Praise God!

Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. Judges 5:3

Hi Friends!

In this portion of Judges, we find Deborah and Barak singing a song of praise to God. It was a song of victory after God brought defeat to Canaanite adversaries. 

The Bible uses different words for praise. One Hebrew word is "yadah" which means "praise, give thanks, confess." Another Hebrew word is "zamar" meaning "sing praise." This is the word used in Judges 5:3. A third word is "halal" meaning "to praise, honor, commend." It is the root of hallelujah.

The bible commands all living creatures to praise God (Ps 150:6.) God deserves all honor and praise because of who He is. Praising God is what we should do. And when we praise Him, joy follows. How can we praise Him without being joyful? We really can't. So in those hard, difficult times, think about and focus on God, on who He is, His attributes. Praise Him for who He is and joy will follow.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Wonder of Wonders, Faith Wordfetti Too, All in All, and Let's Do This. Don't you love the image of the people with their arms raised? I do! I stamped the images and colored them in with Prismacolor pencils. My pages tend to be simple. It's not about the art. It's about God. It's about His Word.

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Like That City

 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

Hi Friends!

We take light for granted. We take for granted that the sun will come up in the morning. We take for granted that when we flip a switch in our homes, light will come on. Do we also take for granted that Christ's light is shining somewhere by someone in this world? Here's the thing, we can't leave it up to someone else. WE are to be that light. Christ told us so in Matthew 5:14. It's our duty as Christ followers to shine the light He's given us. We can't take it for granted. We have to work to shine in this dark world. The great thing about light is that darkness can't compete with it. Darkness can't overcome light. Whenever, wherever, light is found, darkness disappears. So, church, we have a lot of work to do. And we need to start in our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities and our communities. But the best news, y'all, is we don't have to do it alone- we do it by the power of the Holy Spirit, God Himself. When we shine Christ's light, we glorify Him (Matt 5:16). And that's our purpose here on earth.

I like the song by Third Day, "City on a Hill." Here are some of the lyrics:

A city on a hill cannot be hidden

Standing tall before all men

To show the things that it's been given

And everything that it can give

Just like that city on a hillside

We got a light that's deep within us

No, don't keep it to yourself

Just remember how you felt

When you first gave your life to Jesus

So how do we shine Jesus' light? We study God's Word and share it with others. We love and serve others. We point others to Jesus. Shine, friends, shine!

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Wonder of Wonders, Shine Your Light, and Trust in the Lord. I also used the Rise & Shine Stencil. Wonder of Wonders has some great images, one of them being the city I used on the page. I stamped the city and drew the hill with a Micron pen. I colored the hill and sky with chalk pastels. I colored the city with Prismacolor pencils. Then I stamped the words in the sky and handlettered part of the lyrics on the hill.

Have a blessed week! Andrea