Christ Died for My Sins

Hello again, Tuesday!

I trust your holding on tight as our summer swirls and hurls us about like tumble weeds in a dust storm! HAHAHA! It's so crazy that we're already finishing out July and approaching the (not so scorching) days of August. <3

 I've enjoyed the studies I've been doing recently - most recently is the ones in books like, "Gospel, 90-day Devotional, (WOW!)" "Growing Together,(YES!)" "Exalting Jesus in Leviticus," and "Exalting Jesus in Acts."
Those last two mentioned are part of a series and they're SO helpful. 

To give you a bit of an overlook at what these books are, they're primarily commentaries written to help pastors develop a clear and concise mode of preaching through each book of the Bible.  Each book of the "Exalting Jesus" series helps a pastor to gain the understanding of the Gospel as it pertains to each book! 

These have been incredibly simple in their layout, their insight, they're connections from one passage of Scripture to another.  It is no wonder these are made for a pastor to deliver a sweet and clear message to his congregation about the supernatural grace and wonder of the Lord Jesus Christ - the Gospel! Everything is tied to it!
Side note:  no, I'm not a pastor by profession, nor do I plan on assuming such a role.  But I AM a born again Christian, hoping to bring the light of the Gospel to my surroundings and even to my own life.  It's the hope that is primary and essential, priority and converting.  Thus, as Peter said, "Such as I have, I give to you…" in the context of what I know.  What I DO know, I give, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Lord of Grace, I ask that You be here right now.  That You be working and tenderizing.  That You will penetrate and fill.  That You would bring to light the Gospel and the way it works in our lives, both to save and to sanctify. 
In Jesus Name, Amen.

In your Bibles, there's going to be places that are more cryptic and bewildering than others.  You've most likely stepped up to bat in your Bible reading plan, reached the book of Leviticus, and signaled for a "pinch hitter."  I get that.  I totally get that. 
Some books of the Bible are easier to get a sense of the flow and nature of the character of God and the relevance of His Word.  I want to offer something to you: don't let that hinder your desire to learn of God, and get to know Him.  He is absolutely gracious as He offers 2 things to help us in our studies:
1. The Holy Spirit.  In Christ, we have a perfect communicator between us and God that will help us come to an understanding of His Word.  It's the Helper.  He's with us to help us.  When you come to a Bible passage that leaves you wondering, it's ok to ask for help.  It's ok to not know, to pray over a selection of the Word of God, and to seek His counsel.  It's ok.  AND, it's ok to need additional support from those who have gone before us to seek and study the hard and deep things of the Bible.
2.  Books and commentaries.  These are written for the explicit purpose of helping us "connect the dots" between books, the truths therein, and the relationship to God they have.  The commentary series I mentioned above has helped me immensely to travel through a book - LIKE LEVITICUS! - bringing incredible insight and guidance toward knowing and loving my Lord! 

We are NOT alone in our studies.  We are NOT alone in our questions. 
Tim Keller

Paul Tripp

Sinclair Furgeson

Don Carson

Albert Mohler

NT Wright
Tim Mackey
Mike Bullmore

Jen Wilkin

Tony Merida

David Platt

JD Greear

Melissa Kruger

Trilia Newbell…

…and more have been down those paths of not knowing, questioning, searching, and prayerfully considering the text of Scripture before them.  They're ever-learners just like you and me.  They're ever-seekers, longing to know more of God, as that endeavor is ongoing and cannot be satiated on Earth.  For our benefit in knowing the Gospel better, and certainly by the grace of God, they have provided the fruit of their studies, the gifts of their teaching, and the love of our Father.  God has been so kind to provide all the ways we need in order to know and follow Him better!

Having said all of that, I would like to give a short Gospel message:  Christ died for our sins.  That's it.  That's the entire Gospel message. 
Christ.
Died.
For.
Our.
Sins. 
A five-word, all-inclusive explanation of what it is we initially believed in faith when we came to Christ. 
A famous hymn put it another way:
Jesus.
Paid.
It.

