Tag: The goodness of God

You’re My Favorite

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What I’ve learned about God through painting

By Erin Lamb, all rights reserved.

I am by no means a professional artist. However, I love to paint. I have loved painting since I was a child. Every painting is a treasure because it was birthed from my imagination. I think of the vast imagination of God. He is the most ingenious being in the Universe. If you look around, you will see His greatness painted on this canvas called earth. Every person was birthed in His mind before the foundations of the earth. He pulled out His living paint brush and began to create. Every pink sunrise and vivid sunset is a reminder of His creative genius. He took great care in creating the most sophisticated things in the world. Everything was made by Him and for Him.

So what about you? You are one of His favorites. You might say that is a little bold and God doesn’t have favorites. Well, you are His favorite you. He only made one of you and therefore you are His favorite you.

I have been obsessed with painting trees or butterflies the past few months. Every painting has trees or butterflies, but no painting looks exactly the same. Even though they are all paintings that contain trees or butterflies, each one is my favorite. Each one has tremendous value. Others may look at the rows of paintings and say, “I like the lean trees, they are prettier.” Or someone else might say “I like the richness of the larger trees and the beauty in the diversity of the bark.” Or they may say, “I love the colors of this butterfly.” The truth is I am the artist. All the paintings have the same value to me. I hate to part with any of them. I hate to choose which one I like the best. They are each the best to me. They are mine. I created them. They are all fine-looking to me. If someone asked me which painting was my favorite I would say, “They are all my favorites. I love them all.”

God is the finest artist. He looks over the earth and smiles on what He has made. Since every living creature originated from His mind first, each creature has immense value. He says to you, “I love you. I knew you before you were a thought in your parent’s minds. You were made by Me and for Me. You have tremendous value. No one can take your place. I breathed life into My imagination to make you. The way you look, the way you sound, and your capabilities were designed by Me.”

There is freedom when we recognize that we all have immeasurable value. We are not a mistake. The great artist says “You’re My favorite you.” It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, or even what you think of yourself. You are valuable. You are a gift. You are priceless. Listen to the words of the One who loves you more than anyone ever could. He loves you. God loves you, and to Him you were an excellent idea.

Love Parable

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Love Parable

By Erin Lamb ©, all rights reserved.

I love that Jesus told stories. Stories seem to stay with us. Instead of dumping facts on us, they makes us think and dig deeper.

The Rich Mansion Owner:

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

There was an extremely wealthy man who had a multi-billion dollar home. Oh, did I mention it overlooked the beach, miles and miles of beaches. There were tennis courts, basketball courts, feasts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were heated pools and every luxury imaginable. He provided everything. He made sure the home was clean, spotless even. He asks you to accept his invitation to be with him and be a part of his family. Yes, there were some house rules but he offered to be the one to help you keep them. He asked that he was called if there were any problems. There were to be no worries about things getting broken or messed up; he would clean it up.

It was the most beautiful mansion in the neighborhood. The house was filled with laughter, joy, peace, and sometimes dancing. It was almost effortless to live with him because he was good, kind, loving, affectionate, considerate, and compassionate. Every day the man would prepare a favorite meal and spend time preparing something special for every person in the house. He asked that you live there with him as family and not behave as a guest. It was your house too. Everything in the house belonged to you. You had full access to the fridge, the activities, and whatever the man did, you could do. He even gave you access to his bank account. All his money was yours too. He let you carry his credit cards and everyone in the town was to know you were his beloved. He smiled at you daily and encouraged you to be the best you, you could be. He loved spending time with you, sharing his thoughts and wanting to hear yours. If you made a mistake, he quickly forgave you and kept loving you.

One day a stranger shows up at the door. He’s a nice looking guy. He tells you, “You should leave this house. This man (home owner) is trying to keep good things from you.” The stranger says, “He doesn’t love you. He just wants to control you. I mean why do you need to stay on this property when you can strike it out on your own. Wouldn’t it be nice to do your own thing? Wouldn’t it be nice to not be under the watchful eye of this man.”

You think about what the stranger says. You begin to wonder what else is out there.  Can you really trust the man who opened the door to his mansion. Does he really love you? You start to think, “I can do life on my own. There has to be something better out there.”  You leave with the stranger. As the stranger drives away you recognize that the beauty of home is fading behind you.

The stranger takes you to a shack on the edge of town. It is run down and polluted. It stinks. It’s dark. There are other people chained inside. He throws you in a room, locks you in, and laughs at you. He spends day and night telling you how awful you are and how stupid you are for leaving paradise. Day and night you are tormented because this isn’t home. You find yourself alone and hopeless.

Meanwhile the owner of the mansion is looking for you. He can’t live happily without you. He loves you. He drives and drives until he pulls up to the shack. He calls your name. “Come to me,” he yells. “I want you back. I love you,” he exclaims. The stranger doesn’t want to let you go, but he has no power stronger than love. As you realize what you had and how much you’re loved, the shackles release you. The door opens, and you run into the arms of the one who loves you. He loved you before and he loves you now. He rejoices because his beloved is coming home. You see, he wasn’t withholding something from you, he was protecting you.

God loves you. Anytime God says no to something it’s because of love. He always has something better in mind. Anytime God convicts of sin or tells us to repent it’s because He loves us. He loves us. Let that sink in. What God has for us is far greater than anything we can give ourselves or what anyone else can do for us.

If you don’t have a personal relationship with God, it comes through faith and acceptance of His Son Jesus. Jesus died for all our sins, so we could be reconciled with the Father. We believe, we confess our sins and need for a Savior, and we invite God into our lives. If you don’t know Him, your missing out on the most amazing relationship you’ll ever have. He is amazing.

Photos from Microsoft Clip art