Staying on the Ancient Path- God Reigns

This is the next installment of my Artsy-devotional video series on Staying on the Ancient Path. Here we focus on how God Reigns.  

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."  Revelation 19:6

We talk about 3 people who had "bumps" on their path. - Apostle John, Isaiah and the Apostle Paul.  All three found out that God is still on the Throne, no matter what happens.  He is still on the throne today!  We can have faith that God is still reigning today and He is still with us today and has all under control!  That should give us a lot of hope, strength and encouragement!

 

Devotional was inspired by the book:

 The Bumps Are What You Climb On, Encouragement for Difficult Days, by Warren W. Wiersbe, 1980, 2002 , Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, page 16-19

Staying on the Ancient Path- Psalm 91

This is the next installment of  my Artsy-devotional video series on Staying on the Ancient Path. Here we explore the “bumps” that came on Abraham’s path as He followed God and how he overcame them.  Then we read and talk about the great inspirational Psalm of David, Psalm 91.

Staying on The Ancient Path- Psalm 27

This is the next installment of  my Artsy-devotional video series on Staying on the Ancient Path.  Here I share what has happened to me in the last 3 months and how it’s like a huge boulder that has dropped on my path. The boulder is called breast cancer! Your "boulder" might be called another name, but it's still a boulder! Although it's large, God puts opsticals like this in our path in order for us to climb them, grow and learn from Him. God said that the path will not always be easy, but He also said that He will always be with us, strengthen us and be a light for us through the troubled times.

The devotional is on Psalm 27 when King David was hunted by the Philistines and by King Saul. Although he had a lot of people wanting to kill him, he also had a lot of people who were with him and helped him. Most importantly, he had God on his side.  I used Psalm 27:1 as the inspiration and quote for the page.

     "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

As I started making the page, it was all impromptu. I really didn't know what to do. But, as I started, it all flowed out and I end up making a pocket and putting the verse on a bookmark type card to insert in the pocket to remind me that if I have God in my back pocket, I don't have to be afraid!

Staying on the Ancient Path -Love

Staying on the Ancient Path Devotional Art Journal - Using 2 Peter 1:5-8 to continue on the journey by adding the final ingredient to our faith - love. 

We are discussing the meaning of how much God loves us by personalizing John 3:16, ”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” and see that God loves us (each individual person) so much that He sent His only Son to take our place and make the payment for our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him through faith.

We also take a close look at 1 Corinthians 13 - the love chapter in the Bible where this Agape, self-sacrificing love is described to us so that we can understand how we can love others.

To make the journal page we collage a picture from a magazine and a vintage bird print with the verse 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abideth, faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (Love).”

We collage and embellish it on a piece of one of my botanical gel prints. 

     We wrap up this study in 2 Peter with verse 8, where it says that if we add and practice these 8 ingredients to our faith, we will be fruitful, joyful and effective in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Christian walk.

 2 Peter 1:5-8 - “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Additional verses used:

Galatians 5:22-23-”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-8- “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

1 John 4:7-11-”Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Staying on The Ancient Path- Brotherly Love

Staying on the Ancient Path Devotional Art Journal - Using 2 Peter 1:5-8 to continue on the journey with adding brotherly kindness to our faith. Discussing how we can show brotherly kindness to people we know and especially to other believers.

To make the journal page we collage some of my botanical gel prints and 4 people holding each other arm in arm and walking down a wooded path in the early morning with the verse,

Galatians 6:10b “... let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

I also add stringed lights in the trees, use oil pastels to color it all in and ink to bring out the details.

Staying on the Ancient Path-Godliness

Staying on the Ancient Path Devotional Art Journal - Using 2 Peter 1:5-8

 

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We continue on the journey with adding godliness to our faith.  Discussing how to live a godly life and getting to know God and His attributes. To make the journal page we draw/paint a beautiful tree by a stream/river of water, using Psalm 1:3 as our base.

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

 The fruit of the tree are all the different attributes and characteristics of God.  

Staying on the Ancient Path- Temperance

2 Peter 1:5-8

 "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control [a]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither [b]barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We continue on the journey with adding temperance to our faith.  We discuss how knowledge will lead to action - sel-control.  Using some of my botanical gel prints to make the journal page.  

We use Psalm 119:11

”Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

As the basis for the art journal page.

                

Staying on the Ancient Path- adding Knowledge

Staying on the Ancient Path Devotional Art Journal - Using Jeremiah 18:15:

“Because My people have forgotten Me, They have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, 

To walk in pathways and not on a highway,"

and for this installment, adding knowledge to our faith. 2 Peter 1:5-8

 ^"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control ^[a]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither ^[b]barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We continue on the journey, discussing how we can get knowledge and the story in Nehemiah 8:1-18, how the people were listening to God’s Word and understanding it.   Using some of my botanical gel prints to make the journal page.  

Other verses used:

Proverbs 2:3-5- “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 8:10-”Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.”

 

Colossians 2:3-(In Christ) “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

2 Peter 3:18- “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

Psalm 119:130- “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

2 Corinthians 4:6- “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Psalm 119:105- “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Staying on the Ancient Path -Virtue- The 10 commandments

2 Peter 1:5-7 gives us some things to add to our faith so that the Lord can bless us in our lives and family.  

"...Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."

