NEW LIFE

In the 4th week of February the week's verse at His Kingdom Come, Take Me Deeper group was 2 Corinthians 5:17: 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (KJV)

For this lesson's art journal page I attempted a resist technique I saw on You Tube. First you Gesso your page. Once that is dry, you drip a design with white glue and wait for that to dry.

I like how 2 Corinthians 5:17 is put in the New Living Translation:

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

To get a better understanding of the well-known verse, I read the whole chapter. Verses 2-5 stood out to me. 

2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.
3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.
4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. (NLT)

Sometimes the limitations of mind and body are hard to bear. Sometimes it is difficult to "glory in my weaknesses" as Saint Paul did. Sometimes I just want to throw off that weakness. But it is not that I want to die; only that I long to put on the new, resurrected body that awaits me when I finally put off this weak and flawed model. I want to cast off death and put on true life.

The next step in my page was to apply Gelatos, mist it with water and spread it with my fingers. 

 

I didn't feel like waiting for the paint to dry so I blasted it with my blow dryer. 

Maybe that is where I went wrong. You are supposed to be able to peel off the glue and the Gesso keeps it from ripping the paper. Not! Mine peeled up a layer of paper with the glue. 

As I meditated on the verses in 2 Corinthians 5, I began to wonder if the New Life spoken of begins as a seed of resurrection, living within my weak frame; something that is meant to grow into fullness, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. (NLT)

What if that resurrection seed within me is like an embryonic seed within a woman's womb. A wise and loving mother nurtures the seed within her by eating nutritious food and avoiding harmful substances. The precious seed within her is more important to her than the desires of her flesh.

A woman who smokes, drinks, takes drugs or who does not eat properly during pregnancy, puts her baby at risk for mental and physical health issues. It takes self-restraint to do the right things for her child, but a woman motivated by love gladly denies her own desires for the benefit of her baby.

What if our resurrected spirit is a seed planted within us by the Spirit of God? What if that new person (vs.17), that new creature, is a seed that I have been given to nurture as a woman would nurture the infant seed within her?

5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

God has prepared a new resurrection body for us (vs. 2), but what if he made it in seed form (as he did Jesus in the womb of Mary) and planted it within us at the time of our rebirth? And what if the Holy Spirit (our guarantee) is like a super nanny, ready to give us help, strength and direction every step of the way as we nurture this precious seed within us?

Every child is unique. A six pound baby is not less than a ten pound baby if it has reached its full potential at birth. What if each resurrection body, each human spirit, has its own unique potential?

We know that no one can come to God except through Christ (John 14:6) (John 3:3-7) and except he is born into the family of God through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.

What if being born again is a process? What if we are responsible to nurture the God-seed planted within us and what if our resurrected bodies will reflect how we have nurtured or how we have neglected them?

Now if each resurrection seed is as unique as each human seed, each with an innate potential, then there is no need for comparison. The seed of my resurrection body will not be the same as that of Mother Theresa, Billy Graham or a five-year-old child who died young, yet whose spirit was fully developed?

 "A NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN!"

What wonderful news this is to a couple who have been trying to conceive a child.

The mother will have regular check-ups with a doctor, take vitamins, get plenty of rest, eat well and avoid any harmful substances.

How then should we nurture the precious Life within us? That is a question we can be asking each and every day.

Thank you for taking a closer walk with me today. May you know that you are beautiful and that you are loved.

Blessing hugs,

Teresa

LIVING CHEERFUL

Hello Friends,

Lately I have been reading from Brian Simmons' "The Passion Translation" of the bible called, "Letters From Heaven", which covers from Galatians to 2 Timothy. Today's post is from the book of Philippians. 

"Live a cheerful life, without complaining or division among yourselves. For then you will be seen as mature, faultless and pure children of God, even though you live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. For you will appear among them as shining lights in the Universe, offering them the words of Eternal Life." (Phil.2:14-16 TPT)

I nearly titled this post BE CHEERFUL. But being cheerful can be a superficial thing. Cheer up, be cheerful, put a smile on, cowboy up, stiff upper lip. These are all sayings that have more to do with my outer appearance than the condition of my interior self.

LIVING CHEERFUL is like the person who is determined to live in a dust-free home. Every day she is alert to any evidence of dust and she sweeps it away immediately. (Ahem. Not me, btw.) 
BEING CHEERFUL is like the person who brushes up the surface and dims the lights when company is coming over. (Yep. That's me.)

Have you ever been in the midst of a group of people who are complaining about a common topic or person? It can feel satisfying to join in, perhaps with a witty remark that makes everyone laugh. But if some brave soul says something that is positive about the person or situation, everyone stops. Some reconsider their position. The atmosphere is changing. Light is shining into the darkness and everyone knows it. For some, it is uncomfortable. For others, it is a welcome relief.

But you can't fake God's Light. Your 'positive comments' might make some people feel guilty for their previous position, but you will not bring them Life. Instead of experiencing the sight and fragrance of a beautiful rose, they will feel only the thorns.

LIVING A CHEERFUL LIFE takes dedication. Like the person who is determined to live in a dust-free home, she must be committed to making a daily inspection of her heart, mind and attitudes.

LIVING A CHEERFUL LIFE takes relationship. Spending time with the Father of Lights will dispel any darkness in your heart, mind or attitudes, no matter what fear or negativity surrounds you. 

LIVING A CHEERFUL LIFE takes courage.You must always be ready to give an account of the hope that lies within you. (1 Peter 3:15) It takes courage to speak against the flow of the crowd.

LIVING A CHEERFUL LIFE takes mercy, wisdom and love. GOD's LOVE within you must always be your guiding force. Mercy and Wisdom are LOVE's companions. Together they will tell you when and IF you should speak and what you should say.

Father, help me to live a cheerful life today. Help me to know the difference between living a cheerful life and merely being cheerful. Please reveal the dust of my wrong attitudes and help me to sweep them away. Fill me with your love and your purpose. Let your HOLY LOVE be my guiding force. Let it hold hands with its true companions, Mercy and Wisdom. May I greet them with joy and bow in loving devotion to their guidance. May I count them as the truest of friends and love them with all affection, as a young child delights to learn at the feet of her mother. By the grace of the blood of Christ Jesus, my Saviour, I make these requests. Amen.

(I decided to rub in a little yellow Gelatos around the roses.)

 

Thank you for taking the time to share God's word with me today.
Blessing hugs,

Teresa 

---