Read His Book

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. 

Luke 24:27

Hi Friends,

Are you a reader? What is your favorite book? My husband and I and both our daughters are avid readers. Both of my parents also love to read, as did my mother-in-law. I think reading was seen as important in our family and so the love of it has been passed down through the generations. 

Jesus holds importance in our family too, more than reading of course. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our King. And being able to read about Him in the Bible is something I am very thankful for. Not only am I thankful for the ability to read so that I can read the Bible, I am also thankful for the accessibility of the Bible in America. I have numerous printed Bibles in various translations as well as digital Bibles that I can pull up on my phone, tablet, or computer. The book that should take precedence over all else is the Bible. One of my most favorite Charles Spurgeon quotes is: "Visit many good books, but live in the Bible."

The Bible lets us know our Savior better. And He's not just in the New Testament. He is found in the Old Testament just as Luke 24:27 indicates. He may not show up by name, but He is there nonetheless. The Old Testament shows us our need for Jesus by showing us the law, points to Jesus in Messianic prophecies, and foreshadows Jesus through the worship of the Jewish people. Jesus is found in EVERY book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is all about Jesus. So, we shouldn't ignore the Old Testament or books that we may find more difficult to read or understand. The Bible definitely isn't "easy reading." It's SO much more. It is LIFE. I pray that we will all have an unquenchable desire for the Word of God, that we will all read it daily, and live according to it. To know our Savior, we must read His book. Anyone who says (s)he knows Jesus, but isn't reading the Bible, is lying. Many people are happy to tell us about "their" Jesus. What we must ask ourselves is this- am I following the Jesus of the Bible? If "my" Jesus doesn't line up with the One in Scripture, then that's not the real Jesus.

So take some time each day and read, my friends. Read about Jesus!

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Let's Get Cozy, God of Comfort, and Bitty Minnie Alpha. I stamped the images, masking what I needed to get the effect of some things being behind others. Then I used watercolor crayons to color the page.

Have a beautiful week! Andrea

Live in the Bible

Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long. Psalm 119:97

Hi Friends!

My husband, 2 daughters, and I are all avid readers. We love reading all sorts of books. And so, when I saw this quote by Charles Spurgeon, I knew I had to put it in my Bible! How wise this quote is. We can "visit" good books, enjoying and being entertained by them. But there is one book that stands above all others, and in that one, we must LIVE- reading and meditating on it each and every day, basing how we live on it. 

Psalm 119 is one of my favorite psalms because of how it speaks of God's Word and what our relationship to it should be. It's a long Psalm, and says much, but a few of the verses I marked for my page are:

• Verse 81: My soul faints with longing for Your salvation, but I have put my hope in Your word.
• Verse 86a: All Your commands are trustworthy.
• Verse 89: Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
• Verses 92-93: If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life.
• Verse 97: Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long.
• Verse 103: How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
• Verse 105: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
• Verse 112: My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end.

Oh friends, this world is topsy-turvy. The world preaches that truth is relative, and what may be true for me isn't necessarily true for you; and that "truth" can change from day to day. But that is a lie. God is truth; and truth is absolute. God doesn't change. Truth doesn't change. And God's truth, real truth, is true whether we believe it or not. We can find God's truth in the Bible. I treasure His Word. I have many Bibles in my home, some study Bibles, some journaling Bibles, some digital Bibles on my devices. And I'm thankful to live in America where I have easy access to the Bible. But if there ever comes a time in this country where we don't have easy access to Bibles, I will share mine with anyone who needs one because His Word is LIFE.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: God of Comfort, Curly Girl Alpha, Texture Tiles 6, Joyful Alpha, and Typewriter Blocks Alpha. God of Comfort, Curly Girl, and Texture Tiles 6 are all part of the July release. When I saw God of Comfort, I knew I had to use this image with the Spurgeon quote. I colored the image and letters with Prismacolor pencils. I colored the background with watercolor crayons, and stamped the grunge dots on top.

Visit many good books, friends, but live in the Bible. Have a blessed week! Andrea