Light In The Darkness Weekly Devotion
Let the light of Christ shine through you!
The Power of His Grace!
May 11, 2021 • Charlene Warren
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:1-8 God has been teaching me so much about His grace. These lessons don’t always come easy, but if we can really look at what He’s doing in those tough moments, we can see how much love is behind them. I started this painting years ago. A http://fortress...which was meant to represent the strongholds that the enemy gets a kick out of helping us build in our hearts. And the sun rays meant to represent God's love...hitting those hardened walls, and making them crumble. I haven’t thought about this painting in years, and in fact it still remains unfinished. But as I went through some of the hardest events of my life these past two http://weeks...and as God helped me to deal with them through His grace, compassion, and http://love...he drew me to this painting as a representation of what God's grace can do to our hardened or even numbed out hearts. It’s an amazing thing, God's grace. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that it’s depth is unfathomable. And this is why so many of us struggle to actually accept it. It’s a gift that instinctually we know we don’t deserve, and the kind of love that it represents can’t easily be grasped by the human heart. But that my friends, is what makes it so incredibly powerful! He knew when He was on that cross every mistake we would make. He saw our faces, personal and individual, and He died for us anyway. Our job as we choose to follow Him, is to accept and acknowledge the power of that http://gift...the power of His grace. To really let it sit on our hearts how much He loves us despite our http://flaws...and to LET IT CHANGE US! Once we really do http://that...once we really accept His grace and His love, those sturdy fortress walls around our hearts can come tumbling down, and we can be free to live the life He wants for us. Have you accepted His grace? Or are you still fighting it because you don’t think you deserve it? Whether you are new to a relationship with Him or seasoned in your walk, today is the day. Open your heart, let in His love, and let His amazing grace change you.
Faithful Completion
April 26, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6 I started this painting two years ago. That’s right http://folks...two years! I worked on the sky tirelessly, until one day, I retired it unfinished, and swore I would never touch it again. That was final! I was finished (and frustrated) with it. But God had other plans. This week I was asked to paint something for a fundraiser and I had about a day to do it. So once again he pulled me towards this painting, and we partnered to bring glory to his creation. To think that this canvas sat unfinished; waiting for its masterpiece for two years is crazy. But He had a purpose for it happening just the way it did. This week, I also celebrated a dear friend of mine who lost her battle with breast cancer in November. And the thing that I kept thinking as I sat at her service was how God was just absolutely shining through her more than ever. Her life, and the way that she fought her battle, pointed straight to Jesus. That’s exactly how I remember her, and she inspires me literally every day. Her body may not be with us any longer, but boy was she giving a testimony http://yesterday...to a TON of people who were there to celebrate her. So often we think that something is finished. So often we think that something is http://complete...but God has other plans. He showed me this last week, through this painting, and through my friend, that He will use what we think is http://final...what we think is the most broken http://circumstance...and He will make beauty from it. Yesterday, my friend was alive! She was alive in the words that were spoken about Jesus; she was alive in the hearts of every one of those people who heard those words, and I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of how her life and her story of dedication to God’s faithfulness is going to reach people. God’s faithfulness doesn’t always start out looking like what we think it http://should...but HE IS FAITHFUL. He wasn’t done with this http://painting...he’s surely not done with my friend and the impact her life will make, and He isn’t done with you. His plans are greater, His plans are beautiful, and when He reveals them, man are they magnificent!
