Sunday, February 3, 2008

Scripture Challenge {Week 5}

Wow, everyone’s work this past week was amazing once again. I loved seeing all of the cards with clocks on them this past week. Just perfect for waiting. And Anne-Marie had this comment on her card. It was in reference to Psalm 37:7-8 in the John MacArthur Study Bible. The comment said "Relax, Don't React.” I thought that was such a great saying for us to remember when we need to wait!

Now on to our week ahead. I basically chose our word for this week because I didn’t feel God leading me in any particular direction until after I completed this challenge (more about that ahead). So I chose:

Week 5 Challenge Word: Change

Webster’s defines change as becoming different, to replace, to pass from one phase to another. Change can be very tough. We grieve for what is no more. Our lives are filled with change as we get married, have children, send our children to school for the first time, change jobs, deal with aging parents, become empty nesters, begin retirement, etc. Through change there are two things that we can always count on:

**God will always give us the strength we need.
**God never changes. He is our constant. He is always there today and for all eternity.

If we trust God with our eternal fate, why is it so hard to trust Him through times of change? Every change we go through means God still has something for us to do. Ask Him to make it count. Is there an area in your life where you need to change so that others can see Christ through you? Is there an area where you need to truly trust God as you go through a change? Little did I know how much this word would affect me this week. I figured God knew there were several of you experiencing change and that you would need this word for inspiration. I never thought God would be using this word to speak to me. Well, how wrong I was! I was the Design Team Coordinator at AC Bailey Designs for 1 ½ years, and I never thought of leaving. But two days after putting this study together for this week, God told me to step down from that position. I never expected it, and I still do not understand why but I have to truly trust Him through it because I know He never changes. He is my constant.
My card for this week focused on God being constant and never changing. I can trust that! His Word tells me so. I used Malachi 3:6 “I am the Lord. I do not change.” And I also used Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” I used the beautiful February kit from Create My Keepsake to create my card. I can’t wait to see your cards and your journaling this week. Be sure to visit our ongoing discussions on the message boards at Create My Keepsake, Scrapjazz, and Faith Sisters. May we all trust Him as things around us change but He remains our constant! Blessings for a wonderful week ahead!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yikes! You used the 'C' word!!! I try to avoid that like the plaque!! I guess that means this is a good one for me....
Sarah

Stephanie said...

You hit the nail on the head when you said that life is full of change. Yikes! Thanks for your willingness to be obedient even when it was so difficult & when you don't understand the "why" of God telling you to step down. You are a good example to the rest of us. {{hugs}}

Anonymous said...

ooohhhh...Great word!! this will be an interesting week, thinking about 'change'! Patter, God WILL bless your obedience to Him...even when you don't understand all the details.

Lisa said...

Very excited to reflect on this word this week, as we're going through many, many changes here. Thank you Patter.

Anonymous said...

Wow, GOD is so GOOD. I have been reading these challenges every week and printing out a hard copy so I can do research on the scriptures I would choose. Well, this morning I read the challenge... God has placed it on my heart a lot lately that I need to change a lot of things.

OK, I am going to try and make a long story short... This morning I started reading; The Prayer that Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian and here is a paragraph in the first chapter "When we praise and worship God, His presence comes to dwell with us. And the most amazing thing about that is when it does, things change. Always! You can count on it. Hearts change. Stituations change. Lives change. Minds change. Attitudes change."

I just want to Thank You for doing this and really challenging us to look at our life, goals and situations. It's amazing how GOD uses people in our life who we have never met in order to help us make CHANGES.

Thanks,
Tonja

P.S. I am sorry it is so long!!!

Carolina Girl said...

Each week the word for this challenge has been exactly what I need to focus on, and this week is no exception. Thank you so much for your obedience in leading this weekly challenge.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karen Mills said...

This is definitely the word for my life this week. Thanks Patter. I'll get it done this weekend.

Bridgett Owens said...

I do have a problem with this week's challenge...not enough space on my page to write! LOL This is a wonderful topic. I am so glad that I am doing this. Here is the link: http://hoosierstamper.blogspot.com/2009/02/scripture-challenge.html

Related Posts with Thumbnails