The Gift of Comfort...

Hi friends,

What brings you comfort? Often, we offer to others who need comfort the things that we find comforting. Think about it - if we find food a comfort, then we tend to offer food to those who need comforting. If we are comforted by a hug, we will probably want to hug others who need to be comforted. Whether it's a cup of tea, a chat over coffee, a handmade card or a piece of chocolate cake, we both receive and give comfort in particular ways.

The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 1 writes of how he and his ministry partners had been comforted by 'the God of all comfort' in the midst of their affliction. He then explains that because they had received the comfort of God, they could then comfort others who were in affliction.

It is so vital that we are comforted by God because it is only out of experiencing his comfort that we are able to minister true comfort to other people. This chain of comfort connects us to God and to one another as we continually give and receive. Let's draw near to the God of all comfort in those times are heartache, pain, confusion, testing and loneliness, and allow him to comfort us with his love and peace that surpasses understanding. Then, let's pass that comfort onto others who are in desperate need.

I created the background for this page using Distress Oxide inks after applying a few layers of gesso to the page first. The text was stamped with a number of different sets, including the new Healer of my Heart and Typewriter Blocks, along with Love Your Neighbor. I also used a few alpha stickers. I used the beautiful butterflies from Made New (the Stamp of the Month for February) as well as Poppies and Greetings for the pretty flowers.

I pray that we would all know the comfort of God and then in turn may be able to pass that comfort along to others!

x Amy x

Justice, Mercy & Faithfulness...

Hi friends,

Have you ever focused so much on little details that you've missed the big picture? Whether it's focusing on the imperfections of our homes and missing the fact that we have one to be grateful for, or nitpicking at the faults of others instead of cherishing the gift of relationship, this is something that I can be frequently guilty of!

Jesus faced people who also focused on the small things instead of the more important matters - those people were called the Pharisees. In Matthew 23, Jesus does not hold back in his criticism of their attitudes, behaviour and heart condition. In this list of rebukes, Jesus points out that the Pharisees were really great at tithing (giving 10%) of every... little... thing (including herbs and spices!!) but they were neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness.

The Pharisees were so consumed with box ticking in the small matters and making sure they looked good and had done their duty, that they missed the heart of God's instructions: they way they treated people. This verse is very similar to one found in Micah 6:8, and I suspect that Jesus was reminding them of this verse of Scripture (which they would have been familiar with), which says "what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" These three actions/attitudes correspond to Jesus' words in Matthew 23: justice is mentioned first in both, mercy and kindness come from the same Hebrew word, and faithfulness could be described as walking humbly before God. You see, God hasn't changed. The heart of the Old Testament law is the same as the heart of the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to teach and demonstrate. God places the highest value on how we treat one another and how we follow Jesus. It's that simple.

I used one of the stamp sets that you can get for free as a Stamp of the Month during November, called Poppies and Greetings, on this page, watercolouring the flowers. I also used Life in Jesus, Skinny Caps Alpha and Rebecca Script Alpha for the three main words, with little words from Armor of God along with some small alpha stickers to complete the text.

Let's remember to keep focused on the things that matter most to God: justice, mercy and faithfulness. When these things are our priority, the little things tend to take care of themselves, or they get put into their proper perspective!

Be blessed...

x Amy x