The difference between Christians and non-Christians, is that we Christians give thanks to the Lord for everything! I also paint and draw so I give thanks every day for pencils, paints, brushes and for the skill and desire He put in my heart. But my art is clean, no nudity, sexual or vulgar art. I post it on instagram so it has to be consistent with my new faith in the Lord.
I thank God for leading me to this video, as a Artist I can honestly say only what we do for Christ will last. And the gift of drawing and painting comes from the Lord. Truly God gives His people what to paint and draw. As we know the Holy Spirit gives divers gifts when we are filled, the administration of the gifts it's my desire people get saved, by the preaching of the Gospel and painting the Gospel such as Christ gives me to paint. Seeing in the spirit realm and the gift of discernment the gift of the Word of Knowledge, the gift of Wisdom are a witness of the truth. Painting and drawing is a tool to witness to others. I used to pray over my art supplies, and it's in my heart to return back doing that, and give God the praise for the art supplies. I'm thankful for all Gods artist, and when I was disobedient, He forgave me that I may be what He fashioned me to be, Every aspect of my life I need the Lord. The Holy Spirit truly leads us in all truth.
My concern is that by these questions underlies an idol which is very subtle and that is of having everything in control, our lives, our faith, etc... We are so preoccupied about having everything in order, which is boosted by insecurity. This has its root in the lack of nurture and care we lacked earlier in life. Since we missed that, later in life, we are unable to trust no one to take care of us or guide is, not even God. So when we believe in God and desire to live a life according to his will, but we are unable to trust him the control of our life, we manifest that by being preoccupied about what we should do. In this way everything we do, we do with the wrong intention, deep inside we do not do things to glorify him or let him transform us but we want to make sure we have control of everything. Then we no longer pray, read the word, etc.. to get to know him and in dependency of him, but we do this things just to make sure we are doing Christianity right. I was there for a long time but was unable to see that I was not capable to trust in God the control of my life, I believe that it was all on me, so all I was doing was manipulating God so that he would act in my life as I thought he should. And in this subject I would do things like, learning an instrument but making sure I would learn christian music so that we would say "Well done my son I like you more now". Now I know that I could spend my time doing insignificant things like collecting shields, Acknowledging how great is his love for me and thinking ¨Father! Thank you for the beauty you have put on this shields I rejoyce by just looking at them, you are great! And I can do this not thinking "Am I loosing my time? Should I better be shouting the gospel in this place?" And let me tell you, in my case, this was just reflecting my inability to trust in the care of my heavenly father. Now I can rest and enjoy all these things, having faith that if I am to do an specific thing according to his will, he will guide me and lead me to his purpose. Just give him control of all your life. casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7
A lady at our church shares her knowledge of painting with everyone and she does it at the senior center everyone seems to enjoy it it does seem to be a great hobby but I need to watch the rest of this video to see what y'all say, not to mention I crochet for the ladies group some sort of lapghan every year for someone to win and they do seem to enjoy it why can't we enjoy material things? Okay so glorifying God is a great thing! We do it to glorify God! Amen!
This "wartime" mentality totally resonates with me and has for some time. What do you do when you are totally surrounded by "Christians" who have no concept of this mindset and have and would label a person as being "holier than thou" or "you think you're so good" for beginning to suggest that there are other ways of doing life than looking for the next experience or the next purchase? I literally feel like a hostage in a very enmeshed family that values itself above everything else and expects everyone to fully and happily engage in all of the (frequent) family events. I want to minister and serve to God's glory within this group but I feel utterly voiceless and totally discouraged.
