March Week 1 - I Will Follow
Points that jumped out at me when reading Romans 8:1-17:
-There is no condemnation for those who live in union with Jesus Christ.
- Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants.
- Those who obey their human nature cannot please God
- But if Christ lives in you,the Spirit is life for you...
- Those who live by God's Spirit are God's children.
- For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, "Father! My Father!" God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children. Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory.
Plus Romans 8:28: We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those who he has called according to his purpose.
An image came to mind of a path. Each side of the path was a wasteland - what it is like to not live in union with Christ...to have a mind controlled by human nature...a dark, colourless land where the people are not living full lives and are limited wherever they go and whatever they do. A sad place. The people are like shadows of the people they could be.
The path however is a happy place! Full of colour and light and where the people are children of God, living in the Spirit. It's always a path of course, following on from January's transformation which is ongoing. A path of love also; love of God, love from God, and love for each other by the humans on that path.
I wanted to make the path look happy and attractive of course! Bright colours, pretty flowers. The representation of the Spirit is still there, continuing from last month's pieces, and the people on the path live by the Spirit. One child on the path helps another child; someone else is closer to God, another rests in God's love on the path. Somewhere off in the distance is the bright light of God - and the rays of light from February's pieces are also still there.
The people who do not live in union with Christ look on as they stand in their dark, colourless and barren lands. It would be easy for them to just take a step and walk onto the path, to enjoy that life, and yet they have not done that - yet!
I used a lot of red as in our Church we use red at Pentecost, representing the Spirit. The happy and colourful path is filled with red - filled with the Spirit - the flowers, the birds, the landscape and the people.
I have to confess this piece makes me a bit uncomfortable! I wanted to try to make it more positive and not dwell too much on the 'wasteland', but it demanded to be seen! Right at the end I even made it darker as it just seemed to want to really push the contrast at me! Also, I think I feel uncomfortable because although it's simply representing the Bible verses, it almost feels like judging others, which I try to stay away from!! Anyway, it is what it is! It looks nothing like the sketch I did when reading the verses and again I have no idea where it came from really as I just stamped down brush shapes and a landscape formed! This took hours longer than my pieces usually do as well! Not to sure what to make of it lol!
Made with CU brushes and Afrika Children font.
TFL!
Bernie x
P.S. If you'd like to join us at His Kingdom Come for this year long project, you can find all the details HERE! x
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