Sweet Surrender
April 21, 2021 • Charlie Warren
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 God has been teaching me a lot about surrender. He’s been teaching me a lot about what real faith looks like. But it definitely hasn’t been in the midst of the easiest circumstances. In pure transparency, I’ve been feeling like a hot mess lately. Life has been challenging to say the least. I feel like I’ve been chasing my own tail, literally clawing out little moments with God in the middle of raising kids and making a living. This painting is small, and it’s literally the fruits of those little tiny moments this week. It’s not a lot. But it reveals a glimpse of who He is. AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS. You see, surrender isn’t about perfection. We are human; we aren’t always going to be good at it. But that’s the point. Surrender isn’t about us at all. ITS ABOUT WHO WE ARE SURRENDERING TO. It’s about kneeling at the feet of a God WHO IS TRULY WORTHY OF IT. It’s about trusting in the promises of a MIGHTY AND FAITHFUL GOD, even when the world around us doesn’t make any sense, even when it hurts. It’s about knowing in our hearts who God is. A powerful, loving, beyond-capable, never-changing, fully-sacrificing, all-knowing God. The maker of the Heavens and the Earth; the one who has hung and named every star in the sky. HE IS WORTHY! This message isn’t what I originally intended for this week. It’s late by two days, it’s not perfectly written, but it was placed on my heart by Him…in His timing. Which means it is meant for someone. I’m not sure what you’re going through this week or in this season of life, but I do know who holds you in His hands. I don’t know what God has asked you to take on right now, but I do know that He hasn’t left you to deal with it alone. Whatever it is, its time to take it in your hands and lift it up to Him. SURRENDER IT COMPLETELY. Life might not make sense right now, you might have a broken heart, and maybe you’d even go as far to say that you’re a hot mess like I was this week. But whatever the case, full surrender to the God who loves you more than you can imagine is the only answer. Because He is worthy. And it’s because He is worthy that you can rest. Stop striving! Remember that you are loved. And just be His.
Seek, and you shall find!
April 12, 2021 • Charlie
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 I didn’t want to paint today. But I could feel Him pulling me towards a certain painting. So I went for it. I knew that He was asking me to meet Him there, and if He was calling me closer, I knew it was because He had something awesome in store. And man is He faithful! About 10 minutes into painting I felt it - His presence. To be perfectly honest, as of this morning I wasn’t sure what He wanted this devotional to be about. I wasn’t worried, I knew He would show up like He always does. But it was definitely a lesson in ‘His timing and not mine’. Because He was waiting. He was waiting for my obedience. He was waiting for me to follow His instructions and SEEK HIM OUT INTENTIONALLY. He was waiting for me to meet Him at that canvas, and it had nothing to do with the painting. It was about me and it was about Him. Life gets in the way sometimes when we let it, and this past week I had been feeling the strain of that. I felt a distance between myself and God that I knew I couldn’t afford to let continue. And it made me downright uncomfortable. But the truth is, He hadn’t changed. I had. I was busy, and I wasn’t making seeking Him out as a priority. Until this morning. I took my feelings of not wanting to paint, and I listened to His call. I am so glad I did. As I delved further into where He was leading, I found that there are literally a TON of verses about SEEKING HIM. So what does that mean exactly? When I think of seeking something, I immediately go to Hide and Seek as a kid. You know the game. The seeker counts while everyone else hides. And after they’re done counting, their mission is to find all of the other players. And in fact, the game isn’t over until everyone is found. What if we were to seek God like that? What if our determination was so great that we wouldn’t stop until we found Him and felt His presence? He has given us so many ways to find Him. He has given us the Bible, prayer, worship. We literally have no excuse. And when we SEEK HIM INTENTIONALLY, we are promised that we will find Him, and He will be faithful to show up in ways you never thought possible. So today, do it. Seek Him out. He’s waiting with something amazing.
Protection in the Shadow of the Cross!
April 5, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you form the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3 This past week I had the incredible opportunity to help 22 women learn to paint. And in doing so, I was asked by the amazing woman who put it together, to come up with something ‘Spring like’. I prayed, as I do every time I paint, that God would show me what He wanted them to http://see...then the creating began. This painting was the result. And while simple, the beauty He helps me to create around the cross gets me every time. The opportunity to see those 22 women create their own unique version of this painting was one that blessed me beyond explanation and one that I will never forget. But I realized very quickly that God’s devotion for this week was not necessarily in that experience, but in the painting itself. You see God faithfully nudges me every single week to use my http://story...my weekly http://experiences...to write these devotions. He leads me throughout the week to the message that He wants all of you to hear. And what He kept bringing me back to all week long as I looked at that painting, was the shadow of the cross. My eye was drawn to that shadow every single time. So I started thinking about what that means exactly, to live in the shadow of the cross, and it was extremely revealing. When I think of a shadow, I think of protection. And isn’t it amazing that when we live in the shadow of the http://cross...when we choose to accept and follow Jesus, when we recognize what the cross means and live life accordingly, WE ARE PROTECTED! We are protected by His blood; we are protected by His love; we are protected by His sacrifice. I don’t know about you, but when I think about that it just wrecks me. What an honor to be protected and loved so much by Him. What an honor to be given such a gift. One that I will never be worthy of, but yet He offers anyway. So lets choose to move forward into spring, renewed and rejuvenated by the celebration of His rising. Lets choose to treat that protection as the honor that it is. Living life in a way that is worthy of the shadow of the cross and recognizing Him as the protector that He is. He is the only protection and the only renewal we need. Galatians 2:20 Revelation 21:5
The Mess of a Masterpiece!