All.

This alone is the gift of God, by His grace.  The Gospel is the core belief system of a Christ follower.  And in Christ, we are meant to live, breathe and eat by it! 
Not only that, but it's strewn throughout the Bible.  It's laid out in the whole story of Scripture and plays out beautifully from beginning to end.  

For example: Proverbs 14:9 which says,

"Fools mock at the guilt offering,

    but the upright enjoy acceptance."

At first glance, it's easy to pass right over this verse in Proverbs with a quick nod to its teaching.
"Fools, bad."
"Upright, good."
Then we move on with a sense of, don't be a fool because it's better to be upright. 
In themselves, those statements are true.  There is a positivity to "upright" and "enjoy." We like those words.  Sounds bad, being a "fool" or one who "mocks."  But, what does that even mean!?
Why was this written?
Who wrote it?

What's the less obvious implications of "fool" vs. "upright?" 
Upright in what?
Guilt offering, huh?

To be as concise as possible, "fool" is used to describe those with no real sense of what life is about: God.  "Fools" are those who say, "there is no God," who live life in recklessness and carelessness.
Ok. Got it.  That's bad.
Upright.  Ah, more complex.  But simply put, he's the one who lives within his God-given boundaries.  He's wise and God-fearing.  He's moral and has a sense of justice.  He's conscientious of God and his standing before the Creator.
Cool!  I wanna be THAT guy (or gal).

So we have a stark contrast in characters here, which is the overall gist of the book of Proverbs.  It's the 31-chapter book of the Bible that lays out differences between one who fears the Lord and one who does not in great detail.  You can read Proverbs for yourself and get a pretty good idea of it's layout.  Praise the Lord for understanding!

Alrighty, but what of this guilt offering in relationship to a fool?  And how does that contrast with the upright who "enjoy acceptance??" 
This is where commentaries come into play.  There is a lot of background and history to the culture of the world that was; a lot of context that comes into play when dealing with who wrote this proverb (Solomon, son of David), and the audience to which he wrote it (the nation of Israel).  Having read the "Exalting Jesus in Leviticus" commentary (particularly surrounding Leviticus 5 and 6), I looked at this passage with more than a sense of right and wrong; more of a deep-hearted thrill for God!  For Jesus!  For who He is.  For what He's done. 

Leviticus is the law of God to the people of Israel.  They were given strict and detailed instructions about being the chosen nation of God Almighty.  What did life look like?  What did worship look like?  What did relationship look like?  What did sacrifice look like?  Why sacrifice?  What is the purpose behind ceremonies, festivals, purifications? 
All of Leviticus details the particulars of God's heart toward the nation of Israel, that they be holy, as God is Holy.  Set apart, different, in living and in worship from all other nations. 
In His love and because of His holiness, He provided a way - through rituals and observances - for the people of Israel to be reconciled to Him, grow closer to Him, and worship Him.  What a good God to be so kind as to provide a way in which we can be in a right relationship with Him!
In Leviticus 5 and 6, we get the finite details of what pursuing that relationship with Him looked like through something called, the "guilt offering."  This offering would be done by one who sinned unintentionally - broke the law without knowing it either because they didn't know it was a law, or because they simply forgot.  We'd call this a "mistake." Something done without intent.  Even still, it was a failure before the LORD; a sin nonetheless.  Just because we don't know a law exists doesn't make us any less guilty when we break it. 
This offering is made also when someone cheats another individual in any way.  If one took from another individual, one incurred guilt, and God gave direction as to how to make that right, both by making the offering as well as returning what was stolen, plus some. 
You can probably imagine how often this would have happened.  Unintentional sin?  Cheating another?  The priestly office was always a necessity - the burdens borne on the backs of the ones who brought these offerings before God was a heavy one.  Each. And. Every. Time.  Following the "ample" (I use that term loosely) sacrifice made by the priest, the idea and hope would be that said "offender" would walk away with a repentant heart - a heart of Godly grief - and live accordingly. 
Proverbs is alluding to this by saying that the "fool" mocks this offering as being inconsequential; unnecessary; a waste; a bother; an annoyance.  When you mock something, you're making less of the gravity of which it consists - the gravity of our sin (unintentional at best) is so heavy, and the "fool" mocks at it, and the offering that must be made in order to be reconciled to God and others.
Then, there's the opposite reaction to sin - the better and ideal way to handle it.  The Bible calls this being "upright."  The one who longs for that reconciliation with God and others, is the one whose prize possession is that relationship with God, His acceptance and His intimacy.  In bringing this guilt offering, Proverbs says that the "upright" does what is necessary to make things right, with godly grief and godly intention.  "A broken and contrite heart, the LORD will not despise," says David (Psalm 51).  

