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Have you ever heard of wearing a mantle? Jesus said the Holy Spirit was upon Him because God called him. The calling comes first; then the Holy Spirit gives us the power to walk in that calling (Acts 1:8). in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was given to people selectively but thankfully for the New Testament we are all called to the same ministry as Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). My great gram was was anointed with a mantle by God. It was displayed in her service to giving a room in her home to those that had no place. Her special gift was in the flowers she grew on her corner lot on Main Street that gave incredible beauty to her little town. My gram was anointed by God to wear a mantle to be in a light of in His service to the women of her neighborhood. They were drawn to be with her as she fed them her time, her food, her love of Jesus. Her special gift was in creating layettes for her churches sponsored missionary. My mother wore the same mantle. Her special gift was in her feeding not just food to all but in written words in a newspaper column and various Christian magazines. I wear a similar mantle. My special gift? In time I or others will look back and say “oh it was this” or “it was that” and then we will know. I see signs that my daughter wears one. It will be interesting to watch it unfold upon her and take the shape of the Cross as well. We all found that the mantle is heavy, maybe our cross, definitely our gift, and its worn with love for Jesus. Its our gift to Him to serve.

I came across a statement saying “Jesus did not come to save us but to restore us.” Hmmmm… my curiosity is piqued. So I read up on it. “ This I know… Jesus helped EVERYONE and ANYONE who came to Him. And to those who had no use for Him… He moved on from. “No one comes to the Father except through Him.” We are saved only by Gods grace when we repent of our sins to Jesus to bore them. In return… He lived His life as we should by living His life as a servant. His death and resurrection was to pay the price of OUR sins. Why? To save us from the Father. Ohhh yes! “…He is the One who is owed. He is the Sovereign we have rebelled against, the Father we have disobeyed, the friend we have betrayed…” from Daniel 9. And it is God who restores unto us out of mercy, compassion, love. He loves to hear, Psalms 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” coming from us as we grasp in ourselves just how Jesus lived for Him. So we can be beacons of His light for “them.” I love pondering with the Holy Spirit.

The angst of the prodigal son story arises upon my path again today. Its a bane to many parents. Shakespeare included this global trauma in his play The Tempest where Miranda is surprised that a noble woman like her grandmother could give birth to an evil man like her uncle Antonio and stated “Good wombs have borne bad sons.” This same phenomenon persists, evil? I am not so sure but certainly not biblically honoring “thy mother and father.” Has it always been like this? Is this why the honoring is included in the Ten Commandments and is also addressed in the Chapter of Luke? Luke, the physician and the reporter, of the New Testament writes of The Parable of the Prodigal Son. The young son takes off with his inheritance and squanders it in reckless living and then returns home to his forgiving father. In telling of the story there are key parts that get overlooked; one; even though the request and the reason for the financial request surely grieved the father, he didn’t argue with his son’s desire, he conceded to it. I believe he exhibited faith in his child. And second; the father did not chase after the son, did not impose his desires upon him, and the son, when in dire straights, made the first move in returning to his family. The first move in contrition after such a big bravado is an important character reset. It is a form of dying to self. Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And third, the father ran to meet him putting aside what transpired, an act of mercy so that his son didn’t arrive home defeated, but knowing he was wanted. And fourth… there will always be the one who who cries “not fair!” when witnessing the power of forgiveness.

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Discover Art! on the Outskirts Welcome to my Art! on the Outskirts Studio blog and shop to view my very own passion projects filled with unique and engaging content. Explore my site and all that I have to offer; perhaps Art! on the Outskirts will ignite your own passions as well. BLOG My Testimony Speaking from my heart in paint. On and beyond the canvas.