Picture This

Just when you think you are doing so well. Just when you think you've got it all put together. Just when the black clouds part, the sun comes out and the day seems to be saying to you I am all yours do as you please, but please do something!

This is the moment Listen...... that's right listen. God has words he wants for you to hear. He has a lesson you need to learn. "No" you say "today is your day and everything in heaven and earth is smiling. Guess again.

Today is a day made not by our skilled hands or words. Today like everyday is brought to us by none other than our God in heaven whose very words spoke it into existence.

The Lord repeats himself many times to us saying "He who has ears let him hear!"
I say to you today he is asking you to open your eyes and see as well. See him and what he has done for you.

On the cross he bore all sin. Not just the sin of murder, theft, but also the sin of lies, selfishness, chosen ignorance, pride, hate, gossip, etc, you know I could fill the page.

I was laying in bed one night contemplating whether I should get up and feed the dog. I had forgotten to give her fresh water that day. There lying in the warmth of blankets, my full stomach too comfortable to be moved, I sank down farther into selfishness. That is when I pictured this.

Jesus's face staring back at me. Those dark brown puppy dog eyes. Literally! I saw how things really are. What ever we do upon one another we have done upon Jesus. You may think it is strange for me to see the face of my Jesus on a dog sitting by the fence of her kennel waiting hoping for some fresh water. waiting, hoping for a kind word and a pat on the head. I laid in bed and before I got up I saw my Jesus's face go from one person to another. I saw his face on my child when the day before I had belittled him telling him he was acting like a baby. I saw Jesus staring back at me from the teller at the grocery store that I had not been particularly polite to. I saw him on the face of the homeless man I did not give my coffee money to as I walked passed him into Star Bucks for my must have caffeine fix. I pictured the face of Jesus on the woman I had sneered at inwardly who was wearing such outlandish attire in public.

Jesus said "what ever we do for the least of these you have done unto me. "I always thought of this verse in a sweet "help the poor" kind of way. Which is the scriptural take of the rest of the passage. But like all of God's word this passage has a deeper meaning.

How would you treat Jesus as a guest in your house? How would you treat him if you passed him on the street after a hard day of work? What if Jesus was wearing grunge clothes and smelled like he'd shoveled his share of manure and he stood for a moment by your side waiting for the bus and in one breath you turned away and ran for the nearest hand sanitizing out post?

It is a hard thing to do. Picturing Jesus paying the price for our every sin is not an easy task. But it is one we have to do. It is fact that he bore it all. But perhaps if we stop and picture this! Jesus on the face of the one we are about to disgrace, belittle, sneer, lie too, steel from, Mach or make fun of. If we could do this I believe we would start treating each others as the verse intended us to. We would start loving as God intended us!
If we can stop and Picture Jesus we can stop putting our selves before others. We can start to full fill the two most important things God has for us to live for.
Love the Lord your God with all you heart and love your neighbor as your self!

Praise God for his loving all knowing eyes. Praise Him for his life he gave to us on the cross! Praise him for forgiveness and the ability to be transformed for the better by learning from our mistakes.