Preparing for the new year and tomorrow

Extended reading: 1 Chronicles 28

We are closing in on the end of Year 2010. Very soon, we will start a brand new year. When we look back at the year that was, what do we see? How do we take stock of the situation? How did we fare? What did we achieve? What did we not achieve? What could we do? What can we do?

King David of Israel achieved a lot. Julius Caesar’s famous quote, “Veni, vidi, vici” which means “I came, I saw, I conquered” could actually be King David’s slogan. (But he wouldn’t because he gave all glory to the God who enabled him to get success.)

So David, after all his victories, settled down and builds a house for himself. He also decides to build a temple for God (1 Chronicles 17: 1-4). But God tells him no!

1 Chronicles 28: 2, 3 reads: ” David rose to his feet and said: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, God’s footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it, but God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’”

God allows David’s son to build the temple – verse 6 – “He [God] said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father.”

But God does not sign blank checks (or cheques). He continues, “And if he (Solomon) continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.” (verse 7).

So David passes on the responsibility to his son, “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.” (Verse 8).

David made the contract public, reminding everybody about God’s promise – “If he (Solomon) continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.” (Verse 7)

At this time as we say our good-byes to 2010 and usher in 2011. As the old passes and the new comes. For a lot of us, one thing is for sure – we have no clue to what to expect! We don’t even know if it is going to be a good year or a bad one. Maybe some of us have gone through (or are going through) some tough situations already and the prospect of getting into the new year with all those problems is not very appealing.

But God says, “If you continue to obey my commands and regulations as you do now, I will make your kingdom last forever [or I will give you success in all you put your mind to.]”

Are you ready?

What do I pray?

This thought was part of the Weekly Devotional at SimplyHim.com

I won’t fret

..because God’s will for me is good, pleasing and PERFECT.

Romans 12: 2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Abraham said that when looking back at the time when he was asked to leave his hometown (Ur) and go to a place he didn’t have a clue about. (Genesis 12)

Moses said that when he looked back at the time he met God at the burning bush. He may have even felt foolish at the arguments he tried that day. (Exodus 3)

Are you fretting? You could try trusting God because His plan for you is good, pleasing and PERFECT.

What do I pray?

This thought was part of the Weekly Devotional at SimplyHim.com

Perspective of holiness: what is supposed to happen in worship?

“It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”“  (NLT)

Extended reading:

Last week, we looked at what is worship – about it being all about God. And how God redeemed us by His blood and made us worthy to seek Him, worship Him. This week, I wanted to explore what happens in worship – in the Most Holy Place?

It is difficult to write about this because we cannot worship God based on what we read. It is something we need to experience – for ourselves. It is after all, about Him and Him alone. I just hope these writings will help you, challenge you to get closer – intimate with the Lord.

There are some pointers in the Word. Isaiah, the prophet experienced a very close encounter with God. Isaiah was in worship and he saw the glory of God. We get some idea about what is supposed to happen in worship from Isaiah’s experience. I got four experiences that Isaiah went through, that I have experienced myself in worship.

1. In worship, we experience God’s holiness and His awesomeness.
   Verse 1 – 4 reads:”He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.“
2. In worship, there is correction and (always) forgiveness.
   Verse 5 reads: “Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”“We always see how unworthy we are to be in God’s presence. We are so overwhelmed by His holiness and majesty, that we realize we could never stand in His presence without His Blood. Isaiah understood that and trembled. Even God knew. But God, Himself cleansed Isaiah. Verse 6, 7 reads: “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.””

   In worship, when you are overwhelmed by your sinful ways and life, never stop there. But cry out to Him. He is faithful to wash you in His blood and make you worthy to worship Him. Remember, His Blood is sufficient to wash us clean and make us righteous in His presence. Romans 3: 23 – 25: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past.”

3. In worship, we are humbled.
   If you look at the many lives that experienced God in the Bible, you will see one quality in all of them – they were humble. Moses, a man who walked and talked with God daily on a one-on-one basis, was a very humble person (Numbers 12:3). Even Jesus, though He was God, humbled himself in obedience and bore the cross for us (Philippians 2:8). That is our cue.

   When we look at His holiness & experience His forgiveness, we can’t help but humble ourselves in His presence. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” (James 4: 10) When Isaiah saw the Lord in His glory, he was not proud of his achievement or credit himself for the honor. He realized that if it wasn’t for God’s grace and mercy, he is a dead man!

