Saturday, January 31, 2009

You Must Love Him Very Much

I love stories. Jesus used them in a masterful way through parables to teach eternal truths. What follows is a true story that encourages my faith and makes me realize that "our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Psalm 115:3

Just about 250 years ago a painter named Stenburg, who was well known at the time but has now been mostly forgotten, was painting a young Gypsy girl. As the gypsy girl posed for the painting, her eyes wandered throughout the studio and noticed a painting made for Father Hugo of the Church of St. Jerome-- a representation of the thorn-crowned face of Jesus.

When the young girl stepped down from the platform, she asked the artist to explain the meaning of the picture. The artist, not a believer, struggled to explain who Christ was and what He had done. He did the best he could and was shocked when the gypsy remarked simply: "Oh, sir, you must love Him very much since He has done all that for you!"

The sincere statement pierced the artist's soul, for in fact he did not love Christ at all.

Ironically, he soon did. And when he came to love the Savior, he painted another picture, a painting of the Savior he had come to love, His head encircled by the thorns that had become His earthly crown. Under the completed painting Stenburg inscribed the words:

All this I did for thee;What hast thou done for Me?

He then donated it to the Dusseldorf museum.

One day a rich and careless young nobleman who spent his idle days with wine and careless pursuits happened to notice the painting and its inscription. It made a profound impression on him. The painting powerfully appealed to his emotions and the inscription below struck him to the core of his soul.

He later accepted the challenge of the painting and embraced the thorn-crowned Christ as his Savior. He stated: "I have one passion--it is He, and He alone."

That nobleman was Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian Brethren. Within a few years they began to send missionaries all over the globe. It was Moravians who led John Wesley to convert to Christ, and Wesley began a movement that changed the world. But it all started with a gypsy girl's innocent question. And so we know that .... "God causes all things to work together for good..."

1 comment:

Christian Concierge said...

THE MONROVIAN BRETHREN ALSO WERE THE FOUNDERS OF EDUCATION FOR ALL (NOT JUST THE ELITE) IN EUROPE. THEY STARTED THE FIRST GIRLS COLLAGE IN AMERICA THAT IS STILL OPERATING TODAY IN WINSTON SALEM SC. AND SET THE FOUNDATION OF OUR BIBLICAL WORK ETHIC IN AMERICA.