Daily devotion – The first commandment
Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
When Leonardo De Vinci was forty-three years old, the Duke Ludovinco of Milan asked him to paint the dramatic scene of Jesus’ last supper with His disciples.
Working slowly and giving meticulous care to details, De Vinci spent three years on the assignment. He grouped the disciples into three, two groups on either side of the central figure of Jesus, Jesus’s arms are outstretched. In His right hand, Jesus holds a cup, painted beautifully with marvellous realism.
When the masterpiece was finished, De Vinci said to a friend, “Have a look at the painting and tell me what you think of it.”
“It’s wonderful!” exclaimed the friend, “The cup is so real that I cannot divert my eyes from it!”
Immediately Leonardo took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup! He exclaimed as he did so, “Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!”
As we approach the New Year of 2023, let us have the same zeal as the great De Vinci and ensure that there is nothing in our lives that takes our attention more than our Saviour. Let us have Him as the priority focus of our lives as we begin the New Year!