I was so moved this week, listening to "Run to the Father" by Cody Carnes.  

Verse 1
I've carried a burden for too long on my own
I wasn't created to bear it alone
I hear Your invitation to let it all go
I see it now, I'm laying it down
And I know that I need You

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

Verse 2
You saw my condition, had a plan from the start
Your Son for redemption, the price for my heart
And I don't have a context for that kind of love
I don't understand, I can't comprehend
All I know is I need You

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh…
Again and again and again and again (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh… (Oh-ohh)

Bridge
My heart has been in Your sights
Long before my first breath
Running into Your arms
Is running to life from death
And I feel this rush deep in my chest
Your mercy is calling out
Just as I am You pull me in
And I know I need You now

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
And my heart found a surgeon, my soul found a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh…
Again and again and again and again (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Again and again

Oh, what an amazing God we have!  He loves us unconditionally and made a way for all man-kind to be adopted in to the holy family through Jesus.  There is nothing we can do to earn it and we certainly don't deserve it, but He still made a way.  That is grace, my friends!

With the cooler, fall like weather we are having I knew I wanted to journal the lyrics "fall in to grace".  I was lead to these verses in Ephesians 1:

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

After reading and meditating on these verses, the imagery in my head was of God's love falling all around us like leaves in the Fall.  That love was then raked up in to a heaping pile of grace by Jesus and all we have to do is fall in to that amazing grace like we used to fall into leaf piles as children.

Artsy Details: 

I started by using destress oxides smooshed on a piece of watercolor paper and drying between colors to create layers and layers of beautiful, fall leafy colors.  I splattered some gold watercolor paint over the top and some brown ink for contrast.

Then I stamped the leaves using Autumn Splendor and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.

I did not look forward to the next part...I had to fussy cut them all out!  Can I tell you how much I DO NOT like fussy cutting?

I painted my page using acrylic paint.  I went for a golden sunset look that makes fall feel so magical to me. Then I added my title with the new Playful Alpha set and added my leaves falling like God's love and leaf pile of grace.  I just want to jump in it, don't you?

Until next time, catch up with me on Instagram and Facebook @simplyjillsjourney.

Jill

Saved by Grace Alone

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a results of works, so that no one may boast" - Ephesians 2:8-9

Have you ever heard someone say, "Oh, so-and-so is such a good person, I just know they're going to heaven"? While I know that person likely means well, that type of statement saddens me a little because the Bible tells us exactly how to get to heaven: 

Salvation is only by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

The topic of salvation by grace through faith is a point the Apostle Paul emphasized with repetition throughout the New Testament, and especially in Ephesians 2. You see, each of us are born with a sin nature (Ephesians 2:1-3) and our sin nature separates us from a perfect, holy God. God's requirement for heaven is perfection, and no one individual can ever be perfect enough to enter heaven. 

• Romans 3:10 - "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
• Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

By God's grace, He sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and die a perfect sacrifice for my sin and your sin and the sin of the whole world. I could never be good enough to earn my way into heaven - Jesus did that for me. That's why Ephesians 2:9 says "not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Paul makes it very clear that there is nothing you can do to earn your way into heaven, or else why would we need the cross? No, the only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ. 

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 - "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him"
• Acts 4:12 - "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
• Romans 10:9-10 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
• Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

So the next time you (or I) hear someone say they think they are going to heaven, let's take a minute to show them how they can really know they are going to heaven. It's not based on anything they can do, it's based on what's already been done for them. 💛

Saved by GRACE alone through FAITH alone.

Page Details

I used watercolors and several different stamp sets to create this page. Honestly, It was nice just to break out the watercolors and get a little messy with my painting. 😊 I have been in a creative funk these last few weeks and this time painting in God's Word did my heart good. The brand new Flower Garden and Grace Upon Grace stamp sets were the at the heart of this page. If you don't know what to do for a page background, flowers are a great go-to! I can't get enough of my flower and alpha stamp sets. I use them allllll the time! 😉 I also used the Walk by Faith and Typewriter Blocks Alpha stamp sets to finish out my page title. **If you noticed the GRACE and FAITH fonts are the same in both the Grace Upon Grace and Walk by Faith stamp sets, it's because both were designed by the fabulous Rebecca Rios (check her out on IG, you won't be disappointed!). 💜

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

I would love to connect with you on Instagram! You can find me @journalingjoy 😘

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp Sets Used

 

 

Showing Grace

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
(Phil. 1:2)

Hello, sweet friends.

