From The Sheep Pen

The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. Psalm 11:4

Years ago I inherited a small prayer book from my German Oma which holds a collection of prayers and meditations. Sometimes in the middle o the night when I can’t sleep I pick up the book and read. In it there is a quote by Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and Christian ethicist, which has profoundly influenced me. He writes:

Im Gewissen hat das Auge Gottes mich erblickt und nun ist es mir unmöglich zu vergessen dass dieses Auge mich sieht.

The literal English translation is something like,  “In my conscience, the eye of God saw me and now it is impossible for me to forget that this Eye sees me.” Some German words are difficult to translate. The word erblicken suggests more than seeing. It means to lay eyes upon, to catch sight of, to look upon continuously.

Kierkegaard implies that once we are finally conscious of the truth that God lays His eyes upon us, that we are held in the steady gaze of the Almighty, it is impossible  to escape that fact. Our God beholds us. He searches us and knows us.  In Psalm 139 David acknowledges that he is always in the divine sight of God, no matter what he did or where he tried to hide. It is impossible to escape God’s presence. Even before we are born ,

Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed.

From birth to death, we are completely exposed before God as if standing naked in His sight. However, our nakedness brings neither shame nor condemnation. We are beheld by the Father with Love that pierces into and reveals every hidden secret. If the realization is uncomfortable, it is simultaneously intimate, relational and intensely life giving. Being beheld by the Father touches a deep spiritual core which becomes impossible to ignore or forget.

Psalm 11 says that “His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. His countenance beholds the upright.” Neither saint nor sinner is exempt from God’s beholding them. No one wears an invisible cloak before God.

There is a definitive moment when we have to come to the humbling , wonderful knowledge that hiding from God is impossible. It is impossible to escape His gaze. For some believers it might be the moment of accepting Christ as Savior. For others while “making our bed in hell” we behold that God is right there in the mess with us. It came to me one midnight while reading Kierkegaard’s words. Perhaps reading the language of my childhood stirred me but in that moment, I knew the joy and freedom of being truly known. And ever since, I cannot forget that I am always, unerringly  held in the gaze of  my Father, the Most High God.

The Christian response in 2016 to a turbulent world where the enemy seems poised to lie, kill and destroy us must be radical love and forgiveness. It has to originate in faith, in the God of Love who according to John “ so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Our response to forgiveness must be that of Jesus who crucified cried out,   “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

With that as a friend of mine often asks, “And now…?” And now, how do we love? And now, what does forgiveness require? I can say I love and forgive the enemy in my head and be done with it. We can even repeat Jesus’ words  without following through in the Holy Spirit’s power to actually love and forgive that person.

In every encounter with the Pharisees Jesus turned their legalism upside down by contrasting the old Mosaic law to the new law which revealed  God’s heart. The law demanded an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but Jesus  spoke  all of the law into a different spiritual realm, into the kingdom of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord repeatedly states,  You have heard it said…

But I say… Do not resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well Matthew 25: 39

What follows the “ but” of Jesus’ teaching, convicts, challenges and exposes all shallowness, legalism and hardness of hearts.

You have heard it said Love your neighbor and hate your enemy ‘But I tell you, love your enemies.’

I am sure the crowd was shocked, some sniggered and many who were angered at Jesus’ words! Are you kidding us? Love the enemies of the Jews? Love the oppressive, tax burdening, enslaving Romans? Love Caesar? You are mad, Rabbi!

Hardly mad. Jesus then clarified exactly what it means to love your enemies.

Bless those who curse you.  Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 25:44

There is absolutely no spiritual wiggle room about what Jesus meant. He laid out   the Father’s will on earth as it is in heaven for He was describing the kingdom of God to His disciples. His instructions to Christians today are still crystal clear. We are to bless, do good and pray for our enemies.

Bless them with our words by not giving in to fear, despair or hatred. Do radical good. Bring light into the darkness whenever possible. Pray always and unceasingly for their souls for “they don’t know what they are doing.” It is possible to love our enemies despite the growing firestorms all over the planet   threatening Christians, but it can’t be on the world’s carnal terms. Only Christ’s perfect love in us enables us to love our enemies as God loved us, “to become perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect.”

