God is Gracious

So…Leviticus.  

I think there's something to be said about Leviticus.  I know what I've said in the past about it: can't I just skim it?  What point does it serve for the modern disciple of Jesus Christ?  How does it speak to us and should we be concerned with it?  What's the governing principle and purpose we could potentially take away?  Are there any?

Well, the answer to all of those questions is wrapped up in the overarching truth that ALL scripture is God-breathed, profitable and instructional, correctional and beneficial.  (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

In fact, even more overarching - if that's possible - and perhaps more helpful to our theology involving all of scripture is that ALL of the Bible is telling ONE. BIG. STORY.

As post-Acts disciples of Jesus, we understand that the New Testament is a new covenant.  It's exhaustive in defining the true follower of Jesus - how a true disciple should look in light of our salvation by Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.  AMAZING GRACE!

But as I heard Jen Wilkin once say in her message at Proclaim Truth 2020: "The Old Testament points toward the New; and the New Testament tips its hat toward the Old." 
What's she saying is, as much as we behold the New Testament, it is just as essential to follow the story of God through the Old.  It is just as impactful, necessary and beneficial to get a sense of God, His purpose, His plan, His ways, in the Old Testament. 
As we tackle the New Testament writings, it is profitable for us to understand the Old as it pertains in continuity and connection!  You can't understand one without the other; there's no way to understand the whole story of scripture if the entire Bible is not taken into consideration.

So…Leviticus.

In Leviticus, there is a familiar theme that I don't think we recognize as we're reading the repetitive statements of "he shall bring his offering," and "and the priest shall burn it on the altar."  The requirements for a "guilt offering," a "sin offering" a "restitution offering," etc., are remarkably similar. 
One must bring the appropriate sacrifice which will be made by the priest at the altar.  The animal of such a sacrifice must have particular qualities.  Parts of the animal will be used for sacrifice (namely the blood which was to be spilled on the altar), parts for burning completely, parts for the priest to use.

But whatever offering was coming for whatever transgression was made, it always required a costly sacrifice. 

I am far from understanding all the implications of Leviticus as it relates to my relationship God and His plans for a better life for mankind. 

I am bewildered at the enormous amount of detail that the LORD speaks to Moses, so the people could be reconciled to Him in a right relationship.  It's truly a lot to digest.

But I'm clear on one thing about the ever-becoming-endearing book of Leviticus in scripture: God is gracious.

God is gracious?

In Leviticus?

Excitedly, I confess that what was once a mundane read in my yearly Bible plan, is now one of my favorite books to work through!

I don't know how better to emphasize the connection of Leviticus to its importance in our lives; our understanding of its pertinence and significance.  I believe its God -breathed scripture and what I'm seeing is the foreshadowing of something much bigger, better, perfect and complete.  Jesus.  Jesus our perfect, ultimate, final sacrifice for sin!

But how does it show us that God is gracious?

Ahh, I am so glad you asked. 
In the book of Leviticus, there are explicit details of ways to break fellowship with God; different forms of sin that replace a harmonious connection to the LORD Almighty with brokenness.  Mentions of intentional and unintentional; guilt and restitution.  Over and over…and over…and over… and over. 
Think about this:

God is holy. Holy, holy, holy, to be exact.  This holiness is a divine and set apartness that separates God from everything else in creation.  As holy, He defines the truth and standard of all things: love, existence, boundaries, relationships, sin, right living, etc.

God is relational.  In the beginning, we see in creation that He set up the perfect place for something with the imprint of His image to subdue - rule and keep.  In this relationship, God set the precedent of relating to Him and doing what is right.  With the intent on "becoming like God, knowing good and evil," man disobeyed the loving, protective Lord, consequently causing a fracture in creation, and all things to fall from perfection to an inherent corruption.  Sad stuff.  Man has never had a perfect relationship with God since.  However, this is the part where we can say,
God is gracious.  Because sin would mark every person ever made (except Jesus the Beloved Son of God), God knew there would be necessary rules of engagement between people.  In Leviticus you can see how He defines and details all the ins and outs of God-loving, God-following people.  It's intense.  So intense, it's impossible.  It's IMPOSSIBLE. Those sacrifices that we talked about above were not things to do - it was God's temporary plan of reconciling a sinful people to Himself.  The repetitive script of the one bringing offering, the priest in his duties, and the forgiveness that would then be granted is God reaching out to humanity for relationship. 
It was a GRACE to understand what separated people from a Holy God.
It was a GRACE to bring a sacrifice to offer for restitution.