March 29, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 NLT God has recently allowed every facet of my life to be dismantled. Not too long ago, I prayed THE dangerous prayer. I took my husband, my family, my house, my kids, my time, my talent, and my treasure and I laid it on the altar. I prayed that God would take all that He had given me and use it for His kingdom. Then everything started falling apart. Most would think that was a bad thing. Some may even go as far as to say that I never should have prayed it if that’s what was going to happen. But even now, sitting in the middle of everything, including my family, being dismantled, I would disagree. The last couple of weeks have been the absolute hardest of my life, yet God kept putting one word in my heart and my head. As if trying to lovingly let me know that the story isn’t over. The word was "Masterpiece." And for the last two weeks it has literally been everywhere. The definition of the word ‘masterpiece’ is a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship. I can tell you that my life doesn’t feel very outstanding at the moment, but it got me thinking. Every time I paint, it never starts out pretty. In fact, it’s messy, it’s unorganized, and downright frustrating at times. And that parallel isn’t lost on me. In fact, I believe that God works very much the same way in us and our lives. God is the ultimate Master artist and He has the capability to create a masterpiece with the snap of His mighty finger, but in fact it’s the process in creating the masterpiece within us that is really of such importance. God’s greatest masterpiece, sending His son to die on the cross in the ultimate act of reckless love for us, didn’t happen in one snap of His mighty finger. It was messy, it was brutal, and it was grueling for Jesus. Yet He suffered it anyway because He loved us so much. And the end result is our salvation and knowing that God's love for us is immeasurable and beautiful even through the breaking. So I sit here, in the midst of a fallen-apart life and I can be encouraged. I can encourage all of you, that no matter how hard things seem right now, you and your life are God's Masterpiece. He knows when we don’t. He’s the ultimate artist. DO NOT GIVE UP!
Play in the sandbox!
March 15, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24 I’m starting to love the freedom of watercolors. I literally feel like a little kid playing with paint when I use them. Remember that feeling as a kid playing in the sandbox? The excitement of using your imagination with nothing holding you back at all? It’s an incredible feeling. However, every time I have used them, I hear that voice in the back of my head telling me that I’m playing small. The end result isn’t some breathtaking, ready-to-hang canvas like it is with acrylics. No, instead, it’s a piece of paper that’s a little bent and rippled from the water. It feels like such a small offering. I’ve even felt like I’m holding back my ‘real gift’ and taking the ‘easy way out’. Sure I’m getting art done, but nothing of any http://substance...as if the fruit I’m bearing isn’t good enough when I’m doing a watercolor painting. It’s ridiculous...I know. But that voice is there nonetheless. Then yesterday at church my Pastor addressed how sometimes we believe that God using us needs to be this huge, earth-shaking, kind of thing. As if we could never imagine that He would keep our ministry or our reach limited to just our own homes and ‘villages’. Surely we were made for more right? And I realized right then, I’M NOT PLAYING SMALL IF I’M BEING OBEDIENT TO A GOD WHO DOESN’T PLAY SMALL. It’s about HIM working THROUGH http://me...it’s not about the painting or the kind of paint I use. It’s not about the subject matter of my paintings, and it’s not about the artist. It’s about MY OBEDIENCE and FAITH IN A GOD WHO NEVER FAILS. It’s about laying myself, my gift, and my life on the alter in front of Him so that He might use me, in any way He sees fit, TO BUILD HIS KINGDOM. You see, He wants us using the gifts He’s given http://us...and He wants us to have joy in doing it. So that voice we hear? That voice that condemns you for enjoying ‘playing on the sandbox’ or ‘practicing’ with what He’s given http://you...that isn’t Him. He says so. Because there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). So I encourage you http://today...meet Him at the alter with what He’s given you. The size of the offering doesn’t http://matter...just the heart position from which we give it.
