HURRAY! We're so glad you're here to play along in our challenge. We've got another amazing challenge waiting for you. God has blessed us with so many amazing sponsors, and we're happy to announce that we have a wonderful prize up for grabs again. Thanks so much for joining us here, and please know that we really appreciate you and all the beautiful art you share with us. Let's get started with our challenge.
The verse of focus for this challenge is absolutely beautiful. It's Colossians 3:12 and it says."Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering:" The verse (11) that comes directly before this verse talks about how Christ and His incredible love always transcends the distinctions of race, class and culture. God doesn't look at us as "white, black, fat, skinny, beautiful, ugly, poor or rich, etc." but rather, what God sees is His beloved children. Each one of us is sinful and in need of a Savior. The only one who could ever fulfill the debt of our sin is God. He became flesh (Jesus) and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect sinless life and then went to the cross of Calvary to make a way for us. In this verse, He reminds us that He chose us. Here He calls us "His elect, holy and beloved". Being "God's elect" refers to the entire Church of God. Again, it transcends ALL the worldly differences we see (race, religion, social status, etc.). The word "holy" means that we are to be SEPARATE and DIFFERENT from the world, and that we are to avoid what is unclean and what displeases Him. The verse goes on to say that we should have "bowels of mercies" which tells us that we should always demonstrate compassion and a true desire to see ALL of God's chosen doing well. When another Saint (saved Christian) is suffering, it should matter to us. If we can't physically reach them to help them, we can ALWAYS pray for them. This is our duty when we see others struggling, and we must have a sympathizing spirit towards them. We would want the same when we're going through things. Right? And finally, this verse also describes charity as the bond of perfectness. You see, we serve a perfect, righteous and holy God. The more we learn of Him and draw close to Him, the more we become like Him and the more we demonstrate His deep love for people. Let's face it, friends; we live in a dark and confused world. DON'T be one of the confused. You can KNOW for sure that you are going to Heaven when you die. You can become more like God every day by submitting to Him and by learning of Him. Life is really tough sometimes; but GOD IS TOUGHER. He wants to bless you and help you. Let God's Word speak to you and be the person of God who sees the hurt of others and really cares. Look past the differences. Cry with those who cry. Pray with those who struggle. Feel their sorrow and care deeply for them. Your Heavenly Father offers you all these things and He simply wants for you and I to be that way as well. It's not that difficult to live for Christ and to follow His plan for our lives. Let him BLESS you. Try your best to a blessing to someone this week. We all need that kind of love in our lives. YOU can make a difference for God.
As always, you are welcome to save the word art to your computer; but you are never required to use it in order to play along or to win in our challenges. We welcome you to share all of your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family friendly. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards). You may link up to five (5) projects each week for a total of ten (10) entries per two-week challenge. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning. It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and an encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules found under our Page tab marked "Challenge Rules". Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to our guidelines. Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone. We're not. We are simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules. Please let us know if you have any questions about anything; and thank you for your understanding and participation.
Check out our AWESOME sponsors for this challenge:
Yes! Yes! Yes! It's the super FUN Doodlebugs
as our sponsor for this challenge. How exciting
exciting is that? One lucky participant, by random
draw, will WIN a generous $25 gift card to spend
(how fun) at Doodlebugs. They carry SO
many great stamps, dies, and more from so many
of our favorite companies. There's no doubt that
you'll find loads of great crafting goodies that you
will use and LOVE when you shop at Doodlebugs.
Remember, the more you enter, the more
you increase your odds of winning. Be sure to stop
by Doodlebugs to look around. You will
be SO delighted when you do. Good luck, y'all.
Another lucky WINNER is about to be very happy
The WONDERFUL Pink & Main was the
sponsor for our last challenge. Pink & Main
carries fantastic stamps, dies, foils, and SO
much more. There's also lots of great
inspiration on the Pink & Main Blog. One
lucky participant, by random draw, has now
won a $20 gift card to spend at this super
amazing store. Special thanks to Michelle &
our friends at Pink & Main for their support.
The LUCKY WINNER of this $20 prize is
Entry #149 - Kathy S.
Our Top 3 Honors Go to Our Friends:
Entry #15 - Gloria Shirr
Entry #33 - Diny
Entry #135 - Pam
Please email Karen if you'd like a
Top 3 or Winner's Badge for your blog.
All winners must also email Karen to
claim prize (per the Rules Page). Thanks!
May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.
We appreciate them all SO very much. We
pray for them, and for God's hand of blessing
upon their businesses. We're SO grateful.
Here's Some Inspiration to get You Started:
Our June Guest Designer, Friend and Former
Thanks so much for choosing my Love Slimline card as one of your Top 3. I really appreciate it. Love your challenges. Congrats to the winner and Top 3. Have a wonderful day! Big Hugs, Gloria
ReplyDeletehttps://purpleglocreations.blogspot.com
Prachtige kaartjes laten jullie zien!
ReplyDeleteDankjewel dat ik in de top 3 sta....wat leuk!
Gefeliciteerd ook aan de andere winnaars!
Groetjes Diny