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,^{[b] 45} that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45

If one is to believe what the world press and social media say, life on planet earth is becoming hostile to itself. The country I love is almost unrecognizable. Every day reveals yet another layer of the bizarre and the unthinkable unfolding  before our eyes.  Almost daily the headlines scream at us: more horrific terror attacks, more fellow Americans shot and killed by their fellow Americans. Police are graphically live streamed as both perpetrators and victims of violence. Racial and social discord is the worst in decades. A hostile “we-they” mentality grips the nation on every front. Acts of barbarism against civilians and the innocent are so prevalent and gut wrenching they threaten to desensitize the hearts of the people.

Right now  especially Christians are called to respond differently to the world, most of all to  those who hate us. Despite all the turmoil and threats,  God is still God and Jesus is Lord and Savior. As  the Prince of Peace  He  comforts t our distresses, promising  that we can have peace and even joy in the midst of craziness.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Before He left earth, Jesus also promised to send the Holy Spirit to remind His disciples of everything He had taught them. Two thousand years later, the Lord’s message has not changed one iota. Right now in this volatile summer of 2016, the Holy Spirit  calls Christians to be in the world   with the radically   transformed mind of Christ . We are not to react in anger or fear or hatred but are to “love our enemies, to bless rather than curse, to forgive rather than seek revenge and be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. “ Instead of entering into the world’s contentious arena as pagan gladiators,  we come as  the blessed children of God, loving our enemies and being  kingdom peacemakers. It is Christ’s peace, the peace of reconciliation with the Father through love which the Holy Spirit reminds us to bring to this very broken world.

Jesus’ commandments to follow Him are not easy,   especially when the barbarians are scaling the walls of our security. How does one “love” evil men who  randomly massacre the innocent  and then brazenly boast of it? Who  can love an enemy ready to butcher my neighbor – and me? How is it possible not to hate the other right back and then some?

On my own, I cannot turn the other cheek. But Jesus did. His message of love and forgiveness is eternal and unchanging.   The Romans who ruled Palestine and crucified Jesus in the first century were every bit as cruel and heartless as the 21^st century’s new barbarians. Jesus was executed in the most demeaning, vicious and excruciating manner possible by those trained to inflict torment.   In His greatest agony Jesus forgave His enemies, overcame hatred with love and destroyed the enemy’s death grip forever. Only through the person of Christ is it possible to choose to love my enemy and to forgive as often as is needed.

The world needs to hear the gospel of hope,  love and forgiveness. Who but you and I and the Spirit of God within us dare proclaim  and show divine love  to the face of  our enemy?

Tonight  after dinner, I turned off the news and took a long walk. I needed to get away from the constant coverage of violence, hatred, shootings and anger which seems to be the news media’s only focus. The incessant focus on negativity and divisiveness has weighed me down like a shroud.

I live in one of the most beautiful spots on this planet and walking in God’s creation was exactly the tonic I needed. There is still a lot of light left this early in July, light which hangs up in the trees like the pale gold rain and falls into elongated shadows alongside the road. Yesterday’s rain washed away the dust and pine pollen. The air felt new, clean and crisp. It refreshed not only my lungs but also my soul.

A robin chirped its evening song. I couldn’t see where he was perched but his cheerful  melody followed me. Then a mourning dove joined in – and duet of birdsong came forth. At first I was just interested in walking and getting a little exercise but a still voice reminded me to pay attention. God’s handiwork is in the mighty and in the small. He is awesome in the cosmos and preciously wonderful in the details alongside mountain roads. The rain brought out every shade of green in the trees and underbrush:   lime and sage and bluish spruce, the golf course as bright as an Irish shamrock. Wild blue asters dotted the sides of the road like clusters of blue stars. The wildflowers had burst forth from the soil with the rain: white daisies, cream colored yarrow, wild pink roses. Tall grasses lined the ditches where rivulets of water puddle and ran down hill. I stopped to pick a dandelion whose seed head is as intricate as lace – and blew its seeds to scatter into the air. The pond was clear as glass, reflecting the trees and sky into itself.  Everywhere I looked, I saw God’s order, His intricate design in every plant and flower and above all the unique artistry of God. How can one not help but praise the Lord? As the psalmist wrote:

