Give to Get

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Hi friends!

Last week my pastor preached on this passage. Verse 6 tells us that if we give generously, we will receive generously. The prosperity gospel pastors often use this verse to further their cause. But Paul isn’t saying give more to get more to store and keep it. In verses 8-11, Paul tells us why we should give generously to receive generously- so that we can turn around and give more! God wants us to use what He gives us for the kingdom. Giving generously isn’t a certain amount, it’s in proportion to what you have to give. And giving generously doesn’t always have to be money, it can be time and skills or talents as well. Verse 7 tells us that when we give, we should give cheerfully. We shouldn’t give just because we’re “supposed” to. God doesn’t NEED our help. He wants us to want to help. When my pastor came to our church, he stopped having the plate passed around during the services. This caused giving to go down. The church lost a significant amount of money. But he didn’t want people giving out of compulsion. He wanted them to give out of their love for God. And since he’s been pastoring the church, God has worked in amazing ways. So remember: Give cheerfully generously and receive bountifully so that you can give even more. I have to be honest, I’m not always a cheerful giver. And I could definitely be a more generous giver. So this message hit home for me.

Page details: I used the following Sweet ’n Sassy Stamps products: Get to the Point Alpha, Living Water, To Do List, Script Stencil, Grunge Gears Stencil, and Chicken Wire Stencil. I created the background with distress oxides and stencils. I colored the letters with a colored pencil. 

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Bold

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

Hi Friends!

Today I'm in Proverbs 28. Verse 1 is perfectly illustrated using the new Lion of Judah set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. And as I was journaling the page, I was thinking about the meaning of this verse. Who are the wicked? Who are the righteous? Do I flee or am I bold? Hmmmm....

Well, we know that the wicked are people who haven't put their faith in Jesus. And the righteous are people who have put their faith in Jesus. Because the righteous aren't righteous by their own doing. Jesus gave them HIS righteousness. So, we, those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, can now claim righteousness through Him. We once were wicked, but now we are not because of Him. 

Now the question is do we flee (& thereby act like the wicked) or are we bold? I think unfortunately, we often flee. We don't rely on Jesus, on His Spirit that is ever-present within us, on His power. Instead we try to rely on ourselves and that doesn't work out so well. Instead, we should be dependent on Him and through that dependence we find our boldness. Because if we are in Him, we have nothing to fear. As Paul said, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) The woes of this world are great. But our Savior is greater. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Let's be bold in Him.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps supplies: Lion of Judah, Knit Stencil, Mixed Up Stencil, Bubbles Stencil, & gel plate. I inked up my gel plate with distress oxide. I wanted to try that instead of paint, and I like the result! I just tapped the ink pad directly onto the gel plate and pressed the inked gel plate onto the Bible page. I then used stencils to add to the background. I finished the page with the images stamped in black. If you haven't tried gel plates, I'd encourage you to give them a try. You can do all sorts of cool things with them and Korin has some in the SnSS store!

Have a great week! Andrea