White as Snow...

Isaiah 1:18

"Come let us settle this,"

Says the Lord.

"Though your sins are scarlet,

they will be as white as snow;

though they are crimson red,

they will be like wool."

In these verses of the chapter of Isaiah, the Lord is talking to the people of Jerusalem. They are the holy city, his holy people but they were turning from their once righteous ways. In Isaiah 1:21 it says, "The faithful town, what an adulterous she has become! She was once full of justice. Righteousness once dwelt in her, but now murders!"

The Lord is telling the people of Jerusalem that he can bring them back from that sin. He can forgive the things they have done, the mistakes they have made. He has the power to wash away their blood stained, scarlet colored sins and forgive them. They will be washed clean, white as snow.

Some of us.... well... all of us are guilty of sin. Every... single... day we sin in one for or another. We are not perfect, and God didn't create us to be perfect. No one can be perfect. But, he is telling us that though we may fall short of perfection, we will sin, he will forgive us of it all. That doesn't mean go do what you want to do and all will be forgiven. If we live our best lives, doing our best to live our lives according to God's word, he will forgive us when we fall short. 

We all have our pasts. Some more soaked in crimson red stains than others. But, we are all guilty in one form or another. The Lord is the only one who can fully forgive us of our sins, our mistakes, the things we may hold deep inside and that maybe no one else even knows. What a wonderful heavenly father we have that can forgive us of those mistakes!! Thank you Lord! Thank you for forgiving us of our worst mistakes and washing us white as snow! Praise God! 

xoxo,

Stephanie Gammon

@faith.and.creativity 

Folk Art Snowflakes

Script Outline Alpha 

White as Snow

Hi everyone I am back today to share some beautiful Christmas stamps with you. Christmas is right around the corner, the chill is in the air ...at least up here in Iowa it is. I can hardly wait to start decorating the house, create Christmas cards and baking all those delicious goodies. While I wait I thought it might be fun to find a creative way to use these Christmas stamps.

This set reminded me of the scripture of how Jesus washes us white as snow. I began by first using script outline and sunshine girl alpha stamp sets stamping them in Versafine embossing ink then dusting them with white embossing powder and hitting them with my heat gun. Next I used the same process to stamp the snowflakes from the thrill of hope set in random areas on the page. Finally I created a night sky with deep blue watercolor. The embossed areas on the page resist the watercolor and making the stark white areas pop off the page.

I did a little research on this passage from Isaiah 1:18 "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Scarlet and crimson in the Bible refer to dye obtained from the eggs of tiny insects. In those days clothes had to be double-dyed in this bright red color so the color would become permanent or fixed to the fabric. Sin is a lot like this. Human effort can not remove the staining caused by our sinful choices. Only through Jesus's sacrifice can we receive what no one else can give us - a pure heart. I pray you find comfort in knowing you are not too dirty, and stained to be redeemed and cleaned pure. Our Father loves you and is waiting with open arms to wash you clean as if you had never sinned.

Love and prayers,
Jenn @creativegurl85