March 12, 2022 7:00 pm
Oliver Cromwell, known as the “Protector of England,” was a military commander in the seventeenth century. It was common practice during those days for people of importance to have their portraits painted. And it wasn’t unusual for an artist to avoid depicting the less attractive aspects of a person’s face. Cromwell, however, wanted nothing to do with a likeness that would flatter him. He cautioned the artist, “You must paint me just as I am—warts and all—or I won’t pay you.”
Apparently, the artist complied. The finished portrait of Cromwell displays a couple of prominent facial warts that in the present day would surely be filtered or airbrushed before being posted on social media.
The expression “warts and all” has come to mean that people should be accepted just as they are—with all their annoying faults, attitudes, and issues. In some cases, we feel that’s too difficult a task. Yet, when we take a hard inward look, we might find some pretty unattractive aspects of our own character.
We’re grateful that God forgives our “warts.” And in Colossians 3, we’re taught to extend grace to others. The apostle Paul encourages us to be more patient, kind, and compassionate—even to those who aren’t easy to love. He urges us to have a forgiving spirit because of the way God forgives us (vv. 12–13). By His example, we’re taught to love others the way God loves us—warts and all.
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled, Warts and All, was written by Cindy Hess Casper. Oliver Cromwell, known as the Protector of England, was a military commander in the 17th century. It was common practice during those days for people of importance to have their portraits painted, and it wasn't unusual for an artist to avoid depicting the less attractive aspects of a person's face. Cromwell, however, wanted nothing to do with a likeness that would flatter him. He cautioned the artist, you must paint me just as I am, warts and all, or I won't pay you.
Apparently, the artist complied. The finished portrait of Cromwell displays a couple of prominent facial warts that in the present day would surely be filtered or airbrushed before being posted on social media. The expression, warts and all, has come to mean that people should be accepted just as they are, with all their annoying faults, attitudes, and issues. In some cases, we feel that's too difficult a task.
Yet, when we take a hard inward look, we might find some pretty unattractive aspects of our own character. We're grateful that God forgives our warts, and in Colossians 3, we're taught to extend grace to others. The Apostle Paul encourages us to be more patient, kind, and compassionate, even to those who aren't easy to love. He urges us to have a forgiving spirit because of the way God forgives us. By His example, we're taught to love others the way God loves us, warts and all.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 through 15. Let's pray. Our loving God, please show us our shortcomings or flaws that detract from letting others know who You are. Then give us the courage we need to face them and with Your help overcome them. Teach us to be more patient and to love and forgive as You do. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Rachelle Traube, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-05-23 07:48:27 / 2023-05-23 07:49:50 / 1
