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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

WOYWW: FEARLESS!

 From this picture...
to this!
I needed to draw Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
and I replaced the lady with a sheep.
 After all, we are all sheep!

  If we would like to be FEARLESS
then we would have to meditate, chew on,
read again and again and yet again, Psalm 23.

How can we fear anything at all,
if we know, absolutely know
from the bottom of our being
that the Creator of the Universe has our back?

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall NOT want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 
he LEADETH me beside the still waters.
He RESTORETH my soul: 
he leadeth me in the paths of 
righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea,THOUGH  I walk through 
the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will FEAR NO EVIL: 
for thou art WITH me; 
thy rod and thy staff they COMFORT me.
Thou PREPAREST a table before me 
in the presence of mine enemies: 
thou ANOINTEST my head with oil; 
my cup RUNNETH OVER.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me 
ALL the days of my life: 
and I will DWELL in the house of the Lord for ever."

 "It is easier for a camel to pass through 
the eye of the needle than for one who is rich 
to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24

There is an urban legend (which I wish were true) 
that this is about a small gate in Jerusalem 
called the "Needle's Eye" at the time of Jesus. 
It is so small that if a man on a camel 
were to pass through, 
he would have to get down, 
remove all the baggage from the camel 
and drag the camel through, 
kneeling on its haunches. 
So for a rich man to enter heaven, 
he would have to divest himself of his earthly goods, 
and kneel humbly before God.
But there is no such gate in Jerusalem 
in Jesus' time and so Jesus did not mean this.

He literally meant it was impossible 
for a rich man to get to heaven on his own merit. 
Wealth was a sign of God's favor in Jesus' time, 
and even today. 
So the disciples were astonished, bewildered, 
exceedingly amazed, dumbfounded, 
when Jesus flat out said that the wealthy had 
no chance, zilch, of going to heaven. 
"So who can be saved?" they asked.

Jesus then says it is impossible for men.
 It is not only impossible for the rich, 
but also for the poor. It is impossible for any one. 
Because we would have to give up not only our wealth, 
but also our children, our parents, our spouses, 
our lands, our work. Everything. 
We would have to put God first.

But Jesus does not leave us without hope. 
He said- "With God ALL things are possible." 
 In Ephesians 2:8 we read, "For by grace you 
have been saved through faith. 
And this not of your own doing, 
it is the GIFT OF GOD!" 
Whew!!!! See you in heaven!



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
and 
Linking with

I find a lot of inspiration


http://withlove-simplybeth.blogspot.com/ 

Blessings!
Patsy

20 comments:

  1. Wow you transposed that picture really well. Love all your drawings, gives me inspiration and calmness
    Bridget #4

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  2. Amen, Patsy. How true - the only way to God is through Jesus.
    Lovely drawings as usual to illustrate your thoughts and prayers.
    Take care. God bless.
    Margaret #11

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  3. Beautiful paintings as usual...you transformed that photo into art really cleverly!
    Hugs, LLJ 10 xx

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  4. You draw so well! Margaret is right, they illustrate your writing perfectly. Helen 17

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  5. Anonymous2:50 PM

    Very nice portraits
    Cheers
    Gabriele 25

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  6. Anonymous3:03 PM

    Beautiful drawings/paintings, love the colours in them :).
    Debbie/Daqa #18

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  7. Fantastic drawing as always - I love the sheep, he has a sweet face!! Happy Wednesday, Cindy #32

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  8. Such wonderful art! I always love to see what you have been doing!
    Glenda #47

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  9. Hi Patsy, I always enjoy seeing what you are up to and this is as lovely as ever.
    Have a great week and happy crafting, Angela x 49

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  10. Wow Patsy... I am so glad I visited today! This is the message that the Lord has been giving me this week! Not from your chosen Scriptures but from others - there are soooo many which confirm this message! In particular I was reading Romans 8 yesterday morning.

    Your art work, as always, interprets the words so well. Beautiful!

    Happy WOYWW,
    Shoshi #35

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  11. I had a little plaque in my bedroom as a child that read, "El Señor es mi Pastor, nada me faltará." Although it broke many years ago, I've kept his words in my heart. Happy WOYWW and may the Lord continue to be your artistic guide.

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  12. Thank for that beautiful post. It's so true. Your transformation of that photo into art is both beautiful and comforting. Happy WOYWW! Sandy Leigh #51

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  13. A lovely , thought provoking post Patsy. Beautiful art work as always. Anne x @33

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  14. This is a really beautiful telling of the gospel, the good news! Oh how thankful I am for the Good Shepherd who laid down His own life for His sheep! I'm right next to you at Jennifer's this week.

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  15. Awesome art and such an inspiration. Thanks for sharing. Vickie #64

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  16. Beautiful work. Happy PPF, Annette x

    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  17. Oohh I really like what you created this week. Very nice indeed
    Nicole/Beadwright

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  18. Hi Patsy,

    I loved how you used the man's image and used it to make your art. Very cool and clever!

    As always, I enjoyed the message of your post also.

    I'm very late in visiting desks this week.
    Happy belated WOYWW
    Peace, Kay (58)

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  19. What a transformation! Wonderful, peaceful mood and colors! Happy PPF!

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  20. I just loved seeing the transition from your reference picture, to Jesus and the lamb. Just amazing. I LOVE it!

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I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy