Ladders

LADDERS

       The town of Grand Junction, Colorado is a mecca of community artwork.  Their main street is dotted by over a hundred creative pieces of art.  The bronze sculpture above can be interpreted in various ways.  The artist probably meant for it to represent "climbing the ladder of success." 
       I see it differently.  When I read my devotional in Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, yesterday, I was reminded of this picture of a ladder that I took many years ago. Imagine Jesus saying to us, "If you encounter a problem with no immediate solution, your response to that situation will take you either up or down.  You can lash out at the difficulty, resenting it and feeling sorry for yourself.  This will take you down into a pit of self-pity.  Alternatively, the problem can be a ladder, enabling you to climb up and see your life from My perspective.  Viewed from above, the obstacle that frustrated you is only a light and momentary trouble."

       A second picture featuring a ladder shows me climbing up a ladder out of an Indian kiva in Mesa Verde, Utah.  I'm looking happy and relieved to be climbing out of the small, dark underground kiva.

       This reminds me of the verses David wrote in Psalm 40:  "I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth - praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord" verses 1-3.

       Being pulled up or climbing out of any kind of pit is cause for celebration and praise to almighty God.  Yet, as we're reminded throughout scripture, experiencing a stopover in a pit is part of our growth process.  The key is to learn the lesson as quickly as possible and climb out of that pit by the power of the Lord.  And don't forget to use the ladder to climb up and see what you've gone through from heaven's view.  Nothing happens by accident -- not even pits along our pathway.

     Finally, I'm reminded of one more ladder picture I took in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the Church of the Spilled Blood.  This mosaic shows the angels in the dream Jacob had on his journey to Haran.
 

       Here's what the Bible tells us about Jacob's dream:  "...and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  And behold, the Lord stood above it..." Genesis 28:12.

       In spite of Jacob's less than stellar character (he was a deceiver and usurper), God blessed him in that place and promised to make he and his offspring a great nation.  

       God's grace showered on such a flawed man as Jacob gives us great hope, knowing that no matter how flawed we may be, God can and will use us to do great and mighty things in His name and in His strength.

       His amazing grace is like a ladder into heaven, lifting us beyond the ordinary and into the wondrous presence of Holy God.

Idols

IDOLS

The picture above shows the goddess Artemis, a cult figure in ancient Ephesus, and the ruins of one of the temples where she was worshiped.  Artemis is just one of many false gods/idols that have been worshiped over the ages.  Sadly, idol worship is still happening today.  The Bible has much to say about idol worship.

The very first command in the Ten Commandments is, "You shall have no other gods before me" Exodus 20:3.  Because it is so important, the second command follows suit:  "You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them."

“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” Habakkuk 2:18-20

Idol worship does not only consist of worshiping a false god.  We are to be very careful not to put love of anything before our love for God.  The song writer William Cowper captured that timeless message in his song, “Oh, For a Closer Walk with Thee,” (in 1772).

        The dearest idol I have known,
        whate'er that idol be,
        help me to tear it from Thy throne
        and worship only Thee.

You and I are not likely to bow down to a statue of Artemis or Buddha, or any such carved image, but how often do we put people, activities or even dreams before our worship and obedience to God?  We need to always remember to place God on the throne of our hearts.

"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" Revelation 4:11.

The Rapture

THE RAPTURE

          As soon as I saw this picture on a Facebook post (thanks, Steve B), I immediately thought "Rapture!"  To me, it is a wonderful illustration of what it will look like and feel like to be Raptured up into heaven when Jesus calls His children home.  Imagine that this ten-year old boy accepted Christ as Savior a couple years earlier.  He is wheelchair-bound, but when he hears a trumpet sounding in the sky and sees Christ in the clouds above, he is drawn upward by the power of God, along with all other Christians, as we meet the Lord in the air and rise up to heaven together.
           The boy is happy and eager, with legs that are suddenly strong as he reaches toward Jesus, and freedom and joy everlasting.  What an absolutely beautiful picture!!

            The reality of this picture is that it's the memorial and grave for a ten-year old boy named Matthew Stanford Robison, located in Salt Lake City.  I borrowed the picture from a touching article written about the boy.  Matthew was born in September 1988 and he died in February 1999.  His was a challenging, but much loved-life.  Due to a lack of oxygen during birth, he was severely disabled, blind and partially paralyzed.  His family has a deep faith in God.  They created this sculpture to show him "free of his earthly burdens."

