Look at What My Kid Did!

 

I will make known the LORD's loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us--the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion - Isaiah 63:7

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life - John 3:16

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace - Ephesians 1:7

He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit - Titus 3:5

We wonder if you are like us. Do you have pictures on your refrigerator? By that, we mean drawings from children. You know the kind - a hand that looks like a turkey; a blob that is supposed to be dad; a hand that has seven fingers; or the loving stick figure family.

Whatever might be on your fridge - we bet it means something to you.

Speaking of children artists, Thane Hutcherson Ury, missiologist, professor, theologian, biblical scholar, pastor and premiere story-teller shares the following story that we can all understand:

There was an extremely wealthy man who was an avid collector of fine art. He gained some notoriety for accumulating an impressive collection. Sadly, his heir and only son died prematurely. The man loved him deeply, and had even placed one of his own son’s childhood drawings right between a Picasso and Rembrandt.

When the affluent man passed away, a public auction was held with all of his enviable art pieces. The invitation-only auction drew over a thousand bidders from across the world.

The auctioneer opened the occasion by first putting on the block the self-portrait that the man’s deceased son had drawn. Everyone could tell it was not a professional offering.

When the floor opened for bids, no signals came. After an embarrassing silence, a shabbily-dressed, diminutive figure walked down the aisle. The auctioneer recalled his face as one who had volunteered to load the moving trucks.

This was the servant of the wealthy man.

This servant had cared for the son for years, and wanted just one keepsake. Something to fondly remember the boy by. Feeling out of place, embarrassed, and with no sense of bidding protocol, he pulled some crumpled dollar bills from his vest pocket and asked, “Could I buy the child’s self-portrait?” Without a moment of hesitation, the auctioneer immediately slammed his gavel, saying, “Sold!”

The huge crowd shifted with excitement. Murmuring began erupting across the group. There was great anticipation that the “real” auction would now begin.

But shockingly and to the dismay of all, the auctioneer hit the gavel again and said, “The auction is done.”

Loud chatter, confusion, and anger ensued. The auctioneer finally got everyone’s attention and went on to explain. In the wealthy man’s will, he left crystal-clear instructions: his son’s self portrait was to be sold first. And then, with no other qualification, he clearly added that whoever offered to buy his son’s work would freely receive the rest of the art collection.

The master of the house had decided well in advance that whoever loved his son and accepted his work, should not only have his son’s work, but all the other works that belonged to the father.

In a very real sense, this is the same thing which happens to the person who places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ - the only Son of the Father. When we receive the work of Christ - the cross, death and resurrection - when we place our faith in him - when we freely receive his love - when we are showered in his mercy - when we are saved by his grace - we simultaneously receive the works and blessings of his Father who now becomes our Father.

As we read in John 6:32-40: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

We don’t know about you but have you ever stopped to consider the free gift of life which God has bought and paid for? When was the last time you took time to ponder the “amazing grace” you received when “Jesus paid it all?”

The great Christian thinker Thomas A Kempis once wrote: “A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.” Never forget - God loves you. And, that, our friends, is more valuable than any gift we could ever receive. After all, look at what his Son did!