The Same God

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-6(NIV)

I have always enjoyed reading the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians about spiritual gifts. We have all been gifted by God in different ways. It is up to us to discover these gifts and then to use them for the Glory of God. We are all unique to the Lord and He has a special purpose for each of us. As I did this design, I felt the Spirit with me, directing me to design something that captured the idea of many different parts making up the whole. The pinwheel in the middle represents our Lord. Surrounding the pinwheel are various shapes representing all of us! As it is written in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it.”

Before he shaped us in our mother’s womb, God had a plan for us. As it it written in Isaiah 64:8, “O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter, and all of us are the work of Your hand.” What do you believe are your gifts? How are you using them to glorify God? Or maybe you are not using them and they are setting “on the shelf gathering dust.” Or maybe your gifts are not being used because you fear opinions of others. Give some thought to Galatians 1:10, “Am I now seeking the favor of me, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” Convicted yet?

In Luke 12, part of verse 48, Jesus says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” That presents us with a question again. How has God gifted you and what are you doing with those gifts? As a disciple of Christ you have been entrusted to use your gifts to glorify the Father and to build His kingdom. With the blood of Jesus you have been given much and told to share the good news with others. If you were to come face-to-face with Jesus, what would you hear him say to you? “I gave you so much, and you have done so little.” Or would He say to you, “well done, my good and faithful servant!” Convicted yet?

Tongues of Fire

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2: 3-4 (NIV Bible)

Coming from the top center of this design are tongues of fire. The design itself has many different components, all totally different than each other. This represents all the people at Pentecost, from many different nations, and walks of life, with different languages. Scripture tells us how the disciples were able to be heard and understood by all, each in his/her own language! The power of the Holy Spirit!

I have to tell you that I have never spoken in tongues. This gift I have not. There are some who discredit this, and even go so far as to ridicule anyone who has this gift. Candidly, I do not understand it all that well, but I do accept it as coming from the Holy Spirit. And far be it for me to criticize someone with this gift. Praise God!

It was at this time, on the day of Pentecost that the disciples spoke and all heard and understood in their own language. For me the most exciting part is Peter’s, if you will, sermon to the crowd. (Hint: open your Bible and read Acts Chapter 2.) In Acts 2:38-39, it is written, Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call.” He is talking about you and me! The Scriptures tell us that 3,o00 were added to their number that day. Can you imagine that? How many have we added to our numbers this week? This month? This year? Or say, in the past 3 years?

The good news is you do not have to be able to speak in tongues to tell people about Jesus and invite them to get to know Him. You just have to be willing to open your mouth and tell people about Him. You don’t have to “convert” them, just make the introduction and let Jesus do the work. How easy is that?

The Tie That Binds

(Jesus said) A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13: 34-35 (NIV Bible)


While I love contemporary music, there are some hymns that I fondly remember. For me the hymn, “Blest Be The Tie That Binds” is reflected in this drawing as the ties connect everything through the cross. The colors are bright and vibrant, illustrating the love of the Lord Jesus. The words in the hymn speak to: “the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; we share each other’s woes, our mutual burdens bear; before our Father’s throne we pour our ardent prayers; for each other flows the sympathizing tear.”

Jesus told us that the world would know us by our love for each other. And, yes, there is another song: “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they will know we are Christians by our love.” People who know me well, have heard me say on more than one occasion, “Take care how you behave today. You might be the only Jesus someone sees!” Remember, we are saved by Grace, and then respond in love by being like Jesus. For example, James 2:17 in the Message: “Isn’t obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.” We are to use our gifts to the very best of our ability, to live each day as an example for others until that day when the Lord returns. And, He will return, but we know not when.

I have always loved Isaiah 40:28-31: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” As you go out into the marketplace, walk and talk like Jesus showing that you are a Christian by your love. And keep a sharp eye looking for that person God has put on your radar screen today.

The Flood

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth. Genesis 9:17 (NIV Bible)


This is my most recent completed design. I can remember as a small child hearing the story about Noah and the Ark in Sunday School. In this design I have used several shades of blue. Now, you might ask, “where is the ark?” Or you might ask, “where is the rainbow?” I’m not sure why they are not visible, but I think the Lord wanted us to sense how it was when the whole earth was totally covered with the waters. In the design are some waves, churning waters, still waters, and swells of water, all consuming. Such was the flood! In Genesis 9:11 it is written, “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God’s covenant made for and given to us.

In Genesis 6:11-12, it is written, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on the earth had corrupted their ways.” According to Scripture God intended to wipe all mankind from the earth, and then Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord then spoke to Noah and gave him very specific instructions. Noah was obedient to the Lord. Can you imagine what the people in the area thought about Noah as he build this ark on dry land? Do you think they made fun of Noah? Sure they did. But, Noah was obedient to the Lord. He did not let their comments detract him from his work.

What about the world today? Corrupt? Yes. Immoral? Yes. Are some Christian organizations responding to the criticisms of the world by changing doctrine? Yes. Are some individual Christians accepting the world’s ways? Yes. Well, it’s past time to stop following the crowd and to stand tall for Jesus. It’s past time to stop worrying about what someone thinks about you praying, reading your Bible, caring for others, worshipping in church, and being a disciple of Jesus. Did not the Lord himself tell us that we would suffer as his followers? Remember this: you are not of this world, but you are only in this world for a short time. Be obedient to and serve the Lord at all times! Share the good news with everyone! Time is short...

Good Fruit

“Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Matthew 7:17-18 (NIV Bible)


I had been reading in Matthew recently and was struck by the passage about good and bad fruit. I thought, you know, this really is addressing character and being genuine with others. In my design, the bright orange/red/yellow represents the light of God shining through the clouds giving nurture to the tree below. The bright colors beneath the tree represent good soil while the tree to the right has not produced fruit and the soil is not good. The contrast of bright and dark colors represents the struggle we face daily in our efforts to be like Jesus and not charlatans. It represents our daily struggle as we stand tall for Jesus and turn a deaf ear to the evil one.
One day while cruising through a furniture store with my wife, I marveled at the “plastic fruit” on various table tops. It looked real and in fact, edible. So, how do we know who is a false prophet and who is a Christian teacher? In Galatians 5:22-23 it is written, “But, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Wow! What wonderful guidelines for our behavior! Now, behavior and works do not give us a ticket to eternal life, but, and this is critical, our behavior and works are a result of our relationship to Jesus. A Christian who is good fruit is good because of what God has done for him/her, and he/she understands that eternal life is not something deserved, but rather that Jesus paid the cost and is the reason!
It is written in John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” You can discern the false prophets by their self-centered focus and “look what I have done” attitude. As Christians in the marketplace it is imperative that we behave consistent with the fruit of the Spirit. Just imagine working in an organization in which everyone was patient, kind, demonstrated goodness, smiled with joy and peace, and exercised self-control! Now, that is what I call good marketplace fruit! How about you?