As Leonardo DaVinci attempted to complete the painting of his famous Lord's Supper masterpiece, his mind drew a blank. Apparently, Leonardo was so angry with one of his chief critics that he had secretly used the man's face as a model from which he painted the face of Judas Iscariot. For weeks, Leonardo wrestled with the fact that he could not clearly get into his mind's eye the face of Christ to complete his important painting of the Lord's supper. Finally, one of Leonardo's trusted spiritual advisors asked him what was wrong, "Leonardo explained his predicament and the godly man said, "Jesus said, "If you have something against your brother, first make things write before presenting your offerings before the alter." (Matthew 5) When Leonardo made things right with his critic, instantly his mind's eye was able to envision the face of Christ that has served as a guide for billions throughout the centuries. Perhaps, there is something that is hindering you from seeing clearly the face of Christ? The following are obstacles that often stand in our way from seeing Christ in all of His glorious splendor, majesty, and truth!
It Is Not Easy...
- To Apologize,
- To begin afresh,
- To be unselfish,
- To take advice,
- To admit error,
- To face criticism,
- To withstand false accusations,
- To face scorning,
- To be charitable,
- To forgive,
To not keep records of others' faults,
- To admit weakness,
- To be a servant,
- To take an unpopular stance,
- To humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God,
- To keep trying,
- To submit to those who are spiritual responsible for us,
- To be considerate,
- To avoid mistakes,
- To be courageous,
- To endure against opposition,
- To stay humble in success,
- To be considerate,
- To listen to others' problems,
- To profit by mistakes,
- To turn tragedy into a triumph,
- To let God build ones' character,
- To avoid mis-beliefs,
- To confess sins of omission and commission,
- To confess sins of disposition and wrong assumptions,
- To think first and then act or speak,
- To keep out of ruts of complacency and routine,
- To make the best of what little we have,
- To not complain about things outside of our control,
- To subdue our anger, jealousy, bitterness, or lusts,
- To shoulder a deserved blame,
- To recognize the silver lining behind every dark cloud,
- To let God remold and make us after His will,
- To discipline ourselves for the purposes of Godliness,
- To follow Christ's priorities rather than our own,
- To love others as Christ loves us,
- To listen to the Spirit's directive rather than our own desires,
- To take deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Christ.
But, It Always Pays Big Dividends! ! ! - Gal. 6:6 - Whatever a man sows that will he also reap (in quantity and quality)
