Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
If I were to mention the Sistine Chapel, all of you art history majors would recognize the creator as Michelangelo. This guy knew how to do so much. He was the epitome of a Renaissance man. He had his hand in so many different art forms. One particular form of art we're going to focus today is sculpting.
The Vision in the Marble
He would go out, find a slab of marble, and stare at it. One of the things he was known for saying was that he could actually see the sculpture he would make in the slab of marble. All he had to do was chisel it out—get rid of all of the extra marble.
Today's Verse of the Day is such a beautiful parallel to Michelangelo's statement.
It's 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 18. Paul writes, "And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."
A Beautiful Parallel
I think we can make a lot of really great parallels to the Lord in what Michelangelo was saying. He said he could look at a slab of marble and see the sculpture on the inside. All he had to do was get it out.
I think when the Lord looks at us, He sees what He created.
The Gospel Must Complete This Picture
This picture is incomplete without the Gospel, so let's put the Gospel into this.
We all are created in the image of God. God knew what He was doing when He made us, and then sin happened. We chose to do something outside of God's heart and it hurt Him. Sin actually separated us from God.
In a world of sin, you might see this in your life. I know I've seen it in mine. I think that God's creation of me is lacking something. I go and I put a little something here, and I think if I make this adjustment here, then that'll make me worth more to people around me. I start building on to God's original creation.
But that's not how God wanted it.
God Sees Through Our Sin
In fact, He can look at us through our sin and see what He created. It's up to us to decide whether or not we want to receive the salvation that only comes through Jesus's death on the cross and His resurrection.
If we do, what happens is beautiful and a little painful at times.
God as a Sculptor
If we think about God as a sculptor, He's coming in with tools to remove the parts of us that are actually hindering the original design. He's coming in and He's taking His hammer, and He's knocking off the things that, honestly, will hurt to let go of.
If there's ever been a part of you—maybe if you've dealt with some addictions in the past, or some thought patterns or some history you're not proud of—that the Lord has confronted, it might seem a little too forward at times. You might think, Lord, I'm good if You take everything else but this area here. I don't want You to touch that. That's going to hurt.
God Comes in Love
We have to believe that when the Lord comes to us, He's coming to us in love. He's not only restoring relationship, He's actually shaping us into something beautiful. The Bible compares us to God's masterpieces, and He's also kind.
He'll come to us at times that He sees as most appropriate and say, I want to take care of this for you. He won't rip it out of your hands, but there are times where He'll be very forward and say, it's time to deal with this.
Maybe you find yourself in that position right now, and you feel uncomfortable with the things that God is wanting to do in your life.
The Finished Product Is Beautiful
If we were to take a step back and go back to Michelangelo for a second and look at how beautiful his sculptures were—sometimes it took a little extra force and a little extra sanding down to get the texture just right. But when you step back and look at the finished product, it's beautiful.
God's intent for you is nothing short of miraculous and beautiful.
Points to Our Future
This picture is something we live through daily as Christians, but it also points to a future that we can look forward to. The Bible says that when we are with the Lord, we will be like Him. Paul, even later in this book, talks about how we will inherit new bodies—things that aren't going to be weighed down by sin or ailment or pain any longer.
We will have a perfect body just like Jesus, and we will look just like Him.
Dare to Trust Him
If you're in a place now where you're struggling to get through the things that God is asking you to let go of, I would ask you this: dare to trust Him. Dare to trust the process, even if it feels like you're having to let go of something you've grown with for so many years.
Believe that the Master Sculptor, Jesus, is doing something that may not make sense right now, but points to eternal glory with Him. There is hope. Keep pushing on, and He'll take care of you.
