Jesus and His love is what it's all about! It's not boring though! There is so much to Him. His Character is deep (Ephesians 3:16-21), deeper than the ocean, and He is who we are made for. Do you ever desire a relationship or a true connection? We were made to be right with God!!! He is always there for us with His Holy Spirit and cares for us so much. Praise Him for being the ONE! Plus, if He is all-knowing and all-powerful, which He has proven to be throughout all history, then He has an infinite amount of love and peace and joy and rest. We can spend all eternity getting to know how amazing He is and enjoy life in Him!
Also, God exists in Holy Trinity, which means that He is One God, yet has three parts at the same time. He, Himself, is a relationship! Thus, He knows how to care for and respect others rightly. Below is a description of this Tirinty relationship of God. It can be discussed in length for God is above us, so of course He is going to be beautifully complex. Let's not forget though, in essence, it is also simple enough for a child to understand. In Matthew we read, "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these'" (Matthew 19:14). Jesus shows that a child-like faith is what we all should have to be with Him. Let us trust! (Note that we we should not have a child-ish faith, as described many places in Scripture. Hebrews 5:12-14 warns, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." And 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 sternly encourages, "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?") Let's not be ignorant and reject Him. God and His plan for us is so special.
If you would like to read more about God's loving Character, expressed through the Trinity, here are some descriptions as noted throughout the Bible. And afterwards is a description of the three parts of He Art. His promises are so amazing and life-giving! I hope you receive His love and peace and continue to love Him and others most! (Mark 12:29-31)
In His Holy Name
To start, there is no way to sit down and explain the exact intricacies Trinity, but I'm so glad that God is above my understanding because then I know He is above me. He is Awesome. He is Holy, which means set apart. There is nothing like Him. It is not a concept made up by theologians though. Jesus Himself said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus referred to the Name as singular. There is One God, as defined many times in the Bible, and Jesus says that this Name is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; Three-In-One.
Right before Jesus is taken to be crucified He also says that He will be with the disciples, and generations to come, through the Holy Spirit! He assures, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.' I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you" (John 16:7). Jesus, which means the LORD saves, came to save us from our sins so that we can be in a right relationship with God! Jesus loves us so much, in fact, that He laid His life down for this relationship. It is the greatest love! John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." In the above passage, right before He is about to die for our sins, He explains that He is God and so is the Holy Spirit (Jesus says 'Counselor'; also recorded in John 14:11). We can see and learn about God's character through Jesus, as recorded in the Word (see also John 1:1-3 and 14!) and and now through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' Love is Greater Still!
So far this is awesome! But. . . it gets even better!!! In the passage above Jesus tells us it is for our good, that He is going away. This may seem odd at first. Jesus assures us though, it is so He can send His Spirit to be with us for love and guidance. For once Jesus was here only in person, but now by the Holy Spirit, God is available to live and love in every person! The Holy Spirit of God can actually live in us! What a gift indeed; it was for our good! In 1 Corinthians 6:19 we read, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Let us receive the Holy Spirit in us to love Him and others! Also, let us receive Him to guide us and others for He has so much to share - like about how there is sin, how Jesus saved us from it, that some people do not receive Him and what He has done (!), and that for now this world is passing away and is fallen, but that one day He will return to set up His Holy Perfect Kingdom of righteousness, truth and freedom for all eternity! I definitely would like to be a part of Him! Praise Jesus for being the way! Jesus actually says too that He is the only way. John 14:6 tells us, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus died for us and made a way to live with a perfect God who's very Good nature doesn't let sin in (thank God)! Jesus, as God's Son, provided the way when He substituted Himself for our wrongs (Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.") Now when we trust in Him, we can share in His Sonship. God sees perfect Jesus rather than our sins! It is good to remain in Him. Jesus says, "'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Let's remain in Him! Galatians 3:26 also declares, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." In the Old Testament times, this meant that we would receive the reserved blessing and inheritance. This is a big deal!!! Jesus forever defeated sin and death on the cross, offered to bring us into a right relationship with God who loves us and others as a son, and continues to through His Holy Spirit today. All three parts are One God! He is our God and we have become co-heirs with Christ, His Son! (Romans 8:17 says, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.") Let's worship and thank Him alone. He is worthy! He really loves us!
