Showing posts with label Sunday Devotional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunday Devotional. Show all posts

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Devotional Offer & Award

With the New Year approaching I thought I'd tell you about a FREE devotional that you can receive by snail mail. RBC does request donations (in the mailing) but if you cannot afford it, they will still send it to you for free. It's a fantastic pocket-size daily devotional. Each day has a Scripture verse, a devotional, and a poem or prayer. Simply go here and fill out the form to begin receiving them in your mailbox. You can also get a 2009 calendar from RBC for any gift amount by going here.

Nancy from Nancy's Memories and Scraps, here, gave me an award. Thank you so much, hon!
I would like to nominate Delicious Scraps. Visit here and give her some love.

Enjoy your Sunday.
Love and Lord Bless, Lisajo

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Living Water Devotional & Printable

The Feast of Tabernacles is a week-long autumn harvest festival that usually occurs in October. Feast of the Tabernacles is also known as the Feast of the Ingathering, Feast of the Booths, Sukkoth, Succoth, or Sukkot. This is to be a joyous festival! The Israelites were instructed in Leviticus that after they had gathered the crops, they were to live in booths for seven days so they would remember that the Lord had them live in booths when He brought them out of Egypt.

The American pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, were deeply religious people. As they were trying to find a way to express their thanks for their survival and for the harvest, it is quite possible that they looked to the Bible (Leviticus 23:39) for an appropriate way of celebrating and based their holiday in part on the Feast of Tabernacles. Celebrating Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November was established by the American government and may not necessarily coincide with the pilgrim's first observance.

Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7. Notice that Jesus STOOD and said these words in a LOUD voice when it was customary for a Rabbi to sit and speak. He wanted to get their attention, and He wants to grab yours too! 37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

In this passage Jesus captures the intent and meaning of Isaiah 12:3, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." And Isaiah 44:3, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." And again in Isaiah 58:11, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails." Because God's Word stands forever, Jesus was able to call upon a promise of Scripture and make it available to His hearers.

Most of us know that we need eight 8-oz glasses of water each day. Water is your body's principal chemical component, making up 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

But did you know that your soul needs a drink too lest it become parched? Only through Him can we renew, refresh, replenish and revive our souls! He promises that you will never be thirsty again!! "Jesus answered [the Samaritan woman at the well], 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"--John 4:13-14

So I encourage you to meet Him today at the Well. Let Him be your Lord. Learn from Him. Commune with Him. As Max Lucado says in Come Thirsty, "let Him be the water of your soul." He's just plain good for your soul's health. :)

Today's FREE Printable is a water bottle label. You can click on the image and then right-click and save it to your computer if you want a 100 dpi jpg. If you'd rather have a 300 dpi png, please click on the link below. Should you use a different size water bottle than an Ice Mountain, .5L (1PT, 0.9FL OZ), you probably will want to grab the 300 dpi so you can resize it in your graphics program. Just measure the label on your bottle and resize accordingly.

I recommend spraying the label with fixative so the ink will not run.



http://www.4shared.com/file/72723071/8196f022/Thirsty_WaterBottleLabel300dpi_LisajoStudio.html

Wishing you a Blessed Thanksgiving...
Your Sister in Christ, Lisajo

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Scripture Name Cards & Sucker Cover Printable

My good friend RhondaSue has some Thanksgiving place cards on her blog. One uses a turkey that I did the creative work using her template (she then made it into a place card). The other is a Pilgrim hat. Go grab them at http://craftymumzcreations.blogspot.com Look for her Saturday, October 25, 2008 post. You can find RhondaSue's turkey templates on her October 25th post as well. Another good friend has a cute printable set that includes a place card and more. Visit Victoria at http://sassyprintsandcrafts.blogspot.com Look for her Monday, October 27, 2008, post. Be sure to leave them some love. :)

When you make your individual name cards, write a Scripture verse on the back or inside. These verses should be in line with Thanksgiving. Example: Ephesians 5:20, "Always give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (***more verses below***). Have each guest read their scripture as the blessing of thanks before your meal. This idea came from Emilie Barnes' 15 Minute Family Traditions and Memories, 1995, Harvest House Publishers. (My book is two-books-in-one...the other being 15 Minute Home and Family Organizer, 1991).

Today's Printable is a turkey sucker cover I made that matches RhondaSue's place card. Click on image to view/save at full size. Enjoy! (Remember, I'm also posting some verses for your place cards so read on).


Here are other verses from the King James Version to get you started on your place cards. If you use a modern version, please check your concordance for thanks/thanksgiving as the translations may be different. I'm citing the KJV because it is public domain. I used e-Sword, a handy electronic Bible, which I downloaded for free. Get yours at http://www.e-sword.net This is only a sampling of verses that you could use.

1Ch 16:8 Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

1Ch 16:34 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.

Lev 22:29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice fo thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will.

Psa 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

Psa 26:7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wonderous works.

Psa 30:4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psa 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.

Psa 16:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psa 79:13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks forever; we will show forth thy praise to all generations.

Psa 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa 106:47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, to triumph in thy praise.

Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Psa 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

Psa 140:13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Psa 147:7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.

