Love the Lord your God

The Greatest Commandment

Love the Lord your God - Christine Nichols

You may ask what this painting has do with the Greatest Commandment in the Bible. The answer is found in Mark 12:28-34. You see, after I had finished this piece, I stepped back to look at the painting and wondered what it meant and the Holy Spirit said, "Love the Lord your God."

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[Deut. 6:4-5] 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[Leviticus 19:18]} There is no commandment greater than these.”
³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. ³³ To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions. Mark 12:28-34

In the painting, I see the large gold heart representing our love for God. It is our first love, which is above all other loves, for Christ is to be first in our hearts and in our lives. The two smaller dark blue hearts symbolize our love for one another. The painting also symbolizes heaven touching earth through the power of God's love. 

This morning as I was contemplating how to write this blog (which I've been doing for more than a week) I looked at the painting and between the sunlight and the angle, the gold was shining brightly - much brighter than the photograph. I took this as confirmation that the gold heart and the "markings" were important to the overall meaning of the painting. Some folks see the upper left marking as a question mark. Others see it as the number seven. I see it as the Hebrew Letter Vav which confirms the heaven and earth connection. 

Here's an excerpt from Hebrews for Christians that explains the meaning of the Hebrew letter Vav:

The letter Vav is the sixth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of six. The pictograph for Vav looks like a tent peg, whereas the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) is constructed of a vertical line and conjoined Yod. The meaning of the word vav is "hook," as a connecting hook used when the mishkan (tabernacle) was assembled.

The first Vav in the Torah occurs in Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The placement of the Vav suggests two of its essential connective powers:

• By joining heaven and earth () it implies the connection between spiritual and earthly matters.
   
• Since it occurs as the 22nd letter in the Torah attached to the sixth word, (et), it alludes to the creative connection between all of the letters. Vav is therefore the connecting force of the God, the divine "hook" that binds together heaven and earth.

I found it interesting that when I read another Christian artist's blog today, bringing heaven to earth was a definition of Prophetic Art. The blog was called Faith Colors by Lula Adams. 

A word from the Lord about prophetic art:
It is a way to bring heaven to earth…
To plant seeds of faith through vision…
It shows My face to the world. Just as music touches the soul, art reaches into the soul and stirs My love and mercy.

Prophetic art is done in union with Me, and My blessings shine forth from it. It speaks to the heart, where I dwell. In prophetic art, I connect with the artist who produces a good work, a good deed in art. What is a good deed but a demonstration of my love? My art is a demonstration of My love, an expression of mercy and grace.

Let Me stir my answer in your art.
Let Me stir passion in you.
Let worship come from deep places in your heart. To praise God’s glory is to spark life into you. To use art to express worship is to share worship. Sing into art and watch it stir up living water.

 

Love the Lord your God - Christine Nichols, 2009

In all of my art blog posts, I encourage everyone to seek their own personal interpretation from the Holy Spirit concerning the artwork. Usually the Lord tells me what the painting is about and He did with this painting in giving me the title, but I was stuck on the symbolism. I asked some friends to seek the Holy Spirit's interpretation and it deepened my understanding of the painting. Here's a few of their interpretations. When they mention the question mark or the number 7, it's in reference to the upper left gold marking. 

• Heaven touching earth through the power of love.
• The question mark like shape on the left intrigues me, I'm not sure what to make of it in comparison to the rest, which I agree is about love and heaven touching earth, at least at the moment..
• All our questions are answered with His love.  
• I like that. After reading what you wrote, it came to me. Instead of "his" love, it would be "their" love. The triangles meaning "Father, Son and Holy Spirit".
• This is the calling inside of a person. Of course I see it as the call on a woman's life. I see the shape of her body with the heart in the middle. The multiple hearts are the adornment on the dress she is wearing and also represent the love on the inside of her. Her heart is carrying the love of Jesus to the nations. The nations are represented in the bottom triangle, also the bottom of her dress. The yellow coming from the top of the dress or top triangle are the adornments of the Holy Spirit flowing through the woman. The blue is the sky, the ocean, the world. There is no limit to where we go when we are called to this mission of delivering the love of Jesus.
• the two red triangles connected represents the sands of time. when sin is in our lives our time is running out. but because of the grace of God, Jesus covers our sin. therefore our time never ends. we will live forever because we have a relationship with our Father and he loves us so much and he forgives all our sins. oh I didn't think of it it as a ?. to me look more like a 7. and seven means completeness. the dot was just the balance of the other dot on the other side. so along with what I was saying earlier. 7 means complete. was Jesus washing our sins with his blood we are complete. all the dots in the swooshings is all the mystery behind that. 
  
