As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

Dear Friends,

This is one of my favorite verses! I've journaled this verse many times, and even written a blog on it before. And here it is again! LOL 

This verse shows how amazingly forgiving our God is. It tells us how far God separates us from our sin when He forgives us. Have you ever thought of how far the east is from the west? Think about it. If you travel north, you eventually get to the North Pole and start going south. However, if you travel east, no matter how far you travel, you will NEVER start going west! And if you travel west, you will NEVER start going east. So, that's how far God has removed our sin from us- it can't be measured because it's never ending! Wow! Wow! Wow!

It can be hard for us to understand just how forgiving our God is because we tend to be just a bit less forgiving, right? I know I'm far, far less forgiving than Him. But Colossians 3:13 tells us "as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Eeeek!  OK, so God wants me to forgive when someone says they're sorry. Yes. But, what about when they aren't sorry? Guess what, God still wants us to forgive them. Our forgiving others is NOT dependent on whether they are sorry or necessarily deserving of that forgiveness. We need to forgive others solely because God forgave us, pure and simple. And honestly, when we forgive, it does as much good for us as it does the other party because we can let go of the bad feelings. Is it always easy to forgive? No. But remember, God is with you. He has removed your sin as far as the east is from the west!! He will help you to forgive others just as He has forgiven you.

Page details: I used a brand new alpha set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called Boss Lady Alpha. It's great! I love all the alphas!! And there are dies to go with it!!! My black ink was a little funky. I didn't get good coverage on all the letters for some reason. That's what you see in the photo (the letters that look shiny), but I just decided to go with it. :) I also used 2 SNSS stencils: Starry Night and Sunburst. The Starburst is a 2 step stencil and really cool!

Have a blessed week, and remember how forgiven you are! Andrea

God is Enough

This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand, I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. Exodus 7:17

Hi Friends!

I'm in Exodus today, and the plagues are about to begin. The Israelites had been in Egypt for 430 years. The Egyptians had made them slaves; and they suffered through that. Now, it was time for them to go. God was going to free them. But Pharaoh thought he could stop them. And so, because of Pharaoh's actions, the plagues began. These plagues caused much suffering too.

The world is full of suffering, isn't it? We all suffer- believers and unbelievers alike. Why? Because we live in a fallen world. Jesus told us we would suffer. And, honestly, if the God Man had to suffer as He did, why would we expect not to suffer?

But, there's good news, friend. God is enough for any suffering we may experience. In fact, He is more than enough. Our God is good, and He's working His purpose in every circumstance. In those hard times, draw near to Him. Know Him. He will sustain us through it just as He sustained the Israelites through the plagues. We are not enough. We're not even close. But He is. Lean into Him.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Your Story, In His Image, Grace Upon Grace, and the Starry Night Stencil. I used distress oxides and the stencil for the background. I stamped the notebook paper on sticker paper and the partially adhered it to the page so that I can still lift it up to read the scripture underneath.

Have a blessed week! Andrea