Mary & Martha

Mary & Martha
Acrylic on Canvas
30" x 40"
29/08/15
4.5 hours

This piece of Mary & Martha (& Lazarus) was inspired by a couple of pieces which I adapted from, most notably the painting by Nathan Greene, with some edits to illustrate food preparation. The guy in the background is a depiction of their brother, Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought back to life earlier.

I picked this story when I asked one of my close friends for her favourite bible story, and she shared this tale with me, which I found to be very meaningful. It came as a timely reminder to me. As a very performance-oriented and result driven person (especially in the workplace), I am often too caught up with worrying about ensuring that work targets and deliverables are met, rather than properly focusing on God’s wisdom. This story illustrates the futility of worry and reiterates the importance of learning His word and spending time with Him, which is more valued than dealing efficiently with the hustles and bustles of everyday life. It also illustrates our limited understanding when we go to God demanding for help in our daily life, and His eternal wisdom when He patiently guides us towards a greater spiritual understanding.

Luke 10:38-42 NIV sets out the tale as follows:

“At the Home of Martha and Mary

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.””

As background, the accounts of Martha and Mary had also been set out in 2 other accounts by John. John records the miracle of how Lazarus, their brother, was raised from the dead by Jesus (John 11), as well as the extravagant love of Mary, who had anointed the feet of Jesus with very costly oil at John’s recount of the same dinner (John 12:1-11). This illustrates how the entire family had no lack of love for Jesus. In John’s account, Mary was so humble, convicted and dedicated to Jesus and His teachings that no expense or personal act was too great or demanding for her to honor her Savior. She was not being lazy when she chose to sit at Jesus’ feet instead of helping her sister; this was an act of love to God.

Yet this was a very different perspectives from that of Martha. While Martha loved Jesus deeply, it was clear that Martha was “distracted by all the preparations”, and she was so upset that she called out to the Lord for help. Her indignation was clear; she asked the Lord doesn’t He care that Mary had left her to prepare the meal by herself, and insisted that Jesus ask her sister to help her out. Martha didn’t suggest that Jesus ask Mary to help her; she told Him directly to “tell her to help me.” Here, we see that Martha has the clear goal of preparing dinner for her guests, which would be the good hospitable practice at that time. This is in itself is of course not a bad goal. Martha clearly thought that this was the right thing to do. She expected Jesus to naturally agree with her.

But in response to her indignant demands, Jesus had gently responded as follows:

 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

For instead of focusing on preparing the meal, to address a physical need (and a possible social one, as they were hosts), Mary had chosen to sit at the feet of the Lord to listen to what He said. This led to her spiritual growth and understanding. For during the periods that Martha had spent worrying about the preparations for dinner, she could have had missed out on key aspects on God’s eternal wisdom. As such, while Martha may have been doing a good thing, Mary had chosen what was better – she chose to accumulate spiritual wisdom, truth and life. As John 6:63 ESV states, “…The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life”. Scripture further provides that “…Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Luke 4:4 NIV).

Further, as to pleasing God, the bible states that “I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth” (3 John 1:4 NLT).  Jesus would want nothing more than for us to walk in His truth and righteousness. But in order to follow the truth, we must first be well-acquainted with the truth. Oftentimes, we don’t spend enough time grapsing God’s truth and wisdom, and are content to survive with a shallow and superficial understanding while we worry and focus on the busy demands of our world. But is this the right approach? Jesus tells us our highest priority in life should be to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness …” (Matthew 6:33 ESV). The bible also provides: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:27 NIV).

Did Jesus or his disciples need the food prepare by Martha? Clearly not; Jesus could have provided for food Himself if required. As such, Martha’s reliance on her own strength, her strong demands and her indignance to the lack of support shows a limited understanding of who Jesus is and what pleases Him. She had worried unnecessarily, over things of this world that did not matter. For Matthew 6:25 NIV tells us “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

By choosing God’s wisdom over preparing food for her guests, Mary had chosen something that would not be taken away from her. For she had chosen what is eternal – God’s word, which stands firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89). Martha's life, however, was taken up with many secondary things which were not needed, but her key need was that which Mary acknowledged: the words of Jesus that give eternal life (John 6:68).

