To Bring Him Glory

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 

1 Peter 4:12-14

One of my favorite Bible stories is found in John 9. While Jesus is in the midst of His earthly ministry, He and His disciples pass by a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus’ disciples assumed, as was common at that time, that either the man or his parents had committed a grievous sin and the man’s blindness was a direct result of that sin. When they asked Jesus what sin had been committed, Jesus responded with this shocking statement:

“Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

Wait. What?!

You mean to tell me that neither this man nor his family had committed any sin and yet he was afflicted with condition? Blind. No light, no color, no hope. A burden, a beggar, a blight on his community. No possibility of a future through no fault of his own.

It’s at that point that Jesus stoops to the ground, makes a clay paste, coats the man’s eyes with the paste, and commands him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Upon exiting the pool, the man is miraculously healed. He could see! The man then proceeds to proclaim the miracle to all who will listen. In fact, he proclaims it so much, it angers the local Pharisees who question both the man and his parents over this miracle. The man’s response to the Pharisees’ questioning just cracks me up! He repeatedly says, “I don’t know who Jesus is, whether He is a common sinner or the Son of God; all I know is that I was blind and now I can see. He healed me.” (JRV, Janelle Rodriguez version 😉).

“But that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

The blind man endured a lifetime of hardship for this one encounter with Jesus. A chance to be healed and to bring God glory through his healing. A chance to show for all of eternity what God can do and continues to do. A chance to show future generations that some of our greatest blessings come through our most difficult trials. Our lowest points, our suffering, our most difficult trials give God the opportunity to be made manifest in our lives. We do not always know the purpose of our hardship. We cannot understand the mind of God. All we can do is remain faithful and continue to bring him glory.

There is so very much to be learned from this short story in John. Christ’s love, His compassion, His healing – but most of all His glory. Don’t be surprised or discouraged when you go through trials, but rejoice and be glad when God’s glory is revealed. 

I had a lot of fun stamping and creating ephemera for this page. 😊 I used the adorable Life & Lemons stamp set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I first stamped the lemons on the background; then stamped the lemon and leaf, lemon slice, and lemon mason jar on regular cardstock paper, colored with ink and colored pencils and fussy cut them all out. I then tied a little piece of ribbon around the mason jar, inserted the lemon slice on the lid of the jar, and taped all the ephemera to the page. I then finished my stamping, highlighting, and added some splotches of color to finish out the page. So fun!

 

Would you take a minute today to read the story of the blind man in John 9 and pray for God's glory to be revealed through your life?

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

Get Wisdom

Hey friends!  It's been such a whirlwind of a summer, has it not!?

Chunky Lower Case Alpha

Wacky that we're already to August!  Even more amazing is the release for August at SweetnSassyStamps.com!  YAY!!

I've enjoyed the variety of what has become available.  We have a sweet new alpha that I'm using today, called, "Chunky Lower Case."  It's one of my favorites - I LOVE chunky fonts!  A couple months back, Korin also released a stamp set with textures, and the set I'm using for background interest is called, "Texture Tile 2."  VERY, VERY good set!  These with the printable bundle, made by our very own Diane Noble, made the page you see up top. 

Words of Wisdom Printable Bundle

When the "Words of Wisdom" printable was created for this month's release, I was excited.  Nervous, and excited.  Why nervous?  Because whenever I ask God for Wisdom, I'm faced with the responsibility to act wisely.  Makes sense doesn't it?  When my kids ask for a drink of water and I give it to them, isn't the expectation that they will drink it?  Hmmm….

I think God does the same with His kids.  When we ask for wisdom, knowing that He will give it to us liberally and without reproach (James 1:5), we can expect He would like us to utilize it.   I know sometimes I have the correct and wisest course of action in front of me, and I can still choose to NOT follow through.  Why in the world would I want to do that?  Why would I ask God for His abundant wisdom, but not apply it? 

Maybe it's that I'm selfish and merely want my way anyway; but as much as that can be true, I think I forget too, that wisdom is a precious thing - a treasure!

The scriptures of Proverbs 8 and 9 leave an impression that wisdom is your best and closest Friend.  They seriously - and with great detail - depict wisdom as a person - of a feminine nature, no less!  Wisdom is something that possesses personality, opinion, and will!  And, it's something with whom God wants us to become very familiar. 

I think of older people - "seasoned" ladies and gents - when I think of wisdom.  There is value to having lived a substantial amount of life.  It's why God says children need to listen to their parents!  As faulty and imperfect as we are, children are supposed to look to us for wisdom in certain things.  Yikes!

But further still, I feel like wisdom is "out of reach."  Sometimes, I just feel like I don't need to seek His wisdom because I would not handle it rightly.  Listen: God doesn't give us wisdom contingent on our being able to handle it rightly; He gives it to us because it's our lifeline to making EVERY LITTLE DECISION of life!  And it's one that He hands over to the one who seeks it - even me!

Anyone at ANY time can gain this wisdom that was with God "ages ago." (v. 23)  I love how Proverbs 8 explains Wisdom's presence WITH God in the beginning.  Above all else, Wisdom handled the matter of creation alongside God.  God utilized Wisdom in all His decisions, creations and dealings with man as well.  He used Wisdom to make man, heal man, and win man!  What's more, God gives us this very notable, valuable gift of Wisdom to connect us to Himself!
"The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  (9:10)  WOW!

This I love beyond all else.  God gives us an idea of how to become wise (living in reverential awe and worship of Him), so that He may have relationship with us!  WHAT AN AMAZING GOD!  Why?  Why would He want so badly to be in communion with us?  The answer is in the beginning - back where wisdom was with God - when the good Lord created man in His image, to bear His light and life!  He wants us for His glory. 

It seems weird to think that wisdom brings us closer to God, doesn't it?  But becoming wise, is not just about being smart or having an intellect; the act of becoming wise means that you have just entered into a full encounter with God Almighty, and He's ready to infuse you with this incredible gift!  

SO YES!  GET WISDOM!  Get Wisdom, and get close to God!  Get as close as you possibly can to God!

I want this Wisdom.  I have BFF's but THIS one, I need more than anything!  Yes, LORD!  Give me Wisdom!

Much love,

Deeds