In this video, I am focusing on the first one, virtue (a good moral character, to have excellence in all things). The best place to start is at the beginning- the 10 Commandments, given in Exodus 20.  We discuss a little on each one.  This gives us a good start and it also teaches us a little about God and what He likes and dislikes.  I pray that this will encourage you to continue to do the things that God likes and stay on that ancient path of good.

Staying on the Ancient Path - Taking the first Step - Gospel

"Heaven is a gift" tract is read and gives the gospel message.

Also, the story of Abraham and Isaac when God told Abraham to offer his only son

as a burnt offering on the altar and how God provided the Ram as a substitute.

This story gives a clear picture of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Freedom 2024 word of the year- impromtu journal page

I've decided to have a word for the year for 2024.  It's the word - Freedom!  It's been popping up a few times recently and it would be a good word to use to focus my mind on.  There are 3 verses that talk about freedom that I want to think about:

Galatians 5:1-
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

It's talking about how Jesus made us free from our sins with his death on the cross and resurrection. We don't need to try to pay for our sins by doing all kinds of work and religious things.  He gave it to us as a free gift.  We can now worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

2 Thessalonians 3:1
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

The Apostle Paul wanted to be able to preach the Word of God freely and that it will spread throughout without any hinderance and be effective.  I pray that same prayer for me.

Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

A beautiful verse at the end of the Bible, showing that God wants everyone to come to Him, freely.  He wants to be involved in your life and help you and give you eternal life, if only you will freely come to Him.

Watch as I create an art journal page, with these thoughts in mind... 

Think on These Things - Praise

Think on these things from Philippians 4:8 - an ArtsyUs devotional series.  We are making an art journal page, using paint and collage while focusing on the word, “Praise”.  There are so many things to Praise the Lord for: His goodness, mercy and grace… I pray this will help you focus on His goodness all around you and cause you to stop and Praise Him!

Philippians 4:8  (KJV)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Think on These Things - Virtue

Focusing on the word, "Virtue" in this installment of my video Devotional series on Philippians 4:8  "think on these things..."

I got re-acquainted again with Proverbs 31 - The virtuous Women. I can think of many ladies in my life, who fit this description.  I pray this will bless and encourage you as it has me.

Think on these things - Philippians 4:8- Lovely

 Think on these things - Philippians 4:8 - We are focusing on the word, "Lovely" in this ArtsyUs devotional series.  Let's spend this week writing down all the lovely things around us and in our lives.  Count them all as blessings and let's thank the Lord for them.  You will find that your negativeness will go away and gratitude and joy will fill your heart!

Start of Think on These Things art journal book

The Fragrance of Christ

" But thanks be to God! For through what Christ has done, he has triumphed over us so that now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Gospel like a sweet perfume.  As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us, ..." (2 Corinthians 2:14-15a -New Living Translation for better understanding.)

I have been using essential oils now for the last year or so.  I love to be able to use these oils to naturally support me in many ways, both emotionally and physically.  For example, if I need some calmness, I drop some lavender and other oils in a diffuser and it fills the room with a wonderful aroma that just melts all the stress away. Each one has special uses and smells. Whether to create calmness, or to purify the air, each oil has special qualities.  There are many options. 

When I read this verse I instantly thought, wow, we can be a diffuser for Christ!  When we walk into a room or converse with someone, they should be able to sense that we are followers of Christ, both in our manner and conversation.  I have sensed this many times when meeting new people. 

What is the Fragrance of Christ?

1.  To walk in Love:

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)

2.  To be a person of prayer:

In Exodus 30:34-35 it tells us what spices were used for the incense altar in the Tabernacle where the priest would pray.  Frankincense was one of those ingredients.  Among other benefits, it promotes a spiritual and meditative connectiveness.  It was a sweet smell before the Lord. 

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray:..."  (Matthew 14:23a)

3.  To be humble and obedient:

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:8)

4.  To be meek and gentle:

"Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ,..."                            (2 Corinthians  10:1a).    

5.  To be a light:

"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

These are only 5 of many fragrances of Christ that we could follow.  Just like the essential oils that you could use,  each one is worthy of further study so that we can effectively diffuse the fragrance of Christ where ever we go.

Keeping Calm during Troubled Times

For around 3 months we have been at home during the Covid 19 pandemic.  It has been a scary/depressing time.  At first, not much was known about it, except that it was very contagious and deadly.  I used the extra free time at home to do some art work everyday.  I began to follow Shawn Petite's lead in making a calm art journal to focus my mind on good things.  As I started working on it, I realized that most of the words of the word prompts in the journal were the same as the "Fruit of the Spirit". 
 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 
As I painted each page, I would think of the word and what it meant for me.  I also looked up the word in the Biblegateway website and read and meditated on the scripture for that word.  It really was a great way to focus on the Lord. Through this exercise He gave me the peace I needed to get through this troubled time.  Here are the pages in the journal.