Have you seen the news?  Have you been hearing?  Can you see and believe all the damage that happens when a life has ended abruptly, suddenly, without warning, without understanding?

We hear of tragedy and displacement of people who may or may not have known the Lord.  We encounter people one day, sometimes to find out such an encounter was the last.  And...

Suddenly, we feel it.  

Small.

Fragile. 

Temporary.

Vulnerable.

Mortal.

"Famous" and "non-famous" alike, lives around us fall; we lose the presence of someone who impacted us, or possibly had no bearing on our lives at all until the moment we found out they passed…
Not a big fan of basketball myself, I was still struck with sorrow upon hearing about Kobi Bryant.  That's how much a death can impact someone.  

When life seems to take us on an unexpected and unwanted journey of loss and sorrow, an element of time comes to play.  Questions of how we're using our time - what our time goes to; how we allocate and divvy it up between tasks and checklists, vacations and sabbaths, investments and relationships - launch themselves forward from what used to be a less conscientious platform.  

We may even realize that though we make plans and stake plans, something bigger and more powerful than our strongest efforts is truly in control; a Higher Up is moving; Someone else's plans are unfolding.  To this, the Bible helps us:

"A person's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

 Things that happen around us shape us, change us, cause our trajectory to shift - and so it should!  The reality of our finite-ness should turn our trivial pursuits into deep searches for something more; something bigger; something permanent and less fleeting!

 Jesus.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:14-16)

To be clear, being light in a dark place is not to the exclusion of the event of death or disaster.  Being the unhidden lampstand is something that is commanded of us because we have received the Light, who is Jesus.  Our mission is to become like the Light, that others may see the Light and turn from their darkened paths. 

Certainly, however, the power of these forces typically lend themselves as potential catalysts for the proclamation of God, His love, and His truths, namely:

God is holy.

God is kind.

God is good.

God is not partial - He does not respect one person over another (Acts 10:34-38), and as such desires that all would turn and receive His grace (2 Pet. 3:9).   All.  Which is why there are still outreaches and ministries aimed at the "lost."  Groups of people all over the world sacrifice much to bring the Holiness of God to unreached and unsaved.  By God's grace, He tarries that more would find Him.

This is also why I continue to make and share cards of this nature, that by some chance - in some way far beyond my scope of understanding - they may be used to bring others to know and/or love the Lord our God more and better.

It's why this project is called, "Showing grace."

God's grace.

God's favor to mankind. 

So, what is God's grace about? 

Well, I've heard it explained many different ways.  One way being "grace" defined as the ideal of co-existing with all people, the condoning of all lifestyles and beliefs, the extinguishing of moral absolutes, and the relenting of personal standards that all may live in "harmony."  As though all of us may have our own "way" and none of us must submit to any certain grouping of precepts and statutes.
Sadly, this is the direction our culture has traveled.  The true grace of God has been diminished by our desire to "keep the peace."  Our disinterest in confrontation, in defense of God's holiness and love, has faded under a non-eternal view of relationships, for the here and now.

Oh, my friends.  Let's not tarnish the power of the cross in the name of tolerance.  Let's not continue in thinking that your way and my way is "ok," lest Jesus conquering death and hell mean nothing to you or to me! Here's a number of verses talking about that very thing: https://www.openbible.info/topics/jesus_conquering_death_and_hell
 

We are SAVED by the grace of God, to live victoriously by the grace of God, out from under the power of sin and death, not to live enslaved to the flesh. 

The Bible (in the letter of Paul to the Romans) says, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!" (Rom. 6:1-2b)  

Grace - God's UNDESERVED, UNEARNED favor - is given us in abundance that we may better live the life He's given to us in Jesus.  The time we have is to live in prophecy and testimony of the One who has come and made all things new; the One who became the first among many to raise from the dead; the One who conquered death and sin on our behalf that our lives may reflect His life and glory!

