{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #26, Represent

Challenge Word #26: Represent

Have you ever sent your children off to camp, a church function, or even a birthday party? Do you wonder how well they represent your family? Are they doing all of the things you taught them, and are they representing your family well? As parents, we want them to do as we have taught them, and of course, we want them to represent the family well. God is the same. As our Father, He teaches us through His Word, He expects our obedience, and He certainly wants us to represent Him well everyday and in everything.

Most of us will be around family and friends this week as we celebrate Christmas. Think about how you represent Christ to those around you this Christmas season. Do you stand up and proclaim His name in love or do you keep Him “hidden” because you are scared of what they will think? Do you speak in kindness and love or in impatience and rudeness? Each person you come in contact with should see Immanuel, God with Us, as you represent Him. If you haven’t been doing that, now is the perfect time to begin representing Him well as we celebrate His birth. Everything we do and say should show everyone around us Immanuel, God With Us. What we do and say as Christian’s matters! As a believer, who do you represent most days of the week? Is it God or the world? What is your desire? As His representative, glorifying Him in all we do should be our greatest desire. Luke 9:23 reminds me that I need to take up my cross daily and represent Him well each and every day.

Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’”

We cannot do this on our own, however. Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us represent Him as we should. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” So, are you representing Him well and standing firm in Christ? Are you relying on the Holy Spirit within you? Oh how I pray you will represent Him well this Christmas season and in the year to come. Nothing breaks God’s heart more or turns people away from God than when we look just like the world and represent the things of the world instead of representing Him. How will your represent Him today, tomorrow, and in the days ahead?

For my page this week, I used both scriptures referenced above. I also added butterflies to remind me that I am a new creation in Christ, and I need to represent Him not myself or anything else. I also added the calendar tissue tape to remind me to represent Him each and everyday as I should not just when I choose or how I choose. Then I used the Our Daily Bread Designs Wood Background stamp behind the Luke 9:23 verse to represent taking up my cross daily. Okay, yes I went over board on the symbolism here today. :)
Papers: Basic Grey Curio, KI Memories lace paper, Creative Memories cement cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Wood Background
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink pumice stone and old paper
Embellishments: Tim Holtz tissue tape, Martha Stewart scalloped dot border punch, Maya Road chipboard butterfly, Ranger black enamel accents

When sharing your page for this challenge be sure to use Keyword SCRC210 when posting in galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of our previous lessons, please visit this post here.

And lastly, I wanted to thank each of you that has followed along this year either by journaling, creating pages, etc. While I LOVE when you participate, God loves it even more because you are in His Word and becoming closer to Him. That's the best and most exciting part!!! And if you missed the news about next year's study, be sure to check out the ABC Scripture Challenge details for next year here! You don't want to miss where God will lead us next year. I will see you on January 2, 2011, with our first study!! Have a blessed Sunday, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!