SSIC LOC The Birds of the Air

It is time for the Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge, this week I am honoured to be sharing the devotional

And am bringing the scripture from Mathew:

 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Mat 6:25-34

One thing in life is clear - there is plenty to worry about, Jesus tells us clearly in v25, that we are not to worry, infact He specifically lists things we are not to worry about - He knows us so well!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (v25)

There are many areas we tend to worry about and Jesus answers them - it seems to be the most natural thing to do - worry about where we will live, what we will eat, what job we will have, infact we worry about what we don't have and if we have any wealth we worry about losing it - We could add our own list of concerns...aging, accidents, approval of friends and peers, war, terrorism, death and in some cases even life. There’s no end to the list of things we can worry about.....

Worrying pulls us in many different directions - it causes us to fear. How can we have hope when our hearts are full of fear, no matter what direction we turn, it confronts us. Our minds become consumed and we are pulled in every direction, literally worrying ourselves sick! Worry has never solved a problem! The truth is that worrying doesn’t ADD to our lives - it takes away from our lives- it takes away, eating into hours - but can also consume us for weeks, months and in some case years. Can you think of one good thing worry has added to your life? Worrying is futile.

Worry stops us from trusting God. In reality there is no point worrying about those things that are out of our hands - nothing we can do can change them and we need to trust God with them. Although worrying has physical effects, Jesus is dwelling on the spiritual side of the issue. As Christians we should be living a life of trusting God - not like those people who are not in relationship with God...who carry around the weight of the world on their shoulders.

The rest of God’s creation does not worry, but God provides for them. Will he not do the same for us? Look at the birds of the air - they sing regardless of circumstances - have you ever seen a bird worry? God provides their every need.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereofMat 6:25-34

Trust God to provide for us as He has promised - by seeking first His kingdom you eliminate the need to worry. The only place you will find security, peace, love and joy in this world is when you are seeking FIRST God’s Kingdom!

I have used Layers of Color Backyard Birds, Glad Tidings clear art stamp sets, Spellbinders Fancy Tags Three, Layered Poinsettia and the Grand Calibur for Die Cutting.  The DP is Stampin' Up.

This card is for the following Challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge - Any Winter Holiday Sentiments
C.R.A.F.T. - 'Unusual Christmas'
Crafty Purple Frog - For Someone Special
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Animals
Forever Friends - must include an animal - Something old, Something new
Paper Crafting Journey -  Anything Goes

Crafts and Me - shabby chic/vintage
7 Kids College Fund - Christmas, non traditional colors
Sisterhood of Crafters - polka dots
Shopping Our Stash - Christmas or Winter Related

Make sure you stop by the Designers Blogs are some amazing inspiration - these ladies are inspirational on so many levels!!

* Chris * Grace * Kristine * Lisa * MariLynn * Miejse * Peggysue * Rebekka  * Traci M *

You can see more of my projects in my Layers of Color Gallery, while you are there make sure you check out the other Design Team galleries there is so much inspiration waiting to be discovered, we are thrilled that Layers of Color is a Spellbinders Preferred Product Partner.

You can also check out Layers of Color Art Stamps on our FACEBOOK GROUP and have a look at the Layers of Color Art Stamps FLICKR GROUP where you can upload your LOC artwork and be inspired by hundreds of fabulous LOC creations! You are going to LOVE it!!

Making your creative world more colorful with Layers of Color!

Thank you for your comments and all of the support you give me - you make blogging such an amazing place to be!! Your encouragement is such a blessing for me - it makes my day! God bless you!

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