But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. Ephesians 2:1-3
Lamentations 3:22-23
The Judge is still withholding judgement.
Luke 10:36-37
I plan to begin a photo essay series titled, Unconscious Decadence. I plan to post images that I find that reflect and reveal the contrast between the world and Christ’s kingdom. I will incorporate the text of the Bible, as I consider it to be highly relevant to the series topic. I think that it will likely be the Bible text that provides some encouragement and hope in light of the topic, but not necessarily the images themselves-which will provide the story, or argument. As always, the images that I post are meant to be a backdrop of sorts, to Bible text primarily, but also an attempt to capture spiritual reality that can often be difficult for us to see clearly . As always I welcome your comments and feedback. Deborah Link
This introductory image to the series is really meant to convey the idea of Unconscious Decadence. In the image above, to me, the contrast is that so much care are concern was involved in creating the painting on the wall, but there is not the same care and concern of the homeless woman, a fellow human, in this world.
Many of the posts will include two images to better show the contrast that I describe, because I am still able to convey the contrast with two photos in a single post, whereas a single photo to convey the same contrast may be difficult to find. These posts will be made on Saturdays. I hope you enjoy the series, I hope that it is thought-provoking, and I hope that you remain safe.
~God is good!~
Matthew 7:11
The word ‘mercy’ in Hebrew is used about 250 times in the Old Testament, and refers to God’s gracious love. It is a comprehensive term that encompasses love, grace, mercy, goodness, forgiveness, truth, compassion, and faithfulness. The bedrock of faith is the reality that God keeps all His promises according to His truthful, faithful character.
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Lamentations 3:22, 23.
The house represents a religious life; the rain represents divine judgement. Only the one built on the foundation of obedience to God’s Word stands, which calls for repentance, rejection of salvation by works, and trust in God’s grace to save through His merciful provision.
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Matthew 7:24-27.
-Word- pictures by DLink 