The Original

Friday, December 24, 2021

rnOne day, a group of tourists were viewing the famous painting, "Aurora," on the ceiling of the Casino Rospigliosi in Rome. It is considered to be the artist Guido Reni's greatest masterpiece. Sitting in front of them was a row of artists and students copying the painting. Looking over their shoulders, the tourists started commenting on how different each copy was. Upon hearing their remarks, the tour guide responded, "Don't look at the copies. Look at the original." Those were words of wisdom not just for tourists but for believers in Messiah. It's so easy to dwell on other believers - how they fall short of God, or even how good and holy they may be. But there's one thing they all have in common - believers are, at best, spiritual copies. Some copies are better than others, but the fact remains they're just copies. You, too, are a copy. And you won't become the person you're supposed to be by focusing on other copies. Fix your eyes on Messiah because He is the real thing. He is the author and finisher of your faith from which all copies are to be made.rn

From Message #548 - The Huppogrammus