this week, i’ve been at an event called district assembly for the church of the nazarene, which is the denomination that my church belongs to. every year they get together to listen to pastors report on the past year of ministry and vote on whatever official church business is being discussed and sing old songs and whatnot.
anywho, monday night in the evening service the preacher lady said something along these lines:
whenever you look at a painting, the first thing you look for is the artist’s signature. when you find that artist’s stamp on the painting then you know it’s a work of art. isn’t it great to know that we have god’s signature on us? people can see god’s stamp on on and know that we have something special, that we’re living holy lives…
etc.
…but wait…that’s not how it happens, is it? seriously? at least, that’s not what i do… when i look at a painting, i look at whether i like the colors, composition, use of the medium, creativity, innovation, craft work, etc. if i see something in it that challenges me or inspires me, if the work is good, i’ll check for the artist’s name. if the painting sucks, i don’t care who painted it.
in the same way, people who don’t know christ don’t really care whether or not god’s signature is on your life. they don’t believe how good he is or how much he loves us or how great an impact he can have on our lives. they look at things a person does and how he does them. they judge you by your works. matthew 5:16 tells us to “…let your light shine before men, that they might see your good deeds and worship your father in heaven.” how does he interact with other people? how well does he do his job? how good is he with his money? is his character above reproach? how does he treat his wife? how good of a father is he? etc. it is our responsibility to live in such a way that people look at us and give god credit. if they see the impact that god has made in our lives manifest itself in excellent living, then people may look at the one who put his signature on our lives.
every time i go to one of these, i hear or see something that gets me fired up. see this post from last year’s district assembly in georgia for another example.
Posted on July 18th, 2008 by adamdeweber
Filed under: Uncategorized
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virb
Well said. I couldn’t agree more. When I look at art I hardly ever jump to looking for the signature. I take it all in and look for it later. Hope you’ve enjoyed your week of reports, suits, and the ever popular “Holiness Unto the Lord.”