Color My World

You don't have to be with me very long before you realize I color my world.

I live by color. I think in color. I teach in color. I study in color. It's been that way for most of my adult life. It's my way to remember what I learned as I studied & listened. It shows me how to decipher what I need to understand and reminds me of the importance to grasp the Way the Lord prepared for me to walk. 

I have 3 priorities. Each priority is represented by a color that helps me remember God's declaration of an absolute truth about Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord.
I found that truth in Romans 11:36. 
            "For from HIM and through HIM and to HIM are all things. 
                                    To HIM be glory forever. Amen."
Proving I believe God's purpose in Christ, I want to live that truth in all I do. This helps me daily know & evaluate my heart is not deceived by shallow living. My mentor taught me that sincerely living truthfully would be able to be seen fitting together through my choices. Living by colored priorities shows me the proof of intentional living truth. 

Spain Interview (click on this to hear an interview: Journal in Color)
While visiting Spain this past fall, I was asked to be interviewed because a friend remembered how I shared my priorities in color. There was no preparation. 
Suddenly, there were bright lights and cameras with one instruction: "Share."
I told of my love for Jesus and his Word. I shared how much I wanted others to know His love for them. Because I needed to learn to "Speak Jesus" to others, I created a colorful method to remember and learn.
In this interview, I simply talked as I flipped through examples on journal pages I held in my hand. These examples are divided by color, representing my relationships. I carry this journal easily wherever I go so I can quickly give visuals of my priorities. Most of the pages show simple charts of how I think in life, study, learn & remember passages in Scriptures. It also gives visuals for sharing Jesus both to believers for growth and unbelievers for more understanding. It opens understanding of how a believer can prove obedience to God's Word in every area of life. At a glance, the colors broadcast a priority backed by Scriptures pointing to Jesus. As I record, I hope to prove that my daily choices remain balanced even in the little things.
My journal is full of color because I organize my life by color. To know the meaning of colors, you must understand my relational priorities and understand the reasons I chose the particular color for that priority. 
 
My relationships are all about HIM.  

1. My relationship IN Christ is to bring HIM glory. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 says, 
"For God, who said, "Let Light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. I have this wonderful treasure in me, although, I am only a fragile human. I have been given the glory of God (Jn 17:3) I want to carry it well and let it be seen in me! Yellow is bright, shiny and reminds me of glory. I highlight in yellow everything I learn about God - His character & attributes, His love, His thoughts for me, and His will for me and this world.

2. My relationship in the Body of Christ is my second priority because when this relationship is strong, I have a good spiritual support group for encouragement and a safe place to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This body has many members who have been given spiritual life through the blood of Jesus Christ's offering of His own life. His sacrifice of blood made it possible for Him to bring me to God. This Body is royal. (2 Peter 2:9) so I use BLUE to remind me of my membership in his Body. To encourage growth, this safe place has instructions on how to treat "each other."


3. My relationship in the Work of Christ wraps up everything else that hasn't fit into the other two priorities.    

God was in Jesus reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them. Jesus gave His life on the cross, willingly shedding His blood in sacrifice, to bring us to God. All mankind was going the wrong way - their own way (Isa 53:6). He pointed to God and said "Follow Me." Those who receive Him become His followers. Because Jesus wanted to stop everyone from the wrong way, I use RED to remember to help others Stop, turn around and look at Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth & the Life. (John 14:6)  

As the years have passed, the colorful practice grew quite by accident to portray a complete rainbow of colors. I found the reality of keeping my 3 relational priorities needed further explanations because things are not always as they should be. As in art projects, I realized simply combining the primary colors (Yellow, Blue & Red) with each other creates secondary colors (Green, Purple & Orange). These combinations helped explain to me what I was actually dealing with when confronted by mixed behaviors within relationships. 