It was a GRACE to bow in humility, recognizing how badly we need Him.
It was a GRACE to offer worship in this mode.

It was a GRACE to be forgiven and restored to peace with the LORD.

God is GRACIOUS, even in His holiness and justice, to reach down into humanity giving us a foreshadowing of what was to come: the ultimate sacrifice; the perfect sacrifice; the final sacrifice; the unconditional love; the extended forgiveness of sins once and for all: JESUS CHRIST.

This is why we read the Old Testament.  It's the part of the story without an ending, until you get to the New Testament where Jesus breaches the walls between man and God for one final sacrifice, nullifying all sacrifices from then on, bringing about peace between God and man forever, and re-establishing a connection to all who believe on His name.  WOW!

God. Is. Gracious!

I'm spellbound.  I'm humbled.  I'm in awe.

What are your thoughts?  What do you think about Leviticus?  Maybe the next time you read it, you'll look at it through the lens of the Gospel wherein God tells His story of love, hope and grace.

Much love,

Deeds

Scribble Flowers: https://bit.ly/3aiw9evArt Deco Alpha: https://bit.ly/3eusXzr
Texture Tile 1: https://bit.ly/2RLkTAy
Bitty Minnie Alpha: https://bit.ly/3eFbSmK
Classy Script Alpha: https://bit.ly/2yk9oJR

God's Word is Life

"Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua, the son of Nun. And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, 'Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess." - Deuteronomy 32:44-47

Deuteronomy 32 is a beautiful and eloquent passage commonly referred to as the Song of Moses. There are seven themes in Moses' song, which take us on a journey from the great goodness of God to the horrible sin of humanity to the grace and kindness of the Lord. It's Moses's exhortation to the children of Israel (and modern day Christians) to acknowledge God's greatness and mercy, and embrace it as their very life. 

David Guzik's commentary has this to say about verses 44-47:

One of Satan's great lies to us is that it is a futile thing to serve God and obey His word. It often seems that those who are against God prosper more than those who are for Him. Yet, we need to see and understand - from an eternal perspective - that it is not a futile thing to love and obey God. 

Chuck Smith follows it up with this comment: 

This word is not an empty thing; it's you're life. This is a matter of life and death, not something to pass off lightly.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." 

In Paul's letter to his dear friend Timothy, he says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Loving God and His Word is more than just a good Christian thing to do - it is life itself. God's Word gives us everything we need to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God, and He wants us to embed His Word in every aspect of our heart, mind, and life every single day. As a person, you can't live without food and water - as a Christian, you can't live without God's Word. 

The beautiful thing about this thing we call Bible Journaling is simply this: it brings God's Word into our lives in a visual and vibrant way, which brings us closer to Him. And that's just what He wants for us. ♡

I used three of my all-time favorite stamp sets to create this page: Scribble Flowers, Sweet & Simple Alpha, and Teeny Alpha clear stamp sets. The Sweet & Simple set is new this month and is quickly becoming my go-to alpha stamp set! The Scribble Flowers and Teeny Alpha sets are so versatile and add great elements to just about any page. I use them all the time! 😏 I taped off the text I wanted to illustrate, then blended distress oxides, splattered with water and watered down ink, stamped, and finished the page with some gel pen highlighting, washi tape, and stickers. Super fun, easy, and MESSY - which I love!! 😍

  

May you enjoy the life provided through God's Word this week and every week.

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle ❤

Our Shield

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

Dear Friends,
Happy Labor Day! Whether you work or get the day off, I hope you can rest in the Lord. Take a close look at this verse. God is everything we need. 

• The Lord is my rock: He is solid and strong and unchangeable. We can depend on Him. 
• The Lord is my fortress: He is an impenetrable shelter. 
• The Lord is my deliverer: He sees us through times of trouble. 
• The Lord is my refuge: Again, He shelters us. We can find rest in Him. 
• The Lord is my shield: He defends and protects us from Satan and his attacks. 
• The Lord is my salvation: Salvation is only found in Jesus. This salvation is strong, triumphant, and powerful. 
• The Lord is my stronghold: He is our fortified place, the center of our Christian walk. 

We have no reason to fear or worry. God’s got whatever “this” is!

