I have this cutting from a daily newspaper. It says – ‘Discovered at Telescombe in Sussex is an ancient bill for services rendered to the church’s wall paintings. It read:
To Renovating heaven and adjusting the stars.Washing servant of the High Priest and putting carmine in his cheeks. Brightening up the flames of hell. Putting a new tail on the devil. Doing odd jobs for the damned, and Correcting the ten commandments –£10′.
Imagine all that for £10!

Now by any standard that’s pretty powerful painting! Pretty good value for money, too. But when you consider it, that’s exactly what millions try to do with the real things, and not just with pictures painted on a church wall. Because they don’t like the Bible teaching on heaven and hell, they renovate it, whitewash the servants of corrupt power and do odd jobs for the damned, amending the ten commandments to suit themselves. The snag is that when our account comes to be settled it’s the real God of the Bible with whom we have to deal, not one of our own design, and if you want to see what that God is really like and what He really teaches, turn to the word of Jesus, turn to the person of Jesus, and see.

Today’s reading is a salutary reminder of the way God sees us.

Now read: 2 Timothy 3: 1-7.