Used with permission of the faithful disciple artist who also painted the valentine in the ‘Valentine from God’ post. It was inspired by the book ‘I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!’ by Karen Beaumont.
When the ‘I ain’t Gonna’ painting was posted online, I was drawn to it. It seemed a perfect fit for something God had told me as he was preparing me for what would happen, “Many are Called, Few are Chosen. The invitation is for all, but not everyone will accept.” This has been part of the message through the ages. Matthew 22: 14, Matthew 22: 1-14, and Matthew 7: 13 – 14 are just three of the Scriptures that help us face this reality.
I Ain’t Gonna…
God says to ask you – yes, you and you and you — the following questions and asks you to be honest with your answers:
“Are you going to be among the ones who refuse to believe the truths of my messages?”
“Are your eyes, ears, and mind so full of falsehoods that you have no room left for truths?”
“Are you following man’s ways or God’s ways?”
“Are you Pharisee-like –thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to think – following the letter of the law to promote self and others who think and look like you, but failing to show love for all others and for me?”
“Are your ‘values’ based on political ideology? Are they in keeping with the teachings of Jesus?”
“Which do you think is more important – public prayer so that others may see how religious you are or private prayer that leads to a relationship with me?”
“To whom do you listen for advice and guidance? Do they truly show by words and actions the examples shown by Jesus or do you hear words and see actions from them that show greed, revenge, wrath, hate, self-promotion, unholy desires?”
“How do you think is the best way to protect yourself – with guns or other weapons of man or with my way – the full armor of God which includes persistent prayer?”
In other words, are you going to be among the ones who say, “I ain’t gonna accept an invitation from anyone I can’t see. My preacher has warned us of false prophets and teachers who try to fill our ears and eyes with their false words and actions. These false ones say we must love our enemies, establish relationships with them, and reconcile our differences. I say that these enemies are evil and their words and actions are works of the devil. I will keep my distance, shut them out of my life. So that I may remain true to my values, I will have no relationship with them. My church and the courts agree that this is my right. I have plenty of relationships with people like me. These are people who understand me, and I understand them. They have my back and I have theirs. We are willing to fight to their death to protect our values. We don’t want a relationship with the others. They aren’t Christian. They aren’t welcome to enter the boundaries we have set. We are going to elect like-minded people to local, state, and national positions of power. We will pass laws, demand prayers, Bible reading, and the posting of the 10 commandments in schools and public buildings. There is no limit to what we will do to turn America into a Christian nation. I ain’t gonna change my mind. I ain’t gonna change my ways.”
I am going to turn my eyes upon Jesus…
Or, are you going to establish a relationship with God – a relationship that results in your turning your eyes upon Jesus so that you might better learn his ways? Remember: Like Father, like Son.
In other words, are you going to be among the ones who say, “Father, I accept your invitation. I desire a relationship with you. I will change my ways to your ways.”
The choice is yours…
God’s hope is that all will accept. However, there will be no twisting of arms, no harsh, hateful threats, no Goddate forcing you to accept. There is a simple invitation, “Come, follow me.” And the reminder: How you choose to respond and how you live out that response will determine your Eternal Life.
Upcoming: Tough Love