God is Enough

This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand, I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. Exodus 7:17

Hi Friends!

I'm in Exodus today, and the plagues are about to begin. The Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years. The Egyptians had made them slaves; and they suffered through that. Now, it was time for them to go. God was going to free them. But Pharaoh thought he could stop them. And so, because of Pharaoh's actions, the plagues began. These plagues caused much suffering too.

The world is full of suffering, isn't it? We all suffer- believers and unbelievers alike. Why? Because we live in a fallen world. Jesus told us we would suffer. And, honestly, if the God Man had to suffer as He did, why would we expect not to suffer?

But, there's good news, friend. God is enough for any suffering we may experience. In fact, He is more than enough. Our God is good, and He's working His purpose in every circumstance. In those hard times, draw near to Him. Know Him. He will sustain us through it just as He sustained the Israelites through the plagues. We are not enough. We're not even close. But He is. Lean into Him.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Your Story, In His Image, Grace Upon Grace, and the Starry Night Stencil. I used distress oxides and the stencil for the background. I stamped the notebook paper on sticker paper and the partially adhered it to the page so that I can still lift it up to read the scripture underneath.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Gold, Jewels, or Lips...

Hi friends,

Proverbs has a lot to say about knowledge and wisdom, and the message running throughout this book is that we are to get wisdom, get knowledge, and to prize them above so many other things which might capture our attention or love. In Proverbs 20:15 we are told that there may be an abundance of gold and precious stones, but knowledgeable lips are a rare treasure.

This is interesting to reflect upon on a number of levels. The first is to ask whether we genuinely believe this. We tend to seek after wealth or beauty more readily than we seek after knowledge or wisdom (think about the way we use our time and money, which indicates what we think is valuable). But God says that knowledgeable lips are rarer and more valuable than the most costly gems and precious metals. The second thing to ponder is how we seek after knowledge and wisdom. Do we value it enough to spend time and money on pursuing it? Do we seek out the knowledge and wisdom of those who have taken the time to study and spend time with God over a long and consistent period of time? Or are we too easily entertained by social media and television to be hungry for knowledge?

Thirdly, are we seeking to cultivate our own lips so they are filled with knowledge and wisdom to bless and encourage others? Are our lips filled with our opinions or with God's Word? Are our lips pouring out the fruit of knowledge grown in study and worship, or are they pouring out criticism and complaint? Let's choose to value, listen to, and cultivate knowledgeable lips over gold, gems, or any other shiny thing the world may offer us.

I used a bunch of sets on this page and lots of different mediums, including watercolour (to colour the owl), coloured pencils (to colour the gems), acrylic paint (for the background) and Nuvo Mousse (for stencilling). The stamp sets I used are Owl Be There, Worthy King, Lollipop Alpha, Playful Alpha, Print Blocks Alpha, Marker Alpha, and Note This. I also used the Delightfully Delicate stencil and Rise & Shine stencil. 

Be blessed as you treasure the truly important gift of knowledgeable lips.

x Amy x

Is your soul thirsty for the Lord?

 "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands."
Psalm 63:1-3

Is your soul thirsty for the Lord? Do you want to be near to Him, to hear Him, to feel His presence in your life? So often when we drift from the Lord, we lose our thirst for Him. We begin thirsting for other things in life, things that can't bring us true satisfaction. 

I've been going through a dry period and I realized that I wasn't even thirsting for the Lord. I was just going through the motions without really earnestly seeking Him. He was no longer filling me because I was no longer thirsty for Him. I was filling myself up with other things. So I turned to the Lord in prayer:

Lord, make my heart thirst for you again. Create in me a clean heart and renew and right spirit in me. Help my heart long for you and fill me with your steadfast love.

It's that simple. If you find yourself in a dry place but thirsty for things that won't satisfy you, turn it over to the Lord. Let Him stir your heart to want Him more. Day by day, your thirst will grow until your are once again earnestly seeking Him and finding his thirst-quenching love.

Page Details

This was a simple page with stamps and watercolors. It was more about my time with the Lord and what He was doing in my heart than any fancy art techniques. And isn't that what Bible Journaling all about? 💙

 

How's your soul this week, friend? Is it thirsty for the Lord? If not, spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to stir your heart to thirst for Him and then let Him fill you up with His steadfast love. 

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

Jesus Sang

 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:26

Hi Friends!

Resurrection Sunday was a week ago, but something stood out to me as I was reading about Jesus' last night; and I just this weekend had time to journal it. The night before He went to the cross, Jesus sang. Knowing full well what was to come, He sang. And it wasn't a sad song that Jesus sang. He and His disciples were celebrating Passover. During Passover, Psalms 113-118 were generally sung. They are noted for joy and thanksgiving and are called the Hallel psalms. Since it was at the end of their meal, the hymn referred to in verse 26 was most likely Psalm 118. Guess how it starts:

1- Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him. He knew He would be betrayed by Judas. He knew Peter would deny knowing Him. He knew all His disciples would scatter. He knew He would have to go through illegal trials and that He would be mocked and beaten horribly. Jesus knew He would hang on a cross in agonizing pain. He knew, and yet He still gave thanksgiving to the Father.

Verses 5-7 of Psalm 118 speak to hard times:

5- When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place.

