Encounter: Read slowly and meditate on the words Paul uses in Ephesians 1:13-19 in The Passion Translation and The Message. Underline words or phrases that seem to stand out to you. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and revelation in how this applies to your life in this season. And then read Proverbs 9:10-12, how does this speak to your relationship with Yahweh, your Creator God.
It’s a Masterpiece!! This is what I heard over and over as the budding artists in Celebration Hall viewed one another’s paintings carefully created on canvas bags. This past Thursday night 17 women gathered to be taught, to learn how to paint a beautiful pathway through a forest. Our master teacher, Lindsay Edwards, shared God’s Word and what it means to walk with God when it seems we are in the thick of a forest and even when we wander off the path we can trust our God to guide us back. I also heard her say at times God guides us to create a path others will follow, a brand-new path.
What was so interesting is we were all painting the same picture, but each one was so unique. We were all using our brushes to paint trees, flowers and our path, yet they were different in their shapes and colors. I thought isn’t this what we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday, that, “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation[f] to know him through your deepening intimacy with him… and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith causes your lives to be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! A brand-new path each time as we allow our lives to continue to be transformed by Holy Spirit for His glory and for the love of others.
And it all begins with receiving the Spirit, this relationship with our Creator, this wisdom from on high as we listen to our Master Teacher tell us, “The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Yahweh. To receive the revelation of the holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding, for Wisdom will extend your life, making every year more fruitful than the one before.” (Proverbs 9:10-12).
This is what Paul prayed for those who followed Christ in his day and so we hear the invitation to pray for one another this prayer we find in Ephesians 1 and in Proverbs. That just as we celebrated one another’s unique paintings that we encourage the Masterpiece that is being revealed in each one of us so uniquely by the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.
This Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the birthing of God vision 2,000 years ago and today as God’s people are called together to paint and create what we see our Master Teacher showing us in his example of who His church is to be and calling us to journey down the path He is guiding us to. Let us pray together…
Spirit of God, Lord and Giver of Life, moving between us and around, like wind or water or fire; breathe into us your freshness that we may awake; cleanse our vision that we may see you more clearly; kindle our senses that we may feel you more sharply; and give us the courage to live as you would have us live, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
On the Path with you,
Pastor Tammy
Reflect: If you could describe your life as a painting, what would you see? Where is God calling you to create as you are an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you? Who are the people of God He has invited you to journey with on the path? Are you making margin in your life to invest time with these relationships?
Encourage: Take time to tap into your creative side. Take a painting or pottery class or even create a new path by planting new flowers or a garden. Ask God to speak to you through these creative processes. Better yet , do this with a friend and then study Ephesians 1 together, praying this prayer over one another.
Gather: Study Ephesians chapter 1 and Proverbs 9 with your small group. What is God painting as you gather together weekly? Pray the Ephesians prayer over one another for a month. And then ask yourselves what has changed? Where is God calling you to go deeper and more invested in painting His pathway.