I AM Has Spoken - Zephaniah 3

by Deeds: IG: mercies_journaled 
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Stamps Used: Encouraging Peonies, Old Fashioned Alpha, 

Skinny Caps Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha
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"For then I will restore

pure lips to the peoples,

that all may call upon the name of the LORD

and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10From beyond the rivers of Cush

My worshipers, My scattered people,

will bring Me an offering.

11On that day you will not be put to shame

for any of the deeds

by which you have transgressed against Me.

For then I will remove from among you

those who rejoice in their pride,

and you will never again be haughty

on My holy mountain.

12But I will leave within you a meek and humble people,

and they will trust in the name of the LORD.

13The remnant of Israel

will no longer do wrong or speak lies,

nor will a deceitful tongue

be found in their mouths.

But they will feed and lie down,

with no one to make them tremble.”

Israel’s Restoration

14Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

15The LORD has taken away your punishment;

He has turned back your enemy.

Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;

no longer will you fear any harm.

16On that day they will say to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands fall limp.

17The LORD your God is among you;

He is mighty to save.

He will rejoice over you with gladness;

He will quiet you with His love;

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

18“I will gather those among you who grieve

over the appointed feasts,

so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

19Behold, at that time,

I will deal with all who afflict you.

I will save the lame

and gather the scattered;

and I will appoint praise and fame

for the disgraced throughout the earth.

20At that time I will bring you in;

yes, at that time I will gather you.

For I will give you fame and praise

among all the peoples of the earth

when I restore your captives

before your very eyes." Yahweh has spoken.

Happy Tuesday, Friends!
This passage is from Zephaniah 3, starting in verse 9 and tracking all the way to the end. 
All the bolding and highlights above are mine.  Sometimes, this is how I Bible Journal in my study Bible.  Leaning in to any section, I look for repetition, similes, Christophanies, etc. So something like seeing the name of God (e.g. LORD, God) urges me toward simple highlighting, which then helps me to better track references to His person - His heart. 

Now...
It's in our character to grab verses (like these highlighted in pink) and keep them for our very own, holding tightly to dispersed promises throughout.  I know, because I did that, and do it still, from time to time. The Old Testament is interwoven with instances where - even through their rebellion - the Israelite nation is given blessings, or promises of a specific blessing, promise, future, etc.
Now...

I believe there's nothing wrong with using these scriptures for personal growth and intimacy with God.  Nothing.  God expects that when you read His Word, there will be areas that we need to wrestle with to better understand the entirety of the meta-narrative of Scripture, WITH the inherit blessing of growing and maturing in knowledge and grace. That's awesome!  Yielding to the Teacher to help us understand His inspired Word is the point of our Bibles: to come to know HIM.

So what do we do then with this? 

Why can't we look at passages like Zeph. 3 and directly apply these promises to ourselves as New Testament believers?  As post-resurrection, Spirit-filled saints?

I have a thought - a semblance of an answer - that may help.

The whole Bible is about God.

The Old Testament points to the New Testament in "shadows," and prophecies.  The New Testament picks up where the Old left off and carries some of these prophecies straight into fulfillent (e.g. the birth of the Messiah).  They work hand in hand, to be sure, and we shouldn't neglect study of and memory-commitment to either of them.  As said before, they work together to form the entire story of God.  HIS story.
Zephaniah is no different.  
God speaks through a prophet, foretelling future events of God, and God relations to Israel, much like other books of prophecy. And just like other books that proclaim the coming of something or someone, Zephaniah speaks a word inspired by God, about God, and about God's person.

When you read texts that are sweet, lovely to behold, soothing to ingest, peaceful to think on, you should take a quick step back and realize why it is that we are so drawn to - so driven to embrace - the things inspired for each and every reader.  

God.

It's God.

We're driven to God.

HE'S sweet.

HE'S lovely to behold.

HE'S soothing to ingest.

HE'S peaceful to think on.

Right?  Think about it for just a moment.  Is it possible that we were made to read scripture for more than a quick one-liner encouragement about what God can give us?  Is it possible that we were meant to read the Holy Bible - the Word - to actually get God Himself?
I submit with a hearty "yes!"  This was a difficult stance for me to take; I am guilty of passively turning to a place in scripture from which I could get the next "pick me up." 

Friends, the Bible is not about us, nor is it about the Israelites.  

It's about God.  The Bible is where we will gain the most definitive position of God's heart and mind toward all else - every person, every creature, every situation.  

