Christian Living

Blessings from God – A Blank Canvas

/ Bill Jones / 4 Comments

Blank Canvas

God has blessed me with a blank canvas (well, blank in most respects) in part of the area where we cut some planted pines. I’ve started with a few small trees and bushes but still have more room than I’ll ever be able to fill. Thoughts of a  bunch of knockout roses, and a native plant area, and grape vines, etc., etc.

Our Lord blesses us with other blank canvasses. Each day may not be totally blank (because of things required) but we can change what we’re doing or not doing, and paint a new picture that clearly shows our love of Christ. We can smile a bit more and generously give out encouragement and compassion.

But, the greatest blank canvas came with our salvation. The blood of Christ washed away all our sins – past, present and future. And, that blank canvas shines out God’s mercy and grace, because we know we aren’t sinless on our own.

However, our salvation doesn’t give us a canvas that is blank of responsibilities. We’re told in the Bible to keep a “short account” – meaning quickly acknowledging our sins, asking forgiveness, and turning away from them. We work to keep that canvas as blank as possible, while resting in the assurance that it’s Christ sinlessness that overcomes our sinfulness.

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 ESV

Blessings from God – Moon Flowers

/ Bill Jones / 2 Comments

Moon Flower with Bugs

I found this one hiding in the bushes out behind the garden. I didn’t think we would have any this year but there it was! (and actually another one is now blooming on the fence.)

I don’t know what kind of bugs are on the flower, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s still spectacular. And wonderful is appropriate too. It’s one of the wonderful things our Lord has done.

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalms 9:1 ESV

My Guest Post on Heather King’s Blog Today

/ Bill Jones / Leave a comment

My fellow Christian Blogger, Heather King, graciously asked me to guest post today on her blog, Room To Breathe.

Please take a moment and visit her blog, and after you read my post, visit a while and read some of hers. I enjoy her use of every day life to point us to God.

Room to Breathe – Heather C. King

http://heathercking.wordpress.com/

Pick Christ’s Heart

/ Bill Jones / 4 Comments
English: Fruit on tree; from the Philippines

Fruit on tree (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We pick a person’s brain to gather knowledge, like picking fruit from a tree or using a pick axe to dig deeper for hidden gold nuggets. It’s helpful to learn others’ thoughts and ideas because their experiences have been different than ours. Their knowledge and perspective may help us better understand a problem or answer a question we’re wrestling with. Picking a person’s brain allows us to discover what they know and it may give a bit of insight into who they are, but to really know them we must pick their heart.

Picking a person’s heart goes beyond gathering facts. It means when they’re speaking we watch their expressions for signs of joy, sadness or pain. We listen to the tone of their voice to notice if it trembles from fear, is clear and direct from focus on a deeply held belief, or bubbles with excitement. We ask questions because we care about the answers. We want to understand their concerns and joys, and share in them. We watch and listen closely to learn what makes them feel loved and to become aware of how they show their love for us.

Relationships grow strong when we reach that level – with our wives or husbands, our family, our Christian brothers and sisters, and others in our life.

In Philippians 3:10 (NIV), the Apostle Paul wrote, “I want to know Christ.” If we have the same desire, we will spend time picking Christ’s heart. We do that by studying the Bible. As we go deeper, more of our questions will be answered and we will better understand Him. We will know that Jesus has clearly shown His love for us by dying on the cross and read that He has told us how to show our love for Him:

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.‘” Matthew 25:37-40 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 ESV

These two passages point out that we have another responsibility in the process. Once we have picked someone’s heart, we must act on what we have learned for it to truly matter.