6- The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

7- The LORD is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

What must Jesus have been thinking when He sang these verses? There are no harder times than what He was about to endure. He was on His way to the Mount of Olives where He would cry out to the Father, pleading with Him if there were any other way. But of course, there was not another way. And Jesus was obedient. The Father was with Him, as always, except that when Jesus hung on the cross bearing our sins, then He experienced separation from the Father. How unbearable that must have been for Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father! I can't imagine. Mere mortals mocked Him, beat and abused Him, crucified Him. But they weren't in control. No, not at any point were they in control. Jesus controlled it all. And He triumphed over the enemy.

We should be familiar with Psalm 118:22-24:

22- The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

23- The LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24- The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Let us rejoice TODAY and be glad. That day, the day before His death, Jesus was able to rejoice and be glad. And He, of course, is the Cornerstone. He knew He would be rejected and killed, but this was the day the Lord had made. This day- there would be no other like it. Jesus sang as if that day would be a good day, not an awful one. It was THE DAY. Jesus willingly went to the cross that day for each of us. We can rejoice in that day because of what He did for us.

Psalm 118 ends with these final verses:

28- You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, and I will exalt You.

29- Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Jesus sang praise and thanksgiving to the Father. He was about to endure savage cruelty that was completely undeserved, not that cruelty is ever deserved, but He was utterly innocent. And yet, as He and the disciples sang, they pronounced that God the Father was in complete control. Jesus knew. And He praised. And He thanked. And He rejoiced. What an amazing Savior we have.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Grunge Elements 3, Brotherly Love, Note This, Playful Alpha, and the Make Music stencil. I applied distress oxides to the page with sponge daubers for the background. And colored in "Jesus" with Prismacolor pencils. Before stamping, I spritzed the page with water so the distress oxides would react with the water.

Have a blessed week. Read Psalm 118 and praise our Lord! Andrea

Desert into Pools...

Hi friends,

Psalm 107:35 declares of the Lord that "He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water." 

I don't know about anyone else, but I feel like in the last year there have been some pretty dry, desert-like patches of life. Whether it is the isolation resulting from the pandemic, stresses and strains in close relationships, lack of ability to worship together as usual, or any other number of factors, sometimes life just feels dry. We can do the things we have always done and there doesn't seem to be the same life in them. We all go through these times - no one is exempt, not even Jesus. He was led in the wilderness for forty days, just as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. But even in these dry and thirsty places, there is hope, because we serve a God who turns deserts into pools of water and who brings springs of water in the middle of a parched land. 

It is interesting that a few verses before this one, the psalmist says that God also turns rivers into desert (v.33). You see, God can and does do both. Sometimes he brings dry seasons into our lives for a reason, whether as discipline, a test, or an opportunity for growth. Just because we are in a dry season, doesn't mean that we have done something wrong (that may be the case, but we have to search our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit rather than assume). And it doesn't mean that God has abandoned us. He is there with us in the dry seasons, and we can cling onto hope that he will bring rain again, at the right time. 

I used a combination of the new Thirsty Soul set (that has coordinating dies!) along with the older set Refresh My Soul to create the cacti. I stamped them on watercolour card, coloured and cut out, then glued onto the background that I had painted in my Journaling Psalter with acrylic paints. I used a combination of other sets for the text: Rebecca Script Alpha, Living Water, Bitty Minnie Alpha, and Messy Stamped Alpha. 

I pray that God would turn the dry places of our lives in pools of refreshing water, and I also pray that while we are still in the dry places, we would rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and help us to grow.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

My Defender

 

"Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

What a powerful Bible passage. This takes place when the Israelites are being pursued by the Egyptian army, and panic and begin crying out that God should have left them in Egypt.  Moses tells them to be quiet, and watch God work.  It reminds me of when someone who's freaking out needs a slap in the face to bring them out of their frenzy.  

How often do we fret and stress over the circumstances we find ourselves in?  If we would but stand still and stand firm in Christ, and allow Him to work, we may find that He performs miraculous wonders before our very eyes!  All we need to do is praise Him, even before He acts, and then wait to see what He does.  Pray, worship, stay still.  God's got this!  He's our Great Defender.  

"Defender" has recently become one of my favorite songs.  It speaks to the trust and submission to His power and victory in our life.  I've linked the video below.  Here are a couple of the verses:  

Hallelujah, You have saved me

So much better this way

Hallelujah, great Defender

So much better Your way

And all I did was praise

All I need to do is worship

Lord, I will just bow down

I'm just gonna stay still

(My Defender, Francesca Battistelli and Steffany Gretzinger)

All we have to do is allow God to fight for us, stand back, pray and praise.  He will defeat our enemies and troubles, just like He delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians.  

I made this page with a mixed media approach to give a sense of chaos and disorder.   This represents how we should let Christ defend us in the midst of that chaos.  I used Distress Oxide Inks in Kitsch Flamingo, Wild Honey, and Peacock Feathers.  I stamped images from the new Grunge Elements 3 stamp set and Typewriter Text Background.  I also stenciled with ink and white acrylic paint using the new Script stencil.  

 I stamped the title using Love Ya Like a Sis and Bold and Outline alpha sets.  I then added detailing a white gel pen.  I adhered my Bible text, which I had typed onto a clear sticker sheet.  I added some black and white splatters, and then topped the page with a couple of tabs and a bow.  

My prayer is that you can allow Jesus to be your great Defender in your most difficult of circumstances. 

--Julie 

Script Stencil

Grunge Elements 3