Hopefully this ties some things together for you.
1. The holiness of God vs. the sinfulness of man
2. The grace that made a way for man to be made right with him through sacrifice.
Finally, that this initial model of guilt pardoned, sin covered, and reconciliation extended was not the full and perfect mode God to reconcile people to Himself - it was however, a pointer to something - SOMEONE - greater.
Because of sin, the damage done, and the consistency of it, they (we) could not slaughter enough animals, wash enough hands, say enough prayers, do enough mourning, pay enough recompense to earn our right standing with God.  We are limited.  We are finite.  We are imperfect. 
This is not a gloom and doom thought.  This is a sobering thought, to be sure, but it is to serve as the preface to something more amazing, more deep, more radically different, and more unfathomably gracious: the Gospel.
 

As much as Proverbs points to Leviticus and Leviticus explains the Proverbs, they both "tip their hats" as Jen Wilkin would say, to the new and perfect covenant - Jesus Christ.  The covenant that God makes with His people now is through the perfect blood of the once-and-for-all, eternal, completely satisfactory sacrifice made through the Son of God.  

HE is the perfect offering for guilt to pardon our sins (1 Pet. 1:18-19).
HE is the perfect priest who brings our guilt before God (Hebrews 3-5).
HE is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29, 3:16).
Christ.
Died.
For.
Our.
Sins.

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures," 1 Cor. 15:3.

Jesus paid it all.  All to Him I owe.  Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. 
OH PRAISE THE ONE WHO PAID MY DEBT AND RAISED ME UP TO LIFE AGAIN!

Much love,
Deeds

Strength in Weakness...

Hi friends,

We live in a world that values power and strength, and looks down on weakness as a negative thing. I personally don't like the notion of being weak. I don't know about you, but I look for ways to become stronger or to hide my weaknesses. But in the kingdom of God, things are upside down from the way the world operates.

Paul, who could boast in his pedigree and many accomplishments (see Philippians 3), chose instead to boast in his weakness, because he knew that when he was weak, the power of Christ was strong in him. You see, when we have nothing to offer in ourselves, we can only rely on and point to Christ in us, and that is a reason to rejoice.

This is how Paul could be content in hardship, weakness, even calamities, because he knew that when he was weak in these situations, he was actually strong because Christ's power was at work in him. So too with us. Instead of running from weakness or pain, perhaps we need to learn to rest in the strength of Christ in us, knowing that in the 'upside down' kingdom of God, weakness is actually strength in submission and reliance on Jesus.

I used one of the verses from the new Grace so Amazing set released this month, along with the adorable deer image from Fur-ever Friends and the flowers from Birds & Blooms. The images were stamped with Versamagic and watercoloured using Art Philosophy watercolours. Here are the sets I used:

I pray that we would learn to rely on the strength of Christ in us when we feel weak, for when we are weak he is strong.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

My whole being waits...

Hi friends,

I've got to be honest with you: patience and waiting are not my strengths. In fact, I am very impatient and cannot stand being bored (my smartphone has become a convenient, if not very helpful distraction when waiting in queues!). So when I read scriptures in the Bible that talk about waiting, I am convicted about my lack of willingness to wait patiently.