Sweet n Sassy Stamps released some great new sets this month! For this page, I used Armor of God, Mighty Fortress. Both these sets can be pre-ordered NOW! You can even get both as a bundle at a discounted price! I also used Girl Power and Scribble Flowers. I used watercolor crayons too. 

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Seek the Lord and Live

Seek the Lord and live. Amos 5:6

Friends,

Amos 5 repeatedly tells us to "seek God and live" (verses 4, 6, 14). Of course, when Amos wrote this, he was speaking to Israel. What he was telling them was to seek God, not in the false worship they were guilty of, but in humility and righteousness. That message is true for you and me too. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 to seek His kingdom first. How do we do that? We intentionally pursue God. How can we do that?

• Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (How do we renew our minds?)
• Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (What are the things above?)
• Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things."

When we seek Him, and give Him ourselves, we are given eternal life. So, seek Him and live. And, sisters, let's help each other seek Him. Let's build each other up in Him. Because...He. Is. Everything.

For the page, I was SO excited to get to use Sweet n Sassy Stamps' new Girl Power Printable. It has 10 (yes 10!!) adorable girls as well as words/phrases. When you buy the bundle, you get a PDF as well as the individual PNG files! And this printable is a hint of things to come!! I also used Teeny Alpha, one of the sets released this month, and an oldie but goodie- Scribble Flowers. The background was done by scraping acrylic paint across the page. And I used a Micron pen for the thought bubble.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Chosen and Loved...

Hi friends,

I have been reading through the Bible using a chronological reading plan this year, and some parts can be really challenging! One book that can sometimes be a bit tough to read is Deuteronomy, partially because it includes a lot of repetition from Exodus and Numbers, and also because there are a lot of laws given that we struggle to relate to everyday life in the 21st century. Nevertheless, I want to encourage you to persevere and pray as you read, asking for God to bring revelation to you as you study His Word. Sometimes there is just one verse that jumps out from the page and into your heart, as God reveals something of Himself to you. This happened to me as I was reading through Deuteronomy 7 and noticed verses 7-8...

 

“The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.  But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

What a beautiful picture of God's saving grace! God didn't choose us because we were well behaved or intelligent or gifted... He chose us because He set His heart on us and loves us. And guess what? That will never change! Romans 8:38-39 assures us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

I really enjoyed creating this page and meditating on the awesome truth of these words. I used a few different stamp sets for this, and wanted to show you how to stretch your stamps further by selectively inking some of the words. I used Hello My Name Is for the words chose and loves but these words do not appear exactly like this in the stamp set:

I took a few photos of the process so you can see how it's done:

The beauty of the high quality clear stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy is that you can choose to ink only portions of the stamp. In this case I left off the 'n' from chosen, and the 'd' from loved. I then inked just the 's' from saved and stamped this at the end of love, joining up the letters with a Micron pen. I encourage you to look at your stamps and see how you can stretch them to create different or new words - there are so many possibilities!

Here are the other sets I used on this page:

       

 

May your heart be encouraged today as you meditate on the fact that God set His heart on you and chose you because He loves you.

x Amy x

Called by name...

Hi friends,

I don't know about you but I've been called by a fair few names in my lifetime. As well as my given name, I've also been called some lovely names ('beautiful', 'my love,' 'mate' and others!) but I've also been called some pretty nasty names, particularly at school (no need to elaborate on what those were!). Those names can have a scarring effect on our souls, embedding unwanted labels into our identities that take a long time to shift. One of the awesome things about God is that he calls us by name, and also gives us new, beautiful names to replace the unwanted titles given to us in our past. One of those names is Redeemed.

The word 'redeemed' means to have been delivered or released from a legal obligation or desperate circumstance. We were most certainly in desperate circumstances before God saved us, and in Christ we have been redeemed - rescued and delivered from an obligation we could never fulfil and a debt we could never pay. What an incredibly gracious and merciful God we serve!

I used the sweet new set Hello My Name Is for this page, as well as Scribble Flowers, Mini Grunge Type Alpha and Lynzee Script Alpha.

I pray that as you enter 2018, you would allow God's names for you to replace any wrong or unpleasant names anyone has given you. His Word is powerful and effective in reshaping our identities!

x Amy x

As for me...

