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Father

You have brothers and sisters in Christ among every nation

“Once, a new church was being built. One of its greatest features was to be a stained glass window. The committee in charge searched for a subject for the window and finally decided on the lines of the hymn:

‘Around the throne of God in heaven
Thousands of children stand.’

They employed a great artist to paint the picture from which the window would be made. He began the work and fell in love with the task. Finally he finished it. He went to bed and fell asleep, but in the night he seemed to hear a noise in his studio; he went into the studio to investigate, and there he saw a stranger with a brush and a palette in his hands working on his picture.

‘Stop!’ he cried. ‘You’ll ruin my picture.’

‘I think,’ said the stranger, ‘that you have ruined it already.’

QUESTION: What do you think was wrong with the picture painted by the artist?

‘How’s that?’ said the artist.

‘Well,’ said the stranger, ‘you have many colors on your palette, but you have used only one for the faces of the children. Who told you that in heaven there were only children with white faces?’

‘No one,’ replied the artist.

‘I just thought of it that way.’ ‘Look!’ said the stranger. ‘I will make some of their faces yellow, and some brown, and some black, and some red. They are all there, for they have all answered my call.’

‘Your call?’ said the artist. ‘Who are you?’ The stranger smiled.

‘Once long ago I said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven” – and I’m still saying it today.’

Then the artist realized that it was the Master himself, and as he did so, He vanished from his sight. The picture looked so much more wonderful now with its black and yellow and red and brown children as well as its white. In the morning the artist awoke and rushed into to his studio. His picture was just as he had left it; and he knew that it had all been a dream. Although that very day the committee was coming to examine the picture, he seized his brushes and his paints, and began to paint children of every color and of every race all throughout the world. When the committee arrived, they thought the picture was very beautiful, and one person whispered gently, ‘Why! It’s God’s family at home.’”[1]

The Lord God is the Father of all nations. From the first pages of the Bible, God revealed Himself as a Father not only to Israel, but to all people: “Through you all the people of the earth will be blessed.” (cf. Genesis 12:3). Jesus Christ, following the example of His heavenly Father, gave His church a command to go to all nations:

“Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

The Lord is Father to all people, and we need to tell our friends and every human being about God’s desire to spend eternity with them. There is no one on earth who doesn’t need to hear God’s invitation.

PRAYER: Worship God for His big fatherly heart that has the burden to see the salvation of every human being. Thank Him for the commission that He gave us, and for those with whom you can share about God during this week.

_______________________
[1] William Barclay’s Commentary on the Gospel of Mark.

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“Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
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