LOVE

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

This verse always jumps out at me.  I am loved by God!  Wow!  You are loved by God!  He loves us so much that He gave his only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  He was buried, and then 3 days later He rose from the grave. (John 3:16).  This is the greatest love.  Tenderness, kindness, others first, self sacrificing, caring, and commitment are other words that came to my mind as I painted this page.

JOY

"Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:" Psalm 66:1

My beautiful grandchildren fill up my "joy" tank every time I see them. They are such a blessing to me.  Other things that bring me joy are hearing birds singing, little birds, balloons, painting, my kids, nature, trees, music and flowers.

PEACE

" Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Wow, this verse really helped me.  No matter what happens, I know that Jesus will always be with me.  Other peaceful things for me are the ocean, a quiet lake, a singing bird, the sunset or sunrise, music, flowers, a hug, a cuddly little dog, a flickering candle, God's word, a smile, and a sleeping baby.

PATIENCE

"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:4

The first 2 weeks were pretty easy to just stay home.  But, as the weeks turned into months, it got harder and harder to wait for things to be normal again.  It's been tough to wait.  It's been hard to miss out on our gathering together at church to worship and praise the Lord together.  Sure, it was great to at least join and participate with virtual worship on-line.  But, it's not the same.  Things won't be normal for a long time.  So, we continue to wait and be patient.  The Lord has all things in control.

FAITH

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

My faith in God and Jesus makes me who I am.  My faith gives me peace, joy, strength, love and many more good things.

HOPE

"The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." Psalm 147:11

My hope is in the Lord.  It's so good to know that it gives Him pleasure.

GENTLENESS

"But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:" I Thess. 2:7

 Be kind to one another.

PRACTICE COURAGE

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

 I was thinking of our brave medical workers and our wonderful military, who are the front line workers for us.  They practice courage everyday and I am so thankful to them.

I pray that as you read through this post and look at each journal page that it will help you to have hope, calmness and peace.  God bless you my friend!

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

2 Corinthians 4:7 

(Read 2 Cor. 4:1-7)

I recently saw a demonstration on pottery where the artist said,

”I like to play with dirt!”

Never really thought of pottery in that term before…

Peter with the pottery restoration.

Today, pottery is so beautifully finished with glazes of different colors and styles.  The pieces can last for many years. But, in ancient times, clay vessels were used much like we use paper plates today.  Used once, then thrown away. Very little value, if any, was put on them.  Today, archaeologist find volumes of pottery shards on their digs. Very rarely they’ll find a clay pot in tact.  My husband participated in a dig where he found 3 Roman pots in tact! He was the star for the day! Everyone stopped their digging and came over to see!  They let him hold it and take pictures with it.  But, they wouldn’t let him keep them!  Shards, on the other hand, were plentiful. After making sure there was no significant inscription on them, he was permitted to take some home. Part of his training was pottery restoration.  It’s like working an ancient jigsaw puzzle with shards to reconstruct the pottery.   Unique pieces got a place in the museum showcase.  All others were stored away, rarely to be seen.

In this passage we are pictured as earthen vessels (clay pots); made of dirt, cracked, humble and ordinary. Not a likely place to store a treasure.  Yet, God, who created the light to shine from the darkness, has chosen to shine the light in our hearts and to use us to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory and the gospel of the Lord Jesus to others who are still in darkness.  What a treasure!

Our human weakness is not a barrier for the power of God.  God uses ordinary people.  It is because we are blessed with this wonderful treasure that we should have boldness and confidence to live for the Glory of God.

Note:  Thoughts inspired by a sermon on “God’s Glory in our Witness” by Dr. Erwin Lutzer of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. 

Being in the Presence of God Brings on a Reaction

I was listening to an inspirational song, where the songwriter tries to imagine what he would do when he sees Jesus face to face in heaven.  Would he stand or would he fall on his knees?  Would he sing Hallelujah or just be silent?... It’s a beautiful song.  It got me thinking; does the Bible give any examples of people’s reaction, when they came into God’s presence?  Here are a few that I found.

In the presence of God:

• Adam and Eve hid themselves, after they disobeyed God in the Garden (Genesis 3:8).
• The people were afraid – When Moses went up the Mountain to meet with God and they heard the thunderings and saw the lightning flashes and smoke. (Exodus 20:18)
• Ezekiel fell on his face (Ezekiel 1:28)
• All men will shake (Ezekiel 38:20)
• Jonah fled (Jonah 1:3)
• People feared (Haggai 1:12)
• Isaiah saw his own unworthiness and said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)
• The Apostle John fell at his feet as dead (Revelation 1:17)
• The people, who had rejected the Lord Jesus Christ were standing and waiting to be judged from the books at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-12)

These examples sound like it’s a very scary thing to be in God’s presence.  For sure, we must have reverence before Him.  Yet, there is comfort in knowing that if we know and abide in the Lord, we can feel safe.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; 
My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1)

We can also experience fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in His presence!

“You will show me the path of life; 
In Your presence is fullness of joy; 
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

How can we “know” Him?  The only way is through The Lord Jesus Christ. 

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Jesus told us that we need not be afraid.  He has prepared a place for us in Heaven.  Not only can we imagine, but with joy look forward to seeing Him face to face!

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)