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Psalm 104:24

My walk reminded me that God is nigh to those who seek Him, especially when we bless Him saying, Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, my God You are very great!Psalm 104:1-2

The world in this exceedingly dark hour cannot take away the blessing of His Presence nor can it destroy the joy and hope He offers to His children. I believe that God still delights to walk with us in the evening time, just as He did in the Garden of Eden. I also believe His heart is most tender toward us when we delightedly point out back to Him the wildflowers, the robin’s calls and every green treasure discovered along the way.

Two days ago, I lost another friend to cancer. Right now I am not thinking about “her brave battle” with this terrible disease as so many people seem to say afterwards. There is nothing admirable about cancer or the enemy who came to steal, kill and destroy another life. I refuse to give the devil any credit at all for such evil.

Instead, I grieve a special woman who leaves a little hole in my heart.

Sara came into my life at the food bank two years ago. She and her husband showed up one afternoon with a pick up truck loaded with food. She was upbeat and cheerful as she introduced herself and her husband Jim. It was obvious from her headscarf that she was undergoing chemotherapy. “We want to help you out with donations,” she said. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect because the shelves were pretty bare. The next time they came with another truck filled with bulk food, cereal, canned goods, etc., I was curious and asked her why they were being so generous.  Sara gave me a beautiful smile. “We’ve been very blessed,” she said, “and just want to give back.” Her words humbled me and I have not forgotten them. In the midst of her sickness and trials, she chose to help those who were less fortunate because she was “blessed.”

She and Jim gave back over and over, filling up the shelves or funding holiday dinners for families. Sara took on some techie business we didn’t have time for, with my sincere gratitude. Our paths didn’t cross outside of the food bank and I didn’t see her very often in the last six months. But in the short time I did know her, she and Jim impacted me greatly. I was reminded of Jesus’ call to feed the hungry every time this couple showed up. Theirs is the abiding heart filled with  Matthew 25, Christ’s love for the poor and hurting.

This morning I chanced across an old hymn , “Abide With Me, “ written in 1846 by Henry Francis Lyte. It not only comforted me , but once more,  the Lord  draws my attention  to that word abiding:

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

 It reminded me that our mortal frames wear out all too soon and thus, we need God’s Holy Spirit presence more than ever before. It is He who comforts in the beginning, consoles us all throughout and when all else flees,  abiding love remains. Sara’s eventide came too soon for those who knew her. I’ll grieve a little while but I will also be joyful for my friend who surely knew the Lord.   Jesus promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us because it is Jesus who abides in the believer’s heart on earth in all situations, through all illnesses. In Revelation John gives a glimpse into what the Christian believer can look forward to in the moments after the final darkness falls:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away Rev:21:4

Jesus overcame death and the grave. Cancer as well as every disease will be erased. The real battle has been won for us. The victory is in Christ, in eternal life.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:4.

I went outside early this morning to take advantage of last night’s rain which had softened the ground. My intention was to plant marigolds while the soil was workable and to get them out of their root bound plastic pots.   I planned to get that one job done and then come inside. Two hours later, I was covered in mud, my gardening shoes were caked with loam and I really needed a shower. Once again I took a different path into the garden – and had learned a lesson.

Last year I planted two small baptisia plants as a backdrop to annuals. The plants looked pretty in their small pots, but I didn’t know how they would fare here. Well, they fared superbly,  growing almost four feet tall in one season. They were too big for the space intended. I have no problem in digging up plants, transplanting them – or dumping them into the  trailer – so I started to dig .  It was daunting. Their roots were long, skinny tubers embedded deeply into the soil, spreading web-like in every direction. I had not expected such   tangled roots coiled  beneath the soil. If I hadn’t taken them out today, they would have taken over the entire bed.   Baptisia is also called “false indigo” and can grow to six feet tall. The plant has a very deep tap root so as to survive dry conditions and is obviously very hardy. I wasn’t paying attention to what I’d planted.

