Creative Worship: Take Heart: Jesus Has Overcome!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

(Jesus) John 16:33

The chapters leading up to this verse and Chapter 17 which follows it are some of the most tender and poignant passages of Jesus's words and actions. In this verse, John 16:33, Jesus is speaking to his disciples--those he walked with on the earth and all who will follow him later. The whole verse is powerful enough, but the last portion is like dynamite. "Take heart! I have overcome the world." There is so much comfort and hope here but it's also power-packed with doctrine.

I will be publishing a video devotional about this verse/page on our Creative Worship Facebook page later today or tomorrow. So I will go through more of a study of the meaning of the verse in that presentation. Here I just want to glory in the beauty of the verse and the amazing hope we can take from it. Just as Christ walked with his disciples then and tried to calm their fears of the future, Christ walks beside us to give us his courage, his peace, his strength. Christ's work on the cross makes believers certain victors. We can cast all our cares on him, because he has overcome...he is the captain who has won the battle. In the video I'll discuss more about what it means to "take heart" and some of the greater implications of Christ as overcomer in our lives. I hope you'll join me for that.

Because Christ overcame sin and death, we can be overcomers too. Our victory now is as certain as his was then, because his victory lies within us.

I took the idea for this whimsical heart from several inspirations in one of my favorite Bible Journaling guides. Some of the Sweet 'n Sassy / Creative Worship design team members and stamp designers are featured in the book. It has some amazing resources for you. I gave a walk-through tour of the book in Bible Journaling for Beginners--Video #4: Supplies (Part 1). It offers so much practical help, I consider it a necessary supply! I highly recommend it.

Finally, here are the sets used for my page. I can't tell you how much I use the alpha sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Because I'm hand-lettering challenged, these provide the perfect work-around for me. There are so many. Just browse the store for the ones that will work for you. You'll probably want them all like I did!