Happy or Holy?

 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God 

and obey it. Luke 11:28

Hi Friends!

Have you heard or seen, "God wants you happy." or "God wants you holy." or "God wants you holy, not happy." I have. In fact, I've journaled a few pages with "happy" crossed out and focusing on "holy." And here's the thing. I believe 100% that God wants us holy. Why, because He tells us so again and again in the bible- 1 Peter 1:15-16, Romans 12:2, and 2 Timothy 1:9 to name a few. The world on the other hand, tells us to do what makes us happy. And therein lies the problem. What we think might make us happy usually is fleeting if we are looking to wordly things to make us happy. See, I think God wants us holy AND happy- but not happy because of worldly things, not happy because we're doing whatever we want. We find true happiness by following God's way which, of course, is holy. Holiness, being set apart for God, leads to happiness. Happiness and holiness are both found in Christ!

So, if my answer to my question is that God wants us both happy AND holy, let's talk about happiness. We often hear believers say that there is a difference between joy and happiness. In fact, I've said that myself. But in studying this verse, I came across this from gotquestions.org: "It is common today to hear believers speak of a difference between joy and happiness. The teaching usually makes the following points: 1) Happiness is a feeling, but joy is not. 2) Happiness is fleeting, but joy is everlasting. 3) Happiness depends on circumstances or other people, but joy is a gift from God. 4) Happiness is worldly, but joy is divine. 

But there is no such distinction made in scripture, and forcing a distinction between two words that are so obviously close in meaning is unnecessary. If a person is joyful, then he or she is happy. There's no such thing as glum joy. We cannot drain joy of emotion and still call it "joy." When God's Spirit gives us joy, then we are happy people."

As I said before, there are different places we can find happiness. So the choice is ours. Will we look to the world for happiness/joy? Or will we look to God for it?

You might be saying, Luke 11:28 doesn't even have "happy" or "joy" in it! The word translated as "blessed" in this verse is the Greek word, "makarios." It is most often translated as "blessed" in our English Bibles. But it also means "happy," and is translated as such a few times- John 13:17, Acts 26:2, Romans 14:22, 1 Cor 7:40, 1 Peter 3:14, and 1 Peter 4:14. 

So what is Jesus saying here in Luke 11:28? HAPPY are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Believers should be happy and holy because they hear God's Word and live it.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Beautiful You, Trust in the Lord, In His Image, Mini Bold Print Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, Decorative Frame Toppers, Grunge Dot Stencil, and Chicken Wire Stencil. I applied distress oxides to the page using a craft brush. Then I used the stencils to add to the background and stamped the words on top.

Have a HAPPY and Holy week! :)  Andrea   

Hear & Practice...

Hi friends,

I don't know if anyone else went to Sunday School when they were young and sang "The wise man built his house upon the rock..." which leads to "and the rain came tumbling down." (Apologies if you now have that song on repeat in your head for a while!) 

Having sung the song many times and heard the story told, I assumed that to build your house on the rock meant to build your life on Jesus. That sounds right, doesn't it? But that's not exactly what this passage of Scripture says. In Matthew 7:24 Jesus says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of wine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Then in verse 26 he goes on to say, "But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand." Notice that in both of these scenarios, the men heard the words of Jesus? But it isn't enough just to hear them - they must be put into practice.

As a piano teacher, I have for many years encouraged my students to practice regularly - after all, that is the only way they are to grow in their proficiency on the instrument. When I read these words of Jesus, I think about what 'practice' should look like in the life of a person who wishes to build their house on the rock. I think it looks like taking Jesus' words seriously and prayerfully asking the Holy Spirit to show us where and how they apply to our lives right now, then acting upon these words... repeatedly. After all, practice is a repeated thing, not a once-off action. We can't claim to be building our lives on the rock if we obeyed Jesus' words once, 10 years ago, but haven't since! 

I'm personally convicted about how easy it is for a gap to appear between my reading/hearing or Jesus' words (which really include Scripture as a whole, as it is God-breathed) and the practical ways it is applied in my life. I need to be more intentional about identifying how my daily actions are being shaped, challenged and changed by listening to Jesus' words. 

I used the Welcome Home set on this page to stamp the houses and their roofs in different colours, then added some shading with coloured pencil. The rock and sand were painted with acrylic paints, and the sky was created using gelatos and a bit of stencilling using Versafine ink. The text was stamped using a combination of Loop da Loop Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha and Old Fashioned Alpha. Here are the sets I used:

Let's be people to not only hear the words of Jesus, but actively put them into practice in our daily lives.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

The Vine and the Gardener...

Hi friends,

In John 15, in the middle of Jesus' farewell discourse at his last meal with his disciples before his death, he describes his relationship with his Heavenly Father and with his disciples using several images. One of them is that of a vine and branches. This extended metaphor shows how we are a part of Christ and how we draw our source of life from him. When Jesus says 'I am the true vine' he is claiming to fulfil what Israel was meant to have been. Israel is referred to as a vine in the Old Testament, but it failed in its purpose as it grew wild and sick, and was eventually destroyed by other nations. Jesus reframes this image around himself (as with so many other images he uses as he teaches).

If Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches bearing leaves and fruit, then the Father is the gardener. As the gardener, he cuts away branches that don't bear fruit, and prunes those that do so that they will produce even more. This is both an encouraging and sobering truth. Our Heavenly Father will remove branches of his true vine that show they are no longer drawing life from the vine - they have become unfruitful and therefore unnecessary. When Jesus spoke these words they could have applied to those Pharisees and Sadducees who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the source of life, and therefore were not bearing fruit. Today, this could apply to those who claim to be part of the vine but who are not bearing fruit because their connection to the source has dried up. It is the Father's right to tend and care for the vine, and he does so with infinite wisdom. He doesn't just lop off branches carelessly - he knows which branches need careful tending and which ones just need to go.

What I find interesting is that along with cutting off branches that don't bear fruit, the Father prunes the ones that do - which means cutting bits from them. So either way, cutting is involved! Sometimes God cuts things from our lives or ministries which feel painful, and we feel empty or bare as a result. But in these seasons we need to know that God the Father does this for the good of the vine. We are still connected, so we are still drawing life from Jesus, and the cutting away he does in our lives will actually lead to more fruit in the future. So if you feel the painful snip of God's pruning in your life, be encouraged.... there is greater fruit coming. 

On this page in my Illustrating Bible, I painted a background with acrylic paints, then stamped the leaves from Give Thanks over the top with Stazon brown ink, colouring with coloured pencils (if you are colouring over darker backgrounds, you can add a layer of white pencil first, then add colour over the top). The verse was stamped with a combination of I Am, School Days Alpha, Rebecca Script Alpha and Mini Grunge Type Alpha. I added a couple of butterfly stickers and some washi tape down the side to finish. Here are the sets I used:

Let's be encouraged as we see our Heavenly Father at work as the gardener and choose to keep drawing our life from the vine, Jesus Christ.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Change is Promised...

Hi friends,

Change is an interesting phenomenon. When we are comfortable and things are going well, we don't particularly want a lot of change. I think many people are feeling a lot of discomfort right now at the amount of change that has happened in their everyday life with the restrictions imposed as a result of this pandemic the world is experiencing. When we have our lives nicely planned and comfortable, this level of change is quite difficult to handle.

There are people, however, that are desperate for change in their lives. They are oppressed, miserable, stuck in bleak circumstances and in need of deliverance. To these people, the promise of change is one that brings hope. In Ezekiel 21:26 the Lord speaks against the ruler of Israel and promises that things will not remain as they are: the low would be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. This reminds me of the saying about 'comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.'

If we are experiencing affliction and distress, God speaks words of comfort to us and promises us that things will not remain as they are. He will rescue and deliver, bringing his salvation to us. But if we are living comfortably, without challenge to the status quo that we enjoy, God may well bring change that disrupts our comfort. Not just because he can, but because he wants us to rely on him, to learn to trust him in difficult circumstances as well as easier ones. He does indeed comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable, all for the purpose of drawing us close to him and making us grow more and more into the likeness of Jesus.

I created the background of this page with acrylic paints and a flat paintbrush. The verse was stamped using a combination of Mini Grunge Type Alpha, Loop da Loop Alpha and Messy Stamped Alpha. The butterflies are a digital stamp called Blue Morpho Butterfly, which I printed on clear sticker paper, cut out and stuck onto the background. Here are the stamps I used:

Let's look to the future with hope, because things will not remain as they are. God will bring transformation in his time and his way.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Suffer A Little While

Hello friends!  I pray everyone is safe and doing well.  Life is looking a little different for most of us currently thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, am I right?  We are all trying to adjust to our new routines.

Conditions in our area, are like many places...most grocery store shelves are bare, schools are closed, and restaurants are all drive-ins or open to pick up orders only.  Though there have been some inconveniences, so far things have changed little in my household.  My husband, myself and our two sons are still able to go to work as usual, we have the necessities and we are healthy.  Sadly, I know that is not the case for many people. 

As I prayed over this post, I was led to 1 Peter 5:6-11.  I hope you find it encouraging as I give my thoughts on these verses. 

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

In verses 6-7 Peter instructs us to lay aside our pride and give our fears and worries to God, the God who loves us.  What anxieties do you have today that you can hand over to the Father about the coronavirus?

8Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Peter warns us in verses 8-9 that the devil is on the prowl, ready to tempt us and destroy us in our suffering.  Do not be fooled.  The evil one is searching for us even now, looking to tear us down and fill us with fear.  He would love to discredit us and our testimony during this time.  Use the truths you know about God to fight the fears and lies the devil tells you.  God loves you and wants to prosper you.  He sent His only Son to save YOU.  Peter also urges us to keep strong in our faith and reminds us, we aren't suffering this alone.  Children of God around the world are all being affected by Covid-19 and are under attack from the devil.  

10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

God, in his unfailing grace, is using our suffering to perfect, prove, and strengthen us.  Thankfully, we get hope from this verse, that we will only suffer a little while.  He will bring us through this pandemic in His timing, which is perfect. 

