Could you improve on a masterpiece? Imagine that you are walking through the
Louvre museum in Paris. As you approach the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci,
would you think about taking a palette and brushes and touching up the painting?
Maybe put some more color in her cheeks? Perhaps change her nose a little?
"That's ridiculous!" You say. For nearly 500 years the Mona Lisa has been
considered one of the greatest artistic works of all time. How absurd to think
we could add anything to this masterpiece!
Yet that's what many people try to do with Christ's masterpiece—salvation. They
think they must improve on it with some work of their own. But that masterpiece
was completed when
Jesus said, "It is finished," while hanging on the cross (John 19:30). Then He
proved that His work of redemption was done when He rose from the dead.
When you hear that Jesus paid the price for your sin and that you don't have to
do anything to merit God's grace, do you think it's too good to be true? Do you
think there's something you must do to earn it?
You can't add anything! Receive God's gift of salvation. Jesus paid it all. The
masterpiece is
complete. —JDB
Christ's work for my salvation is complete!
No work of mine can add to what He's done;
I bow to worship at the Master's feet,
And honor God the Father's only Son. —Hess
Salvation is a gift to be received—not a goal to be achieved.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Randy Walker
walkers4@pacbell.net
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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