Sunday, June 26, 2011

Thank you Sunflowers

Miesje picked this verse for this week’s devotional.

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. "

What a wonderful blessing to be free. I love THIS song by the Newsboys. We sing it often at our church. What an admonition to stand firm and not become slaves again. I spent sometime thinking about ways that we can be slaves.

To me it seems that as a society we prefer the word addiction to slavery. I have a friend and coworker who is a slave to smoking. Just this last week we had a conversation about how she would like to quit, but how her addiction controls her life. I have another friend who is a slave to alcohol. She knows that it is bad for her, but she still drinks. I’ll admit it is easier to see other’s slavery than it is to see my own. It made me think of the following scripture from Matthew 7:1-5 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
So I asked God to show me my plank. What are my addictions? As hard as it is to admit it, I struggle with my slavery to food and my slavery to my computer. As soon as I wake up I think about food. I think about food all day long. This slavery to food has added extra weight and health problems like high blood pressure.
My addiction to my computer became evident to me the other day when we lost internet all day because a cable was cut. I found myself going to the computer to check several times to see if it was back.
It seems that I justify my addictions by comparing them to others. I want to think that mine aren’t as bad as others, because:
1. I have to eat, everyone has to eat.
2. I need my computer to get my work done.
When does something that we need become our master? When it takes priority in our lives to the will of God. My prayer this week is that Christ will take first place in my life, and that the Holy Spirit is the controlling force for my days.




The challenge this week is to make a red white and blue thank you card. The winner will get 3 digis from Ginger Loft. Tami gave me this digi to make my card. I love butterflies and sunflowers so I had a lot of fun making this card. Last year my kids and I saw some red sunflowers growing by a barn.






This is a close up of one of the sunflowers.


I used burnt Aleene's tacky glue technique for the center of my flowers.
Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created.










































10 comments:

  1. Oh MariLynn this is absolutely stunning!! Love the sunflower and all the detail you have there with the colouring and the centre. Just amazing. Thank you too for your honesty in your text, praying that you will be able to loosen those bonds of slavery and grow closer to God.
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  2. Много хубава картичка,обичам слънчогледи!Поздрави!

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  3. Marilynn, I look forward to coming to your blogsite on Sunday's to read your devotionals... I very much love the fact that you share the Word through your own personal testimony... such is a real blessing and encouragement to me. Thank you xx

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  4. This card is stunning MariLynn, wonderful colors and coloring. Wonderful insight on the devotion this morning, so true.
    Have a wonderful week my sister.
    Hugs :)

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  5. Great take on the scripture - I started to write about smoking, I smoked for many years and finally quit 11 years ago. It was a relief to not be "a slave" to that any longer. Thanks for sharing! Love, love the card too! Have a great week!

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  6. Oh MariLynn I love your card and the gorgeous way you colored it! I love the burnt technique you used! Really pops the centers of the flowers! Loved reading your testimony as well... we all have some things in our lives that seem to take a bigger place then they should, or a bigger place than our Lord at times... in our energy, our time, our thoughts... you are not alone there! Thanks for your honesty and for sharing freely! I always look forward to reading your insights on the Scripures! We all need to lift eachother up in prayer that our priorities, thoughts and energies would always be used in ways that please Him! Have a wonderful week my friend!
    hugs,
    Grace

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  7. Lovely card and such a neat technique to the center =) Hope you have a blessed week ahead!

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  8. Hi Marilynn!! So true, we all do have something in our life that we try to say we are not addicted to whether it be our hobbies, our food or etc. Thanks so much for your words...it really makes you think. I always enjoy reading your words on the scripture each week!!

    Beautiful coloring and flowers!! I just love your card and the technique you used! Have a great week!!
    hugs,
    Chris

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  9. MariLynn what a gorgeous sunflower you created! And the center, what an inspiration for the centers! I've seen some that color too, they're so pretty!

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  10. And I forgot to say its funny we both selected that song from the Newsboys for our posts!

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