"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to results in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 1:6-7
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| "Sure, you'll face difficulty. God is prying open your fingers so you'll let go of your dreams, rest in his comforts, and take up his call." - Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies |
Have you ever heard of The Loved Bible Project? It's ministry to share compact size Bibles with people all over the world. Their Mission is to transform lives to find hope in God's Word and while doing this, be transformed. Here's what you do: you pick up a small, compact size Bible (I got mine from ChristianBook for $5); spend some time praying, reading, highlighting, jotting down notes or journaling cards in the Bible; and then give it away!
In January, I started reading Paul David Tripp's devotional, New Morning Mercies, and have been flagging pages and topics that I feel would be a help and encouragement to the recipient of my loved Bible. I just recently started highlighting, praying over, and putting notes from those topics into my loved Bible.
The devotional from February 1st went along so perfectly with this month's new release stamp set, Blessings in Disguise, I just knew I needed to use it to illustrate this lesson. (Plus, this set brings to mind Laura Story's popular song "Blessings" which has now been stuck in my head for days. 😉)
In the first book of Peter, Peter - yes, the same Peter who was an outspoken and often brash follower of Jesus, who famously denied Christ three times at a critical hour, and then preached one of first gospel messages in which thousands were saved (see Acts 2), that Peter - talks briefly but succinctly about the trials and suffering that everyone, even Christians, face in life. So often, when we go through difficult times, our first response is to question the goodness of God. "Why is this happening to me? Where is God? Doesn't He love me?" Those are our natural responses to tough times.
Peter, however, has a different view. He tells us that difficult times are actually a vital part of God's plan, and that they show His grace at work in our lives. Rather than seeing difficulties as a sign of God's unfaithfulness or inattention, we should see them as opportunities to experience God's love and grace first-hand. Paul Tripp says this:
In grace, He leads you where you didn't plan to go in order to produce in you what you couldn't achieve on your own. In these moments, He works to alter the values of your heart so that you let go of your little kingdom of one and giver yourself to His kingdom of glory and grace."
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| "He isn't so much working to transform our circumstances as He is working through hard circumstances to transform you and me." - Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies |
God doesn't promise us a life free of trouble and difficulty. What He does promise is that His grace will be sufficient to carry you through all the trials of this life. If you are going through your own difficult season, you can rest assured knowing that God is with you in the midst of your mess, and He will give you the grace you need to carry on.
I used the brand new Blessings in Disguise stamp set to create this journaling card, which I then washi taped into my loved Bible. I used Distress Oxides to add shadowing around the edge of the card, and then Jane Davenport watercolor crayons to paint the flower and add some light blue splatters. I wrote notes from the devotional on the back of the card. I hope and pray it will be an encouragement to the recipient of my loved Bible. 💙
Love in Christ,
Janelle
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