Friday, March 11, 2016

Connecting God's Dots

As a child, I really enjoyed the activity called "Connect the Dots". It is a safe and secure activity. If you simply follow the rules and directions, you'll feel like a winner every time after it is done. There's a variety of "Connect the Dots" pictures, from easy level (connecting the dots from 1-2-3 or A-B-C) to expert level (connecting the dots to the next number by 5's as in 5-10-15-20). And, guaranteed in the end, if you followed the dots as you should, you will end up with a complete image or picture of anything from butterflies to a house to a dog. And, have those colored pencils ready because you will get to color that final picture.

As an adult and as a child of God, I tend to refer my discipline to connecting His dots. Making decisions that are based on His will is not an easy or simple task as a maturing Christian. My decisions must be situated upon prayers, scriptures, communing with God on a constant basis in order to move to the correct proceeding dot.

To connect the dots effectively and to live effectively, our gaze must remain upon Him. If we look away, we will stumble. And, there are times when we do lose focus, but the good news is that at least God allows a redo or two if we repent and obey Him just as how He commanded the woman who was caught in adultery as told by John 8:11 (NIV), "Then neither do I condemn you...Go and sin no more." We would still have a chance at creating that beautiful end-picture when His dots are connected properly. There will be mistakes along the way, but we must surrender everything to God and allow for Him to help us through.

I can't wait to see the result after my dots provided by God are connected. It is a long road, but we must remain focused on Him and His promises. Can you imagine what eternity will be like? Picture yourself in this and meditate on this great promise found in Revelation 21:1-8 as follows:
 
Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away."

Wow...what a beautiful picture! Can you imagine??? This is a tremendous hope and encouragement for the believer. It definitely encourages me to stay within the road to get to the next dot. And, along the way, we always learn something. Just pay attention to those yield signs, stop signs, and warning signs...do as you're told. And, the beautiful eternity awaits us marked with "walls made of jasper and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls are decorated with every kind of precious stone..." (Revelation 21:18-19, NIV).

    (Image from godandhisrevelation.com)