4. In worship, we get God’s perspective.
   Isaiah 6: 8a reads: “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?””
   In the popular song ‘Hosanna’ by Brooke Fraser, the bridge reads:
   “Heal my heart and make it clean
   Open up my eyes to the things unseen
   Show me how to love like You have loved me
   Break my heart for what breaks Yours
   Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause
   As I walk from earth in – to eternity”
   In worship, we are moved by what moves Him. We hear His heart. We feel the Father’s love. We are overwhelmed by His grace. And we are challenged by His call. We are called to go further. We are urged to go closer. We are led. Led to reach out. Reach out to the lost in this world. Reach out to the seeking. To the hurting.

Isaiah responded. He said, “Here I am. Send me.” Isaiah’s response to a holy perspective.

The Holy Spirit guides us in different ways. He will overwhelm you with who He is and every time, the experience will be different. So be ready to be blown away.

Be ready to respond with a broken, humble heart. Be ready to respond, “Here I am Lord. Send me.”

What do I pray?

This thought was part of the Weekly Devotional at SimplyHim.com

What is worship?

“That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place.“  (NLT)

Extended reading: Hebrews 9

There is a very famous quote from Alfred P. Gibbs that reads,
“Prayer is the occupation of the soul with its needs.
Praise is the occupation of the soul with its blessings.
Worship is the occupation of the soul with God Himself.

Prayer and praise is something we mostly understand – to a fair extent. After all, it is about us. It is about what we want and our response when we get it. But worship? It is about God. About Him alone.

Worship is with Him and Him alone. There is no one else involved.

The difference is like the difference between The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. For the uninitiated, when God gave the design for the temple, there were three parts of the temple – the courtyard, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Everybody had access to the courtyard. The Holy Place was limited to the priests and the Levites (tribe in Israel). The Holy of Holies was accessed once in a year by the High Priest only.

Hebrews 9: 1 -3 “That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second roomcalled the Most Holy Place.”

Vs. 4 – 5 “In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.  Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.”

Vs. 6 reads, “When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties.”

That is the Holy Place. A place where we frequent when spend our mornings with the Bible, in family prayer, in church, in fellowship etc.

Vs. 7 – “But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”

The Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. One man had access to it once in a year.

Things changed when Jesus died on the cross. “Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27: 50, 51). God opened up the Holy of Holies to everyone. A place where only one person was allowed to go once in a year was opened to everyone. Not just on Sunday. But every day of the year. Any time.

The Holy of Holies is where you go to know your Creator – where He reveals Himself to you. A place of intimacy. There are no standard operating procedures there. No presumptions. We are allowed to come just as we are. The only qualification we are required to have is provided by God.

Read 1 Peter 2: 9, 10 – “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

“Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.””

We are chosen. Washed. Sanctified. Redeemed. Today, we have access to the Most Holy Place. The throne of God. We have access to a place we never deserved. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have access to the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. When you make that decision, you enter the Holy Place. But the Holy of Holies? That is a place where we take the step to get closer first.

So when we, as priests, access the Holy Place with songs and prayers – when we go to church, house church, meetings, family prayer, personal prayer, roadside prayer – the question is, do we also access the Holy of Holies? Do we enter the very presence of God and enjoy a personal God&Me time?

In worship, your spirit and God’s Spirit is in communion. The experience is quite indescribable, for it needs to be experienced by us, individually. A place where you experience Christ in Christianity.

This thought was part of the Weekly Devotional at SimplyHim.com

The legacy we leave

“Ahaziah son of Ahab began to rule over Israel in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria two years. But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the example of his father and mother and the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin.“  (NLT)

Extended reading: 1 Kings 22: 41 – 53

I am reading the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah as part of my daily reading. Stories of awe and victory. Stories of sin and idolatry. Stories of how dependence on the Lord makes a positive difference and vice-versa. The writers of the books of Kings and Chronicles make it very clear, as each king takes the throne, about the path they took and the position they had with God.

In fact, as far as extended reading goes, please go through the books of 1 and 2 Kings and Chronicles. Today, I look at two kings – one named Jehoshaphat and the other, Ahaziah, son of Ahab. Ahaziah was the son of a father and mother, known for their evil ways.

Today’s passage starts with the other king – Jehoshaphat – “Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to rule over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign in Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight.” (2 Kings 22: 41-43)

Two kings. Two opportunities. Opportunity to be able to write history, literally. Opportunity to lead their children and their nations to success.

But as history got written, one reigned for twenty five years. The other reigned for two years. One enjoyed success, the other failure. It is not very difficult to see why. As you go through these books in the Bible, you will read about the many kings and of the paths they chose. Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah were influenced by their parents and had their share of influence on future generations.

What are we leaving behind? What is our legacy? Are we leaving something our kids, our church and our  future generations can look up to or would they be ashamed of our works?

We could be like Ahaziah, who did not have the opportunity in his upbringing. He was not taught to walk in the ways of the Lord. So he chose the other. But he chose. What are we choosing today? Do we choose to trust God or blame our past or our circumstances for our position today?

