Read His Book

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. 

Luke 24:27

Hi Friends,

Are you a reader? What is your favorite book? My husband and I and both our daughters are avid readers. Both of my parents also love to read, as did my mother-in-law. I think reading was seen as important in our family and so the love of it has been passed down through the generations. 

Jesus holds importance in our family too, more than reading of course. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our King. And being able to read about Him in the Bible is something I am very thankful for. Not only am I thankful for the ability to read so that I can read the Bible, I am also thankful for the accessibility of the Bible in America. I have numerous printed Bibles in various translations as well as digital Bibles that I can pull up on my phone, tablet, or computer. The book that should take precedence over all else is the Bible. One of my most favorite Charles Spurgeon quotes is: "Visit many good books, but live in the Bible."

The Bible lets us know our Savior better. And He's not just in the New Testament. He is found in the Old Testament just as Luke 24:27 indicates. He may not show up by name, but He is there nonetheless. The Old Testament shows us our need for Jesus by showing us the law, points to Jesus in Messianic prophecies, and foreshadows Jesus through the worship of the Jewish people. Jesus is found in EVERY book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is all about Jesus. So, we shouldn't ignore the Old Testament or books that we may find more difficult to read or understand. The Bible definitely isn't "easy reading." It's SO much more. It is LIFE. I pray that we will all have an unquenchable desire for the Word of God, that we will all read it daily, and live according to it. To know our Savior, we must read His book. Anyone who says (s)he knows Jesus, but isn't reading the Bible, is lying. Many people are happy to tell us about "their" Jesus. What we must ask ourselves is this- am I following the Jesus of the Bible? If "my" Jesus doesn't line up with the One in Scripture, then that's not the real Jesus.

So take some time each day and read, my friends. Read about Jesus!

Page Details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Let's Get Cozy, God of Comfort, and Bitty Minnie Alpha. I stamped the images, masking what I needed to get the effect of some things being behind others. Then I used watercolor crayons to color the page.

Have a beautiful week! Andrea

Uncontainable

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25

Hi Friends!

As this new year begins, I want to focus on Jesus. Not the world, not Covid, not the craziness going on in my country, not my problems, but Jesus; He is my starting point and my ending point and everything in between. John is one of my favorite books of the Bible. When I first read it, I couldn't get enough! I remember that desire to just read more and more about Jesus. I want that feeling all the time. But over time, if I'm honest, I've lost some of that desire to know Jesus more, to read the Bible more and more.

The Bible gives us a glimpse of Jesus' life on earth. And that's really all it is, a glimpse, as John 21:25 points out. I absolutely love that verse. Like, it's one of my very most favorites. Because it tells us that Jesus is BIG. He is wonderfully incomprehensible. He cannot be contained or explained. He doesn't fit neatly into a little box. And I will spend the rest of my life learning more about Him and never know Him completely. Why? Because He's God. And our God is more than our human minds can understand. And that's okay! I wouldn't want a god that I completely understand. That would mean I was somewhat of an equal. I love that I will always be able to learn more about Jesus. I love the idea that if everything He had done while on earth had been written down, the world would be completely overwhelmed. 

Our Jesus is AMAZING. Human words don't justify how amazing He is. And that's pretty cool because not only is He big and amazing and God, but He is our Savior. Jesus, the Creator of everything, the Alpha and the Omega, the one true God, loves us SO much He was willing to leave the glory of heaven, become human, be abused by His creation, and hang on a cross. He certainly didn't have to do it. He could have stayed in the throne room in heaven, and we would have all died in our sin as we rightly should. It's hard to imagine why He loves us enough to give His life for us. He took our sins on Himself and paid the price for our sin so that we might be redeemed, and fellowship with the Father might be restored. All we have to do is confess and repent of our sins and accept Him as our Savior. Then we will have eternal life with Him.

I might not know my Savior, Jesus, completely. But I know He deserves all honor and glory and praise. I await the day when all of creation praises Him. "And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.'" Revelation 5:13 And I suppose, the world itself won't be able to contain that worship either.

Page details: I used the fabulous new set Let's Get Cozy from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. (There's even a die set for it!)This set is so versatile with images that you can use alone, or together to make a scene. I love the little stack of books included in the set. And I thought that it would be perfect to illustrate this verse. I stamped the chair and table first. I then made a mask of each image by stamping the images on a sticky note and cutting around each image. I placed those masks on top of the chair and table on the Bible page so that I could stamp the books and it would look like the books were behind them. I stamped the lamp next and made a mask for it as well. Then I started stamping the books, lots and lots of books, LOL! I made a mask for the books so that I could make the stacks of books taller. Lastly, I added the cat, and drew in lines on the floor to make it look like hardwood floors. To color, I used water colors. It was a fun page to do reflecting on how great our Jesus is!

Have a blessed week! Andrea

Live in your Bible

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Psalm 119:105

Well, it's a brand new year - 2022. Finally!

For most people, it's a time for reflection of all the experiences of the past year, as well as looking forward to plans for the upcoming year. If you are still setting your goals for the new year, can I just encourage you to make being in your Bible a top priority? And I don't just mean reading your Bible to check something off your to-do list. ✔ I mean soaking in the Word as a means to get to know your Lord in a personal, intimate relationship.

This quote from Charles Spurgeon is one of my favorites:

"Visit many good books, but live in the Bible."

A recent survey showed that only 11% of professing Christians read their Bible every day. Eleven percent! 

Devotionals wonderful, Christian books are wonderful, podcasts are wonderful - but none of those things are substitutes for God's Word in your heart. The Bible is God's Word to us, and the majority of Christians don't even read it! How sad. 

This year, make spending time with the Lord your top priority and see how it will change your heart and life. Whether your reading a good old-fashioned Bible, electronic Bible, or audio Bible, make it a point to get the Word in your heart every single day!

Page Details

I created this page using the new Let's Get Cozy stamp set, Delightfully Delicate stencil, colored pencils, and gelatos. I hand-lettered the Charles Spurgeon quote. One of my favorite things is to curl up in my armchair with a fuzzy blanket and my Bible. This page perfectly represents that, don't you think?! 😊

 

Have a very blessed New Year, friends!

Love in Christ, 

Janelle

IG: @journalingjoy