Work Boots | Bible Journaling with Julie

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord."  (Colossians 3:23-34).  

Growing up, my daddy worked on construction sites. He always wore his work books (and his helmet) on these sites. Those work boots sat waiting for him behind the door every morning.  They reminded me of firefighter boots sitting next to the fire truck, at the ready for the next emergency call.  

We put on work boots when we are ready to go all in:  to the dirtiest, or most hazardous of construction sites, to the muckiest of barns, to the deadliest of fire emergencies--or to the largest of laundry piles.  

Ok, not many of us don work boots to do our laundry (although with my three boys, I've had some pretty toxic laundry piles!). However, according to Colossians 3:23-24, we should put on a positive, can-do attitude. Work heartily at WHATEVER you do, as for the Lord.  If we're doing laundry, do it with all your heart.  If it's the dishes, work heartily.  If it's the weeding the garden, work heartily.  If it's completing paperwork, work heartily.  If it's writing that report, work heartily.  No matter how mundane a task may seem, when we work heartily, we are working for the Lord, and His character of love, joy, and excellence shines through. 

 

I created the background of this page in my Interleaved Bible with Distress Oxides in various shades of brown and beige.  I stamped the pair of boots using The Lord's Battle stamp set, and colored the boots with some watercolor pencils. I used several alphabet sets for the title (although the words "for Jesus" also were from The Lord's Battle):  School Days, Typewriter Block, and Lollipop Alphabet sets.  I added some washi from my stash, the verse that I had typed on my typewriter and blocked, and some grunge elements with Texture Tiles 3.  I added a border around the page with my precision journaling pen, and wrote my journaling on the opposite page next to the verse.  I finished with a date stamp, a tab, and a fabric bow.  

I've linked the various sets below.  Right now, through the end of the March, Sweet'n Sassy Stamps is holding a Moving Sale with 15% off.  It's a great time to stock up on those sets or products that have been sitting on your wishlist for a while!  

Thanks for visiting today.  You can click the images below to go shopping with my affiliate link (I appreciate your support!).  

God bless--Julie 

@julesk.jewels (IG)

Jules Jewels YouTube

The Lord's Battle

School Days Alpha

Typewriter Blocks Alpha

Lollipop Alpha

 

Jesus Paid it All

This is a journaling card made with Faber Castell Pitt brush pens & inserted into a compact Bible that will be given away.

"He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us.  He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross." (Col. 2:14)

Hello again, Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday, sweet creatives!
The weeks go by so fast, don't they?  Feels like I was just here to share a bit of what the Lord has laid on my heart for ministry, and poof! Here I am again! 

Seems like there's always a lot going on, but for a moment, I just want you to look at the simple lyric above.  "Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe."
The sweet melody that accompanies this does nothing compared to the truth that is set in front of us here in Colossians.  But, before I get ahead of myself...

I have had a weekend full of everything from downright discouragement to complete joy.  I have had a weekend full of one surrender after another, giving what is rightfully God's and laying it at His feet.  I have a hard time explaining how sorrow and joy can coexist, but I will do my best.

Jesus paid it all, friends.
What do I mean by that?  What does the BIBLE mean about that?
What is the explanation behind joy in sorrow; behind contentedness through suffering?

The position the Bible takes on "Jesus paid it all," lays heavily into the aspect of "all."
All is all.
All means all.

All has large implications and has no exclusions.
I've been convicted in this department as I've held on to a bit of my past that I didn't know I hadn't trusted Christ to pay for.
In my attempts to be as simplistic yet realistic as possible, Jesus stretched His arms out ALL the way.
His death was not untimely; it was planned.
His sacrifice was not unwarranted; rather, necessary.

His life was not in vain; rather, perfect.

Colossians 2:13-14

When you see something like, "Jesus paid it all," I wonder how many of us do not believe the full extent of this gospel header.  I wonder if we are harboring a sliver of shame, guilt, weight, that was perfectly accounted for as the Father nailed it to the cross in the ultimate act of Love.
I learned this past weekend, in the Revive Out Hearts conference 2019, baggage comes at a great cost- not just at the airport - but as the figurative weight of a decision to carry something that is not ours to carry.   A burden not ours to bear.
As a Christian, my life is hid in Christ.  All sins that created the "crimson stain" in my soul are washed clean and I am white as snow.  Knowing the Savior I know, my heart has been changed and my life renewed.  But what I also found out is I am unable to receive grace because of un-confessed sin in my life.

