If I Loved Him Better, I Would Paint Him ...

"If I loved him better, I would paint him better!”--Paul Gustave Doré

Paul Gustave Doré was born in Strasburg, January 10, 1833. He was well-known for illustrating many works, including a version of the Bible. (You can download the set of pen and ink drawing from Project Gutenberg.) The story is told that on one occasion he was putting the finishing touches on the face of Christ in one of his paintings, when an admiring friend stepped quietly into the studio. She stared with delight at his work, mouth open at the beauty and lifelikeness.

Doré sensed her presence and said graciously, “Pardon, madam, I did not know you were here.”

She answered, “Monsieur Doré, you must love him very much to be able to paint him so truly!”

“Love him, madam? Oh, I do love him, but if I loved him better, I would paint him better!”

Something similar is true of each of us. If we love Christ better, we will serve him better; we will delight in his will and his ways; we keep his commandments. The deeper our love for God, the greater our fellowship with God – a fellowship which is not a thing of mere intellect or sentiment, but a living communion with Christ by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Through God’s Spirit, the life of Jesus fills and animates our life. From the fertile soil of love for Christ grows the beautiful fruit of obedience. Love deepens the fellowship which necessarily produces faithfulness.

That is why I believe a primary purpose of preaching is to instill confidence in God’s love for us and to excite and encourage our love for God. As Jeremiah reminded Israel in exile: “Thus says the Lord: I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31.2-3).

From a sermon by Glenn Durham, Knowing God’s Love and Experiencing Joy, 5/6/2010