The Beatitudes

Sadly, we say goodbye to Esther from our design team. Esther says, 'Having taken on more responsibilities since my son has started school, I don’t find myself at my craft table as much, let alone blogging. I think it is wise that I step down.' She goes on to say, 'I hope Salt continues to go on from strength to strength and it will continue to be used for the glory of God.' We already miss Esther, who was one of the founder members of the Salt team - she has encouraged and blessed us, not only with her gorgeous crafting, but with her care for our team and in sharing her spiritual journey with us. Thank you, Esther, for your love and friendship.

The Beatitudes

For this fortnight's, challenge I (Hazel) thought it would be good to look at the Beatitudes:

Matthew 5
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes. Sadly, sometimes they are mistakenly seen as a blueprint for how we are to be saved, something for us to strive to attain – but rather, as Spurgeon said, they are ‘the marks and evidences of a work of grace in the soul.’ It is only possible to truly possess the qualities Jesus commends if we experience the salvation He offers. They are the characteristics that should be evident in every Christian.

As Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: ‘Happiness is the great question confronting mankind. The whole world is longing for happiness and it is tragic to observe the ways in which people are seeking it.’ In the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is saying that if you really want to be happy, to be blessed, then here is the way.

The characteristics identified in the Beatitudes are not ones that come naturally to us, but are produced by grace and the work of the Holy Spirit.

I hope that you enjoy seeing the crafting response of the team - please visit their individual blogs to read what they have to say.

Our challenge: It would be lovely if you could join with us in creating something that is your response to these sayings of Jesus - or perhaps concentrate on just one of them. We would love to see any crafting that is prompted by these words of Jesus - please leave us a comment with a link to where we can come and see your creation.

Thank you to those who follow us, leave us comments and join in our challenges - we hope and pray that you are blessed by our little corner of the internet - combining our two passions of faith in Christ and crafting.

Hazel

Pauline



Stacy

Kim (to read journaling, click on photo to enlarge)


Lythan

Ruth

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News from our friends at Scrapbook News and Review magazine:

They are pleased to announce that they're adding a new monthly feature to their online publication - Faith Full Cards - and they're looking for submissions! The focus for these projects is 'faith-based' and they should showcase Bible verses, inspirational quotes and/or images.

Please follow these instructions for submissions:
*All projects must include a complete supply list and contact info.
*All images should be named with the contributor's name, and project title. Example: Mary Smith_Valentine's Greeting.jpg
*Image should be no larger than 550 pixels on longest edge.
*Please email submissions to ahouse@scrapbooknewsandreview.com by the 1st of every month.