Word Mapping Psalm 149:4

The Lord takes pleasure in His people. He adorns the humble with salvation.

Psalm 149:4

Hello Friends!

I have to be honest. When I saw the SNSS Word Mapping set, I thought it was cool, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I had never word mapped before. And Deeds creates beautifully detailed word mapping pages. I just wasn’t sure I could do the stamp set justice or muddle through the word mapping. Lol. So, I’ve started small. As I share my word mapping pages, you’ll notice that I pick out a few elements to focus on. I can do that. It helps me not get overwhelmed. And of course, I’m learning about these Hebrew and Greek words which is the whole point, right?! For this verse, I picked out 2 words- in the ESV, they are translated “adorns” and “salvation.” It was interesting to see the Hebrew words and how they are translated in different versions. To my surprise, “salvation” or “victory” in other translations was the word “yesua”with the “e” upside down. (I discovered the upside down e denotes a Hebrew shwa- it indicates either the phoneme /ə/ or the complete absence of a vowel. But I digress.) This word is a feminine noun, but I recognized that it was very close to a  proper male name- Yeshua (Jesus in Greek.) The name Yeshua or Jesus means salvation. It comes from a verb meaning to save or deliver. Jesus is our salvation. He is our victory. Sooooo…The humble are adorned or beautified in Jesus. All that learned just by searching out a couple of words! 😊

Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps sets used: Word Mapping, God the Father, God is Sovereign, Grunge Dots Stencil. I used distress oxides for the background.

Happy word mapping! Andrea

They Will Know

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and it not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Hello Friends!

Today, I wanted to share a portion of a devotional I found on crosswalk.com. It’s called Will They Know Us By Our Love? By Debbie Holloway. I found it very applicable and definitely something we need to work towards in today’s world.

The following is the excerpt: These two passages are arguably the most famous Bible verses about love. Love is a concept promoted by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. It is a thing acknowledged by atheists and agnostics. Something every man, woman, and child strives to obtain every day. Love is something we all know about and all desire. But so often it seems to be the most difficult thing for us to practice. As Christians, we have no excuse for not knowing what love is. First Corinthians chapter 13 tells us in no uncertain terms. And Christ tells us in John 13 that the world will know that we belong to Jesus if we practice this love. But how often do we truly think of those two scriptures as one command? How often do we piece together the “how?” and the “what?” of love in our own lives? The ramifications of doing so present a clearly defined, but difficult life. If we combine 1st Corinthians 13 and John 13, what would our lives look like? How would people come to recognize Christians? Well, they would know us by our patience. They would know that we are Christians by our contentment, modesty, and humility. They would recognize us, for we would not be rude. We would seek the best for others, be difficult to make angry, and refuse to keep count of how many times we've been hurt. They would know us because evil makes us sad, and truth makes us happy. They would know us because we protect the defenseless and we do not live in suspicion of others. They would know us by our hope. They would know us by our perseverance. That is what love looks like. Those should be the marks of Christ’s disciples. 

Page Details: I used the following Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps sets: New Life, Resurrection Words, & Sweetpea Alpha. I used blending brushes to add distress oxides to the page for the background.

Our Glorious King

 On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords. 

Revelation 19:16

Hi Friends!

Today I'm in Revelation 19. I love Revelation. This book can seem daunting with the prophecy, and judgments, and some pretty weird stuff going on, but at it's core, it is revealing Jesus to us. Throughout the book, Jesus is described in various ways and He is in His rightful place, glorified and praised. It is amazing! I just love it. And every time I read this passage in chapter 19, it just speaks to me. It is so powerful. I’ve journaled these verses many times. I love reading the descriptions of Jesus in all His glory.

Verse 11 begins with a rider on a white horse. That rider is Jesus. But He's not the lovey-dovey Jesus some people make Him into these days. Here's how Revelation 19:11-16 describes Jesus:
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.
Wow! Jesus is pretty fierce! This is Jesus at His second coming, and He's ready to fight. His holiness demands justice. And His sovereignty demands victory over the ungodly who tried to usurp His throne. I want to focus on the names given to Him in this passage:

• Faithful and True: Jesus Keeps His promises and all truth comes from Him.
• The Word of God: Jesus is God's Word personified, the Father reveals Himself through Jesus. That sword coming out of Jesus' mouth in verse 15 is Jesus' powerful spoken word- like the Bible is described as a sharp, two-edged sword (Heb 4:12.) Just as the spoken word of Christ has the power to create, it also has the power to judge.
• King of kings and Lord of lords: This is Jesus' exalted and victorious name.He will reign over all.

We serve a Savior who is very loving. But I think we sometimes forget that He is also fierce, and at His second coming will judge those who chose the beast rather than Him.

Page Details: I used the following Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps supplies: Typewriter Alpha, Birch Forest Stencil, Texture Tiles 9, Gear Up, and Trust in the Lord. I applied distress oxides to the page with blending brushes for the background. I then used a stencil and applied white acrylic paint through the stencil with a baby wipe. Then I stamped.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Come, Lord Jesus

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

Revelation 22:20

Hello friends!

I hope 2023 is getting off to a good start for you. Today our verse is from one of my very favorite books of the Bible, Revelation. Yep, you heard that right. I LOVE Revelation. Yes, it has some pretty scary, crazy stuff that happens in it. But it also has letters to us from Jesus and it shows us Jesus in all His glory. And Jesus, my friends, is outright amazing.

After John gives us Jesus’ letters to the churches, describes God’s throne room, what will happen in end times, and Jesus’ return after the great tribulation, he ends the book with a plea. Come, Lord Jesus. It’s not an unwarranted plea as Jesus has just said He would come soon. So it’s a hopeful plea. Come, Lord Jesus.

God’s timing is perfect. But for me, Jesus won’t come too soon. I’m tired of this world. I’m tired of struggling with my own sin and flesh. I’m tired of watching the world celebrate its sin and flesh. Do you feel tired too? Sometimes it feels hopeless. That’s why truth isn’t tied to our feelings. That’s why joy isn’t tied to our feelings. Because it’s NOT hopeless. And when we’re tired, Who can give us rest? Who invites us to that rest? Jesus is our Savior, our rest, our All in All. He will help us in this world until He comes again. Oh how I look forward to His coming! Come, Lord Jesus! Please come soon.

Page details: I used the following Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps supplies: My Savior’s Love, Funky Textures, Print Blocks Alpha, Armor of God, and Jumbled Hexies Stencil. I applied distress oxide ink to the page with blending brushes for the background and then used the stencil and stamped.

Have a blessed New Year!

Andrea