             Although it does not appear that the Robison family intended for this statue to represent their son being Raptured, that is what I see and that's what thrills my heart when I look at this picture.
             I'm reminded of the verse, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words" 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

             I took this picture some years ago when we were in Red Rock Park, Nevada.  It looks as if a couple of people have just been Raptured up to heaven during their climb on the rocks, and all that remains are their shoes and clothes.  It's the kind of scene that gives me chills.  Someday, that scene will be repeated all over the world a million times over.  It will be a strange sight to those who remain.
             The key is to be sure you aren't among those who will be left behind.  Jesus said, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" Matthew 24:44.
              Being ready is as simple as asking Jesus to save you.  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" Acts 16:31.
              There's a poignant song called, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready."  That's my wish as well.  Please, make sure that you are ready for that day so that we can all rise with joy and power together - just like the little boy in the picture.  What a glorious day it will be!!

Rijksmuseum Visit

A Visit to the Rijksmuseum of the Netherlands

The Rjksmuseum was opened way back in 1885 and it has become the largest art museum in the Netherlands, as well as a world-class museum in its own right.  It's very large!  The photo above shows the beautiful Gothic museum from across one of Amsterdam's many canals.  We visited the museum in 2015 when I took these pictures.  Let's look at some of the artwork within its massive walls.

We begin our tour of the museum in one of the first exhibit halls - rather crowded, especially in this section where there are a number of wonderful Vermeer paintings.

"The Love Letter" (1669-1670)

by Johannes Vermeer

"The Milkmaid" (1660) by Johannes Vermeer

This is one of my favorites!  The painting glows with life.

"Figures in a Courtyard Behind a House" (1663-1665)

by Pieter de Hooch during his Delft period

"The Windmill at Wijk Bij Duurstede" (1668-1670)

by Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael

This is a world famous painting.  River Lek flows in foreground

"Militia Company of District VIII..." (1643)

by Bartholomew van der Heist

This is a portion of the 24 feet long oil painting.  Quite impressive!

"Portrait Bust of Johann Neudorfer, the Younger"

by Johan Gregor van der Schardt 

Terracota bust - very lifelike

A massive library of old books 

(at least, I'm guessing they're old & maybe rare)

"Portrait of Emperor Napoleon I"  (1805-1815)

Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor in 1804, 

exiled to Elba in 1814

"Portrait of William I, King of the Netherlands" (1819)

by Joseph Paelinck

Napoleon's defeat in 1812 allowed William 

to return to the Netherlands as monarch in 1813

"David" by Pietro Magni

Marble statue, Milan - 1851

Classic pose of David as he winds up to slay Goliath

"The Death of Pharoah's Firstborn Son" (1872)

by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

A poignant scene from Exodus when the firstborn of Egypt died on the night of the first Passover.  Moses warned Pharoah, but he didn't listen and he reaped the whirlwind.  This extreme event caused Pharoah to let God's people go, so they were able to be set free from nearly 400 years of slavery.

"Children of the Sea" (1872)

by Jozef Israels

One of my favorite of the paintings -- so Dutch!

"Charity the Educator" (Florence - 1842-1845)

by Lorenzo Bartolini

The boy is reading a scroll on which is written, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  These words mirror two verses in the Bible:  Jesus said, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.  Jesus' words are repeated in Luke 6:31, "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  These commands are commonly known as the Golden Rule.

In these challenging times we are living in, the Golden Rule of doing good unto others is especially important.  I hope you've enjoyed your trip through the halls of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  Stay safe and well - and God bless your day!!

"If My People..."

"If My People..."

It's an interesting fact that even on the cloudiest day, above the clouds the sun is always shining.  In this photo I took from the window of a plane, there is dense cloud cover which would be causing the people on earth below to have a dreary, cloudy day.  As we flew above those clouds, the sunshine was so bright at times that I had to lower the window shade.

There are a number of messages we can see in that illustration.  During this time of worldwide pandemic where some might see dark clouds of disaster blocking the sunny days of our lives, we need to remind ourselves that the sun is still shining above those clouds.  Sunlight will break through eventually and sunny days will return.  I'm reminded of Jesus words, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" John 16:33.

I'm so thankful that God is in control of every ray of sunshine and every drop of rain.  I'm also so thankful that He is full of love and grace in the midst of this sinful world.  We must always remember that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" Ephesians 6:12.  Right now, one of the enemies our world is battling is a nearly invisible enemy called Covid-19.  Although it is tiny, the virus can still be seen through a microscope.  A greater enemy is truly invisible, but very active and even more deadly -- that is the spiritual hosts of wickedness that we battle every day.

As our enemies seek to destroy us, we are given a promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  God said, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  If there was ever a time God's people should be on their knees seeking the face of God, it's now. 

As children of God, let's band together in prayer for our nation, for our world, and for the many lost in our midst.  Let's pray that God will fill us with that peace and good cheer He offers to us so that we too might be overcomers in this world.  "If God be for us, who can be against us" Romans 8:31.