The Artist
The painter sat quietly, patiently and intently; just studying “The Subject” looking carefully at every feature, then studying very carefully the feature that they were about to reproduce, looking at the colours, textures, tones, shadows and uniqueness. Then when they had it exactly impressed on their mind, the brush and paint were picked up, the correct brush selected, the mixing and blending of the paint to gather the exact toning, apply a little, step back and re-study the subject, adapt and try again, and then skilfully it was perfectly reproduced on the canvas.
Hour by hour and day by day the work went onwards, and gradually the image appeared, firstly came the sketching’s and line drawings that mapped out the proportions and the placement of the details, then came the bold and strong base colours, then the layers built up until that feature was finished, and then the perfection developed as shading, shadows, reflections and other minute details were layered on. Features appeared more fully day by day, and as the Artist skilfully worked, the features that were complete were gradually joined up to other finished features, until all was finished, the Artist stepped back, and declared, “It is Finished.”
Quote; “The mind of a man or woman does not come down in a moment from purity and holiness to depravity, corruption, and crime. It takes time to transform the human to the divine, or to degrade those formed in the image of God to the brutal or the satanic. By beholding we become changed. Though formed in the image of his Maker, man can so educate his mind that sin which he once loathed will become pleasant to him. As he ceases to watch and pray, he ceases to guard the citadel, the heart, and engages in sin and crime. The mind is debased, and it is impossible to elevate it from corruption while it is being educated to enslave the moral and intellectual powers and bring them in subjection to grosser passions. Constant war against the carnal mind must be maintained; and we must be aided by the refining influence of the grace of God, which will attract the mind upward and habituate it to meditate upon pure and holy things.” {AH 330} The Philosopher once said, “If you talk about your troubles, and talk them ore and ore, the Devil will think you like them and proceed to send you more.”
Quote; “Dear Readers, it is by beholding that we become changed. By dwelling upon the love of God and our Saviour, by contemplating the perfection of the divine character and claiming the righteousness of Christ as ours by faith, we are to be transformed into the same image. Then let us not gather together all the unpleasant pictures—the iniquities and corruptions and disappointments, the evidences of Satan’s power—to hang in the halls of our memory, to talk over and mourn over until our souls are filled with discouragement. A discouraged soul is a body of darkness, not only failing to receive the light of God, but shutting it away from others. Satan loves to see the effect of the pictures of his triumphs, making human beings faithless and disheartened.” {CCh 80}
A fine Artist Painter once painted a magnificent huge forest Giant, capturing all the lumps and bumps of the bark, then one noticed on deeper inspection that there were minute shadows of one bump of bark on another. Looking even deeper, there was a tiny line of ants walking up the tree on the bark, and then one discovered that the Artist had actually painted even more microscopic shadows from each tiny ant, which was perfectly reproduced on the rough tree bark. Detail upon detail perfectly reproduced, all in perfect order, perfect symmetry and perfectly placed. So is the “Image of God as found in Christ Jesus” being perfectly reproduced in you, or do you reflect the image of the “Accuser of the Brethren,” Mr Satan himself, the father of our fleshly lusts, the Father of Sin, the Enemy of God, our “Birth Father” who has abandoned us in the Pig Pen of discouragement and abandonment.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him;” Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith;”
Quote; “If you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour, you are to forget yourself, and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ, tell of His goodness. Do every duty that presents itself. Carry the burden of souls upon your heart, and by every means in your power seek to save the lost. As you receive the Spirit of Christ (the Spirit of unselfish love and labour for others) you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. {COL 67}
Quote; “Looking unto Jesus we obtain brighter and more distinct views of God, and by beholding we become changed. Goodness, love for our fellow men, becomes our natural instinct. We develop a character which is the counterpart of the divine character. Growing into His likeness, we enlarge our capacity for knowing God.” {COL 355} So is the “Image of God as found in Christ Jesus” being perfectly reproduced in you? Quote; “Do something every day to improve, beautify, and ennoble the life that Christ has purchased with His own blood. {MH 491} Will you let Jesus Christ, the Master Artist, paint himself in perfect image, duplicated upon your character, right now?
