and omnipotent. In His sovereignty He allows us to make decisions based on the narrow views of the world we have. We make wrong turns and he mercifully guides us back to His plan for our lives. He see the big forest as well as each and every tree in the forest. He knows them all by name. We can't get further than the nose on our face most of the time and as James said as soon as we walk away from the mirror we forget what manner of person we are.

We can never see things just like God sees them, yet we should seek to. We should look at others with the love and mercy God has toward them. We should look at our actions and the things around us through the lens of God's word seeking to know and do the things that God longs for us to know and do.

I pray that I can start to see things more clearly in this life, to see others the way God sees them, and see myself change into what He wants me to be. Thanks for reading, God bless you!

 

 

Lovely Flowers

The drawing today was of a lotus... They are very pretty flowers. Yet, their beauty fades and they die away just like everything on earth, except for one thing....

“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

God's word will stand forever! He spoke the earth into existence, which began time as we know it. In John it says...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 1:1

The the Word dwelt with us (mankind, the disciples)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Even though He walked among us, people rejected Him. Those who didn't reject Him followed Him. He taught them that living on this earth required love. The kind of love that He had for the world.... Ultimately, the people who rejected Him, killed Him. No, He didn't stay dead, He rose and is now waiting to return to this earth.... life on earth goes on and on. Flowers grow and die, people are born and die, buildings are built and fall... Life goes on.

Love helps us to traverse this cycle of life and death, unfortunately many people have stop loving "correctly". We have wars, we have terrorist, we have racial upheaval, and bullies. These things are counteractive to love, we are living in a time of hatred, not unlike times of old, yet different because it is seen in an instant through technology. We are becoming desensitized to this hatred, and many forget how to love.  It is my prayer that either we learn to love again or that the Lord will return and help the world live in peace.

I know this didn't make much sense... sorry... thanks for reading.