Because you've gotta have FAITH!

Hello Friday!

Well I am returning with some of my famous artwork again! Please forgive me now haha!

I opened to Hebrews last night and found myself diving into Hebrews 11. This was all about great examples of faith.  First lets define faith: Faith is the conviction based on past experience that God's new and fresh surprises will be ours. Complete trust or confidence. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.
Do you remember when you were little and you were so anxious and excited as your birthday approached? You were sure you'd receive gifts and maybe other special treats, but some things were going to be a surprise. It combined assurance and anticipation. This is exactly what we experience with faith. Of course as you get older it seems our birthdays get a tad more boring lol, but it's all in what you make it! As we get older our faith becomes more vast. We are pushed in ways we never even knew of when we were little. This is why it becomes so pivotal in being able to cope with the struggles of life.

So as I was reading, it just named off so many people in the bible that relied on their faith. (Noah, Sarah, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses...)It is what got them through, it's what helped create the amazing example we have of them to live by.
Hebrews 11:6 "So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and he rewards those who sincerely seek him."

But what about those who haven't heard of Christ and have not been given a bible to read?! What about their fate? God assures us that all who honestly seek him, who act in faith on the knowledge of God they possess will be rewarded. When we share the message with others it gives them an opportunity to make that choice. To honestly and sincerely seek out more. I also feel that people in desolate places of the earth, that may not have access to the bible or others that can share the good news, I pray and feel that God has inserted a desire within them, a natural instinct to know there is a creator. That is why it is also so very important to have missionaries and speak the truth to others. 

Throughout Hebrews it does talk about the people of faith that died without receiving all that God had promised here on earth. But they never lost their vision of heaven and eternal life. 

That is tough sometimes as sinners. We become expectant sometimes that what we ask for and pray for has to happen. We put our stock into earthly possessions and temporary feelings. But sometimes we feel that God is not answering these things for us. That does not mean he has abandoned us. We may want to get impatient and want to quit, but these recounts of the people in the bible that may have felt the same way should give us hope. Take courage that these heroes of faith, who lived and died without seeing the fruit of their faith in earth, yet they continued to believe. They lived their faith!

"It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red sea as though they were on dry ground." Hebrews 11:29

I don't know about you, but can you say you would have conquered that so bravely?

Talk about faith that God was not going to let you down and you'd die by drowning in the Red Sea. 

Life is tough. But so is the God we worship. He is tougher! Having a steadfast faith in God does not guarantee a happy, carefree life. Actually, our faith almost guarantees us some sort of abuse from the world. While we are here we may not see the purpose of our suffering. That makes this so much more difficult. But we know that God will keep his promises to us. Do you have faith in that?

When we face hardship, it is easy to get discouraged and lose sight of the big picture. But we are not alone. Many have already made it through this life enduring far more difficult circumstances than we have experienced. Suffering is the training for Christian maturity. It's what makes our final victory so sweet. 

I will leave you with one last thing I read and sat with. 

The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character. He IS who he says. the end point is believing in God's promises. He will DO what he says. When we believe that even though we may not see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. 

I hope you have a BLESSED and FAITHFUL weekend! 

Soil of God's love....and my amazing artwork!

Happy Wednesday!

Let me first start this post with please don't judge my drawing skills. For real. I do what I can. My sister inherited the artsy gene, mine bypassed me. Bible Journaling...have you seen it? Well I have been doing it now for about as long as two shakes of a lambs tail...I am by no means at all an expert! I have seen plenty of it and I have tried really hard not to compare myself because I have learned and always in the process of learning that comparison is the thief of joy. So with that said I post this to reach someone. Who? I don't know? I may never know...that's ok...or will my OCD self stay up late thinking about it?! haha...I digress. I thought about not even posting any of this ever and keeping it to myself. I mean who wants to see  my silly 1st grade drawings and hear me chatter on about my thoughts? Well, then it was laid upon my heart that maybe one person does. Maybe I can just get it out there and someone else will feel the same, resonate with it, understand it, lean on it. Isn't that what we are  here for? To "love your neighbor as yourself." Sometimes that is tough isn't it? But all the more rewarding when you do/can!

So here I am. I guess maybe it is the teacher in me too that relies on pictures to help me remember things. I will be honest memorizing scripture has not been a strong point. Why can I remember the lyrics to The Little Mermaid..."Look at this stuff...isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete"......but that moment I need that verse I can somewhat piece it together but end up googling it or opening my bible app?! So when I saw bible journaling I was like AH! maybe this is for me and my non artistic self. #hopesanddreams I mean that is how I teach my kids- add a picture to it, make it more visual and maybe there will be more of a connection. Here's to hoping it works!

Again....please be considerate when taking in all my drawing glory..let's focus on the scripture shall we!? ;)
"May your roots do down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love really is. " Ephesians 4: 17-18

Wow! How amazing! We truly can't fathom just how great his love is for us. I don't even think my wonderful drawing (ha!) can even touch the surface.
My hubby and I love to pick weeds..I know I know we are super exciting! lol...but the best part is when you pick that one weed and you yank and pull and the whole root comes out and it is like spectacularly long and you squeal with delight that you were able to get that bad boy out of the soil...anyone?! No? Just us? Well trust me when I say its a satisfying feeling ;) See now every time you pick weeds you will think of God's love and just how deep those roots go for YOU! All for YOU! Now like a plant, of course, it needs to be watered. The great thing though too about his love is it is unconditional. Even if your end dries up a tad and your soil starts to pull away from the pot (all my gardeners out there??) Just add some water and HE will in turn fill you up! He knows our hearts too! You can't fake it till you make it. The challenge as well is trying to anchor your roots deep for others. As sinners we have the tendency of course to carry conditional love. You might be scared to grow your roots into certain soil...but this is where the faith enters and grace, HIS grace takes over. Our lives on this earth are always in a constant process; changing, and forming our hearts and minds for our permanent home. Even if you stumble you have a Father that anchors you deeply in HIS soil of everlasting love!

There it is. One person hopefully will benefit. Everyone of course benefits from the artwork. ;) More to come hopefully if I don't get intimidated to share again!
Have a BLESSED night!