When I read Psalm 130:5 the other day what struck me is the phrase 'my whole being waits'. I began to meditate on what that means, and how it would look if every part of my being was willing to wait for the Lord. I may be able to wait physically, in that I don't force things to happen by my actions, and while that is good, it is only one part of what waiting needs to include.

My biggest challenge, to be honest, is my mind. Even if my physical being is waiting by not rushing into action, my mind is so often in overdrive trying to process and work out every possibility. What if this happens? What if there's a delay? What if it never comes? The questions and possible answers go swirling around my head incessantly. But instead, I need to learn to wait with my whole being, including my mind. Waiting means trust and stillness, knowing that God is more than able to supply what I need, and no amount of stressing or striving on my part will make any difference to the outcome. I am slowly learning that in the waiting process I need to continually turn my thoughts and emotions over to God, submitting to his timing and trusting that he will answer.

I love the chair image in the new Warmth of Christmas set - it goes so well with the themes of trust and waiting, which I have a ton of verses I want to journal on using the new Trust in the Lord set. I used the beautiful Birds & Blooms set for the flowers and bird, as well as School Days Alpha and Teeny Alpha for stamping the verse.

I don't know about you, but I am pretty challenged about my whole being waiting for the Lord. I need to grow in this, but I know that the Holy Spirit is faithful to remind me in my waiting to trust and submit my whole being to God.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

His Eye is on the Sparrow...

Hi friends,

A few weeks ago, we had a sad little incident in our house that prompted some reflection on scripture and the character of God.

We have had some very warm weather over the summer in the UK, and one day I was sitting in our lounge, with the window slightly ajar to let some air in (although it wasn't making much of a difference!). As I sat there, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye and lifted my head to see that a little sparrow had hopped in through the open window onto the inside ledge. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was in danger, as we have four adorable fur-babies, who although they look sweet and harmless, can turn into ruthless hunters at a moment's notice. I got up quickly, hoping to open the window further so it could escape, but alas, my movement startled it and the little bird flapped its wings to take off. In what felt like a split-second, our youngest kitty somehow launched himself down the stairs, into the lounge and through the air, grabbing its prey in its jaws with breathtaking speed and efficiency. I was horrified, and tried to save the bird's life, commanding the cat to release its catch (not surprisingly, the cat ignored my pleas!). When I eventually managed to get the bird from our kitty's mouth, it was lifeless. I picked it up carefully and placed it gently outside, hoping somehow that life would be restored to its tiny body, but sadly it wasn't. As I looked at this little life snuffed out so quickly, I remembered a verse in the Bible that speaks of God's concern and watchful eye even on the sparrows:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

I was reminded that no life goes unnoticed, not even the common sparrow that has an unfortunate encounter with a cat (which of course is just a part of the food chain and something considered very normal and part of life). If God sees even these little creatures falling to the ground, how much more does he see my life, and the things that are troubling me? This old song came to mind as I began to journal this verse in my Bible: 'His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me.' There is not one detail of my life that God doesn't see or care about. Just because things happen that are troubling or upsetting or confusing, this doesn't mean God is not watching or present. Our journey of walking with God is to be one of ever increasing trust, where we cling to these truths of scripture knowing that God sees, God knows and that God is in control, whether the outcome we see in front of us is the one we desired, or not.

I used the beautiful Birds & Blooms set on this page, as well as Chunky Lowercase Alpha and Bitty Minnie Alpha to create the text, with a couple of extra images from Nature Silhouettes...

 

I pray that God would remind those of you who need encouragement, that just as his eye is on the sparrow, he is also watching you and he cares about whatever it is you may be facing.

x Amy x

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter!

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, 

for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. 

Come, see the place where he lay.  

Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, 

and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; 

there you will see him. See, I have told you."

