Scripture Series: He First Loved Us Card---Don't Miss Our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge Ongoing at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello Crafty pals!  I'm back to post the second card I featured in our bi-weekly Challenge going on at Word Art Wednesday (WAW).  Like always, you can enter as much as five entries per week as long as it's inspirational and family friendly.  If you want to see the first card I posted which highlights our Scripture Word Art at WAW, click HERE.  In this post, I am going to use the Scripture (digi stamp) from our sponsor, Stamp Simply Clear Stamps, which is included in the set called "Farmhouse Scriptural Quotes." It's in 1 John 4:19 which tells us, "We love because he first loved us."

Have you ever heard the statement, "You cannot give what you do not have"? Many have tried to use this statement pertaining to health, wealth, religion and many other things.  But I like to use it in relation to God's love.  For everything that we are and everything that we have comes from Almighty God.  Genesis 1:26-27 reveals, "Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." In these verses, God spoke about creating mankind patterned after Him,  in male and female gender and would rule over God's creation.  Genesis 2:7 says, "Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."  Here, we can see that He gave them a body and breathed unto them "life."  This breath of life is the "life and power of God" (Zoe in Greek which means God kind of life).  Humans are more than physical bodies because in us flows the life and spirit of the living God.  We are an animated, breathing, conscious, and living beings/souls.  Until God breathed His life unto us, we are nothing but dust.  Now, built upon that "Zoe life" is the immeasurable love of God! 

I want to share this article from gotquestions.org that says, "So, what does it mean that God is love? Love is an attribute of God. Love is a core aspect of God’s character, His Person. God’s love is in no sense in conflict with His holiness, righteousness, justice, or even His wrath. All of God’s attributes are in perfect harmony. Everything God does is loving, just as everything He does is just and right. God is the perfect example of true love. Amazingly, God has given those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal Savior the ability to love as He does, through the power of the Holy Spirit." Therefore, the very reason why we can love God and share that love to others is because God first imparted and demonstrated His love to us.  When Man fell into Sin, our understanding of love had been marred and reduced to merely physical and selfish love.  We become lovers of ourselves---our spirits darkened with no way of reuniting with God  till Jesus came to redeem us by way of the Cross.  God's agape (self-sacrificing/unselfish) love is best described to us in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Until we come under the Lordship and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3), we are incapable of reuniting with God---our Source of both life and love.  I am so grateful that my Father in heaven loved me so much that He rescued and gave me the faith to believe in Jesus, His Son. The Holy Spirit lives inside me that I will never run out of life and love to share with others.  Glory be to God!
 
For this Card, I used several images from WPlus9 in the gorgeous set called "Doodlebuds."  Like the first card I made for this Challenge  I want to make something simple, with minimal coloring yet totally captivating.  So, I used a big background stamp (with scribbles on it) from Heidi Grace to make a decorative paper where I stamped the flower and fussy-cut them.  Then I added a very cute  Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps image from the "Squishy Hugs" Stamp Set and colored it with gray hues for a more vintage look (although it appears greenish in these pics).  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  I also attached several white nail head gems from Imaginisce.  Lastly, I stitched all over this card.  I totally love it!

HE FIRST LOVED US CARD

 HE FIRST LOVED US CARD LAYERS

 HE FIRST LOVED US CARD INSIDE

HE FIRST LOVED US CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Brown Sugar---Love/Valentine
Colour Crazy---ATG (With Colored image)
Crafting with Friends---ATG
Crafty Catz---ATG
Jo's Scrap Shack---ATG
Pattie's Creations---ATG
QKR---ATG
Simply Create Too---ATG/Hearts
2 Crafty Critter---ATG (with Critters)
A Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Artistic Stamper---ATG (use rubber stamp)
CCK---Valentine/Love/Heart/For Someone Special
Classic DT---ATG
Craft Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Animal---ATG (with animals)
Digi Doodle---All About Love
Fabrika Fantasy---ATG/Love
Happy Craft---ATG
LTCCB---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG/Monochrome
Papercraft---ATG/Valentine/Love
YSP---ATG


I hope you'd take the time to join us at our WAW Challenge.  It's Anything Goes as long as it's family friendly with uplifting and inspirational messages, you can link up to 5 projects per week.  I can't wait to see your projects  and leave some encouragement on your Blogs.  Though the world is surrounded by darkness, let your faith in Jesus Christ shine like a beacon on a hill. Demonstrate the love of God to everyone you meet.  Pray without ceasing and believe that God can do the impossible!