Don't quit now!
March 8, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'" Matthew 14:31 Unfinished paintings. They’re everywhere. And they scream to me that I’m easily distracted from His face and His direction. This week was hectic. And as I neared the end of it, I realized that I hadn’t just taken a moment to be still with God. Sure I had prayed, but I hadn’t taken one minute to sit down with Him and JUST BE IN HIS PRESENCE. I had been focused on moving, on church, on kids, and on work. But I hadn’t slowed down long enough to focus on the maker and perfecter of it all. In that moment of realization, it hit me - that’s where all the worrying and stress had been able to creep in. It was my responsibility to own. I had created the cracks in my armor by focusing on the waves rather than on Jesus. Just like Peter. It’s my favorite Bible story - Peter walking on water. And it’s my favorite because I relate so much to it. There he is, walking on water towards Jesus; Jesus literally helping him to do the impossible. It’s such a beautiful moment between the two of them as Peter chooses to trust Jesus, and Jesus beckons Peter closer to Him. But then Peter notices the storm. He sees the size of the waves, and he starts to sink in panic. Jesus lovingly corrects him, and he ends up safely back in the boat, that much closer to his savior. But it’s the perfect display of being focused on the world rather than on His eyes and on His Kingdom. My confession is that I mimic Peter way too often. I’m ‘walking on water’, He’s leading me to paint things I know I could never paint without Him, my focus is obedience. Then the enemy distracts me with busy, he distracts me with the storm. I let him! And before I know it, I have nothing but unfinished paintings in my studio. Good news is - I HAVE A CHOICE. We all do! See, we don’t need to be focused on the storm because WE AREN’T BATTLING IT ALONE! We have Him. And He gave us the perfect book, full of His words, that can set our focus back where it belongs. Every moment of every day we can meet Him there. We can renew our minds (Romans 12:2). And we can ‘walk on water’ with certainty that He is who He says He is, and that His every promise is true. So obey anyway. Don’t sink. And go find Him. He's patiently waiting.
His strength in my weakness!
March 1, 2021 • Charlie Warren
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 This http://painting...now officially named ‘Light in the Darkness’http://...was painted on one of the hardest days I’ve had in a long time. It was Friday, and my family had just found out that we had to find a new home. I knew that I had painting at Worship Night at my church scheduled, and while most times I would have spent my day praying, worshipping, and leaning in so that I could hear clearly when He told me what to paint that http://night...my day looked nothing like that. Instead of the peace I normally sought after before doing a painting like this, my heart was in turmoil and I felt like I had been chasing my own tail all day. Several people even suggested that I just skip it - after all it had been a really hard day - but no! That wasn’t even an option, because God had laid on my heart something much bigger and it was much more important than my feelings about my bad day. You see, God is calling us, especially in these days we find ourselves in now; into the game like never before. And He’s not just calling us to show up, He’s calling us to show up ANYWAY. Bad day? Show up anyway. Was it a bad year? Show up anyway. Because when we do that, when we show up despite feeling bruised and battered, HIS LIGHT shines even brighter through our brokenness...through our darkness. So often we hesitate when He is calling us towards our purpose. We want all our ducks in a row, we don’t have the finances, we figure after the kids grow up we will go for it, we are scared of the unknown. But God is calling us NOW! God has a purpose for you NOW! And He’s not asking for things to line up perfectly so that He can use you. That’s HIS job. He just needs you to show up, to obey Him when He says move, and trust Him for the provision. You see, I wasn’t equipped that night to paint this http://painting...but HE WAS. I was a wreck...I was http://late...my mind and my heart were dizzy from spinning all day. But in my weakness, He got to be strong. Which means people saw Him all the more clearly through my mess. All He was asking me to do is show up, to play broken, and to trust that He is God. And that’s all He’s asking all of us to do. So whatever it is that He is calling you into - Do it. Obey Him. Show http://up...play http://broken...and let Him shine like a LIGHT through your darkness!