Matthew 28:5-7 

Most who read this post know the Easter story well.  Today we observe Good Friday when Jesus was crucified and buried.  And we know the story didn't end there.  A lot can happen in 3 days, right?  The resurrection changed human history forever.  The verse I've illustrated certainly references all the essential elements of the Christian faith regarding Easter, but I want to focus on two tiny little nuggets in the passage.

"as he said."

"I have told you."

Every minute detail of the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled prophecy.  It happened exactly as God planned.  Jesus knew the plan.  He knew the plan when He shaped the earth, when He flung stars and galaxies into the universe.  He knew you before you were born.  And He already loved you enough to die for you.  He inspired the book of Isaiah and knew when He entered Jerusalem He would fulfill the prophecies of its pages.  He knew every torment He would experience.  He loved you enough--before you were even born, before generations before you were born--to go through the agonies of the cross.  He was willing because He knew the end..  He knew the end would just be the beginning.  

 

 

Everything happened exactly

as he said... 

 

And He's written it all down so you would know

he has told you.

When we celebrate Easter, we not only rejoice in what our Savior did to effect our salvation, we affirm that Jesus was the One prophesied; that what happened to Him happened with intention so the prophecies would be fulfilled to the tiniest detail.  When we understand that all happened exactly as He said it would, we can rest assured that the entire Bible is true and it will happen just as he has told you.  

Art Details:

This was a really simple page to complete.  I splashed on two tones of green to create a partial background.  The flowers were stamped on cardstock, watercolored then fussy cut and adhered to the page.  The words are stamped.  

 Birds and Blooms

His Name

 

 Lynzee Script

 Thank you for joining we as we celebrate our risen Savior!

Facing the Seasons of Your Life

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

Proverbs 31:25

You have surely read all the virtues of the woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31. Many exegetical studies have tried to explain just how this woman accomplishes soooo much!  The last time I read this though, God gave me a delightful insight.  I noted that verse 25 comes after quite a lengthy list of tasks the "Noble Woman" achieves.  I was already worn out just thinking about emulating her, much less putting my feet to the floor to actually doing what she did.  But then this nugget jumped out at me, and it gave me a new clue to her efficient productivity.  

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

First, she wears the right attire-- "She is clothed with strength and dignity."  It made me think of the rather silly movies of super heroes whose powers appear when they don their costume.  On a serious note, think deeply about this spiritual clothing...it's spiritual strength that she wears.  The source of this woman's power is the strength that God gives and since nothing is impossible for Him, she can certainly do anything He asks of her. When our focus is on accomplishing what God sets out for our day, we will be more efficient.  Things that aren't important will not distract us. 

Second, LOOK at this woman's amazing attitude.  "She can laugh at the days to come."  This isn't describing a woman experiencing a manic crest.  This is a constant, pervasive attitude of the mind and heart.  She is fearless...she is worry free...she is full of joy.  She has pushed out all the destructive thoughts that clamor to fill her mind, and she instead chooses simple joy as her outlook on life.  

At my age, I've passed through several seasons of life.  I've pursued the education to have a career, I spent 30+ years striving to be the best at my job I could be, I've been a mother and watched my own children move into adulthood. I've been a pastor's wife for 30 years.  I left the workforce and moved into retirement.  I became a grandmother.  I was recently asked to provide my resume...five pages of all that I've done.  Will I receive accolades for all of that?  No, not even most.  What God desires of us is not a long list of accomplishments, not that those are bad, especially if we are serving to glorify God.  But what He really wants is our heart, our dependency upon Him, our trust.  When we give Him those, He will bless us with strength, dignity and joy.  I'm not looking back...I'm looking ahead to the seasons of life that await me...and I pray that I can face each one with more and more joy!

--------

I did a simple watercolor wash to create the background for this page, did my own handlettering, and stamped the branch with flowers using the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set Birds and Blooms.  The girl and the word joy come from the March printable, Garden of Grace, available at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.