The Last Supper

   Dad wrote this in his New Testament…. 
   “This is a replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. This masterpiece took over seven years to paint. The extra ordinary story behind this masterpiece is astounding. Leonardo felt that he should use living persons as his models since this was to be such an important picture. He started with the painting of Christ. Hundreds of young men were studied to find a man who’s face portrayed innocence and beauty. After a long search he found a man whom he felt could portray Christ. The painting of Christ took six months. When he was done with Christ, it took 6 more years to paint the disciples until all were completed accept one. That one was Judas. To find someone who looked like Judas was a problem. After a long discouraging search, da Vinci heard of a man in prison in Rome who was sentenced to die for his brutal crimes.
   Leonardo went to Rome where the prisoner was brought before him. He saw in this man who’s face was ugly and vicious – scarred and full of hate. He knew immediately that this was the man he wanted to represent Judas, the Savior’s betrayer.
   By special permission from the king, the person was brought to Milan to pose for da Vinci at appointed hours each day. Finally the gifted artist finished his painting. As the guards were taking the prisoner away, he broke loose. Rushing to da Vinci, he gasped and said, “Look at me!!!”: “Do you not know who I am?!” With his sharp, piercing eyes, da Vinci looked at the man and said, “I do not know you. I never saw you until you were brought to me in Rome.”
   Then the man lifted his head towards heaven and cried, “Oh, God… have I fallen so far?!” 
   Then he turned and said, “Leonardo da Vinci, Look at me again!!!” “I’m the same man you painted only seven years ago as the figure of Christ.”
   This was copied by dad when he was in Calgary, Alberta while visiting a member of the church and he happened to glance through the Family Bible. 
   People change… sometimes for the better…sometimes not. Jesus warned against this since we don’t know what is in the heart of man. Marshall Keeble once said, “I’m not a judge… I’m a fruit examiner.” It might do us better if we just examine the fruit as opposed to judging based our feelings or ‘think-so’s’ or on what someone else says. The way we judge others will come back to bite us as we will be judged the same way (Matthew 7).
   Fact is, we just don’t know what’s in the heart of man… but Jesus does. Paul later instructs us to be careful when dealing with Christians who fall or sin… Helping, restoring… with a spirit of gentleness demands a spiritual heart. The danger? Who knows… somewhere down the ‘time-line’  you also may fall…. 
   Falling is not usually done over night… it happens ‘bit by bit’ and step by step in the wrong direction. Beginning in the heart (Matthew 5:27-28), which is just as bad as the ‘real thing’ only to find that ‘thoughts not taken captive for Christ’ have taken to root and produced a plant that bears bitter fruit… You may not even recognize yourself.
   Thank God for His love, grace and forgiveness… Thank God for a Savior who even washed the feet of Judas… and accepted cursing, denying, Peter. Thank God for a Savior who  was patient with his disciples then… and now… 
   The was once two who came to worship God. One was a Pharisee and the other a Publican. The Pharisee prayed and said, “O God, I am so grateful I am not like this Publican.” The Publican would not even look towards heaven, but hit himself on his chest, and cried, “Oh, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Just like the man who posed for Jesus AND Judas…. “Oh God… Have I fallen so far?!”
   Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved (saves) a wretch like ME….Praise God for His matchless grace… Amen walls!!!