Now read Zephaniah 3 again, knowing just this little bit more about the Word.
God is compassionate.

God is comforting.

God is protective.

God is kind.

God is faithful.

God is merciful.

God is loving.

God is strong.

God is just.

God is God.

And this all-knowing, all-present, all-understanding, all-seeing Protector - the I AM that has always been and will always be, has spoken.

Much love,

Deeds

IG: mercies_journaled

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Background done with Faber Castell Gelatos

You are so loved

 

"But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." - Psalm 86:15

I just got back from my second Creative Worship retreat in beautiful Savannah, Georgia and my heart is overflowing! What a wonderful weekend with friends in Gods Word - painting and creating to my heart's content. 💜

My blog post today is a short one and just a quick reminder of this simple fact:

You are so loved.

You are so loved by the God of the universe, the One Who created you, Who knows everything about you and loves you just the same. I think we need that reminder every now and then, right? That we are loved, cherished, and adored by our Heavenly Father. 

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 

Psalm 143:8

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

1 John 4:16

We love because He first loved us. 

1 John 4:19

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things presetnt nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:38-39

Yes, my friend, you are so deeply loved.

I created this little insert for a Loved Bible that slowly working on. It'll be a reminder to the recipient that she is loved by the One who made her. I trust it is a reminder for you as well. 

I stamped the beautiful Encouraging Peonies stamp set on cardstock paper, then colored in the flowers with my alcohol markers and fussy cut them out. I then attached the flower to some leftover background paper that was already pre-stamped using the Delightfully Delicate background stamp, stamped the "You are so loved." caption and taped it in my Bible. Very easy, but I think the finished card is beautiful. 😍

I hope you remember God's love for you as you go about your week this week. 

Much love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

 

Beauty in the Hard

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20

Hi Friends,

As a nation, as a world, we have been experiencing some hard. Individually, we may be experiencing hard. Joseph knew hard. He knew a lot of it. But through it all, he trusted God. He knew God was using the hard for His purpose- and that purpose was good. That didn't necessarily make the hard easier, but it did give it purpose, God's purpose. The same is true for us. Our hard has a purpose. God is working in it. Nothing surprises Him. Covid didn't surprise Him. The unrest doesn't surprise Him. Our individual circumstances don't surprise Him. He knew. He knows. And He is working His purpose through it all.

My friend and owner of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, Korin Sutherland, shared a post on FB originally written by Kimberly Henderson of Proverbs 31 Ministries. It really resonated with me and is what inspired this page. Here is what Kimberly wrote:

I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.

And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend. I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce. He knows the beauty this hard will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He’s promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it all feels like more than you can bear.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I’m lifting you up. I’m kneeling before the Father and I’m asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I’m asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I'm asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. And I’m believing He’s going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you’ve been on.

He knows the beauty the hard will grow. He knows, friend. Let's lift our nation, our world, each other up to Him. He is our hope. He is working in this mess. And He is good.

Page Details: Do you ever work on a page and things just keep messing up? Well, I do! LOL I decided to do a background using acrylic paint and baby wipes. I just put some paint on the baby wipe, and spread it out on the page, blending when I started a new color. But, I dropped some paint on the Scripture. So, I tried to clean it off, and ended up rubbing the words a little too much so that they started to come up. OOOPS!

Then, when I went to stamp the words on the page, I started stamping the wrong word!

The great thing about acrylics is that if you mess up, you can just paint over it and start over! You can see that even after I painted over it, you can still see a little of the "HA", but once I stamped "WILL" over it, you can't see the mess up.

If I hadn't been using acrylics, I probably would have covered the "HA" with something- a word sticker, a torn hymnal page, scrapbook paper, something that would have camouflaged the mistake.

I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: Playful Alpha, Bold & Outline Caps, True Beauty, and Made New. I also used a white pen to highlight the words.

Trust Him, Friends. He knows the hard you are in and He's right there with you. Have a blessed week! Andrea

The Vine and the Gardener...

Hi friends,

In John 15, in the middle of Jesus' farewell discourse at his last meal with his disciples before his death, he describes his relationship with his Heavenly Father and with his disciples using several images. One of them is that of a vine and branches. This extended metaphor shows how we are a part of Christ and how we draw our source of life from him. When Jesus says 'I am the true vine' he is claiming to fulfil what Israel was meant to have been. Israel is referred to as a vine in the Old Testament, but it failed in its purpose as it grew wild and sick, and was eventually destroyed by other nations. Jesus reframes this image around himself (as with so many other images he uses as he teaches).

If Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches bearing leaves and fruit, then the Father is the gardener. As the gardener, he cuts away branches that don't bear fruit, and prunes those that do so that they will produce even more. This is both an encouraging and sobering truth. Our Heavenly Father will remove branches of his true vine that show they are no longer drawing life from the vine - they have become unfruitful and therefore unnecessary. When Jesus spoke these words they could have applied to those Pharisees and Sadducees who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the source of life, and therefore were not bearing fruit. Today, this could apply to those who claim to be part of the vine but who are not bearing fruit because their connection to the source has dried up. It is the Father's right to tend and care for the vine, and he does so with infinite wisdom. He doesn't just lop off branches carelessly - he knows which branches need careful tending and which ones just need to go.

What I find interesting is that along with cutting off branches that don't bear fruit, the Father prunes the ones that do - which means cutting bits from them. So either way, cutting is involved! Sometimes God cuts things from our lives or ministries which feel painful, and we feel empty or bare as a result. But in these seasons we need to know that God the Father does this for the good of the vine. We are still connected, so we are still drawing life from Jesus, and the cutting away he does in our lives will actually lead to more fruit in the future. So if you feel the painful snip of God's pruning in your life, be encouraged.... there is greater fruit coming. 

On this page in my Illustrating Bible, I painted a background with acrylic paints, then stamped the leaves from Give Thanks over the top with Stazon brown ink, colouring with coloured pencils (if you are colouring over darker backgrounds, you can add a layer of white pencil first, then add colour over the top). The verse was stamped with a combination of I Am, School Days Alpha, Rebecca Script Alpha and Mini Grunge Type Alpha. I added a couple of butterfly stickers and some washi tape down the side to finish. Here are the sets I used:

Let's be encouraged as we see our Heavenly Father at work as the gardener and choose to keep drawing our life from the vine, Jesus Christ.

Be blessed...

x Amy x

I was so moved this week, listening to "Run to the Father" by Cody Carnes.  

Verse 1
I've carried a burden for too long on my own
I wasn't created to bear it alone
I hear Your invitation to let it all go
I see it now, I'm laying it down
And I know that I need You

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

Verse 2
You saw my condition, had a plan from the start
Your Son for redemption, the price for my heart
And I don't have a context for that kind of love
I don't understand, I can't comprehend
All I know is I need You

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh…
Again and again and again and again (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh… (Oh-ohh)

Bridge
My heart has been in Your sights
Long before my first breath
Running into Your arms
Is running to life from death
And I feel this rush deep in my chest
Your mercy is calling out
Just as I am You pull me in
And I know I need You now

Chorus
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again
I run to the Father, I fall into grace
I'm done with the hiding, no reason to wait
And my heart found a surgeon, my soul found a friend
So I'll run to the Father again and again and again and again
Oh-oh, oh-oh…
Again and again and again and again (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Again and again

Oh, what an amazing God we have!  He loves us unconditionally and made a way for all man-kind to be adopted in to the holy family through Jesus.  There is nothing we can do to earn it and we certainly don't deserve it, but He still made a way.  That is grace, my friends!

With the cooler, fall like weather we are having I knew I wanted to journal the lyrics "fall in to grace".  I was lead to these verses in Ephesians 1:

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

After reading and meditating on these verses, the imagery in my head was of God's love falling all around us like leaves in the Fall.  That love was then raked up in to a heaping pile of grace by Jesus and all we have to do is fall in to that amazing grace like we used to fall into leaf piles as children.

Artsy Details: 

I started by using destress oxides smooshed on a piece of watercolor paper and drying between colors to create layers and layers of beautiful, fall leafy colors.  I splattered some gold watercolor paint over the top and some brown ink for contrast.

Then I stamped the leaves using Autumn Splendor and heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.

I did not look forward to the next part...I had to fussy cut them all out!  Can I tell you how much I DO NOT like fussy cutting?

I painted my page using acrylic paint.  I went for a golden sunset look that makes fall feel so magical to me. Then I added my title with the new Playful Alpha set and added my leaves falling like God's love and leaf pile of grace.  I just want to jump in it, don't you?

Until next time, catch up with me on Instagram and Facebook @simplyjillsjourney.

Jill