So Happy!

I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, 

and they shall be my people and I will be their God, 

for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Jeremiah 24:7

There is absolutely nothing in life that gives me more joy than my relationship with Jesus.  No one is closer to my heart, even those here on earth whom I dearly love.  I came to know Jesus at a young age so I have spent most of my life getting to more intimately know Him.  He has lavished His love upon me and has forgiven me more times than I can count.  To know Him is to love and trust Him above all.

The more I surrender to God, the more I sense His Spirit within me.  As I relinquish, I gain.  One of my most treasured ways to get to know God more deeply is to soak up His Word.  That's why I love Bible Journaling so much.  It takes me into His Word in a unique way.  Sometimes I study deeply, sometimes I read for refreshment, pleasure and encouragement.  And sometimes I search for inspirations for my art expressions.  In January I plan to begin a Bible reading schedule that will take me through the Bible in a year.  I've done this many times and I never fail to find new treasures, new perspectives on how to apply His constant truths.  I love His Word...and I love every new facet of my God  I come to know through the pages of my Bible.  But one of the most treasured promises He offers is that I am His...I belong to Him.

This passage in the New Testament book of Galatians echos the theme of belonging to God through the redemptive work of Christ.  Once we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus in our lives we become a child of the King.

Through our inheritance in Christ, we have everything we need for fulfillment, happiness and joy.  We can live confidently because we know our Father and we know He will take care of us.  We are free to enjoy His blessings...one of the greatest being that His Spirit, His person, resides within our hearts.  That is a lifeline connection to our Father. 

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp Sets:

So Happy 

(FREE with $50 purchase during November)

 Above stamps: Words of Life: Collection 2, Child of the King, and Exclamations.

Happy Birthday and Happy Rebirth Day!

So much excitement is coming from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps/Creative Worship in November as the company celebrates its 10th year of operation.  That is quite an accomplishment and for 10 years owner Korin Sutherland has been blessing us with Christ centered stamp designs.  I truly love the designs, but even more appreciate Korin's heart for giving God all the glory through her business.  You will want to keep up with each week's giveaways, and daily announcement for a full month of fun inspiration, prizes and more.  All the details are posted on the Creative Worship Facebook page and Sweet 'n Sassy's Facebook page and blog.  So tune into those sites regularly all month long!

 

For my post today, I'm using the featured set for our birthday celebration called So Happy...and everything about this stamp set is indeed happy.  The moment I saw it I could see all kinds of possibilites for Bible journaling as well as for cardmaking.

 I did a really simple page using the set to celebrate another landmark in my own life.  The day I created this I was commemorating 55 years as a believer.  I accepted Christ in a fall revival service when I was 12 years old.  I remember it soooo clearly.  And as I look back over those years I still stand amazed by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the protection and provision of my heavenly Father and the ultimate sacrifice my Savior made to give me rebirth.  It was indeed a happy, happy day when Jesus washed my sins away!

 My Bible translation is the ESV, but I love the rendering of this passage from the New Life Version (NLV), which says, "Our sins are washed away and we are made clean because Christ gave His own body as a gift to God. He did this once for all time."  As we are made clean and new, it truly is a washing, and through the process of sanctification (continuous transformation to become more rooted, more like Christ), we are continually cleansed by the Spirit and God's Word--"
Christ did this so He could set the church [believers] apart for Himself. He made it clean by the washing of water with the Word." (Ephesians 5:26)  How many times to I have to come back to the fountain of His grace and mercy, repent and be washed again by His love?  

 I'm so very happy that my celebration coincides with the time of year that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps are celebrating too.  I know you will want to participate throughout the month in all that is going on in the SNSS world...so check in to the links above often...in fact, click on the FB link at the end of this post for more information on how you can get this stamp set.