  
  • The first thing that came to mind was "on earth as it is in heaven".
  • Mountains and Valleys: interesting how the two mets or how their connected...the two seasons of our lives...both are needed, both lead to deeper revelation of His love
  • I see two main things: 1) an hour glass, measuring time til Jesus' return. The hearts are love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for us, the Bride. You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times." Matthew 16:3 2) a goblet, drink from His cup. The cup of red wine is symbolic of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ "In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 1Corinthians 11:25 The sky reference is about people desiring signs. red skies in the morning ..purrhos is greek for red like fire. In the Bible, (Matthew XVI: 2-3,) Jesus said, “When in evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: For the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering.”
  • I saw the hourglass as well and thought of the eternality of God and timelessness we are destined to live in forever with him. I see his parameters in which we are carried in the endless ocean of His love and anchored to his cross/covered in every
  way by his blood sacrifice - the ins and outs and ups and downs of our journey are extraordinary - carried in His arms of love and living out our enlightened destiny thru his multi-purposes means & dreams. His heart of love swallows up any darkness as we meld into oneness with Him. I love his perfection and secure hold!!! Double reinforcement of the Trinity with the two triangles!
  

It truly amazes me how the Lord uses His art to touch people's hearts and impact their lives. In closing, I'd like to return to the title of the painting, "Love the Lord your God" and pray that you do indeed love Him with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and with all your strength, and love others as you love yourself. By doing this, you are part of the heaven and earth connection! 

All my paintings begin with prayer. I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance from beginning to end - from choosing the canvas and paint colors to the last brush stroke. I pray that the Lord's message would go forth through the art and that Father God would be glorified. 

I believe all prophetic art has a message, but what the Holy Spirit speaks to me about a specific piece of art, may be different than what the Spirit says to you. Seek Him for a personal interpretation.

You can find more Christian Abstract paintings that the Lord has given me on my Facebook page, Christine Nichols-Art, in a Photo Album called FOR HIS GLORY. If you've enjoyed the art, you're invited to LIKE and SHARE my art Facebook page: STEEN ART.

My Love For You

My Love For You - Christine Nichols, 2009

My 
first 
prophetic 
painting 
asks and answers 
the question, "How much do I love you?"

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  John 3:16-17

I encourage you to read Ephesians 3. Here's an excerpt: For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

All my paintings begin with prayer. I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance from beginning to end - from choosing the canvas and paint colors to the last brush stroke. I pray that the Lord's message would go forth through the art and that Father God would be glorified. 

I believe all prophetic art has a message, but what the Holy Spirit speaks to me about a specific piece of art, may be different than what the Spirit says to you. Seek Him for a personal interpretation.

You can find more Christian Abstract paintings that the Lord has given me on my Facebook page, Christine Nichols-Art, in a Photo Album called FOR HIS GLORY. If you've enjoyed the art, you're invited to LIKE and SHARE my art Facebook page: STEEN ART.

 My Love For You - Christine Nichols, 2009

No Greater Love

No Greater Love - Christine Nichols, 2009

The best way I know how to explain this Christian abstract art is to simply quote the Scripture of John 15:13, for it is the very words that came to me, when I finished this painting. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15:13 

Jesus loves you so much that He laid down His life for YOU. Let that thought sink in a bit. Realize the depth and width of His love poured out upon the cross for you...