Secondary colors can be for another post. 
But for now, taking the time focused on Christ's Glory (yellow), Christ's Body (blue) & Christ's Work (red)is a simple step in deciphering the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for me.  Here's how I start:
YELLOW - no matter what I hear or read, I ask, "What is this teaching me about God & His Son, Jesus Christ?" John 17:3 says eternal life is Knowing. I highlight or write on yellow the response I've learned. 
Example: I read: "The Lord is my shepherd."  Highlight: shepherd. Response: It is the Lord who shepherds me. 
BLUE - I ask, "What does this teach me about the Body of Christ, or the assembled believers?" 
RED - I ask, "What characterizes those Christ seeks to save? These may be precious opportunities where we can share God's message of reconciliation. (2 Co5:20-21)   

The colors are found in so many fun office supplies & stickers! It's easy to carry 3 colored pencils to use as object lesson items as well as coloring. There are post-notes, labels, stickers, papers, as well as pens & markers. Any simple composition notebook or journal can be used to record what you learn along your path but make sure the weight of the paper is thick enough to hold ink or glue! Make it fun & simple.
I hope you grab yours and begin the adventure of visual colors brilliantly lighting up your ministry as an ambassador! 2 Co 5:20 
I hope these colorful explanations encourage another to consider a more intentional way to move from abstract concepts to more visual proof (2 Co 6:6) of truly living a balanced life that pleases the Lord.  

Who is boasting on You?

My reading in The Daily Light abruptly stopped at these words...
"my feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside". 

Wow. Imagine saying this in your SMALL GROUP when asked about your week.
In most "christian" circles today, those words would be met with scorn. Rebuke would follow, some being appalled at the pride and boasting, and perhaps even Bible verses would be thrown to refute the reality of anyone standing firm with such a testimony!
Discussion and questions dispute our ability to follow closely in His steps, lecturing often on how our weakness causes our feet to turn aside from His Way!
Afterall, they say, "we're only human"!

These constant opinions often puzzle me for they are argued by those who have been promised the Presence of the Comforting Guide, constant and continual, and One who is "able to keep them from stumbling".
To many, "Stand firm in their faith" becomes wishful thinking, and it is obvious there is not the applied belief in their God who IS "able to keep them from stumbling" (Jude 24).
Yet we read this shocking testimony from an Old Testament character, from an account which happened long before the Law was given, ages before the Cross claimed victory, or even the Covenant of promise. He stood without the Guide and Power who is given to believers today. In his testimony, Job saw through eyes of faith God's declaration, cry of Victory, and he stood firm in his faith, knowing for sure he saw reality.

Just as many times we find ourselves in a circle of more worldly wisdom, Job was surrounded by more human experience and educated knowledge. He faced the same accusations thrown around today when someone stands firm in faith.

I found it imperative for me to read the full account of Job in one sitting, recording repetition of advice, and folly. As I read his story, I also found an:
in spite of a circle of friends who scolded, rebuked, reproved, and basically corrected Job.

They fired every shot of humanism with arrows of pragmatism, relevance, comfort, experience, happiness, moderation, obligation and even personal responsibility.

This ancient man stood firm in his Faith. In his saddest moments when companionship would have been refreshing, he was verbally rejected by "friends". When comfort could have been extended, he was corrected and rebuked by elites and youth alike. Yet, Job held firm to faith.
And...
God boasted of him!

The Scriptures tell us that "powers and authorities in heavenly places" present themselves before the LORD where God boasts to his enemy about his servant!!

That is so awesome. I wonder how often this scene plays out in heaven today! Here is now the scene I believe described in the New Testament:

Ephesians 3:10 "...so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our LORD."
From Job, I learn the dangers of opinions, and determine to build my faith in Christ alone through the Word of God given to me. I've learned to say "Give me Bible." because:

Misleading Lesson Prep for Small Group 

Comforters distort God and falsely declare...

1. God is hard task master, unable to please, full of wrath, ready to punish.

2. God is only known through life's experiences and physical explanations, therefore, rely on perceptions.

3. God will exact less than what we deserve because he knows we're human, so just try to do your best, realizing perfection is unreasonable.

Each "friend" of Job's ends his piece of advice seasoned with "hear, and know it is for your own good"... 5:27, 8:21, 11:15-19

Although each argument sounded plausible, Job refused to turn aside and doubt God.

Testimony printed to carry everywhere with me

Very weary of their comforting advice,
Job stood firm and testified...
He had a Redeemer.
He had a witness before God, testifying for him.
He knew he would see God for himself.
He knew he was upright and that his hands were clean, making his strength stronger.
He knew his God watched the way he chose... and
He knew when his God's purpose was fulfilled, he would be shining as gold.
Job stated firmly the substance his FAITH held, in unseen evidence.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, 
the evidence of things not seen."  Hebrews 11:1