This is a painting that I did for my friend's birthday this month. I included the descriptions to explain what each part stands for.
GOD
The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:1-4) The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. (Psalm 33:6) Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky. (Psalm 68:33)
The heavens represent God.
God’s face is in the stars.
He is without limit—infinite.
He sees all and is over all things.
He is big and awe inspiring like the heavens.
He is mysterious, we can’t explain him,
and we don’t really have a clue of who he is, or how he works.
All we can do is stand in silent awe.
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JESUS
The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it God sent John the Baptist to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. (John1:5-6) For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
The sun represents Jesus.
The sun (Jesus) is part of the heavens (God).
Jesus is the light of the world spiritually speaking,
the sun is the light of the world physically speaking
Luke 23:44-45 says that when Jesus died,
“darkness fell across the whole land. The light from the sun was gone.”
Plants grow towards the sunlight, just like we should grow towards the Son.
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HOLY SPIRIT
Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. . .And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2-4) Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
The wind represents the Holy Spirit
You can hear the Holy Spirit but you can’t tell where He comes from or where he is going.
The Holy Spirit, like the wind, can be quiet and gentle or loud and pressing.
He can come on suddenly and leave just as fast.
He is always present and always at work.
The Holy Spirit (the wind) is also a part of God (the heavens) just like Jesus (the sun).
I was taught in elementary school that the sun creates the wind.
Just like the Son is in submission to the Father and the Holy Spirit is in submission to the Son. . .
The sun submits to the heavens and the wind submits to the sun.
The wind can reach everything and everyone, everywhere.
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LOVE
A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plant sprang up quickly, but it soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades so that it produced no grain. Still other seed fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. (Mark 4:3-8) Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. (Colossians 2:7) Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8) The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone—a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. (John 12:24)
A seed must die before it can grow into a plant.
To thrive as a growing seedling, we must be planted in love—
the love from God, the love for God, the love from others, and the love for others
Love from God = faith and confidence in who God is, what he can do, and who we are
Love for God = worship
Love from others = friendship/fellowship
Love for others = serving
We must live our lives to love God and love others—
this is how we die to ourselves and become part of the soil to nourish others
(just like parts of a plant may die, decompose, and become part of the soil).
But we must also live our lives knowing that we are loved by God and by others—
this is our nourishment
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LIFE
For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. (Revelation 7:17) Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. (John 4:10) If you are thirsty come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within. (John 7:37-38) The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. (Isaiah 58:11) My purpose is to give life in all its fullness (John 10:10)
Water = blessings = life
The only way to live life to the fullest is to have your roots deep in the living water.
When we feel like we are not growing we say that we are dry
To grow, we have to stay in the sun, in the wind,
in nourishing soil, with strong deep roots in the water source.
Jesus came to give us life in all its fullness. This is how it’s done.