As I write this, I am aware there are people who seem to have already  lost that chance. You may be going through a bitter divorce. Or you may be convicted for murder or robbery. Or caught in adultery. Those seem like serious legacy-hurting actions. But you know what – everyone’s lost their chance at leaving behind a good legacy. We have all sinned. We have all gone wrong. No one is better than the other. (Romans 3: 23)

But Jesus made a way. He showed the way to heaven. A way for us to make it right – with the people of this world and with God above. He gives us an opportunity to leave behind a legacy. Not of great wealth or a great name in this world. But a legacy of trust, faith and family. A legacy that our children can be proud of. Will it be said of us – “<insert your child’s name here> was a good person, following the example of his father/mother, <insert your name here>. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight.”?

That is the only legacy we can boast of. A legacy of trust in the Lord. A legacy of dependence on the Holy One – the Great I AM.

What is your legacy?

This thought was part of the Weekly Devotional at SimplyHim.com

The crucial element for Christian maturity

“And he said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with us.“  (NLT)

Extended reading: Exodus 34

For the last three months, we have been going through a series called “The presence of God” at our morning English worship every Sunday. It has been a heart-opening experience to understand what it means to have the presence of God in our daily lives.

I realized it is the difference between a new Christian and a mature Christian. Most people come to Jesus when they face a problem. (Not everyone. But for some reason, we look for God when faced with a problem.) Standard procedure is – We come to God, get a promise, hold on to that promise and then claim it when our moment arrives. At least, that is what happened to me.

But after almost 11 years in faith, there is a difference in the way I approach my life. I am no longer seeking promises. (Clarification: I still receive promises from God. But I don’t go looking for them.) I noticed I no longer hold God ransom saying, “You said you will give me this. I am claiming it in Your name. Give it to me.” Today is more about – “Lord, all I need is You. No matter what happens, I want You.”

Moses understood that difference. The difference between struggle and success. The difference between frustration and contentment. He was not looking for a miracle. He wanted the presence of God Himself.

God had introduced Himself earlier in verse 6 – 7

“The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.””

The presence of God brings all this – compassion and mercy! A God who is slow to anger, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Who lavishes unfailing love to a thousand generations. How about that?

The presence of God is really the solution to all our problems. The advantage is when things go wrong, He is there with you. When things go right, He is with us. He rejoices as well as cares for us. He shares in our happiness. He has shared in our weakness. He knows what it means to be alone. So never think that God does not understand. Jesus never said we will not be alone. He said He will be with us always. God never said that we will never have problems. But He said -

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43: 2)

Are you willing to step closer to Him? Are you ready to trust Him?

This thought was part of the Weekly Devotional at SimplyHim.com

Week 34: Lessons from a cover up exposed

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.” (NLT)

Extended reading: 2 Samuel 11, 12

In his DVD, Today, when Brian Doerksen sings “Refiner’s Fire”, he asks all men to stand up in the arena and tells the women to pray over their men. What did they pray for? To keep them pure. To keep their men’s hearts clean. Brian Doerksen understood that we live in a world with a lot of distractions. Distractions that keep us away from our family, our real purpose, our destiny.

Psalm 51 was written by David after the prophet Nathan faced him with his sin. David stole another man’s (Uriah) wife (Bathsheba) and got her husband killed (2 Samuel 11). He takes Bathsheba as his wife after and thinks everything is alright. But the Lord sends Nathan, the prophet to confront David with his sin (1 Samuel 12).

1 Samuel 12: 7 – 10 says, “Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.”

Please note here, David is a man with a lot of clout – political, military, personal. He has to say just one word and Nathan is a dead man. This could have been the world’s best cover-up. Back then, there were no pictures or emails or Internet..in fact, no proof. No proof in worldly terms. But David’s reaction is in vs. 13 “Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.””.

He goes on to write one of the greatest psalms. A psalm of humility. Of repentance. Of forgiveness. A psalm of restoration.

There is nothing we can hide from God, whoever we may be. When faced with sin or stuck in it, the only thing we can do is fall at the mercy seat of God. It does not matter what we have done. David stole, committed adultery and murder. He was forgiven. Verse 13 continues “Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.”

And please, don’t wait for someone or even God to expose you or your sin. When you are convicted within, it is better to confess to Him.

Week 33: The secret to success

“After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,   “Praise the Lord!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” (NLT)

Extended reading: 2 Samuel 5:17-25

There is a small difference in the King James Version. It reads, “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God”. It adds the word honor there. The four things mentioned here:

* Salvation
* Glory
* Honor
* Power

Really belong to God. But look at what we do with these. Look at how we get things done everyday. We take pride in the fact that we have power. We take glory for all the work that we do. We revel in the limelight of our greatest inventions and discoveries. Breakthroughs and findings are named after the scientists who found them. We crouch under the people who have power and rule proudly over whom we have power.

