It was
Ruth's turn to set the challenge for the
SALT team this week and she chose Purpose, as in how does your purpose in life change once you become a Christian. Ruth did an amazing job summarizing her thoughts around this topic and you can read her write up on the
SALT blog.
One of the first questions posed in the
Westminster's Shorter Catechism is "what is the chief end of man", that is why are we here, what are we to do with our lives? It's a basic question I think most thoughtful people ponder from time to time. Many might answer this question with popular ideas, "to be happy", "to be successful", "to give to others", "to be a good parent" and so on. While none of these goals are in themselves wrong, they fall short in fully answering the question of why we're on this earth.
The Shorter Catechism provides the simple, yet profound, answer, "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." In a nutshell, our main purpose, our main goal in life should be to glorify God. (You can read the following scripture texts as proof for this statement, Psalm 86, Isaiah 60:21, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31, Romans 11:36, Revelation 4:11) And I just have to share two of my favorite verses from this group:
1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31, "For you were bought at a price
(that price is Christ's sacrifice on the cross.); therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." and "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
I am convinced that a Christian may strive for the things mentioned above. The difference is that once we know Christ, our purpose is different. Instead of seeking, for example, the praise of men for doing a good job, we will rather seek to glorify God not only by doing the best job we can but by also giving God credit when we are recognized for our efforts.
Revelation 4:11, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."
I love this verse, it's so full of awe and praise for God. God is worthy to receive our glory and honor because He has made us and it is only by His sovereign pleasure that we are here. He provides us with all that we have; He has provided us with our lives. May this simple truth sink down into our hearts and minds as we work through even the mundane tasks of our lives. Even writing this, I have been reminded of how frequently I complain. May God be pleased to bring these verses and this topic to my mind the next time I do...
As for my chipboard tag...I recently purchased some verses from
Verve Stamps and was itching to ink one up. This is another favorite verse; it's so prayerful to God, asking for those things that are so needed during our Christian walk. I was inspired to create a tag by a recent post by
Julie. I'm not sure I've ever created a tag like this before but it was a fun project! The polka dot/swirl background was created using two sets from
Papertryink (and I have to gush about their Vanilla Cream ink again...oh man, it is good stuff!). The buttons are also from PTI. The scalloped paper on the bottom of the tag is from
October Afternoon, tiny rhinestones are from
Taylored Expressions, and the twill is from
SU! (Gee, I think I covered half of the manufacturers out there in this one project!)
This was a great topic and I pray that you're blessed by what the
SALT team has created! Please hop over and take a look and, if you're feeling inspired to create something based on the challenge, leave us a comment with a link back to your blog or gallery!
Today's Tip: Use a pre-decorated piece of chipboard, preferably with glitter, to add instant bling!
"It's beginning to look a lot like....cough, sputter, ack...It can't possibility be close to Christmas, can it? I can hardly believe that September is around the corner, which puts us a mere three and a half months from Christmas! Someone slow down the clock...I am not ready to even consider cold weather and holidays...I am, however, ready (almost) to think about holiday cards thanks to a CAS (Clean and Simple) theme challenge posted on SCS.
About two years ago, I purchased an adorable holiday kit from Say it with Letters. The kit included a chipboard album, lots of fun embellishments, and fantastic papers. When I set out to create today's card, I remembered those wonderful papers. I found a few left over scraps (I have managed, in two years, to cover the pages of the album...) that were a perfect accent and combination for my card. Don't they look great together? I wish I knew what company the papers are from...anyone know? The sparkly tree was also included in the SIWL kit and I actually plan on using it on the front of the album, if I ever get around to finishing it! The tree looked so great with this card that I had to go with it and then I'll reuse it on my album. :-) The cardstock and ribbon is from Stampin' Up! and the sentiment is from a MFT set.
Enjoy and raise your hand if you'd like to turn back the clock to June and start the summer over again!