That's a tough place to be. I have a family that's semi-Christian but also very self-involved. I have been accused of being judgemental and I'm sure that my family felt like I was being holier than thou. I was struggling to separate myself from the things they were doing that were dragging me away from God. I actually still wanted to do them, but felt, and still feel, they were wrong. I had become serious about God, but had also developed obsessive-compulsive disorder (not diagnosed until later) because I was terrified of the Lord leaving me or disciplining me if I sinned. It was spiritual torture. So I'm wrestling with spiritual growth and OCD while my family feels like I've become a different person. And I was judging them - maybe rightly in some ways, maybe wrongly in others, trying to figure things out. 1 Corinthians 5 definitely threw me for a loop because one of my family members is definitely a Christian, not a nominal Christian, but I believe guilty of drunkenness and idolatry. This passage of Scripture clearly indicated to cut off someone named a brother who is guilty of either of those (or several other listed things). Tormented and going back and forth about this, I started withdrawing from my immediate family. They definitely noticed, and things got worse. So much worse that there was finally a huge family blow-up. Well, over a year later I'm still estranged from the people I loved most in the whole wide world, more than my own life. I cannot back down on my convictions. They won't back down either. I wanted to die at first. I struggled with severe depression. I'm doing better now, but things are still very hard. So in your journey, I'd like to give you this advice - if you need to withdraw yourself so that you're not tempted to sin, do it. The Lord will repay with a hundred times as much in this life Pray fervently for your family. Don't stop no matter how exhausted you become. Do what the Lord has called you to do. Speak the truth in love. Don't be afraid of confrontation (I am still working on this) - it is absolutely necessary for honest dialogue and growth, but be SO careful not to have pride or contempt in your heart. Remember your family doesn't know they're in a war. The god of this world has their eyes blinded. Show your conduct to be godly, not haughty, in humility serving them and gently telling them the truth when they contradict God. One more thing, and I don't know how you feel about this, but seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues (see Acts 1-2). It's the power promised from on high. I can't say I was by any means delivered of absolutely everything and given the gift of miracles after I received it, but things did start to accelerate for me. I work for a missions ministry now, doing the work that the Lord absolutely gifted and shaped me to do. I finally love my job (most of the time)! I'm looking forward to future mission trips. I pray that the Lord Jesus will equip you in every way necessary. The Lord give you wisdom, boldness, and courage, show you the way, and cause you to walk in it so that you neither stumble nor turn to the left or to the right. The Lord root you and build you up in love, so that together with all the believers you grow to become the Body of Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Stand strong and run into the arms of Jesus and insure that you never slip. If you do, get right back to him, don’t linger long. My only advice is that you need to put your foot down for God. It’s doesn’t matter if they think your “too holy”. The Lord has called us to be holy for he is holy. What matters is what God thinks. What can man do to you when God is with you? I mean yo7 family vs the creator of all that naturally exists ( the multiverse and all that is in it ). Who do you think is gonna win? Has God ever sent you signs of you being self righteous? If so, that is a different story. But you need to love God more than family. Think of the prophet Jeremiah; also young, but sent to a Israel ( known for being stiff necked and full of unbelief ) read Jeremiah 1:7-8. God will empower you and be your strength in hard times. Ask for his presence and press into him. Don’t forget to trust and have faith in him and what he can do. Moses also had trouble speaking, and if you know your Bible you also know how that went 😂 ( God basically told him that he is with h8m and that he is sovereign over all, therefore Moses should not worry about what to say ) Question: Do you love God, or your family more? At the very beginning of John what does it say? That in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Stick up for what you KNOW God has said in his word. Ecclesiastes, and Job talk about how life is unfair and the things we long and work for vain, and if your family can’t accept GOD’S WORD then there are some very serious issues here. Don’t be discouraged, go to God in faith and pray, ask for strength. Everyday present the word of God ( if it is the Lord’s will for you to do so that day ) to your family and don’t think twice. I don’t have anytime left, I’ll continue next time
@@TheSilverWolf9sorry you went through that. I also struggle with OCD-like symptoms, particularly in relation to religious stuff, and for the same reason too. I relate to your experience with your family, feeling out-of-step with what everyone else is doing. May God give us all strength and peace of mind.
@@TheSilverWolf9 Thank you for your words of encouragement and for sharing your experiences. May God bless you with wisdom, strength and peace in all things. And may He direct all of your paths.
I'm sure it hasn't If Christ is 1st in your life, we have wonderful freedom in Jesus we shouldn't feel guilty about what hobby we choose to do. I don't agree with John in my opinion he is legalistic and I think he overthinks and some other Christians would agree with his viewpoint, but when I engage in Photography, writing or music my life I feel refreshed, and knowing that God is pleased I'm not sure what Piper means by wartime In essence we can enjoy God with our abilities He gave to us, and not using our talents is an affront to a Savior that blesses us with every good thing to enjoy God bless
@@cathy7382 Thanks for that. I agree with you that hobbies are absolutely fine. It's just that sometimes a hobby can take up too much focus in our lives. So this is what I need to reevaluate. As far as wartime is concerned, the Bible refers in various places to Christians being in a kind of state of war, e.g., in Eph 6:10-18; 1 Tim 6:12. In wartime, normal peacetime things sometimes have to be let go of because of the urgency of the situation. The situation in Ukraine right now is a good case in point. And similarly, in Christian, spiritual wartime there are occasions when we can't afford to spend time on non-essentials. I quite often disagree with things John Piper says, but I thought his teaching in this video was very good. I didn't find him legalistic.