We are offended if we are not given the honor we deserve (or not deserve). We misuse authority. We seek the very things that is supposed to belong to somebody else, in this case, God. We take what is rightfully His and give Him little credit for what we have.

If you haven’t read this week’s extended reading yet, I recommend you do – click here. You see how David handled a situation. A situation which required leadership, authority and power. David was surrounded by his enemies – the Philistines. He was king and he had an army but he does not make his decision on his own. He enquires with God. God says, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”

David goes out against the Philistines and beats their pants off (vs. 20). Look at the very next verse. It starts, “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” (vs. 21). Can you believe that? David had just won against the very people who wanted to destroy him right after he took the throne. This was his opportunity at a major PR showcase. It would definitely help increase the people’s faith in the new king. But before anyone got any ideas, David proclaims, “The Lord did it!”.

The passage gets interesting because the Philistines come back for their idols. Sincerely, you think David would just take off and beat their pants off again. C’mon, he did it the first time. I am sure the Lord would do it for him the second time too. But David asks the Lord again and this time God had a different strategy. It worked and David won. Again.

Verse 25 reads “So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.”

David gave full credit to God. He didn’t keep anything for himself. All power, honor and glory to God.

Pontius Pilate once tried to convince Jesus saying, “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. (John 19: 10, 11)

It is true. This world tells you that you are in control. That you can have all the control. That is a lie.

Give credit where it is due. God deserves all glory, honor and power. And only He can save us all. He is our true source of success.

Week 32: Two sides of the Forgiveness Coin

“It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever.” (NLT)

Extended reading: Philemon

I love stories of redemption. The book of Philemon talks about one.

If you have never read that small book (or page), here is a quick rundown. There is a rich man called Philemon who is also a Christian believer. He has a servant called Onesimus, who steals from Philemon and runs away. I am assuming he gets caught and meets Paul in prison, who gives him the Gospel.

Onesimus may have finished serving his time and Paul encourages him to go back to his master, Philemon. It would actually be safe to do something like that in our times than back then. In those days, Philemon had the authority to get him flogged, executed even. That was the law back then. I could understand if Onesimus was reluctant to go back, if he was.

So Paul not only convinced Onesimus to go back but vouches for him. He requests Philemon to accept him back. And not just as a slave but as a brother in Christ.

There are two things here – for Onesimus, going back means getting punished. He found new life with Paul and he could stay there. He could have a free life. Start afresh. But he decides to go back.

For Philemon, accepting Onesimus meant lowering his standards. What if other servants thought it was okay to steal from him? His honor would take a beating because instead of punishing the rogue servant, he has to aceept him and Paul says as a brother.

True repentance and forgiveness. I don’t know what happened to Onesimus. It doesn’t say in the Bible. But I am going to safely assume that Phil accepted him back. Before their meeting, both must have spent a lot of time in prayer. Praying for grace and strength for what they have to do. For the Holy Spirit to guide them and to help with the right words to say at the right time.

Many of us find ourselves on either side at differnt points in our life. Sometimes we need to forgive. Sometimes we need to ask forgiveness. Both are very difficult things to do. It is more than just saying sorry. It is about setting things right. It is about the heart more than just the words. Sometimes we give up and sometimes, we give in.

Are you ready?

‘God’s eye view’: Artist uses Google Earth images to recreate scenes from the Bible

For those of us who have accessed Google Earth to see what our house looks like from the sky, this would be very interesting. Have you wondered how it would have looked when Moses and the Israelites crossed the sea? Or when Noah found dry land after the whole earth was flooded?

James Dive is an artist who used images from Google Earth and recreated scenes from the Bible like the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus’ crucifixion, Noah’s Ark in the floods and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Moses & the Israelites cross the Red Sea

Jesus' Crucifixion from above

Noah's Ark finds dry ground in the floods

Adam & Eve in Paradise

The 31-year-old, from Sydney, Australia spent more than three months painstakingly researching the Biblical locations on Google Earth. He then combined them on a computer with 3D models of iconic elements from the religious text. The artist who is a member of Sydney based art collective The Glue Society, said: ‘We like to disorientate audiences a little with all our work and with this piece we felt technology now allows events which may or may not have happened to be visualized and made to appear dramatically real. As a method of representation satellite photography is so trusted, it has been interesting to mess with that trust.’

It is great to see art being used for the kingdom. What do you think of this? What scenes from the Bible would you like to see from up above?