Daniel in the Lion's Den

One of my sweetest friends, Rach, requested for a painting of Daniel in the Lion's Den. Hence, I did an artistic impression of a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1615), with some amendments to more accurately reflect Daniel's age (as he should have been over 80 years old at the time of the incident). A picture of the final painting is as follows:

Daniel in the Lion's Den
Acrylic on Canvas
30" x 40"
07/08/15
5 hours
Given to Rachel Low

Illustrating the full size of the painting

This picture depicts the miraculous deliverance of Daniel by God from a den of lions, marking the triumph of good over the designs of evil, highlighting the power of discipline, prayer, wisdom, humility, faith and obedience to God in the ministry to a pagan nation.

I had not read the book of Daniel thoroughly prior to painting this picture, but as I read up for this, I was truly inspired by the character of Daniel and his best friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. They were uncompromising true men of God, who continued to follow His word, and who loved and obeyed Him despite difficult situations.

In 605 B.C., the Babylonians conquered Israel, and captured many of its promising young men to Babylon. Daniel and his best friends were among those that were captured. Despite being a captive in a pagan nation, Daniel and his friends had remained upright and faithful to God in all ways, such as through their diet and worship. Daniel was also highly capable and was blessed with great wisdom; with these attributes, he gained the favor of the king and rose through the political ranks. When King Darius the Mede took over, "Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom" (Daniel 6:3 NIV). His jealous rivals could not find any fault with Daniel's conduct, because "he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (Daniel 6:4 NIV), and had thereafter tried to use Daniel's faith in God against him. They knew that Daniel was prayerful, and they tricked King Darius into passing a non-revocable decree that, during a 30-day period, anyone who prayed to another god or man besides the king would be thrown into the lion's den.

Daniel did not change his habits, and continued to pray to God during this period. The evil administrators caught him praying, and informed the king. King Darius loved Daniel and was distraught, but the decree could not be revoked. He had no choice but to give orders to throw Daniel into the lion's den. "The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" (Daniel 6:16 NIV). Thereafter the king fasted all night and could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king went to the lion's den, and asked Daniel if his God had rescued him from the lions. "Daniel answered, "May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty." (Daniel 6:21-22 NIV)

"The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." (Daniel 6:23")

"At the king's command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion's den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones." (Daniel 6:24 NIV)

Thereafter King Darius issued a decree that in every part of his kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

"For he is the living God
and he endures forever
His kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions." (Daniel 6:26-27 NIV)

"So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian." (Daniel 6:28 NIV)

I was truly moved by this account. If only my friends and I could be as great testimonies as Daniel and his friends were! There was so much that I could learn from Daniel:

• Daniel was capable and faultless. He was trustworthy, and was not corrupt nor negligent. This caused him to gain great respect, and he became indispensable to the king. This eventually enabled Daniel to minister to the king through his actions, faith and through the miracles that took place. If Daniel had been incapable, negligent or untrustworthy, the king would probably not have cared whether Daniel was saved from the lions, and his testimony would not have been as moving. Hence, we must strive for excellence in our character and work each day!
• Daniel submitted to authority, save for the non-compromisable aspects of his faith. He did not think of himself as greater than the king. He was only there to serve and to do his job well. He did not refuse to work for a king of a pagan nation, recognizing that it is part of God's plan, and his only push backs were with regards to the non-compromisable standards of his religion. If he had been overly ambitious or arrogant or rebellious, he would not have been able to minister to the king or to the nation. How often do we struggle with the authority of our supervisors? This shows us that submission to authority can be so important in ministry.
• Daniel attributed all his wisdom and attributes to God. He never drew attention to himself. He only cared about doing what was right. This helped everyone to focus on Daniel's God, and the miracles that took place subsequently worked to further illustrate God's power and blessings. How often do we draw attention to ourselves when we are successful in a certain area? Why should we do so, particularly when all of our gifts are blessings from God? Drawing attention to ourselves would only hinder our ministry to the people around us.
• Daniel never compromised in his actions; he was disciplined. How easy is it for us to find excuses to compromise our conduct required from the strict and wise rules of the bible, when the world around us entices us away or threatens us! Daniel could have easily told God to forgive him for not praying for 30 days as he would otherwise be put to death. Would God have forgiven him? Likely. But would Daniel have been able to move the king with the miracles and thereafter minister to the nation? No. In order to do great works for His kingdom, we should never compromise our conduct and standards, even in this fallen world. God will provide opportunities for us to shine as His light, to lead people towards Him.
• Daniel remained prayerful. The importance of prayer cannot be underestimated. Prayer remains a means of communication with God, our father and creator. The importance of daily dialog with God is highlighted multiple times in scripture; it gives us an opportunity to share our lives, express our gratitude, confess our sins, share our burdens and enables us to acknowledge that God is the one who remains in control of our life. Daniel prayed each day and remained prayerful even when he was threatened with death. And God answered his prayers. We should make it a point to be as prayerful in our daily walk with God!
• Daniel had great faith. He believed in God and fully trusted in Him for deliverance. And for good reason - God is sovereign. All Christians know this. We just have to live this out. There were many occasions where God could have chosen to step in - to stop the law from being passed, to stop Daniel from getting caught even though he prayed, to stop Daniel from being thrown into the den... But He did not step in at those points. Yet Daniel remained faithful and trusting, to the last moment. And God protected him. Nothing is too difficult for our sovereign God. And God loves and cares for us, in particular, those who stay true to him. Even though our situation may appear bleak, we should never despair; God is great and mighty. And He loves us and will never let us down, as long as we cling on to Him.
• Evil is ever present, but God will bless the good, innocent, faultless and faithful. Nobody can please the world, especially this evil and fallen world. Daniel was faultless, but he incurred the jealousy of other evil people. They schemed and made evil plans against him. But did Daniel fight evil with evil? No. He just continued to do what was good. He did not try to protect himself; he trusted in God to protect him. And God protected Daniel, but allowed the evil men and their family to be devoured by the lions. Our God is fair and just; we should not try to take justice into our own hands.
• Our conduct is important in ministry. At the end of the chapter, King Darius passed a decree that in every part of his kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. This could not have been possible without Daniel's faith and conduct. Daniel was forced to live in a pagan nation. He could have despaired. But he did what was right, and pointed people towards God through his actions. We should strive to do the same!