I  believe that as in the natural, so in the spiritual.  I thought about what’s allowed to take root in our lives, about things which are momentarily so attractive  that we don’t bother to ask, “What’s actually beneath the surface causing this to flourish?”   How often do we go after something which appears  good  but  is in reality a very bad choice. I’ve succumbed more times than I care to acknowledge and have ended up with tangled root balls  growing into uncontrollable messes in my life.

Scripture says a lot about roots and rootedness. Isaiah prophesies that Messiah will spring from the root of Jesse and points to Jesus.

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; Isaiah 11:1-5.

The prophet foretells that the root and the branch bearing fruit will be unlike anyone else and that Messiah’s appearance will repel rather than attract those around Him. God’s Spirit will rest on Him, but He won’t be recognized by His appearance.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. Isaiah 53:1-3

It is a warning not to be deceived by   the devil’s trademark tactics: to make what is evil look very, very attractive. He knows exactly what   pretties  entice us. Security. Love. Possessions. Spiritual pride. False doctrines. If we give in, before we know it,   “false indigo” takes root in the heart. We’re  over run by an invasion.

This morning I was strongly reminded that our spiritual roots have to be planted in Christ, abiding in Him alone so we can branch out and bear good fruit.  There is no other root except Jesus.  Without Him, without the  deeply rooted Word of God , all manner of deception threatens to take over, entangling,  strangling and trying to take over  the ground promised to us.

Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them; and the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But Jesus said, “let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. . Matthew 19:13-15

On a recent Sunday morning before church service began, I was in the foyer welcoming families as they came through the door. I watched one of our younger moms park her car. For several minutes she unbuckled her two children from their car seats and unloaded children, diaper bags, snacks, blankets and assorted   necessities out of the car. It seemed to take quite a while to get to the front door, carrying one child and holding on to her little girl’s hands, all the while balancing the rest of the stuff on her hip and arms.

Both children are very precious, especially to me who sees my own grandchildren too infrequently. The little girl who is three or four years old wore a frilly Sunday dress ( surely a grandma gift! ) and while Mom and brother went inside the sanctuary, she looked for her best friend, also the same age who was nowhere in sight. Undaunted she went straight to the open door of the sanctuary, did a little twirl and announced quite loudly to any and all: “I’M HERE! “ And that was that. Indeed, she was here, all three feet of her.

We oldsters couldn’t help laughing at her spontaneous outburst which was better than most You Tube videos. Was she shouting out for her little girl friend? Or was she simply letting the world  know that she’d arrived,  even to the chagrin of her parents? I don’t know, but I believe God was more than delighted at her entrance.

The child’s exuberance touched me.  In one way I almost envied her carefree.  obvious joy and lack of being self conscious. I can’t remember ever being so uninhibited. Were any of us?

Jesus repeatedly told his followers that they needed to come to Him as little children. His warmth and loving heart attracted everyone, especially the smallest children in the crowd.  He rebuked the disciples when they tried to keep the children away. “Do not hinder them” He admonished. Let them come. The kingdom is for them. Jesus enveloped them   in his arms and blessed them.

When did we stop coming to God like that sweetly enthusiastic 4 year old? I have to ask myself and us, when did we become so grown up that our heads keep our hearts in check? When did our songs of innocence become the dirges of life’s experiences? Do we even remember feeling  uninhibited and abandoned like a child to Jesus? Or has the enemy made us stand ramrod straight, stiff upper lipped before  the Savior , ever the adult  exerting  self control?

Have we  even  gone so far as to believe He  abandoned us at some critical time or other?  He promises never to leave us.  Never. Therefore, because Jesus will never abandon nor forsake us, we are completely  free to abandon ourselves to Him! Life may  batter us  pretty hard but Jesus’ gentle hands heal and bless. No matter how  long  ago we were but four  year olds,  we’re   never  too old to  cry out to Him as loud as possible, “Lord, I’m here. It’s Me!”

