Hi there, everyone! More than a week ago, we started another Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) as we feature another great Scripture Word Art (free for you to download at the WAW site). It comes from Psalm 30:12 which says, "To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever."
God did not promise us a world without trials and persecutions. From the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden through disobedience and betrayal of God by Adam's alignment with Satan, the world and everyone who dwells in it had been under curse. No human being could ever escape the consequences of that sad event in mankind's history which leads to everlasting torment---a life without the presence of God, the Source of all things good. Mankind was doomed! Justice calls for the harshest punishment for those that bit the hand of the One that created them. For God is True, Holy and Righteous! If we can only fathom the depth of His attributes, you will realize why none of us deserve pardon---not on our own abilities, strength and merits. We have continued in the ways of this world, in bondage with Satan---with no way out! Gotquestions.org shared this, "Humanity is corrupted by sin, and that sin is always directly against God. As a result, all sin requires an eternal punishment. God’s holy,
perfect, and infinite character has been offended by our sin. Although
to our finite minds our sin is limited in time, to God—who is outside of
time—the sin He hates goes on and on. Our sin is eternally before Him
and must be eternally punished in order to satisfy His holy justice."
But God is also a God of Love and Mercy. God knew what man would do before He created them yet He still chose to bring them to life. Psalm 30:5 says, "For his anger lasts only a moment but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." For God had the greatest plan to save mankind from their bondage way before He established time. But God didn't magically repair the damage mankind did. It would require Him to sacrifice His One and Only Son to die a horrific death to pay the fine of such a horrific Sin. Here, we can see how God view Sin. The universal principle of sowing and reaping is in effect and a Just (fair and righteous) God had to show His creation the grave penalty of Sin---death on the Cross by a sinless Man. Only God is without Sin and He had to come in the flesh as a Man to redeem mankind. Psalm 8:4-5 says, "What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor." Imagine what the Father had to endure to see His guiltless Son taking unto Himself the sins of the world---Sin that His holiness cannot tolerate. It was harsh, it was painful! Even in our very limited understanding as parents to our children, such burden would be hard to bear. But it happened because John 3:16 said, "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." And because Jesus conquered the Cross, everyone who puts their faith in His gift of salvation received everlasting life (freedom from eternal damnation). Solely our faith in Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) and His finished work at the Cross could brings us back to the eternal presence of our Creator as if the breach never happened. Because Jesus lives inside every believer, the Father honors the sacrifice of His Son on our behalf and considers us His children. Hence we can call Him, "Abba, Father!"
So when people ask "how can a sovereign God allow suffering to take place and how can He send people to hell?", we have an answer. Every choices we make here on earth have consequences---good or bad. The disobedience of the first man (Adam) invited the curse of Sin and Death to wreak havoc in this world that affects the life of every human being that caused us to rebel against God, living a life of Sin. The biggest choice we have to make in our lifetime is the one that would affect not only this earthly life but our life beyond. God gave us the free-will to choose to remain in our fallen state (we had since birth) or to turn over our lives to Jesus Christ. Before we release our final breath, a choice should have already been made. My prayer is that you choose wisely; for blessed are those who willingly put their faith in Jesus Christ. In Him is a life without death, pain nor suffering. One day, we will live the life God promised us without the presence of Sin. But until then, this is not the time to be silent and fearful. Let us proclaim to the world in all boldness Acts 4:11-12, "Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is
no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” God's love extends His mercy in this Period (Ark) of Grace (Church Age). Step right in---don't delay! For when the door shuts (Rapture of the Church), God's wrath and justice will pour out mercilessly on those left behind.
For this Card, I used an image that I got from Amazon and watercolored it using my Stabilo 68 markers. The base is Kraft, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches center step design. The DP is from Paper Studio, the layered flowers are from Prima, the brad from Recollections and the nail head gems are from Imaginisce. I also used a couple of shape dies from Nestabilities to frame the image and a border flower die from Sizzix. The leaves are punched with Fiskars punch, the glitters from Stickles (Crystal) and finally, I ran several panels for some wonderful stitching to enhance this project. Love it!
AND NOT BE SILENT CARD
AND NOT BE SILENT CARD LAYERS
AND NOT BE SILENT CARD INSIDE
AND NOT BE SILENT CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX
This Card is entered into the following Challenges:
2 Crafty Critters---ATG
2 Sisters---ATG
A Bit More Time---ATG
A Perfect Time---ATG
Ching-Chou Kuik---Thankful/Thankgiving/Thanks
Classic Design---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Animals---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Creatalicious---ATG/Ribbon or Twine
Createful Heart---ATG
Creations in Pink---Mainly Pink
Creative Craft Cottage---Add some Sparkle
Daisy Chain---Add Sparkle
Dream Factory---Limitless
Happy Little Stampers---ATG with Dies
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie---Picture Inspiration (love the colors and leaves)
LeAnns World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Twine
Love to Craft---ATG
Love to Scrap---ATG
MIUCB---ATG/3D Projects
Scor-pal---More Than One Score
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
QKR Stampede---ATG
Sognando---ATG
Crafting Challenge---Stitching
Creative Crafters---ATG
Worldwide Open DT---ATG
YSP---ATG
Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge. You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a
requirement. As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and
inspirational, you can enter up to 5 times each week. A wonderful prize
awaits our winner from our lovely sponsor for this Challenge---Really Reasonable Ribbon
(Ribbon Club Assortments).
So excited to see what you come up with. Anyway, be very vigilant,
pray always and practice your God given rights. As long as God is
seated on the throne, we are never without hope. We are part of His
plan in this world. While there is still time, let's share the Gospel to those who are willing to listen.
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