Sunday, June 15, 2014

{SCRLLC14} Scripture Lesson #10, Worn

Today I want to start by asking you to listen to our song first before reading the study. Our song is "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North. Click here to listen. You can also read all of the lyrics by clicking here.

This week as we were driving up to the mountains, we saw a church sign that said:

"Low on faith? Come in for a fill up."

I thought that went so well with today's song. Most of us are so tired. We are so worn. We have jobs that seem to consume us and take us away from family. We have family members with health issues that seem to drain us. We have worries and concerns that come up daily. Life can seem so exhausting. So, I want to ask is your faith faltering? Do you feel worn? Is your heart heavy? How are you filling up on faith? Are you reading your Bible daily? Are you spending time in prayer? How about attending church? Maybe you have gotten out of the habit. Or maybe you haven't found a church home and you are tired of looking. Maybe you feel a little bit like David in Psalm 69.

Psalm 69:2-3 "I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God."

I love what what the Life Application Bible says about this passage. It says "David cried out until he was physically exhausted, with a parched throat and blurred vision. Yet he still trusted God to save him. When devastated by death or tragedy, we need not collapse or despair because we can turn to God and ask Him to save us and help us. The tears will still come but we will not be crying in vain."

So yes, we can all probably say we are worn out. And I am sure most of us could use a "faith fill-up." Let's look at part of today's lyrics:

"Cause I’m worn
My prayers are wearing thin
And I’m worn
Even before the day begins
I’m worn
I’ve lost my will to fight."

Are you worn? And as I asked above, how will you fill up your faith? First, we need to be reading His word daily and applying what we learn. Second, we need to worship with other believers. And third, we need to have a daily, active prayer life. I am not sure if I have ever shared this equation before but here it is:

Bible study + Prayer + Application/Ministry = Spiritual Fitness

If we are truly spiritually fit, we certainly wouldn't feel so worn! I am sure we can all use some improvement. And how about a prayer partner? Do you have one? Look at what Paul says in Romans:

Romans 15:30 " I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me."

Paul knows he can't do this on his own. He is asking for others to pray for him. No one can do it alone. We need to join in the struggle with our fellow Christians in praying for one another. Prayer is powerful. Our burdens seem 'less' as we lift them up to God and lift the burdens of others up to Him.

Colossians 4:12 "Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."

Epaphras founded the Colossian church, and he showed his love and concern by standing firm and praying for others. And as Epaphras wrestled in prayer, it does not mean he was fighting God to get his will as he prayed. As Warren Wiersbe says "We should put as much fervor into our praying as a wrestler does into his wrestling." And did you notice that Epaphras was always wrestling in prayer? He just doesn't pray sometimes, he was always praying.

So if you are tired and weary, go to Him and tell Him. Ask Him to help you get to church this week for a 'faith fill-up'. Ask Him to help you find that church where He would have you worship if you do not belong to a church. Ask Him to show you someone that might join you as your prayer partner. And begin studying His word on your own. If you are having trouble doing that, you will want to grab this book for $0.99 on Kindle. It may also be available on other eReaders, I just did not check. Anyway, the book is called "Creating a SCRAPS Journal: Bible Study Made Easy" by Kim Trujillo. The very first few pages of the book explain the Bible study method. The additional pages are actual study pages completed by the author so you can see how she proceeds with the study. I really like this method for studying God's word on your own. I also love that the word SCRAPS is in the title. Yes, it is an acronym but it's also perfect for papercrafters to remember. :) And for those of you that do not have an eReader, the book is available in paperback but it costs a bit more.

For my 6x6 page today, I used the Romans 15:30 verse from above. I felt like it was a great reminder to me to ask others to pray for me when I am worn. I also used the the new Blue Fern Studios Ombre Dreams papers along with the beautiful Wild Flourish Bundle chipboard.
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I cut the chipboard piece in half to use just a portion on my smaller page. I first covered it in gesso. While it was still wet, I spritzed it with Ayeeda pastel yellow mist. After that dried I inked it a bit with Archival viridian ink. The stamped tag is from Something Tattered.
Blue Fern Studios papers: Ombre Dreams Dream Cards 
Stamps: Something Tattered Swirls Stamp Set 
Stamp Ink: Archival viridian and sepia 
Blue Fern Studios chipboard: Wild Flourish Bundle (painted with gesso, 13arts Ayeeda pastel yellow mist, and Archival viridian ink) 
Embellishments: Petaloo large green daisy, ivory burlap blossom, and yellow botanica minis; My Mind's Eye Necessities wood alpha stickers; Maya Road Kraft Note Envelope; EK Success binding edge punch; 13arts Ayeeda paint matte lemon; misc. cheesecloth; sewing machine

I hope in the days ahead that you will fill up on faith so that you no longer feel so worn!

Remember to use Keyword SCRLLC14 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. Have a faith-filled week ahead!

3 comments:

pom4me said...

Thank you so much for sharing this post (song, link to the book & just your thoughts)! Feeling a lot like Paul right about now. Folks don't realize that just because we are Christian doesn't mean we don't struggle or need prayer from others. Thanks again!

Anne-Marie said...

Thank you for this teaching. Your artwork is so nice - I do like all the texture on this one.

Hope your health has improved.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Patter for this very needed post. I HAVE been worn. Thank you for encouraging me. I SO look forward to your lessons each Sunday. Here is hoping all is well for you!!

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