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It’s A Chicken… It’s A Duck

        
   The old Chinese couple slowly went upstairs to bed. The night was quiet and all their farm animals were in their place. They had worked hard keeping their small family farm going, and finally they could lay down and sleep. It didn’t take long for her husband to fall asleep, but she for some reason was unable to sleep. All was quiet, the candle flickered, casting soft shadows on the walls. She rehearsed everything she had done that day. Then she was startled by a sound… “Quack” ”quack”…  Again the sound, “Quack” “quack”. She didn’t want to wake her husband, but she did.  She gently shook him… “Honey, honey, wake up!” “I heard something!” (Again the sound) The husband said, “It’s just a duck.” She replied back, “No, honey, it’s a chicken.” The husband told her once more, this time, a little more agitated, “No, it’s a duck, go back to sleep!!” Still she kept on saying, “No, honey, it’s a chicken, I know it’s a chicken, right?” The husband threw the blanket off, and was obviously angry, turned and looked at his wife, his hand drawn back as if he was going to slap her.  In the soft light of the candle, he saw she was scared. He put his hands softly on her face, and held her as he said, “Yes honey, you’re right, it’s a chicken.” They laid back down, and went to sleep.
   Take your time, read this again… this is important. How important is it to be right all the time? You say, “Very important!” Let me take a moment and challenge this… it may just help your home. When my wife told this story to me, I just couldn’t help by shed a few tears. It spoke of a need in my life. The need to learn I didn’t have to prove my point, be right 100% of the time, to have my way all the time. Some things are important, and of course a time to ‘make a stand’. There are also times, when it is not so important.  It takes love, patience, wisdom to know the difference. So, after she told me this story, there were (and still are) times when there would be a disagreement. In my mind I asked, is this really all that important? If not, I would say, “Yes sweetheart… it’s a chicken.” Sometimes I would just say this to myself, sometimes verbally, and we would smile, sometimes have a laugh. Dad always said, “Jack, choose your battles wisely. There’s no need to make a big deal out of everything.”
   Paul says, “Love is patient, love is kind” (I Corinthians 13:4a). “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ….. husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (Ephesians 5:25,28).
   Next time something comes up, take time to think. Who knows, maybe “it’s a chicken”.

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The Rubber band

   Simple things can make a huge impact when conveying truths about Bible principles. Illustrations don’t have to be fancy by any means, but they need to do what is intended… put light on the subject… not on the illustration.
   A rubber band is a simple but powerful illustration. When dad used it in his lesson on grace, he would simply use it to show how the very essence of God’s grace is that which does not condone sin and imperfection, but accepts in spite of sin and imperfection.. to a point.
   You can stretch a rubber band just so far, and then it breaks. Of course it’s wrong to ‘try’ and ‘stretch’ God’s grace (Romans 6:1-2) yet most have done this. His grace ‘stretches’ though…. that’s the nature of grace (using this illustration). Grace means “unmerited favor”, but what is that, if it isn’t acceptance that cannot be earned or deserved on the basis of how good you are or how perfect you keep commandments. (Keep the commands of Jesus… but don’t depend on your command keeping to save you.) If you ‘merit’ God’s favor, then you have earned it, and God is in debt to you, on the basis of your own life and actions. (Like the worker who comes to the boss and says, PAY ME WHAT I HAVE EARNED!) Who is going to lay claim to ‘meriting’ (earning) God’s favor? Paul said, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Then again in verse  20, “By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight…” If grace means anything to me, it means room to grow, to get up and ‘try again’ after falling. Like Grandma said to grandpa, who was being a bit tough on little Johnny.. “Give that boy some elbow room!” 
   Can a person lose this great gift of “unmerited favor”? Of course, but too many Christians think that every time one sins, he falls from grace till he publicly confesses and repents and prays, and then the Christian is “back in grace again”. “In and out, in and out…” Are there times for public confession? Yes. However, the idea that grace is so narrow (like walking a tight rope) and rigid that there is no ‘elbow room’ or room for growing, can’t relax and enjoy being saved, no room for mistakes (sin)… in my judgment is not right.
   What about those sins you forget to mention in prayer? What about those sins that you cannot pray about? Suppose you are in a car accident, and end up in a coma before you can repent and pray? Such a picture of grace provides no confidence to the Christian. Yet one can fall from grace, and be lost. When? In short, when a person turns his back totally on Jesus and won’t come back. This means one must repent (turn and come back), but in this case, the person will not ever repent (Hebrews 6:4-6). If he did repent would God receive him? Of course… that’s the nature of God’s love. Yet a heart that is hardened, cannot be molded, changed or taught.
  What can be learned from a rubber band? Well, next time you pick one up, just sit and stretch it and think… God’s grace is so good. He loves and saves even me, and can save you as well.

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