I am not a master gardener.   Most of what I have learned about gardening has been by trial and error. For almost 20 years since we moved into this house, I have planted and dug, replanted and moved countless flats of flowers, shrubs, bulbs and vegetables. Gardening at 4,000 feet in a high desert climate is extremely challenging. The winters are harsh and cold, spring is unpredictable and summer flits by like a hummingbird. It can still freeze in  July or begin snowing in August. In addition, there is only a pinch of natural topsoil over base rocks. A good rain or run away sprinkler   floods away soil and nutrients in a flash.

Still, I love it and cannot imagine doing anything else. Digging in the soil has been healing. When troubles  overwhelmed  me, I planted gardens. When I needed to clear the wasps buzzing in my head, I divided daylillies. When I didn’t know what else to do, I pored over minute seedlings emerging from the soil. And when   flowers finally flourished, I  found  peace and contentment.

I now garden for the joy of it. I’ve  dirt embedded in my fingernails. Manicures went long ago. I’ve figured out what thrives well and what does not and spend energy on babying perennials and cool weather vegetables. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant grow bushy and tall only in catalogues and gardening magazines. I no longer bother.

Despite all the work, my little gardens don’t compare to what grows wild farther out. Beyond the gardens a spectacular display of golden balsam root covers a sunny side hill, like a carpet unrolled down the hill. In the mornings the wildflowers catch the early sun and like true sunflowers, they bend their heads toward the light. What a gorgeous sight!   It is unexpected and humbling.

I am reminded that the work of our hands is just that – the effort of human hands. Sometimes what begins as a labor of love turns into mere sour labor. There have been times when dirt is after all just dirt and the work is back breaking. Instead of feeling fulfilled, I grumble at the drudgery and see weeds instead of flowers. I forget why I ever wanted to come outside. Vision gets lost  like a misplaced glove in the garden shed.

^…  And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6: 28-29

In this Gospel Jesus tried to explain to his followers that our Father  sows lilies of the field whose splendor surpasses even   Solomon’s. God holds the tiny sparrow in His gaze and knows everything about us, even to the hairs upon our heads. Jesus made these analogies to teach the people that it is useless to worry about food or clothing or shelter. God knows our needs much better than we do.

The field of yellow wildflowers spreading on the hillside tells me the same thing. He Who Seeded  the forest  floor with yellow balsam root  is ever near.  God  knows everything that’s needed, garden wise and other wise. His blessings are  like wild lilies rampant  outside the garden gate.

It is raining today which means that I don’t have to fuss with setting up sprinklers in my gardens. That is a very good thing. The snow’s barely gone from the hillsides and the ground’s already dry. I welcome any and all rain which falls on the gardens. On the other hand, the rain keeps me inside when I would rather be digging and planting in the vegetable beds. Rain is a restless blessing. For me, restless translates into impatient.

I am not a particularly patient person. Ask anyone in my family who’s been around when I am waiting for something to happen. Or waiting for someone! I’d rather be doing something, anything, other than WAIT. It is no accident that the Lord has me waiting a lot right now for the next thing He has for me. He says Patience, my Dear, Patience. I respond, Well OK, but hurry up, will You? Please. After all, I haven’t got all day!

No, but I do have the rest of my life. Why rush and miss the fruit?

In our Ladies Bible study, we’re looking at Galatians, the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23.

Currently we’re learning patience and about patience. I love the more archaic word forbearance. It implies a bearing forward of something into the future and speaks of an ongoing action rather than something to possess. “I am forbearing” carries greater  meaning than “I am patient. “

In the Scripture it is listed after peace. One would think that patience leads to peace, not the other way around so I’d conclude Paul had reason to order the nine characteristic “fruit “ as he did. Love comes first because it is God’s nature. From that love flows all else, all that the Spirit of Jesus manifests in us. It is not our fruit, but His – His love, joy, peace and patience…

Without God’s unconditional love, there is only the world’s version of carnal love and when did that ever bring lasting joy?  Without the Lord’s love and joy, we have no peace of mind but are constantly watching out for the proverbial shoe to drop on our heads and for things to go awry. God’s peace steadies our souls to be patient, trusting that the living Spirit of Jesus is good and works for us, not against us. Patience points to an expected outcome.