Perhaps, He is even using this virus, to turn the world back to Him.  Maybe He is reminding us of the importance of the time we have and how we use it.  Through the changes in our routines, we have been pushed back in to our homes, with our families, eating around our table.  We have had to give up idols that come in the form of sporting events, concerts, movies and even our jobs in some cases.  Let's use this time, as Christians, to show the world what we are made of.  We are called to love and honor God above all else, love one another and deny ourselves, and pray continually.  We are never alone in the battles we face. 

  

Page Details:
I started this page by blending distress oxide inks on to my page. I stamped dandelions from the new Blessings in Disguise set across the bottom.  I colored the stems in with a green Faber Castell pen and used a white Uniball Signo gel pen to add some white highlights to the seeds.  I stamped a sentiment from the Peony Cluster set above my dandelions.  I used the Loop da Loop Alpha and Mini Grunge Type Alpha to stamp out my title.  I finished my page by journaling a prayer and drawing a sketchy box around my focus verses.

I pray God protects and blesses each of you in these uncertain times.  Encourage and help each other when you can.  Remember to wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere.  

Until next time, you can catch up with me on Instagram @simplyjillsjourney.

xoxo,

Jill

Wisdom & understanding...

Hi friends,

I often get asked where I start when it comes to inspiration for Bible Journaling pages. People wonder where to begin faced with the enormity of verses (and supplies!) to choose from. For me, there are a number of ways that I find pages to journal, but one of them is to do a search of an online Bible app for a word that is inspired by a stamp set. When I received the Forest Silhouettes set I looked up the word 'animals' to see what came up, and one passage that caught my attention was 1 Kings 4:29-34.

In these verses Solomon is described as having very great wisdom, discernment and understanding given to him by God which resulted in astonishing knowledge about all kinds of things, including different types of trees, animals, birds and fish. People travelled great distances to hear his wisdom and he was described as being 'wiser than anyone else.'

As someone who enjoys learning and gaining knowledge, I find this fascinating. But I also look at the wider story of Solomon's life and find it very sad. You see, Solomon had all this wisdom relating to the animal and plant world and about decision making and strategy and wealth, but he did not apply godly wisdom to his personal life. He accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines who led him astray in his devotion to the Lord. All the knowledge about trees and fish were no use when it came to making choices to be obedient to God.

I have to remind myself of this when I am learning, even learning things about the Bible in studying theology. There is no point having a bunch of factual knowledge in terms of the way something works or the history of something, without the willingness to actually follow Jesus personally in our everyday decisions. Sometimes it is easy to hide behind our 'knowledge' and use this as an excuse not to simply obey. Often it is easier to explain something to someone else than to live it out in real life. I pray that in our knowledge and wisdom (which are good and right gifts of God that should be desired and stewarded well) we will also be people who obey the commands and leading of God with simple faith.

I thought the animals and trees in Forest Silhouettes were perfect for this page. I painted a watercolour background first, then stamped the images over the top, some with Inktense blocks and water, and some with VersaMagic inks. The text is a combination of Mini Grunge Type Alpha and Skinny Lowercase Alpha.

I am grateful to God for the wisdom and understanding he chooses to give us about many different things. I am also grateful for the Holy Spirit's continual guidance as we seek to follow Jesus as Lord.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

Mercy over Judgment

Hi friends,

Recently I have been challenged about my attitude to other drivers as I drive to and from college each day. It is a long journey with lots of traffic and there are certain points that test my patience a LOT!

The other day I had a moment where I was once again irritated by drivers cutting in front of me when they were in the wrong lane (in my mind, often deliberately, so they can cut the queue!). As I drove along I had a thought: as a driver I can either be a 'tax collector', a Pharisee or Jesus. What I mean by that is that I can either do the wrong thing blatantly (get in the wrong lane and cut in front of other drivers) or I can do the right thing (stay in the right lane) but with the wrong attitude - an attitude of judgment and resentment toward those doing the wrong thing. And that is the attitude of a Pharisee... yikes!

So what would Jesus do? I think, based on the way he lived his life as we see in the Gospels, that he would do the right thing (he fulfilled the law after all) but he would also extend mercy and grace to those who do the wrong thing (the tax collectors and prostitutes seen in the New Testament). Now that is a challenge to follow!

In James 2:13, the brother of Jesus writes that judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What a profoundly challenging but also encouraging statement. This should encourage us because God's mercy toward us triumphs over any judgments that should be rendered to us. But it is also challenging because we do not get to stand in judgment over anyone (whether for their driving, or more serious offences). Our job is to extend mercy, just as our Heavenly Father has been merciful to us.

I had fun using Inktense blocks on these solid images from Dragonfly Dreams to achieve this watercolour effect (I demonstrated this technique in a LIVE video on Sweet 'n Sassy's FB page which is now available on replay if you want to catch it). The verse is a combination of Life in Jesus, Skinny Lowercase Alpha and Mini Grunge Typewriter Alpha. Here are the sets I used:

I know this verse has challenged me... maybe it has also challenged you? Let's remember how merciful Jesus is to us and to everyone, and seek his help in extending that mercy to those around us.

Be blessed...

x Amy x