This story makes me feel so inspired to strive to be just like Daniel and his friends!

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the Sand
Acrylic on Canvas
6" x 8"
30/07/15
40 mins
Given to a dear colleague

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 NIV), for "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (Jeremiah 31:25 NIV)

I painted this picture for a dear colleague, adapted from an image I sourced online, because I knew this was one of her favorite stories, and I sincerely wished to point her to God's love and motivate her during a particularly busy and difficult period at work. She has been so simply amazing, and I really wanted her to know how much we appreciate and cherish her. We are often so weary and burdened in our various callings in life - so many things demand our energies and the competing demands make coping with our workload appear impossible. I remember when I was a junior, quietly shouldering as much as I could to help as many of my colleagues as I was able, until I realized that I was unable to cope because work never stopped coming and my phone never stopped ringing. I was not a Christian then, and I had relied fully on my own strength. That was when I realized that my own abilities could be insufficient, and as I struggled, my Christian mentor had prayed with me and passed me a card setting out the story of "Footprints in the Sand", the beautiful poem from which this picture originated as follows:

"One night I dreamed a dream.

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you."" 

   - By Mary Stevenson

At that time, as a non Christian, I did not fully understand the impact of this message. As I refused to surrender my difficulties to God, I was unable to rest in His arms or feel His support. In fact, I suspect that if I were able to view my footprints then, I would see footprints resulting from a stubborn struggle - God reaching out to me, and me pushing Him away. No wonder I felt so troubled and exhausted then!

But now, as I am more mature in my faith, I realize how blessed I am to be able to appreciate this message and to have a loving God who would walk with me throughout all of my life and carry me in the difficult moments. The ability to rest in sweet surrender in His arms in my difficult periods has been one of the most beautiful parts of my Christian journey. And indeed, why is there a need to be afraid of anything? For "In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Psalms 56:4 NIV) And it is true, for when our eyes are on God and not on merely pleasing men and obtaining things of this world, do we realize that we own a priceless treasure that no man can ever take away.

"So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"" (Hebrews 13:6 NIV)

Trusting in God

Trusting in God
Acrylic on canvas
6" x 8"
29/07/15
40 minutes
Given to a close friend

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)
 

I was asked by a close friend of mine to paint this picture for her when I shared this image with her at church. The original artist is unknown, but the picture has received attention online and has since been circulating in Christian communities.

This picture struck a chord in me. In this image, Jesus is seen bending down to speak to the little girl and to directly reach out to her and seek her trust. He has no ill intentions - He carries a huge teddy bear, indicating His greater plans. The little girl is fully aware that Jesus is God ("But I love it, God"), yet is struggling to surrender her toy to Him because she loves it too much.

I see myself as the little girl, being overly attached to material things, desperately clinging on to the tiny teddy bear representing my worldly treasures and possessions, unable to fathom the greatness of the Lord and His huge teddy bear representing the larger heavenly treasures that He has in store for those who fully love and trust in Him. Sometimes I find myself pushing Him away even when He directly reaches out to me. I find myself unable to let go of something that is tangible and securely in my hands, to replace it with something which is intangible, or which I cannot immediately hold.

Yet this is short-sighted, for the Bible tells us "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV)

This verse warns us of the love of earthly things, which would perish over time, but urges us to focus on things that are eternal, such as the treasures in heaven. It tells us to keep our heart on God, so that we are able to build our happiness on a more lasting and noble foundation, and to keep our heart and souls completely pure, for "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matthew 16:26 NIV).

In addition, we have no reason to doubt God's goodness or plans for us. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)  "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13 ESV)

So this picture reminds me to continue to fully trust in the Lord, even in things that I cannot understand, and seek Him in all things, so that He may set my paths straight towards Him and away from the love of tangible material things. For He is good and knows what is best for me. I will seek Him unceasingly, I will keep on knocking on His door, so that the wonders of His heavenly treasures will be open to me and within my reach!

 

Jacob Wrestles With God

My very first piece is a depiction of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32:22-32. I did an artistic impression of a painting by Eugene Delacroix (1861), and here is the result:

Jacob Wrestles with God 
Acrylic on Canvas
30" x 40"
25/07/15
8 hours

Slightly different angle, taken in the morning

Illustrating the full size of the painting

I've always found this story both intriguing and inspiring. Jacob was an interesting character in the bible, and he always stood out to me. He was flawed - deceitful, manipulative, overly infatuated by beauty (i.e. Rachel), self-reliant - yet very much loved by God, the way God loves all of His children. This story marked a change in Jacob's life, a shift from stubborn self-reliance to determined and persistent reliance on God, where he had grown from the ambitious deceiver to be renamed as "Israel", the one who is Triumphant with God.

 "The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.

(Genesis 32:22-32 ESV)"

Jacob was about to meet his brother Esau, whom he had deceived of his father's blessing, causing him to have to flee from his home for many years as Esau was enraged and had wanted to kill him. Jacob was afraid, and very vulnerable. And as he was alone, he met a manifestation of God, whom he battled with until dawn broke. It isn't entirely clear what the nature of this battle was - some commentators view that this was a prayerful struggle, others view that it could have been an actual battle. Nonetheless, it was in this event that Jacob confronted all of his life failures, his weaknesses and sins, and struggled through all of them with God, wrestling with Him. And in the end, he prevailed by clinging on to God.

From the text, it appeared that God may have initiated the wrestle with Jacob ("and a man wrestled with him"), to bring him to physical and spiritual submission. Jacob continued the battle, and refused to submit ("the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob"), upon which, with a light touch, God caused Jacob's hip to be put out of joint ("he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him"), illustrating His great power. God asked Jacob to let Him go, for the day had broken. However, Jacob clung on to God and refused to let go, even though the day has broken (and he could potentially be killed if he saw God's face in the light), until he had received God's blessing. And it was only after Jacob acknowledged God and His presence in his life, and ceased his struggling but shifted to a persistent clinging and reliance on God, that he received God's blessing.

After the fight, Jacob met Esau, who welcomed him with open arms, and the brothers thereafter reconciled.

The following in particular inspires me in my Christian walk:

• God loves us so much that he will struggle and wrestle with us through the difficulties in our Christian walk 
• God is powerful and strong and mighty (a mere touch of Jacob's hip socket had caused Jacob's hip to go out of joint!), and while we may be inclined to trust in our own abilities, our own strength is so limited compared to His power
• God blesses those who cling on to Him 
• Even though it may sometimes be difficult (and painful - Jacob was injured!) to hold on to God, we should persist
• We should cling on to God desperately and trust fully in Him (instead of our own limited strength which is so easily overcome by God's might) in all areas of our life

When I look back on my life journey, I realize I had for the most part been a flawed self-reliant person who had no heart for Christ. I have struggled and still struggle with God for control over my life, and my deceitful heart always tries to justify my "wrestles" until God deals me a blow that wakes me up. But I want to change that, I want to learn to always cling on to God and rely on Him for all of my life, no matter how difficult it may appear. I want to persist in my walk with God, not just for one night, but for the entire journey.

And this story inspires me to do so :)