Scripture Series: Thy God Reigneth Card---Family Friendly/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hi there, Fellow Crafters!  Here I am to bring another created project featuring this week's Scripture Word Art (free to download at the WAW site) for our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  It comes from Isaiah 52:7 and it says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"  It would be amazing for everyone to know the backdrop to this verse for that will cause us to appreciate more the infinite knowledge, love and sovereignty of God and how He in His holiness could not, would not and will not tolerate sin.  See HERE, how Israel was divided from one nation to two kingdoms (Northern and Southern Kingdom) due to Idolatry.  The Northern Kingdom (made up of 10 tribes) was conquered by the Assyrians and the Southern Kingdom (made up of 2 remaining tribes) was conquered by the Babylonians one after another.  You would think that after the Northern Kingdom was taken over, the Southern Kingdom could have learned a lesson.  But that's not the case!  They repeated and did exactly what the other did.  Both Kingdoms were ruled by many leaders---each one guilty of Idolatry.  One may ask, what exactly is the sin of IDOLATRY?  In simple explanation, it is to love and regard anything, something or someone more than we love God.  God's first and foremost commandment is that "we should have no other gods before Him."  (Exodus 20:3)  He is our Maker and without Him, we are non-existent.  Everything we have comes from Him, without Him we are incapable of doing anything" (John 15:5).  I love how  Matthew 6:20-21 tells us of how we are to regard our treasures in  the New Testament with an emphasis on the last sentence of verse 21.  It says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  God is after our heart, more than anything!  He wants a heart that follows after His own heart.  But men have given their allegiance to created things instead of giving the due glory to the Creator.  They exchanged the glory of an incorruptible God with those that are corruptible.  Their abomination range from bowing down to another human being and considered them gods including, idols made by their hands and serving it day and night.  They can also be seen in one's passion for things like fame, money, power or relationships/addictions/lifestyles which one deem more important than God.  In fact, they have loved themselves so much that they consider themselves their own gods.  Our Heavenly Father is a holy and righteous God and will not tolerate anyone nor any nation that practices Idolatry of any shape and form.  Consider what happened to Israelites throughout their history---to this day, they are still dealing with the repercussions of their rebellion from God.  

Though judgment came to Israel from the sin of the people and their leaders that caused their nation to divide and people wondering all over the earth, the Lord was still faithful to His covenant with them.  Before the Southern Kingdom went through captivity, God already planned His people's way out  to the extent of giving the specific name of the person whom He would use to end their ordeal and be allowed to return to Israel---the man named, Cyrus!  Yet at the time of the prophetic utterance, this man was not born yet.  Not for another 150 years before he will come to earth and  many more years before he became king.  This man, Cyrus, does not know God (pagan) yet the Lord assigned him a task before he was even born.  If you want to know more, see the role of Cyrus to the nation of Israel HERE.   I don't know with you but for me, it's totally awesome that although people deserve the judgment for all the abominable things their nation committed, the Lord already devised a solution---a way out, for He is faithful and true to the covenant He promised them.  Today's highlighted verse tells us of that Good News of God's faithfulness to His chosen people which was fulfilled when Cyrus  became the king of Persia (modern-day Iran).  The end of their captivity and to be allowed to return to Israel was such a great news for this tired and weary people.   Yet, I could only hope that the celebration went beyond just hearing that great news but to realize the faithfulness of the Lord to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  That despite the craziness of man, God remained faithful to His Word. 

Yet in our day and time, I submit to you that we have more to be thankful for.  JESUS, the Son of the Most High God redeemed us by His blood once but that sacrifice is still valid today and for all eternity.  The message of the Cross is not only good for the nation of Israel but for every existing nation that turned to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!  Here in America today, our leadership has dragged all of us to go on an all-out rebellion against the God of heaven and earth.  They encouraged us to eliminate God in our lives, to idolize ourselves, find solutions to  our situations from the government making them our lone provider, elevating man's opinions above the Word of God, and the list goes on.  Our country is prostituted to accept and deal with those who would harm our closest ally, Israel, and have placed every citizen in harm's way for those who have nothing but hatred for our nation.  Our leaders have flooded us with lies and the puppeteers were enjoying the control while many grope in darkness not knowing what is happening.  Without God, we are without hope!  I pray that we come to God with a humble and repentant heart as we seek His hand and His wisdom for I have seen many who are just being ran by their emotions, thinking without Godly conviction and have lost all counts of decency and reason!   They follow people (a fan of this and that person)  and have abandoned the use of their minds to think clearly.  Such is the deception that man is brought to once they leave the safety of God's Word.  It's sad to see that even those who profess they know Jesus and are familiar with His Word are also being deceived.  Here's a lesson:  When we start looking at people for solutions to our problems, that is the start of our demise.  It's true, God can use a man to carry out His purpose but we are to subject every man to the standard of God's Word---spoken or acted upon! Then, we will be able to decide/discern who's authentic and who's fake.  God has a way out---no matter what mess we put ourselves into.  Jesus already paved the way to our eternal life and He promised a life in His presence.  The Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus) is still the best news for everyone groping in darkness right now.  Let us give them the Great and Good News---there is life far more beautiful than what we have here today!  There is a place of love, joy, peace and righteousness where time, death and sin could not touch.  The Only Way to that place is JESUS CHRIST!  Apart from Him, we have no hope here nor an eternal life in His presence.

For this Card, I used an image from Crafty Sentiments and colored it with my ProMarker/Prismacolor markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 4 x 5.5 inches card.  I die-cut the "Townscape" using Tim Holtz Alterations Sizzix Die and layered it with a Recollections DP.  I attached that on top of the card which increased the height of the card to 5.5 inches.  The other DP's are left-overs from my other projects from My Mind's Eye and Paper Studio.  I die-cut the oval and the lacy oval using Nestabilities.  I printed the  Scripture on a Vellum and attached them to the die-cuts, along with 3 brads.  I added 3 roses from Recollections and embellished it with glitters (Stickles-Crystal).  I also punched out a few leaves using EK Success and adhered it to the flowers.  Finally, it's down to stitching all over this creation.

THY GOD REIGNETH CARD:

THY GOD REIGNETH CARD LAYERS:

THY GOD REIGNETH CARD INSIDE:

THY GOD REIGNETH CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX:

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafting for all Seasons---Bright and Beautiful
Crafting by Designs---3 or More Layers
Creative Moments---ATG/Summer Fun
Fairy Tale---Summer Holidays
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Pattie's Creations---ATG
TTCRD---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
House of Cards---Metallics
Our Creative Corner---Mexico Moods
CAS-ual Chic---Pretty Patterns
Frosted Designs---Metal/Metallics (Brads)
Crafter's Cafe---The Great Outdoors
Little Red Wagon---Vellum
Moo-Mania---Embellishments
Ruby's Rainbow---Something for a Little Girl
Digi Choosday---Punch and/or Die Cuts
Scrap-Creations---Garden

Hope you enjoyed my featured project today at WAW...I am looking forward to see your projects linked to our Challenge.  You can include the free Word Art in your projects to link,  but not a requirement.  You can submit any inspirational, uplifting, family friendly creations (up to 5) for more chances to win our prize from our sponsors this week---High Hopes Stamps (giving away 3 unmounted Stamps) and Fresh Brewed Designs (3 Digi images).  I'll be back this weekend to highlight another project for our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create!  Always remember to call on Jesus 24/7 if you need someone to talk with.  He is always willing to listen and is able to meet everyone whose heart is seeking after Him.