Hi friends,

I'm sharing a page with you today that I had marked in my bible a long time ago as a really profound verse that I wanted to meditate on:

Psalm 73:28
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

I love this simple declaration: as for me, it is good to be near God. Other people might choose to be near many other things or people, but for me, I want to be near God. What a wonderful thought! Being near to God means making Him our refuge in every season of life, allowing Him to be our  shield and protection. As much as it is good to be near family and friends (and even a radiator in this cold British weather!), no one else can ever be as faithful and strong as our God. Let us draw near to Him, make Him our refuge, and declare His deeds to those around us.

I created this page by layering acrylic paints in the background, then creating the verse over the top using alphabet stickers and a combination of Sweet n Sassy stamp sets, including Good Shepherd, God is Good and His Wings. I also added some flowers with Scribble Flowers and coloured them with gelatos. I can't seem to resist adding butterflies so I added this lovely washi tape.

Check out the gorgeous Scribble Flowers set:

Did you know that you have a chance to win this stamp set until this Thursday, 30th of November? Just head over to the @sweetnsassystamps Instagram page or our Facebook page and find out how to enter!

Have a blessed week!

x Amy x

Restoration

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—My great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will My people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will My people be shamed." Joel 2:25-27

Dear Friends,

Joel speaks of a locust invasion which destroyed Israel's crops. It would take years to overcome this. Joel used the locust invasion to illustrate God's judgment. The verses above were God's answer to Israel. He would restore them. When His people repent, He restores them and blesses them in a way that more than compensates the lost years. And the restoration wasn't only to be physical, but also spiritual as they would praise God. God also speaks of His people never again being ashamed. This has yet to happen. Ultimately, He will totally restore Israel.

The good news is that we as believers in Christ can also trust that God will restore us too. This promise was specifically made to Israel. And yet, God will restore our empty years- the years the locusts have eaten, the years the enemy has stolen. In Christ, and because of Christ, we are fully restored. Thank You, Jesus! 

For this page, I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Skinny Caps Alpha, Lynzee Script Alpha, and Scribble Flowers. I painted the background with acrylic paint. I used bubble wrap to sponge on the pink and green paint. I used a white Sharpie to highlight "restore".

Be restored in Him, my friends. Blessings, Andrea

In The Storm...

{jane bosi}  How grateful I am that I have a God able to calm both me and the storms.  He never fails in this walk when I am constantly feeling as if it is pouring....Can I get an amen??  You'll find Calms His Child here. 

I wanted to try a little decorative art and step away from bible journaling for a week or so.  Sometimes, when I feel like I am trying too hard, that is the best thing for me to do.

This is a 6x6 canvas.  I started by layering bible pages in a random pattern using mod podge.  I really should have waited between layers, but once I got going, I just didn't want to stop.  Some of the buckling would have been reduced, but all in all, I still love it.

I had picked up a tattered and well loved Gideon bible at Good Will a bit ago.  I love the idea of praying over my art and found it to be a calming piece to the over all art project.  I colored several pages by applying distress inks directly to my non-stick sheet and then dipping the pages until I got the right look.  Once dry, I was able to stamp and trim images from Fantastic Flowers and Scribble Flowers.  A few of the other textures that can be seen are the gold background created using texture paste and a stencil and some sequins. I've been in love with sequins for quite some time now and added just a few for a little bit of bling.

I hope you are feeling inspired---express yourself!

TTFN, Jane

Enthusiastic Obedience

The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to Him, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to Him. Deuteronomy 26:16-17

Hi Friends!

There are quite a few stories in the Bible where God or Jesus tells someone to do something and they IMMEDIATELY do it. In those stories, they don't question God/Jesus. They don't give Him a lot of excuses. They don't wait for the right time. They just do what He says. Can I be frank? A majority of the time, I would have to say that I am not that quick to obey. Sure, if it's something that's easy or doesn't take me out of my comfort zone. Then I'm quick to obey. But if it's something that might be hard or include struggles or something that I'm not comfortable with? Well, then I take my time. 

God wants us to trust Him enough to obey Him NO. MATTER. WHAT. He wants us to enthusiastically obey Him with our whole heart and soul. What He asks us to do may not be easy, friends, but we can trust Him. He deserves our obedience. I pray that all of us will be enthusiastic in our obedience to Him!

For the page,  I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps: Outline Alpha, All Your Heart, Chunky Alpha, Scribble Flowers, Just Be, and Fantastic Flowers. I used watercolors for the background and a white Sharpie pen to color in/highlight the words.

Fantastic Flowers was released this month and I've enjoyed using it. Here's another page using another of the flowers from the set.

Have a blessed day! Andrea