Isn’t it fun to get your pictures back from the photo company and look through all the pictures you’ve taken?
One day I took my camera to school and took some pictures of the children playing on the seesaw, jumping rope, climbing on the monkey bars and sitting in the classroom. When I got home I opened the camera to take the film out so I could get the pictures developed. But what a disappointment—the camera was empty!
Are you empty like that camera? You know, if the Lord Jesus is not living in your heart, there won’t be one thing recorded in your life that will be pleasing to God. He sees your life as empty.
All that day I thought I was taking pictures. I worked hard to get the children to pose for me, but when the day was over I had nothing to show for it. Our lives may be like that too. We may think we are doing good things, but unless we’ve had our sins washed away and been born into God’s family, we are like a camera without film - empty.
My camera clicked and sounded like it does when there is film in it, but I wasn’t really taking pictures. And we may talk like a Christian and look like a Christian from the outside, but we must have the Lord Jesus living in our hearts to really BE a Christian.
Jesus said, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode [home] with him” (John 14:2323Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)). Isn’t it wonderful that we can have the Lord Jesus and God the Father living right in our hearts!
Don’t be like an empty camera-a complete disappointment to God. Be like a camera with film in it—a true and useful child of God that brings joy to His heart. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 15:55I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5), “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth [lives] in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing.”
ML-02/08/2004