The Word of God is clear about salvation.  It says in Romans 10:9,
"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 

It is clear that confessing sins is not part of obtaining salvation.  However, when it comes to obtaining a clear conscience and blessed stance of closeness with our Lord, confessing sins is a necessary part of receiving the gospel; the magnificent gospel of grace in time of need.
Jesus is our Advocate to the Father, constantly interceding on our behalf.  We have been granted an Intercessor as part of our journey in Christ!  It is not for salvation that we bring our heavy-laden hearts to the Father; it is for sanctification!  And the more we practice this posture of need, bringing our brokenness before the Throne, the more we see the over and abundant grace that is sufficient for us!
Friends, Jesus paid it all.
All to Him we owe.
We need not harbor the weight of what Jesus bled and died for.  If we "confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9)  We are washed white as snow, to be sure, but are also commanded to stay in step with the Holy Spirit.  Part of daily drawing nearer to Almighty God is by way of confession.  Again, not to be saved, for that has happened upon the moment of belief!  But rather, for the growth of the "new man" who is saved and being prepared for the eternal glory ahead.

I am not in the habit of doing this.  I am not in a regular cycle in my prayer time of confessing my anger, my bitterness, my resentment, my envy, my jealousy... my so much more.
But I will tell you, without a doubt in my soul, that upon confession of these things, the barriers that lie between me and my precious Savior fall.  The vertical relationship is freed up for further intimacy; the horizontal relationships, likewise. Oh, beautiful grace!

This tiny bloom is part of the set called, "Succulents" by Rebecca Rios.

Oh praise the One who paid my debt,
who raise this life up from the dead!
JESUS!

Much love,

Deeds

PS - Only sneak peeks of the October release for now.  Full release for October will be available next week.  Keep your eyes on the lookout! :D
PPS - Please use my affiliate link here to shop at the Sweet n Sassy Stamps Store!  

The Sweetest Privilege

The privilege of praying for others is one of the sweetest gifts. When someone you know is struggling, carrying their needs to the Lord is a blessing. Not only is it a blessing for them, it blesses the person praying as well.

Paul, the apostle, with Timothy at his side is writing a letter to their brothers and sisters in Colosse. In the greeting of the book of Colossians, starting with verse 2, Paul asks for God to give them grace and peace. Then the next words from Paul’s hands are words of precious encouragement. He tells them “we always pray for you and we give thanks to God.” 

I had to stop right there. Do I ALWAYS pray for my brothers and sisters? Do I always give thanks to God for them?

He goes on to talk about the hope they have of heaven. He tells he has heard such good things about them and the love they have for others. He then says again “we have not stopped praying for you.” He goes on to say he asks God “for complete knowledge of his will and spiritual understanding.” 

Do I pray like that? Do I ask God to grow my brothers and sisters? 

In verse 11, Paul prays they will be “strengthened, and have all the endurance and patience they need.” Lastly he prays that they will be “filled with joy always thanking the Father.” 

Recently a sweet sister of mine was going through a tough spot. The Lord drew me to these verses. I had been praying for her for a couple of years...since right after I met her. 

Now I had the sweet privilege of praying for her to be strengthened, and have patience. I got to pray for her to have wisdom in some decisions she needed to make. Most of all I prayed that she would be filled with joy and that she would always be thanking the Father. 

Who has the Lord put on your heart today that you needs your prayers? It’s a sweet privilege. Don’t miss your opportunity! Remember the example of Paul.

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father..”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:9, 11-12a‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Art behind the story:

For the background, I used distress inks and the smooshing tecnique. The flowers are the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set of the month called Doodle Florals.  Like I often do, I stamped them on card stock, colored them with a water brush and distress ink, then fussy cut them. The word "remember" is from the set called Note This. 

If you're interested in this technique, be sure to join the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps VIP Facebook group.  I'll be doing a LIVE there at the end of March to show how to do this.  Would love for you to join us!

Until next time,

Gayle 

Patio Ponderings

Without Ceasing.....

{jane bosi} Happy Monday, Sweet Friends!  I've been struggling with this particular page for a while, but finally finished it and just didn't want to wait to share. This single page is opposite this layout (shared earlier):

The struggle came from the fact that the florals from Scribble Flowers bled through.  I covered the bulk of the page with gesso and highlighted verses 9 and 10 (Colossians 1): 

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of he Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Afterward, I wasn't sure how to finish the page--the gesso had given the page a different texture....I wish you could see what I feel!  After stamping the images from Scribble Flowers and New Creature, I used my finger to apply distress inks.  It definitely gave the page a different look. I really like it--it also helped to camouflage some of the floral images from the other side that can still be faintly seen. I finished the entire layout using Shake It Off Caps and Message of Hope.

Pray.  Without ceasing.
Let's do that....Be Awesome, Jane