Thanks for responding, I understand what John means about having a wartime mindset but I wonder if he could be a little more lenient than he is of course we should live sober lives, but some believers aren't really fun to be around, I know that sounds critical Some are so serious about things that I wonder if they find life enjoyable I'm sure Jesus didn't go around with a dour look on His face all the time Christians need to lighten up, look at children that Jesus said to be our example did Jesus ever smile or laugh? Of course And what about giving life abountdantly? Good has given all good things to enjoy Should we feel guilty for them? I hope not
@@cathy7382 Well, we do need to try to get the balance right in these things. I agree that some Christians need to lighten up. But I think probably a greater number don't take life seriously enough. You are right, of course, about God giving us good things to enjoy, and that we shouldn't feel guilty about enjoying them.
One of the, if not the most relevant and important passage of the📒📒📖📖 BIBLE in answering this question would be 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 ~ "But this is what I mean brethren, THE TIME IS SHORT, so that from now on, even those who have wives should be a though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though not using it. For THE FORM OF THIS WORLD IS PASSING AWAY." 32 I want you to be free from concern....
I also make paintings, but digital paintings. When I have in my heart that I can paint because of God, that it was he who gave me eyes to see and hands to stroke the brush, that all this comes from him and I give thanks, am I glorifying God?
I also do digital art :) I think it is glorifying God as long as you make art for him and also thank Him for giving you the gift of creating. I make most my art about God and maybe you can make some art that’s about God to show that you are using this gift for him. For example you can make artworks of Bible verses and how you interpret them. I use verses for ideas and make art that relates to the verses. I post my art online to show people Gods word in art form. I hope this helps you in some way🩷
@@Natanael_Silte Good Art surely glorifies God! Brother, there's a whole theology of art (e.g. Francis Schaeffer, Rookmaker, Makoto Fujimura), search for it. Art communicates things about God: His creativity, his wisdom, his beauty, order and sensibility. And I believe that it doesn't necessarily have to be "sacred art" because all that we do must be done before God, coram Deo :)
@@Natanael_Silte It’s ok to do things because you enjoy it. You don’t have to make art about God or Bible verse, you should draw whatever you want. The goal of art is to make something beautiful, and that’s a thing God gave you Thinking you only have to paint Christian things is super silly and will probably make you a worse artist
I do things for my enjoyment because I like it and it pleases me and it gives me a purpose to live, like a free human being and not a slave doing nothing other than singing Holy Holy Holy and giving out praises to Jesus. But I guess in god’s eyes I’m selfish, selfish and egotistical, that’s totally how god would describe me, totally selfish for enjoying life and doing things that give me joy!
Sometimes in my life, there is not a lot of opportunity of doing explicit gospel things, whether in church or as an individuals and therefore it would seem reasonable acceptable and God glorifying to do hobbies, use my time usefully from his Glory.
I think it becomes problematic when we as believers start to see and group others as "those people". As if they are the only ones with problems and imperfections.
Read Psalm 139, and see that God created every aspect of you from before you were conceived. That also means He created and sculpted your skills and talents and interests specifically for you. When you enjoy and use your talents for His glory, you are worshipping Him! Give everything you do to God. Tell Him how much you love the gifts He has blessed you with, and when you spend time doing those things, rejoice to the Lord Jesus that He has given you those talents and the happiness you receive from it. Maybe teach others how to do the skill you have, and evangelize while doing it. Make Jesus your focus in every task you do, including your hobbies, and you are worshipping Him through it.
Do what you have to do to create income and support your family. keep the lord and the things of God in your heart and mind. stop worrying about every little thing weather God will approve or disapprove doing that literally puts our faith in ourselves and our works. i do the same thing constantly the fact that you are concerned shows the spirit is in you. my uncle who loves the lord and is also wealthy has done great things to honor God told me when i was stressing about it. its not a sin to make a profit
Thank you Pastor John P. God and Idols? Then I saw this Idol Of Jealousy! Ezk 8:6 I will show you Even more Detestable things ! Do you see what they are Doing in my Sanctuary? Jeremiah 10: 1-16 For the lord our God Dose not live In Temples Built by Hands. Act 17: 24-31 In Jesus name. Amen
John Piper? In light of the way the nation, and arguably even the world has fallen apart since your oh-so-wise, oh-so-measured political will came to pass, are you now willing to admit that perhaps Trump was not the consummate evil in the universe?
My drawing skills are absolutely worthless to god, I don’t even have to ask him, I just know it and whether I ask him or not, he’d never respond. God couldn’t care less, if anything, god hates everything I do and that’s the truth!!!
John Piper, do you think Trump supporters are hell-bound if they don’t repent? You have accused them, en masse, of being liars, naive and presumptuous. Funny, after accusing them of those sins, you said they weren’t necessarily sinning. So what is it? Heaven or hell?
