New Modern Christian Art: "Harvest" and Waiting on the Lord

Harvest

For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

~Isaiah 64:4

But as it is written:
“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

~1 Corinthians 2:9

Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4, but he changes the word “wait” to the word “love.” God convicted me some time ago in a difficult season of waiting in my life that His people were not willing to wait for Him. When I saw how Paul changes the wording in this verse, I was confronted with the question: “Do I really love God if I’m not willing to wait for Him?” I think God is making a point in this change from “wait” to “love.” Does His church really love Him when she is constantly going off without Him?

I read a touching story about a man who was convicted to wait for God in his closet every day. Thus, for most of the day, he sat in his closet and just waited for the Lord. Finally, on day twelve, he said, “Lord, I’ve been waiting for you everyday now for almost two weeks. You have yet to show up. What is your point in making me wait for you?” All of a sudden he felt a hand on his shoulder and water on his back. God spoke to him and said, “I am weeping because my people do not wait for me.”

I think we hurt God when we aren’t willing to wait for Him. When God says, “Go!” we must be obedient and go. When God says, “No” we must be obedient and stop or not start. When God says, “Wait” we must patiently endure the time knowing we are acting out of love for the One we are called to love the most. There was a time in my life when I was not willing to wait for Him. I learned the hard way, and I hurt the One I do love most in this world. Now I know that if I truly love God, I will gladly wait for Him—no matter the cost. Because I love Him that much. Let us rejoice, therefore, as we wait for the Lord. Surely, the harvest will come if we do not lose heart.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ~ Galatians 6:9

Contemporary Modern Christian Art

New Christian Art: "Consolation" When God Disciplines Us

Consolation

To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
~Isaiah 61:3

“ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
~Hebrews 12:5-6

We all make the mistake during difficult times of casting the image of our former or maybe present abusers onto God. What a terrible mistake to make! Our abusers are out to victimize us, and they hurt us out of hate and out of spite. We must check our hearts, do we accuse God of the same thing? God disciplines us always out of love and never out of anything else. God is love! Whatever we endure in this life, no matter how painful it is, we can be sure that God can turn it around and get the Glory and use it for our good! God is always in control of our circumstances. Never think that something happens to you that God didn't see coming. The opposite is true, of course. God has seen the end from the beginning. God has a way of working in His mighty power where He is 100% in control of our circumstances and at the same time does not violate anyone's free will. This is how powerful our God is! Nothing happens to you that God is not in complete control over. His Word will not return to Him void and at the same time it will not violate man's free will! God's power is endless!

God will sometimes back us into a corner and isolate us from everyone. We realize in those moments that we truly love God more than we love anyone or anything else. We realize in those moments why we fight the battle of each day and who is in control of all of it. He will use each trial and struggle to tear us down in the bad areas and build us up stronger in the good areas. Oh, what a God we serve! He is constantly pursuing us and working actively on our behalf even in our sleep. He does everything with purpose which is far greater than any pain because after we have endured many trials we realize we are no longer afraid of the enemy's tactics because God will use whatever is meant for evil for our good. The enemy thinks he is in control but he is not. God constantly turns around what the enemy does for our good. God would not allow it otherwise.

After each storm of life we can expect to be consoled. Isaiah says Jesus came for it! When we are embraced by God's deep and abiding love for us we reject any notion that God could be like those who have hurt us so deep in the past. In fact, God uses those very wounds to transform us into doers of His Word and sets before us a very great purpose for which we are anointed for. Jesus paid the price for His anointing and so must we. But when we get to Heaven we realize how much greater the joy it is to have shared in Christ's sufferings and to suffer for His sake because how much more we grow and know the Lord because of all the trials and tribulations of life. We are here to be prepared for eternity and to fulfill the tasks for which we are anointed for. There is no other reason to live other than to do what God has called every one of us to do. Before we get there and while we are there we pay the price, but Christ has long since paid the price for all of our sufferings and it is only because of what He did that we are able to endure. Faith is the victory! Amen.

For My Eyes Have Seen: This Is My Turning Point!

For My Eyes Have Seen

One cannot remain unchanged after seeing God.

“ Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.” ~Isaiah 6:5

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel." ~Luke 2:29-32

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.” ~Job 42:5&6

When you have seen God your life HAS to change. Seeing God can come in a variety of ways as the above examples show, but the moment always represents a turning point. You can't see God and stay stagnant. It is not possible. Once you have seen Him, it's time to turn!

First, Isaiah sees God high and lifted up in the temple. God cries out and asks, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" And Isaiah replies "Here am I! Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8) This is his turning point! How could Isaiah see God on His throne, in all of His Glory and splendor, and not respond? Isaiah has found purpose and mission in life after seeing the Lord in all of His Majesty! Isaiah acknowledges how unclean he and his people are (Isaiah 6:5). He sees how pure and holy the Lord is and realizes his own filth and the filth of his nation. Now he has purpose: deliver the Lord's message to the unclean people. Surely Isaiah could never forget his turning point!

Next, let's look at Luke 2 at the story of Simeon. The Holy Spirit told Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Christ (Luke 2:26). As the above scriptures say, Simeon can now die in peace knowing that his eyes saw the Messiah, the light of salvation, on earth. This is his turning point! Simeon then gives a Word about Jesus to Mary and fulfills the task and purpose for which he was sent (Luke 2:34-5). Joseph and Mary's eyes are opened and also their belief about having a special child from God confirmed by Simeon's prophecy. Simeon has now seen God in flesh and the salvation He brings. His life's purpose is complete with this turning point. The waiting has ended! Salvation for all of Israel and the Gentiles is here!

Last, let's look at Job. Job was blameless and upright when God took everything away from him (Job 1:1). Job has always believed what he has heard about the Lord; however, he has never seen the Almighty (see the above Job scripture). Through dialogue and extremely difficult circumstances, Job comes to know who the God is that he serves. He finally sees him with his eyes. He no longer just believes what he has heard; he has a first hand account and experience with the Lord. This is his turning point! What many people don't realize is that God sets Job up for major blessings. Job has the JOY of knowing who the God he worships is first hand. Job no longer goes on what he hears but what he has experienced of the Lord, himself. This is a powerful difference. Now with a right heart Job can continue his obedience to the God who he has seen. Job repents of his ignorance and realizes how small he is in comparison to the Great God Almighty. What a turning point! Job then is blessed more than he was before and restored, but perhaps the greatest blessing is seeing who God really is (Job 42:12).

The point is, we all will have a turning point in our walks with the Lord. Some of us may have more than one, but the ultimate one is seeing who God really is first hand. Knowing about God and knowing God firsthand are two different things. Despite the often horrible circumstances that can come with learning to know who God is first hand is the biggest blessing of truly knowing God. What I mean is not just believing what you hear and read, but knowing Him. It is the greatest gift you can ever receive because once you know Him, nothing else compares in this life. When we reach the point of knowing God and seeing Him for who He really is, we can never live life the same. This turning point brings a new sense of purpose. Can I truly serve the Lord if I don't truly know Him? How can I begin to tell others about Him unless I have seen Him myself with my own eyes? Sometimes, like Job, the cost of seeing Him is tremendous, but so small once realize who our God really is. There is nothing, nothing, nothing like knowing the Lord. And if we all have to have a moment in our lives like Job, then so be it if it means we can know the Lord Almighty! For there is no greater JOY than knowing Him and then serving Him in light of who He really is. I pray that you will have a turning point in your life. I've just recently encountered my own turning point and surely my eyes have seen.....