His Holy Name Challnge - Jealous

I can't believe I am so late with this challenge, this is one of those times you are so grateful there is no time limit with a challenge, I am trying to get caught up with the His Holy Name Challenge, I have two more to do before the next one comes out! I love doing these studies and endeavour to do them in the two weeks we have, sometimes life just gets hectic...but that is when I really need to take the time out to study God's Word.

I have distressed DP from DCWV, those fabulous hands are part of a RAK from one of my Twisted Sisters, Pat Smethers, it was Pat who first encouraged me to do these challenges, I saw her pages up in the gallery and knew I wanted to be involved...thank you Pat...you are such a precious friend and sister to me - I am so thankful to God that we have 'linked arms' for our journey!!! The flames are also off DP from Pat! I cut out the hands and coloured them with chalks, added the flames which represent God being a consuming fire, and also the 'world', which is symbolic of us, God's people. The heart represents of God's love.

When I first became a Christian I thought that God being a JEALOUS God was a contradiction to the fact that we all know so well - God is Love...and love is not jealous!! James 3:14-17 tells us how bitter jealousy and contention in your heart, is earthly, beastly, devilish. But the wisdom from above is firstly truly pure, then peaceable, forbearing, yielding, full of mercy and of good fruits, not partial and not pretended. Jealousy as we know it is a negative thing but God's Jealousy is positive, it protects, nutures and grows us! It is very sobering to see the effects of bitter jealousy - and how easily it happens whether it be over a possession, friend, Church position or 'ministry'! Thank God for His love and heart for us, His jealousy is not related to envy, but speaks more to me of 'protective' - in the same way those of us who are parents are 'jealous' over our children. We want to protect them from the blows that life can bring, from the things that will harm them, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually and to nuture them in a loving environment, far away from anything that can hurt or damage them...We can be 'jealous' of our friends, Church, anything that we love. God is jealous over us and wants our love for Him to be our priority - for our sakes...He wants us to love Him with our whole heart, not in between sports events, TV shows or (dare I say it) craft events....He is a JEALOUS God and wants us in our totality! I am grateful that God is JEALOUS over me!! The saying that Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven' to me is such a 'cop out'...it isn't an excuse...we are committed to the process of being perfected...so no wonder God is 'JEALOUS' over us - I don't know about you, but I am not always the quickest leaner!!

Thank you for visiting and for your comments, I love to know when you have been - it means so much to me!!! I hope you are having a good weekend, it is Saturday afternoon here and cold - sunny but cold - great craft weather! LOL! God bless you!