I am a strong believer in reading Scripture in context, but with this particular passage and art, I'll go one better and cite the entire 15th chapter of the gospel of John because I believe you'll get so much more out of the verse and the abstract.

The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

 

Love and Joy Perfected

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, that you love one another.

 

The World’s Hatred

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ He who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵ But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’^{[Psalm 69:4]}

 

The Coming Rejection

²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

No Greater Love - Christine Nichols, 2009

When I posted this art on Facebook, a friend of mine gave me some interesting insight to the painting. I had mentioned that my favorite part of the painting was the rich crimson in the upper right corner.  I envision the crimson red washing over the entire canvas to illustrate that we (Christians) are covered by the blood of the Lamb! My friend, Jean said, "I was thinking something similar, Chris. Funny how you see that - because I was thinking of how all the different colors blend together. Either, leading to the blood of Christ (knowing we all belong to Him) or looking at it differently, leading from the blood of Christ (knowing we all come from Him). The colors blending represent all different peoples, blending together. Doesn't matter. We all come from and will go home to - the blood of Christ. THAT is what I see. How nice they are the same."

Biblical Meanings of Colors:

RED: Sin, atonement

ORANGE: Spiritual warfare

GOLD: God's Glory, refinement

GREEN: Newness, new beginning, new growth

BLUE: Heaven, Holy Spirit

WHITE: Purity

All my paintings begin with prayer. I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance from beginning to end - from choosing the canvas and paint colors to the last brush stroke. I pray that the Lord's message would go forth through the art and that Father God would be glorified. 

I believe all prophetic art has a message, but what the Holy Spirit speaks to me about a specific piece of art, may be different than what the Spirit says to you. Seek Him for a personal interpretation.

You can find more Christian Abstract paintings that the Lord has given me on my Facebook page, Christine Nichols-Art, in a Photo Album called FOR HIS GLORY. If you've enjoyed the art, you're invited to LIKE and SHARE my art Facebook page: STEEN ART.

Original Sin

Original Sin - Christine Nichols, 2009

This watercolor is entitled "Original Sin." It represents the temptation and fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden that is recorded in Genesis 2-3. The artwork is essentially a finger painting. The Holy Spirit guided me to paint my hand with red paint and then place it on acrylic paper in a semi-circular motion. The images in the painting is the result. What you see may differ, but I see a profile of a man (Adam) on the left and an apple on the right, thus the title, "Original Sin." I asked my Facebook friends what they saw in the abstract painting and their answers varied greatly - everything from wings of love, to being covered by Christ's blood, to a butterfly.

What is Original Sin? 

I didn't realize this is such a loaded question until I googled the phrase. I believe original sin of mankind occurred in the Garden of Eden, with three players listed in the order of their appearance in Genesis 3: the serpent (Satan), Eve, and Adam. Below are videos of Genesis 2-3 being read from the King James Version of the Bible. 

To delve further into the subject of sin and separation from God, here's some resources you may find helpful:

Open Bible - Original Sin

What is the Definition of Sin?

"Was Adam and Eve's sin really about eating a piece of forbidden fruit?"

"Did we all inherit sin from Adam and Eve?"

Original Sin - Christine Nichols, 2009

HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS!

Original sin and the penalty of death 
came through the first Adam. 

Eternal Life comes through the last Adam, Jesus Christ.

Resurrection and Life

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. 
1 Corinthians 15:45-49

All my paintings begin with prayer. I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance from beginning to end - from choosing the canvas and paint colors to the last brush stroke. I pray that the Lord's message would go forth through the art and that Father God would be glorified. 

I believe all prophetic art has a message, but what the Holy Spirit speaks to me about a specific piece of art, may be different than what the Spirit says to you. Seek Him for a personal interpretation.

You can find more Christian Abstract paintings that the Lord has given me on my Facebook page, Christine Nichols-Art, in a Photo Album called FOR HIS GLORY. If you've enjoyed the art, you're invited to LIKE and SHARE my art Facebook page: STEEN ART.