"The word 'grace' in biblical parlance can, like forgiveness, repentance, regeneration, and salvation, mean something as broad as describing the whole of God's activity toward man, or as narrow as describing one segment of that activity. An accurate, common definition describes grace as the unmerited favor of God toward man…
"While all of this is in the context of the grace of God as a gift versus the Law of God as a work, nevertheless grace is viewed as reigning even as we live the life we are supposed to live in Christ." (biblestudytools.com/dictionary/grace)

Grace is not God's favor moving among man at the expense of His holiness; grace is God's favor toward man that man may become holy.  Set apart.  Like Jesus.  

The grace (both broad and narrow) that the Lord shows us, and subsequently the grace that we ought to show each other, is founded and administered in truth - His Word.  

My sweet friends, I love you.  I love you so much, and this is one of the hardest things for me to talk about.  Mainly, I have close friends and relatives who refuse the grace of God to live in sin; to live in lies; to live in unrepentance and hardness of heart.  It hurts me, and I know it hurts the Lord...

God is love, and God is truth. 

Who do you know that needs to hear of God,

who needs to know they have a Savior,

who needs to understand better the power of the Holy Spirit unto salvation and holiness, that, if you only had this time to tell them, would be able to understand and receive the grace that draws them to the Father?

Do you know how much time you have to tell them?

Is next week guaranteed?

What about tomorrow?

We are not saved, save it be for God's grace toward us.

For the sake of God's glory and holiness, share Christ, though it may be through confrontation.

For the sake of their eternity, show grace, though it may cause "disharmony."

For the sake of the Gospel, "speak the truth in love," that perhaps by God's grace, one may hear and turn from death to Life.

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil.1:2)

Deeds

IG: @mercies_journaled
Please DM me with any questions!

Stamp sets used: Grace So Amazing, Scribble Flowers, What a Savior
Find them all in the Sweet n Sassy Stamps store!

PS - the full process video for this project is here, on my Youtube Channel!  Thank you again for using my Sweet n Sassy Stamps affiliate link to do your shopping!

Grace Upon Grace

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth... And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." - John 1:14-16

This Advent season, I read "The Dawning of Indestructible Joy" devotional book by John Piper. Boy, was it good! The reading for December 25th, Christmas Day, was titled Grace: The Dominant Note of Christmas and it went along so perfectly with the brand new Grace So Amazing January stamp set, I just knew I needed to journal it. Isn't God good like that?! 

Grace is the dominant theme of Christmas. The barn, the manger, the angels, the shepherds, the wise men -- it all comes down to one thing: grace. While the gospel of John does not contain the traditional Christmas story found in the other gospels, the story and purpose of Christmas is weaved throughout the book. After quoting John 1:14-16, John Piper has this to say:

"So the eternal Word of God took on human flesh, and in that way the divine Son of God - who never had an origin, and never came into being, and was God, but was also with God - became man. and in doing this, he made the glory of God visible in a wholly new way. And this divine glory, uniquely manifest in the Son of God, was full of grace and truth. And from that fullness we receive grace upon grace.

That is the meaning of Christmas in John's Gospel. God the Son, who is God, and who is with God, came to reveal God in a way he had never been revealed before. And in that revelation, the dominant note struck is race: from the fullness of that revelation of divine glory, we receive grace upon grace."

Christmas is the human embodiment of grace to a fallen world. Christmas is for salvation. Salvation for you and for me. The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus provides an inexhaustible supply of grace and truth to the whole world. It never runs out. It's grace upon grace upon grace upon grace - forever. 

  

I used the Grace So Amazing, With Love Alpha, and Folk Art Snowflakes stamp sets to create this page and coordinating journaling card. Just stamps and ink, that's it! Easy peasy, but full of great content and reminders to embrace the grace that has been given to me by the Joy of Christmas. 💙 

  

I pray you cling to the grace that has been provided to you every day this week. 

With love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy