The Artist

by    21st January 2001    0 responses

There are many kinds of artists, there are painters, there are musicians, and there are sculptors. God is an artist but His artwork, is people and their lives. To simplify the example, I want you to imagine God as a painter, a great painter and a perfectionist. Each and every person is one of God’s paintings, each one is different, some are bright and colourful, and others have a more pastel effect. Not one of them, is less of a master piece than any other, every one is equal in its beauty.

Unfortunately, God has an enemy, a jealous painter who thinks he is a better and more skilled artist. Resenting the work of God, he runs around with a pot of paint and flicks black splodges over the wonderful works of art, he tries his hardest to destroy those masterpieces which the Lord has created.

With a patient sigh, God begins to restore these works of art to his original vision for them. Unfortunately, some of His paintings don’t want to be restored, they don’t want those dark blots to be taken off of their canvases. They would rather continue, broken and damaged, never fulfilling or perceiving the beauty they could have, if only they’d let the Master work.

The ones however, who want to be restored, the ones who thank him for His vision and talent want God to restore them. So slowly, and very carefully God continues His work, beginning to remove the misplaced paint and damage from the pieces. The enemy persists in his destruction, but thankfully, God persists in His creation.

Okay, so this example isn’t quite perfect for my intentions, but I hope you understand the gist of what I’m getting at. The devil is the jealous painter, and he’s the one who enables those splodges to appear on our lives. BUT, and it’s a very important ‘BUT’, the devil may tempt us, but it is we who choose to sin. He might plant the idea, or give us the thought, but we are the ones who follow it. Don’t blame the devil for your own sin, but remember in everything, we have a choice. We can either resist that temptation, or we give in to it and turn from God.

The rest of the example shows how God cares for us, all those paintings that want Him to restore them, get cared for. Every Christian is a working progress, some of us are further along than others, but the work is never ending and no matter how far you’ve come, there is always another step. Perfection is the goal, Jesus is the goal, but we cannot get there on our own, on this Earth. Don’t be discouraged by “super” Christians who seem to have it all figured out, but be inspired. The truth is, none of us have it all figured out, we ALL have our problems.

And that’s another thing to take from the example, the paintings don’t restore themselves, the master craftsman has to do it for them. No matter how hard you try, you cannot change yourself, only God can change you. Instead of leaning on your own strength, lean on God’s, He’s got a lot more than you have and He’s willing to share. If there’s something in your life that you want to change, pray about it, put it in God’s hands and let Holy Spirit work in your heart.

Don’t be discouraged if you feel that there are too many black splodges on your life, even if you feel that you’re completely covered in unintended spots of paint, there is nothing Jesus and Father cannot forgive. No splodge of paint that can’t be removed, and no damage, no matter how severe, that can’t be repaired.

“‘Two men owed money to a certain money-lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’

“Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.’

“‘You have judged correctly.’ Jesus said.”

This is only a short piece of Luke 7, I urge you to read the whole story from verse 36 to verse 50. Jesus explains the whole parable in context, it basically says that if you have many sins to be forgiven, you will love the Lord more when He forgives you.

God is an artist, and He wants to turn you and your life into a masterpiece. So instead of trying to clean up yourself, or instead of fighting against His gentle touch, just let the Master work. God bless and thanks for reading.

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Andy has been a Christian since his teens when he began to develop his relationship with God. He is an Elder in his local church and leads a home group. Andy has a passion for teaching and writing. He lives near Southend, Essex, with his wife. Andy is responsible for writing much of the content on Crossring.

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