A Priceless Painting

“The Lord within her is righteous; He does no
wrong. Morning by morning He dispenses His
justice, and every new day He does not fail.”
Zephaniah 3:5

Look through a list of the most expensive paintings ever sold and you’ll be staggered by the value placed by collectors on some of the rare treasures adorning canvases around the world. Take for example Paul Cezanne’s ‘The Card Player’, finished in 1893; this famous masterpiece, holding the distinction for topping the sales chart, was purchased by the royal family of Qatar in 2011 for an astounding $250 million. The values might go down from there but sales of artwork at exorbitant prices, in the tens of millions of dollars, have become commonplace in our day.

In reality, we are all painters but our canvases are our minds and the subjects of our works range far and wide. We paint pictures of what people are like, of how they’ll respond to us, of what is motivating their behavior, and more. We paint pictures of our future, how certain events will play out and what the end result of our actions will be. But by far the most crucial, and potentially the most valuable, picture we will ever paint is the one we paint of God.

What I want to propose is that if you paint a right picture of God in your mind, it will become the most priceless treasure you’ll ever possess, able to keep you through the most difficult of times. And without a doubt that is one of those ‘easier said than done’ propositions. You’ve got to get the love of God and the mercy of God just right, not to mention having the justice of God and the righteousness of God in just the right proportions. And you’ve got to rightly depict the heart of God, using His Word, without letting the circumstances of life distort the picture you’re painting of God. Not enough love and the picture won’t sell at Wal-Mart. Not enough justice and the picture will sell like hotcakes but the value will plummet over time. Not enough greatness or goodness, and even you won’t want to put your God on display for all to see.

On this Easter morning, we have a beautiful vantage point from which to create the most precious painting of all time. The empty cross, the ultimate symbol of selfless, sacrificial love, still stained by the blood of a Savior, is perfectly visible; the empty tomb of a Risen Christ, whose righteousness death could not overcome, offers us life, hope and unending joy; and the power of God, seen this Resurrection Sunday, is on display for all to see and lay hold of!

Happy Easter,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church