A Pattern of Grace and Mercy

"I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1: 12-17

If you were to ask me which books of the Bible are my favorite, I would definitely say 1 and 2 Timothy. The Apostle Paul's letters to Timothy, a young minister, are packed full of so much wisdom and encouragement. If you consider that they are Paul's last written letters to the church, it makes them even more powerful. 💙

Paul was one of the biggest persecutors of the early Christian church until his miraculous conversion on the Damascus road. He holds none of his history back when he calls himself the foremost, or chief, of sinners. In fact, he uses his testimony to establish the saving and changing power of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. 

I particularly love what he says in this verse:

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NLT)

Another translation says this:

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NKJV)

Paul doesn't hide from his past. He wants his past to show an example, a pattern, of the grace and mercy shown to all sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul doesn't just stop there! He lives the rest of his life in the service of Christ so that his entire life may show a pattern of the grace and mercy of Jesus. 

If you have a history that isn't so pretty, read this passage in 1 Timothy and know that there nothing you've done that is not redeemable under the blood of Jesus. Accept his grace and mercy and then continue to live in His grace and mercy that your life may show as a pattern and an example for others. 

Page Details

I used watered-down acrylic paint for the background of this page, then stamped the edges with Versamagic chalk ink to create a pattern of plaid and flowers along the edges. Then I splattered the page with some white paint and set aside to dry. I stamped the cross and flowers on vellum and colored with colored pencils, then used double sided tape to adhere to the page. I then stamped my title and colored in with Uniball white signo gel pen (my favorite brand of white gel pen!). 

  

  

I pray we all live in the grace and mercy offered to us by the love of Jesus this week. 

In Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

The Purpose of Christmas

She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Hello friends!

Many of us send and receive Christmas cards each year with sweet images of our Baby Savior and His earthly parents, and/or the shepherds and wise men seeking Him. They come with encouraging Bible verses and sentiments and make as feel all warm inside. But what if you received a Christmas card that spoke of the real purpose of Christmas? What if you opened the envelope and pulled out a card that said, "Born to Die." How would you feel then? That would kinda zap my Christmas spirit!

Most likely, we're not going to be seeing any Christmas cards with those sentiments on them any time soon, but the fact is Christ's purpose in being born was the cross. Why was Jesus born? Because every one of us are sinners.

I came across an online article by C.J. Mahaney entitled, "Disturbing Christmas: The Manger and the Cross." Mr. Mahaney quoted an article by William H. Smith from 1992, part of which I want to share:

"That Baby was born so that 'He who had no sin' would become 'sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.' The Baby's destiny from the moment of His conception was hell- hell in the place of sinners. When I look into the manger, I come away shaken as I realize again that He was born to pay the unbearable penalty for my sins. That's the message of Christmas: God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, man's sin has alienated him from God, and man's reconciliation with God is possible only through faith in Christ...Christmas is disturbing."

Does that mean we shouldn't celebrate Christmas and be joyful about it? Of course not! Christmas is about God's great love for us. And we should certainly celebrate that love. But it should include reflection and acknowledgement of what Christ did for us, and an acknowledgement of His role as Judge to those who don't accept Him as Savior. 

He left Heaven. He left His rightful glory. He became His creation. He endured physical and emotional abuse of the most horrid kind. He suffered an awful death. He was separated from the Father for our sakes. And He did it all willingly. Think about that.

As Smith said in the conclusion of his article, "Only those who have been profoundly disturbed to the point of deep repentance are able to receive the tidings of comfort, peace, and joy that Christmas proclaims."

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Endless Love, Curly Girl Alpha, and Adore Him. I stamped the baby and cross images, using watercolor crayons to then color them. After painting, I stamped the words and flowers.

Have a blessed week, my friends! Andrea