Borrowed from a Facebook Post: There is so much going on in my mind lately about all that is going on in our country and world. This illustration by Andy Stanley* really spoke to me this morning. He asked the question,”What do you notice about Daniel in this picture?” The answer is that he is NOT looking at the lions. He is looking to his God!! With everything going on in our world today I think too many of us are spending our time looking at the lions instead of looking to our GOD. (Painting by Artist Briton Rivière, Title – Daniel’s Answer to the King. 1890)
As a young Bible teacher my pride was sometimes wounded when one of my children would latch on to a scriptural truth in our Christian School (or Sunday School or Youth Group) that I had tried to teach at home, maybe dozens of times. I finally consoled myself by concluding that I couldn’t make a plant grow, I could only plant seeds. This week I had a new epiphany.
In the picture and a brief post above, re-shared on Facebook by one of our own, a truth is being proclaimed that both Pastor Jim and I have been trumpeting for years, especially of late. Yet, seeing this picture and reading this snippet, the truth hit me in a new way. I realized that not only can I not make seeds grow, but God, in His manifold grace, uses all of our senses to communicate His truths. Here, using art and history, something we should already know is powerfully reinforced.
Beloved, the world does not hold the answers we seek any more than it did for Pilate 2000 years ago. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). He’s our Joy. He’s our Prize!
Yours, for His Glory,
Pastor Scott
*I know Andy Stanley has said some odd stuff of late; this isn’t an endorsement of everything he is currently saying.; but here, he is right on the money!
Grace Notes 