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W.O.W. Lifestyle (Women Of the WORD)

    by Carmen Schroeder

A Portrait of Grace
Date Posted: September 21, 2007
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. - Romans 12:10 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the commun- ion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. - 2 Corinthians 13:14 Did you know you are an artist? It is true! You may think you do not have a creative bone in your body. But the truth is every time you hear a person’s name spoken or see an individual, all of your preconceived ideas about her/him pop into your head and form one big picture. You have developed a portrait of that person. We see in pictures. What do your works of art look like? Though I am no professional artist, I would venture to say that the quality of any portrait is determined by its beauty, originality and the supplies used. You see, there are only two sets of ‘supplies’: worldly OR Heavenly. One is cheap, fading, and the lowest of quality. The other set, however, is Rare, Expensive and Eternal. When we use worldly means, we often paint ‘exhibit A’ based upon the words of another. Those supplies consist of the paint of slander and the brush of malicious lies drawn upon the canvas of hate. Cheap! If your portraits have come out distorted and hard on the eye...it’s now time to RESTOCK with heavenly supplies! The supplies our Heavenly Father gives is what He Himself has used in painting you and me. The portraits drawn with His supplies are always stunningly beautiful! As YOU are! We must remember to keep our out-of-this-world Set-Apart supplies stocked up at all times in painting others...picking up the paint of Grace (undeserved favor), using the brush of Truth (unequivocal freedom in His Spirit) upon the canvas of Love (unconditional preference for another). Needless to say, these works of art are beautiful in the eyes of The Beholder, The One before Whom our works are always on display. The portraits we paint of others means a great deal to our Father God because they reveal the heart of the painter. When others think of us, they too will remember our well-known paintings as either graceful or hideous, beautiful or highly critical, compelling or dispelling. As our Art Teacher walks thru the aisles of our hearts, would HE deem ours a gallery of Grace or one of gore? Let’s start with the canvas... Gracious Father, I Praise You for all Your wonderful works You have wrought in Your servants. Thank You for giving us new eyes and new supplies to create things pleasing in Your sight. Help us to faithfully pick up all Your Spirit supplies and ‘in honor, give preference to others’ daily with Your supply of grace, truth and love. May Your will be done and may Your Name be made great in each of our lives today. In our Blessed Redeemer’s Name I pray. Amen. Wise Words: “Religion in its rise interests us about ourselves; in its progress about our fellow creatures; and in its highest stage, about the honor of God.” - Jameison, Faussett & Brown Commentary on Old and New Testament

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Biography Information:
Carmen Schroeder is the stay-at-home mother of one son, Caleb, and three daughters, Bethany, Kaitlyn, and Kierstyn (ages 6-12). She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Stacy, and together they serve the LORD in Missouri.

Carmen enjoys encouraging other women with the life-changing Word of God through teaching, mentoring and song in conferences and workshops.

Carmen's testimony is one of victory as 1 John 5:4,5 (AMP) says: 'For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. Who is it that is victorious over the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?

Her message is that this Christ is the One Who generously gives heavenly wisdom for victorious living.

Email Carmen directly to discuss an article OR stop by and visit her new Women of the Word blog here!