I can’t think of a better metaphor for patience than a garden. Those who garden have to be patient for fruit to come at harvest time. I have no control of rain or sun or length of growing season but work the garden any way. Why? Because if I do what’s needed – till, plant, water and nourish, I expect seeds to sprout, flowers to bloom and zucchini to multiply like crazy. Forbearance will not only yield more  fruit of the Spirit, but will also replicate itself. The practice of patience yields ever greater patience.

In an earthly garden, what kind of “fruit” might that be? Would it be flower or vegetable? Would the fruit be of a tree or from the ground? Something edible or ornamental? It surely wouldn’t be a fussy rose or heat thirsty tomato either. I can’t see it as a zucchini or wildly rampant daisy. I think it might be a single seedling given to us as a surprise by God whose directions are: Plant it, wait with forbearance and see what wonders will burst forth!

Woman in Gold  Gustav Klimt

  1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Recently I watched the movie “Woman in Gold”. It is based on the true story of the theft of Gustave Klimt’s extravagant portrait of Adele Bloch – Bauer, wife of a wealthy Austrian industrialist.    After the Anschluss in Austria in 1939, the Nazis stole the painting from its Jewish owners and later Austria claimed the painting as a national treasure. To hide the fact that Adele was Jewish , the name of the painting was changed to “Woman In Gold. “

Klimt painted the portrait in 1907 over a four year period. The painting is richly detailed and overlaid with gold leaf. When it –or its copy- is shown, it seems to pour from the canvas like molten gold. Adele’s face emerges  as if she were gilded into the background.

The movie is about the legal efforts of Adela’s niece Maria Altman to have the painting restored to her family. Part history, part fiction it details her fight to get back a family treasure which was not only stolen but then unjustly claimed by Austria for decades afterwards.

Some of the scenes where Jewish Austrians were taken away by the Nazis are painful to watch,  but one in particular was especially troubling. A young Austrian who’s tried to help Maria and her lawyer confesses that when he was 15, he found out that his father whom he had idolized was in fact a Nazi who totally sold out to Hitler. Out of guilt and shame, he spent his life trying to right the evils of his father. It was probably a fictional scene in the movie, but I understood him perfectly for I’ve walked in his shoes. Old feelings spoke old lies.

The Holy Spirit’s nudging came very quickly. “Why do you still see yourself like that? Do you not know who you are?“ Why indeed.?

I’ve been set free from the past. We all have, if Jesus is Lord. The Word of God tells us that when reborn, we are new creation in Christ. Christ died to set me free from sin, not just mine, but also those imputed to me by others. Therefore, every shred of my old shame- based identity is gone. We bear the heart print of Jesus within and it is His Spirit that abides. God does not lie about our identity in His Son. Satan hates us bitterly for that and does all he can to steal, kill and destroy us now. Whereas the Nazis stole precious art to satisfy their thieving lusts, the once resplendent Lucifer   never quits his quest: to steal our identities,  entombing them   in  deep  caves  so we never know who we are or what is rightfully ours.  Like the Austrian officials in the film,  he tries to  claim legal ownership of what’s been stolen.

I looked at the painting again, but it wasn’t Adele in the golden portrait any more.   It was me – and you! We’re   extravagantly bejeweled and robed like royal children of the Most High. Glory surrounds us and enfolds us but the portrait can only  suggest the eternal glory we’ll have with God.

But as it is written: Eye has not seen nor ear heard; nor has it entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1. Corinthians 2:9

Holy Spirit, the Artist  in us,  reveals we’re treasured far more than any painting. The old identity is dead.  We are Christ’s  possession alone. We have been bought for a price and nothing can steal us away or separate us from our Father, from the love of God in Christ Jesus.