Friday, September 12, 2014

Paint Party Friday: Captivated by Jesus!

For Paint Party Friday, this is what I chose 
from my stack of backgrounds.

 "When fully trained, 
every disciple will be like his teacher." 
Luke 6:40

Disciple. 
Seems like such a serious, forbidding word. 
I think I shall focus on the word 
TEACHER. MENTOR. MODEL. LEADER.
It is natural for us to look up to 
someone we admire, who inspires us, moves us.

 How amazing that Mother Teresa 
and her way of life moved 
so many ordinary women to live 
in poverty and care for the dying.   
St. Francis of Assisi, 
by following Jesus' footsteps 
as an itinerant preacher, 
founded several religious orders. 
These men and women who 
imitated him were captivated 
to help restore Jesus' original teachings 
to a rich, decadent Church.

 How about us? 
Are we captivated by Jesus, by His life, 
His words, His character, His love? 
Do we want to be like Him? 
In Matthew 11:29, He says to the crowd, 
"LEARN from me..."

We will only want to learn from Him 
if we see Him as He is 
and cast away our fear that 
we have to give up everything to follow Him. 

surely we can take steps every day 
to become more and more like Jesus! 
After all, He gave His life for us!!

 "Stop judging..." Luke 6:37 

God knows I find this very difficult to obey! 
I'm a person who has a tendency 
to look at other people's lives 
and thinks why in the world 
do they do the wrong thing repeatedly? 
They are just digging their own hole! 
At heart I am a busybody, 
though it pains me to admit it!!! 
When I see something that needs to be corrected, 
I will go and talk to the person, 
even if he is a priest or someone with standing. 
And then I go to confession and 
repent for being judgmental and self-righteous!

The best way I know to combat 
this deplorable propensity of mine is to be 
always conscious that the person I am judging 
is someone God loves very much--
To see that person through God's eyes, 
with His compassion, 
His mercy, His understanding. 
The same way Jesus looked at 
the adulterous woman in John Chapter 8. 
Jesus did not go preaching to her about sin. 
He loved her. 
He saw the person she COULD be, 
and eventually became! 


There is so much pain in everyone's life, 
and I pray I will always be the one 
to offer encouragement instead of criticism. 
I hope I will remember to be the one 
to offer words of life, of healing, 
instead of throwing the first stone 
to destroy someone's self esteem, or confidence. 

God HATES the sins of the tongue. 
There is much in the Bible about this! 
But we should always speak good 
for our own future. 
1 Peter 3:10 says, "Whoever wants to embrace life 
and see his days fill up with good,..
say nothing evil or hurtful, 
cultivate good, run after peace..." 
(The Message) 

Yes, we reap what we sow!

Home
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to discover here!
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Thank you for dropping by!
You are appreciated!

Patsy

10 comments:

  1. Absolutely gorgeous!

    http://beneathmyheartart.blogspot.ae/2014/09/scarred-not-scared.html

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  2. Beautiful post, Patsy.They are always an inspiration.

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  3. Beautiful artwork, my Friend. So very inspiring--and the subject is an important one. The tongue, especially these days, can destroy and pillage another person's heart. That critter needs discipline, for sure. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter.

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  4. We constantly say that a disciple is simply a learner. I love what you said when you talked about seeing someone through Jesus' eyes. It's so hard to do sometimes, but it totally changes the way we view people!

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  5. Fascinating to see your background come to life.
    Happy PPF

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  6. We surely need to take steps on a daily basis to be more like the Master. Your art subject is particularly beautiful today. Praying you have a fun day filled with love and happiness. Thank you for joining our 149th challenge at Word Art Wednesday.

    Carole Robb Bisson

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  7. Great post! I love your artwork and your blog is very inviting!

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  8. Anonymous11:59 AM

    I loved to see your process. Absolutely stunning artwork!

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  9. I hear your words. . .I may be making mistakes but they are lessons I will have to learn. A Christian girl is following a Muslim killer!!?? Whoa, her lesson will be difficult if she lives that long. Always am in love with your art. Blessings, Janet PPF

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I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy