Victory on the Cross

Victory on the Cross
Oil on Canvas
9" x 12"
11/09/15
1 hour

This is my first oil painting, and is one of my favourite paintings to date. I chose to paint this image of Christ’s death (with His spirit leaving Him) from a picture that I found online, as it meant so much to my faith.

Further to passages setting out Christ’s betrayal, torment and mocking, Matthew 27:45-55 (NIV) sets out the account of Christ’s death as follows:

“The Death of Jesus

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.”

Christ’s death (and His subsequent resurrection, marking victory over death) is the hallmark of the Christian faith. Since the fall of Man through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, the whole of Mankind have been cursed with sin. In order to be reunited with our just and righteous God, Man had to be restored to righteousness. In the old testament times, animal sacrifices were used as an illustration of what was needed to bridge this gap; after Christ came as the perfect sacrifice, our relationship with God is restored through our love for, belief in and obedience to Christ.

I used to struggle with this concept deeply as a non-believer. I used to wonder, why would God make an imperfect creature such as Man, doomed for damnation, to be salvaged through such a cruel method involving a completely innocent human sacrifice? However, now, after being blessed with God’s grace and having been enlightened, it means so much to be able to share my new insights on the meaning of this picture to me:

1.     Free will. The story of our salvation with Christ begins with free will. God graciously granted free will to Man, which he created as a relational being in His image. What was valuable to God was for Man to choose to exercise our will freely to conform to His word, to be a family with Him in the kingdom of His righteousness. However, Man fell away from God and continuously exercised free will for ungodly purposes. Even those who loved God deeply would often fall from grace. After the fall, nobody, on their own strength, was able to exercise free will in a manner fully pleasing to God.

2.     God is righteous and just. There are consequences for the ways we choose to exercise our free will. There is so much open sharing about God’s love, but an equally important aspect of God’s character that is less shared about is His just and righteous nature (and the anger and wrath that often follows from this). As Psalms 9:8 (NIV) states: “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.” To be judged before such a righteous God is truly a scary thought. When I was a non-believer, I used to have long debates on God’s “righteousness”. I didn’t question the existence of sin (which is rampant), but questioned why the Christian God was such a bloodthirsty God, demanding the sacrifice and blood of perfect innocent animals (and subsequently Jesus) as penalty for sin. While I recognized that it would otherwise be our blood which needs to be the price, since He makes the laws, I felt that a practical way was for exceptions to be made, without blood having to be shed. For what did the poor animals (and Jesus) do to deserve punishment for our transgressions? But as I matured in my faith I realized that these systems were in place because God cannot compromise on His perfect standards and wanted us to recognize the severity of sin. God demanded animal sacrifices as an illustration on the severity of sin and the holiness of God, and Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, was a gift of God taking our place Himself to bear the rightful punishment of our sins.

3.     God loves us. God is a deeply relational being, and wants nothing more than to relate to each of us personally. But that is not all. Spending time together is just one aspect of love. Love also requires an aspect of vulnerability, of sacrifice. To love is to be open and to allow ourselves to be hurt. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV).  Jesus was God, but He came down to the world as a Man, fully vulnerable, to reach out to us and love us. He could have stayed in heaven, but He did not. He came down to be with us. He opened Himself to us. He was stung by rejection. He was humiliated and hung up on the cross. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” 1 John 3:16 (ESV). God loved us THIS much, to come down as a Man, to be mocked and humiliated and rejected and betrayed subsequently, all for our sake.

4.     Christ is the intersection of God’s love and His justice. Christ came to take our sins away, and is the perfect intersection between God’s love and justice. It may be difficult for us to acknowledge this, but we are horrible sinners, each and every one of us, and we all deserve God’s wrath. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV). Christ was God. He did nothing wrong. “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 (ESV) “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV). “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV).

5.     Christ’s Sacrifice is Necessary. John 3:14-15 (NIV) states that “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Jesus had reached out to Nicodemus using a passage in the Old Testament (Numbers 21:5-9), where the Lord sent venomous snakes to punish the Israelites for their incessant complaints in the desert. When Moses interceded on their behalf, God instructed Moses to make a bronze replica of a snake and raise it above the camp on the pole. Those who were bitten would be healed if they looked at it and acknowledged their guilt and expressed faith in God’s forgiveness and power. Likewise, Jesus had to be crucified (i.e. lifted up), and His death would form a necessary part of God’s salvation plan. Such salvation is independent on any works or righteousness on our part, and is based on full dependence on God’s free gift to us. That of course does not mean that we are not to do good works – rather, we are saved by Christ for good works, and not saved by ourselves by good works. God was victorious through Christ’s death. The battle against Satan was won through Christ’s death on the cross, and our victory over sin has been secured through Christ.

6.     Christ was obedient onto death; we are to ‘take up the cross’ and follow Him. “Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:8-10 (NLT). Christ was afraid, but He was obedient and endured. Ultimately, He saved us from the penalty of our sins, and was exalted beyond measure. As believers, we should follow suit in Christ’s example as God only has the best plans for us. As stated in Matthew 16:24-27(NIV): “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 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? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” As seen in the foregoing passages, a true disciple of Christ is one that does not deny Him, but instead denies themselves (i.e. their sinful human nature) to follow Him. This means that as Christians, we should walk in His path, led by His spirit, fully obedient to God’s directions as Christ himself was. There are eternal consequences to our decisions, and we are wise if we choose to follow the footsteps of our saviour who has redeemed our souls with His own blood. There are times where it will be difficult, where life may seem unfair (i.e. Jesus’ death was through no fault of His own). But if we choose to be obedient to God, we can become great tools which He uses to accomplish His glory for His kingdom and people!

7.    Eternal Consequences and Rewards. Christ is victorious over death and over sin; even if our passage on earth is daunting and challenging (as earth is a sin-filled place full of imperfections), we can expect eternal rewards for our obedience to him. Revelations 21:9-26 sets out the following vision of John:

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

The above account illustrates the eternal glory that awaits those who are obedient to God’s words; in contrast, on the day of judgment, for those who do not follow Christ, it is written that “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelations 20:15 (NIV). There, “…[t]hey will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelations 20:10 (NIV).

For God had created the heavens and earth, and had loved us so much that He had reached out to Mankind repeatedly and had called us to repentance to His truth. He had even come down to earth to die for our sake, to bridge the gap between His righteousness and His love, so that we may be able to stand with Him in His presence. But those who choose to remain willfully blind and/or deaf to His love, call, justice and truth will not be able to join Him in eternal glory after the first death, but will be forever separated from Him for eternity. To be in a world without the presence of God eternally is indeed a terrifying thought.

Which choice will you make?

8.     Prayerfully Seeking God. When I was a non-believer, I found it difficult to believe or “buy into” the truth of God’s word because this was only one of the many “possible truths” out there in view of the multiple religions worldwide. I always believed that there was one ultimate truth (that we would be stupid not to follow/acknowledge), but had a difficulty discerning what the ultimate truth was. However, as I was sharing my struggles, one of my Christian friends told me to simply pray about it if I was sincerely seeking the truth. For Jeremiah 23:13 (NIV) promises us that “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” So I did. God did not answer my prayer immediately – there was no instant enlightenment. Rather, He brought me through a really painful process that stretched over more than a year, which made me realize that He is real and which spoke to me in a way nothing else could. If anyone is struggling with difficulties in accepting the Christian message but believes that it could be the ultimate truth, I urge you to pray sincerely with all of your heart. Because these prayers can work wonders!

Baby Moses in River Nile

Baby Moses in River Nile
Acrylic on Canvas
11" x 14"
11/09/15
2.5 hours

I painted this picture of baby Moses in the river Nile (adapted from an image which I sourced online) on the suggestion of one of my colleagues, who felt that this was a meaningful account and reminder that we should always trust in God, who has the greatest plans for His people.

As background, Moses was one of Abraham's descendants, whom God raised and ultimately used to deliver His people, the Israelites, from Egypt through many miracles. Previously, Joseph's jealous brothers had betrayed him, and had sold him as a slave to the foreign land of Egypt. With God's blessings, however, Joseph had found particular favor with the king there and, with great wisdom and foresight, he had risen through the ranks and had eventually saved his family (whom he graciously forgave) from a severe famine by bringing them to Egypt.

In time, however, a new king, who knew nothing about Joseph's contributions, came to power after Joseph and his brothers had passed away. The new king tried to oppress the Israelites (who were exceedingly fruitful) to prevent them from multiplying, but this was not successful. He then ordered the midwives to kill Israelite male children during childbirth, but the midwives feared God and this did not work. Finally, he ordered that all Israelite boys born shall be thrown into the Nile.

Exodus 2:1-10 NIV sets out the account in respect of Moses as follows:

"The Birth of Moses

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”"

This account is meaningful for the following reasons:

• We should not stubbornly rely on our own strength, and should always trust in God to step in. Moses' mother clearly knew her son was special; he was "a fine child". She tried to hide him for 3 months, and when she knew that she was no longer able to do so, she placed him in the Nile. Through this, she had left his future entirely to God, as she would not be able to control what happened after. Anything could have happened. Her son could have been found by a person who lacked compassion. Her faith in God's protection of His people and His greater plan is truly inspiring, and had led to great results. If she had stubbornly sought full control over her son's destiny, she would likely never have left him in the Nile, and Moses would not have been found and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter. In the end, God not only protected Moses, but enabled his mother to continue to take care of him.
• God can achieve amazing results even through the Pharaoh's daughter. Moses was delivered into the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter. Her father had passed the decree for the death of Israelite boys. She could have had the same mindset of her father. But instead, she was compassionate even though she recognized that he was a Hebrew. Eventually, she adopted him and brought him up as an Egyptian prince. Even though things seem bleak and impossible, God can turn any situation to His glory and for His purposes. Furthermore, God often allows His people to live amongst others - in these cases, we should not immediately assume that they are "enemies", but should lead a Godly life in their presence with the purpose of introducing them to God's glory.
• God is always present even when He appears silent. Many Israelites must have suffered and some Israelite baby boys may have died during the period of oppression. During this period, the Israelites may have assumed that God no longer cared for them or loved them, for why would He otherwise allow such evil? Yet through this account, we see that although God permits evil because He graciously granted free will to men, He will always have a deliverance plan and will never leave His people. God is always working in the background, even though we may not immediately understand, appreciate or see His greater plans.
• God works in His own time, in His own way. God could have immediately struck the Pharaoh down and stopped him from threatening His people, but He did not choose to do so. Instead, He brought Moses up to lead His people through the desert with miracles, provide them with His laws, and deliver them to the promised land. Oftentimes, we have our own ideas of what we would like God to do for us, but we must always trust that God has a greater plan and purpose, and that sometimes we may not be able to immediately comprehend what this could entail.

This account inspires me to always trust in God, no matter what happens, as He is always watching and cares greatly for us. He will always have the best plans for those who love and trust in Him.

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 :)