da da-da da-da.
A familiar Beatles' song has been going through my head as I have been working on my latest painting. It is finished and is now on display and available for purchase at Lincoln Gallery during the March/April exhibition. Please join us during Friday Night on the Town, March 8, 6-9pm. Enjoy some nibbles and vino, and meet 4 featured Lincoln Gallery artists.
The Beatles simplified love into a fun and catchy song. All you need is love. There is much truth in their song; love is indeed powerful. Love is the greatest of all things. Almost 2000 years ago, the apostle Paul so eloquently wrote about it in a letter to the people of Corinth: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." People are created to love, and have been writing about, singing about, and painting about love throughout history.
What if we were to choose love to a greater degree this week? And next week? And let it stretch throughout the year? Paul also wrote to the people of Rome: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves... Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
In his famous sermon on the mount, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." What would our city, our state, our country look like at the end of 2024 if we choose to love our enemies?
People are not our enemies; satan is the real enemy. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to twist truth, distract you and rile you up with sensational headlines about all kinds of things. It seems impossible to find any news source that doesn't permeate their stories with volatile agendas. Propaganda is real, on both sides. I never thought our country would be like it is today. So what are we to do?
The apostle John gives great instruction in the ancient scriptures: "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth... do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love... This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love... There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear."
I hear many people today giving credit to the Universe. The Universe, they say, is smiling upon you. I also hear that the Universe causes things to fall into place. The Universe is awesome indeed. It stretches my imagination, just thinking about the expanse and the beauty of it. But I wonder why such great credit is given to this masterpiece of planets, gases, and stars? After all, the Universe was created. The Universe is indeed a marvelous masterpiece; its Creator is the Artist.
That same Creator created you as His masterpiece. You are His handiwork, your life is a poem, unique and wonderful. Recently, I had the privilege of joining Colorado Prays to record a short video where I talked about the inspiration behind my artwork. I have paraphrased it here from Ephesians 2:9-10 ---
Salvation is not a reward for the good things you have done. You are God's masterpiece. He has created you anew in Christ Jesus, so you can do the good things He planned for you long ago.
Click here to watch the video:
Soon, I will be hosting prayer calls that focus on the arts. It will be on Zoom with Colorado Prays. Colorado Prays is a group of believers from various denominations. We pray over specific areas. We call them Fields of Harvest. If you are interested in joining or just learning more about my prayer group, please email me at lisa@lisaduboisart.com