FRAMING JESUS

If you have heard me teach in the past or had occasion to read any of my writing, you perhaps have heard me say that the things I write about and say are usually not of my own development.  The things I say are most likely things I’ve heard and seen and learned from others much wiser than myself. 

Such is the case with the concept that I’ll share with you this morning.  I was reading one of Max Lucado’s books, (he is one of my favorite writers) and he spoke of this idea.  Since we had discussed it just last Wednesday night in Bible study, I thought it would be good to briefly write about it here.

In the Bible study we pondered the scenario of perhaps having a sickness or injury, praying to God for healing and then NOT GETTING THAT HEALING.  We asked the questions, “Did I pray wrong?   Does God not love me as much as He loves others?  Is my faith too weak?  Why wouldn’t God heal me from my suffering?”

Lucado offers a suggestion and an illustration that makes sense to me.  Let me share it. 

Now I’m not much of a connoisseur of fine art.  I can’t draw.  Someone has said I was “so bad that I couldn’t draw flies”.  I’ve never been to an art museum and wouldn’t know a Picasso from a Rembrandt but I think I get the idea. 

Let’s say you have a wonderful picture of your grand kids (which I just happen to have a few hundred) and you wanted to show that picture off to the people who come into your home or office.  You might go to a home decorating store or even Wal-Mart and  pick out a picture frame for that picture.  Why do you buy that particular frame?  You want it to draw attention to the picture, you want to showcase the picture but you don’t want to take away from the picture.  You certainly don’t want people coming into your home, looking at the wonderful picture of your grand kids and saying “Wow, what a great frame you bought”. 

Such is the case with our lives and our infirmities.  We became Christians for one reason and one reason only, that is to GLORIFY GOD.  We are not Christians so that people will think we are anything special or great.  We did not give our lives to God and ask Him to fill us with His Spirit in order to draw attention to ourselves.  Rather we are Christians so that we can point to God and show others His Glory. 

What has that got to do with your sickness, your injury or the problems that you are facing just now in your life?  A lot I believe.  Our maladies are there to “frame” the Glory of God.  People should not look at me and say, “Poor old Bill.  He is having such a rough time.  I feel so sorry for him.”   They should instead see the way we handle our problems and be amazed at how God is working in our lives.  Whether He is healing us or whether He is giving us strength and courage to move through it.  God should be glorified and honored by our troubles.  Our troubles should “frame” the glory of God.

Paul said in Philippians 1: 12, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel”

Can I say that?  Can you?  Have the hard times, the trouble, the trials that you and I have faced served to lift up the name of Jesus or to just get sympathy for ourselves? 

We have no idea what will happen to us today or any day for that matter.  God has blessed me with good health and a strong body but the older I get the more I understand that this will not last forever.  Someday I will get sick. Someday I will get hurt.  Someday a doctor will come into my room and say “Bill I hate to tell you this but…..” , I will become weak and helpless and it is at that time and in those circumstances that more than ever before, I want “the things that happen unto me to fall out to the furtherance of the gospel”.  I want to frame Jesus.