God is God: He Alone is Worthy
There are many examples that help us understand the Trinity. These are great, but none of them quite do the job. God is above us, so of course we can't make something resemble Him! Thus, the illustrations teach us to awe Him more, but they themselves are still limited. For example, you might have heard of the water metaphor; that He is like water with three states: ice, liquid and gas. There is one water, but it can take three forms. This metaphor is a start, but the relationship is just not as amazing as God. For God exists as all three parts at the same time!!! He alone can do this. He alone is God! As recorded, "God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you'"" (Exodus 3:14). God is real and He is here and He is amazing! He is God; there is no other! He is so big, but He is also so good! Plus, think of what He has done for us: It's all about Jesus and His love! Let's respond to His great love and love Him and others back with Him in us! All we have to do is ask for Him to be in us (Matthew 7:7 and see James 4:3).
All over the Bible there are lessons from Him to receive and learn more about Him! For, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Let's dig into the Word to see what Jesus has for us each day and to learn more about His good, loving Character! (John 1:1-5, John 1:14 and John 6:35 to start) - His Word is just as important as food! -
-Three Parts of He Art-
To honor God and remind us of His Character, here are the three parts of He Art! They are not like God, but instead point to His Three-In-One nature. In everything, let's remind ourselves of what God has done for us and how He loves us! When we look to Him, we can see that He has kept every promise and that He is always for us in love! (Romans 8:31, 1 John 4:8, and John 3:16-17 to start)
1. He Art studio - God has always put it on my heart to paint and tell others about Him. These are my favorite things to do. This site for He Art studio is nathanwoods.org and contains a lot of the works. I thank God for putting it on my heart to do art for Him and with Him/ He Art (Romans 8:26). It has truly been a joy!
2. He Art cooking - This is the most recent part of He Art. God has taught me that cooking is really a gift from Him and can teach us about working together. The website for He Art cooking is heartcooking.org, and you can buy the new He Art cookbook here! Let's all try to cook and/ or spend time with one other, remembering the One who loves us so much! He showed us His love by sending His Only Son to first, tell us of His love, and then died for us so that we could be free from sin and death forever (Ephesians 2:13-22)! Now we can be with God in a right relationship forever! Our hearts were made to be in relationship with Him and He completes us. Nothing else can satisfy. Seriously, sometimes I find myself wanting . . . anything; weather it be an art accomplishment or just being in better shape. However, when I come back to God and see that He completes me, I find Him right there with open arms! We need Him to be first in our lives, for everything good is from Him and after Him (James 1:17). When we know that God loves us and put Him first, all other things are in right order and relationship too. I find that I honestly value others more and desire to help them when I know that God loves me and I love Him back with all my heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30-31)! What a joy! Thank you God for always being there for us in love!
3. He Art shirts - My friend Justin Davis and I really felt God told us to make 'He art shirts.' He Art shirts is communicating God's love and peace through t-shirts! There is inspirational art on each shirt which points to Jesus and how He loves us so much! (1 Corinthians 1:27, Romans 6:23 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 to start) Read more on the Introduction page here. The official site for He Art shirts, heartshirts.org, is underway and will be ready soon. We'll keep you updated.
And all of these can be pronounced . . . 'He Art,' the usual pronunciation (from Genesis 1:27, Ephesians 2:10 and Matthew 6:9-13); 'Heart,' to remind to love the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, the first and greatest commandment (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Matthew 22:37-40); and 'hear Christ,' to encourage listening to Him and seeking Him in everything we do, for He has so much to say to us through His Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:7, Romans 8:26, and John 14:26)!
This may seem overwhelming at first! God is so big!!!! He is always there for us in love though! As Jesus said in the first quoted verse, "'I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come" (John 16:12-13). If we ask the Holy Spirit to be with us He will be! And He will gently guide us and teach us in His Holy and perfect will forever.
God Bless and praise Him that it's all about Him and His love! Really, it's actually very simple! It's all about Jesus and His love! Jesus says the greatest commandment:
"'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these'" (Mark 12:29-31). (And Jesus refers to 'one.' He is amazing! He is God!)
Let's do this and love Him and others with all our hearts, souls, minds and strengths! Amen! Jesus Loves!!!!!!!
♥ For more Biblical references to the God's Holy Trinity, see: Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5; 1 Peter 1:2; and John 1.
And to read more about the Trinity, see also, 'God's Holy Name!'