Jer 30:19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

1Co 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Phi 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

1Ti 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.

Rev 7:12 Saying Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.

Well that should get you started. :) Until next time....
Love in Christ, Lisajo

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Clean Hands (and Printable)

Isn't it wonderful to give yourself a manicure? I gave myself one this weekend. I've never had one done professionally (maybe someday), but I do like to pamper myself when time allows. But we must remember that how our hands look doesn't matter to our Lord. So what does matter to Him? Clean hands. And not the clean hands we get from soaking them during a manicure.

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart." ~Psalm 24:3-4

What does this mean? Hands that please God are clean...not involved in sin. They symbolize a heart that is innocent, pure and unsoiled. A heart that has repented, sought the Lord's forgiveness, and is following after Him.

I remember making my first cross-stitch project. It was stuffed fabric hearts with ribbon joining them so you could hang them over a knob. The cross-stitch said, "Hands to Work, Hearts to God." The Lord gave us hands to do His good work. Colossians 3:23 tells us, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." This means that whatever work we undertake with our hands, we should do it with our heart focused on God and not for the recognition or monetary reward we may receive from people. We are, after all, serving Christ.

Today's Printable is an emery board case. I hope as you use it, you will be reminded to keep your hands clean and to do good works unto the Lord. Why not make another and tuck it, along with an emery board of course, into a card for someone in a nursing home or for a shut-in, or you could use it as a thank-you token for someone who has given you a helping hand.

Click picture to view/save full size. Print on cardstock. Score and fold on dashed lines. Put glue on side and bottom tabs.



Love in Christ, Lisajo
P.S. Today is my nephew's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mike! May your day be blessed!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Chew on the Word of God & Printables

What do you do when you're hungry? You can't just sit down at the table and expect your hunger to vanish. Nor can you listen to your dinner guests rave about the wonderful meal they're enjoying and expect to feel full. You must pick up your fork or spoon and taste the food yourself in order for it to sustain you. Then the body goes about digesting what you've eaten and turns it into energy that you need to live and grow.

The same is true for our spiritual life. If we expect our walk with Christ to thrive and grow, we must daily taste for ourselves that the Lord is good by chewing on His Word. He gives His dinner invitation in Psalm 34:8. Christ tells us that "man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). We all need spiritual nourishment. We digest His Word by meditating on it. The resulting "energy" is when we apply His teachings to our lives. James 1:22 tells us not to merely listen to the word but to DO what it says. Following Jesus requires personal study and application if we are to be like Him.

Have you received your spiritual nourishment today? If you'd like to take a big bite out of the Bible, I recommend Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods; 12 ways you can unlock God's Word, Zondervan, 2006. The first method in Rick's book shows you how to study and apply God's truths to your life.

So begin today to chew on God's Word and "chews" to follow Jesus. :)

Today's Freebie is a couple of chewing gum wrappers. The template is by Tami Matta (jersgirl) and the creative work is mine. Click on the images to view/save them full size (yeah, they're still small! lol). I'd love to hear your creative ideas on how you might use them in ministering to others.


Love in Christ, Lisajo
P.S. Happy Birthday to my son Kyle, my sister Judy and my brother-in-law Chuck! May you feel Jesus near every day of the year!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sunday's Devotional and Freebie

I love Devotional books!! I have quite a collection of them. While reading my current devotional book, the quote below gave me reason to pause...

"Many of us cannot grasp the truth that the time allotted to us on this earth is sufficient for all the Lord has planned for us to do. We don't need one minute more or one minute less to get the job done; the job of living."
--Luci Swindoll, Joy Breaks, Zondervan Publishing House, 1997.

My mom's friend lost her husband last week, and one of my old schoolmates recently passed away as well. Though both Roger and Ed could be considered young with many years ahead of them, their time of living was done. They had fulfilled the jobs the Lord had given them to do within their allotment of time.

But frankly, many of us feel that we never seem to have enough time to get things done. Do you feel the same way most days? As we grow older, time seems to go faster; yet we still have the same 24 hours in a day. Now days people buy the latest and greatest gadgets hoping to shave some spare time so they can have time to do something else. Unfortunately, we cannot save time in a bottle and use it another day. All we have is this day. And this is the day which the Lord has made; so let us rejoice and be glad in it!

The Lord tells us in Ecclesiastes that there is a time for everything. A time to be born and a time to die. In between our birth and dying, He gives all of us the exact amount of time required to get our job of living done, to complete His plans for us. I believe that what we do with our time is our gift back to Him. Fortunately, He makes our job easier by giving us plenty of instructions through His Word on how to spend our time.

Why not take a little extra time today to do something nice for someone? In celebration of this season/time in our lives, today's Freebie is a bag topper with Ecclesiastes 3:1 on the back. I've done the work for you to save you some time. :) It fits a 3-inch wide zip-lock baggie (you can find them at Hobby Lobby). Click on the image and in the new window save it to your hard drive. Print the image at 340x643 ppi, 100 resolution. I put candy corn and peanuts in the bag...tastes like a PayDay candy bar. YUM! Now give it away to someone. All it takes is a little time to bring someone a smile and get your job of living done for today. :)

Until next time...
Love in Christ, Lisajo