Stay lit

As we step into the month of October, I have to say that I have never had a greater sense of the shortness of time as I do now.

Since teaching me this lesson last summer, our Lord has been increasingly growing my awareness of the times. In January, He transformed my mind so that I could no longer perceive of a future beyond 2027. I don’t know if I, or we as His church, even have that long. And now, going into October, I’m taking it a day at a time.

So, my focus this month is on shining His light while remaining watchful and resting in His sovereignty, merciful grace, and faithful love.

Speaking of light, I just love the lantern stamp set from the October release by Creative Retreat Stamps which I used for this bible journaling page. I’m in Matthew 25:1-13 which tells the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 

But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 

And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Be spiritually prepared

There’s a way of speaking in Grenada that I grew up with, and had forgotten until recently, when it comes to future plans. For example, instead of saying “I will see you later”, we say “I will see you later, God willing”. And for plans further in the future, we append “if God spares my life”. There is in those words an understanding that today is all that we have and each day we have is by God’s grace.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

James 4:13-14

Living in Canada, since my teens, I have found most people to be very optimistic about the future. They work hard in their youth with plans to retire in their sixties and live more freely, or leisurely, then. Coming from a Grenadian culture, I’ve always found this strange but realized it’s the cultural norm. As Christians, however, we are instructed to not conform to the patterns of the world but to renew our minds through God’s word. We are to adopt a kingdom culture.

Jesus instructed us to watch for the signs He provided and to remain alert. To anticipate His return with joyful expectation while using the time wisely for His kingdom. We should be preparing our hearts, lest we sleep, and warning others. For He will come when we do not expect Him.

As I mentioned in the post on the shortness of time, even if you do not believe that Christ’s return is imminent, the fact remains that none of us knows how long we have in this life to do what He’s called us to. So, we should live each day wisely.

How to stay lit

Firstly, understand that it is God who keeps us alight and draws us near.

So, put Him first. Seek Him first. Make Him your first love. And by “first” I mean in terms of priority and magnitude.

For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

Psalm 18:28

Secondly, grow in awareness of and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

This involves prayer to seek discernment and time spent listening. It involves emptying yourself through surrender so that you may be more filled. This will allow you to be well led.

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

Thirdly, watch with wisdom.

We all need to know God and His word personally, not by proxy. We need to nurture our own faith and not rely on the faith of others. Study His word to know Him better and gain understanding of the times, so that you can see how He is moving and may watch with prudence.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

Process and products used:

These pages in the NIV Journal the Word Bible (New Testament) pocket bible features the following products by Creative Worship Stamps. These are affiliate links, please see the Privacy Policy for details.

• Lantern Light stamp set
• Lantern Light die set
• Vintage Snippets stamp set
• Star Pattern stencil
• Colors of Fall stamp set
• Worshipful Wordfetti stamp set
• Boss Lady Outline Alpha
• Skinny Caps Alpha stamp set

I started with the lantern which is my favourite from the October release. I stamped the image from the Lantern Light stamp set onto mixed media paper and cut it out using the coordinating die. I stamped the candle, which is from the same set, inside the lantern. Then, I coloured it all using watercolour paint and splattered some of the red paint on the bottom section of the right page.

Next, I created a simple background using the Star Pattern stencil, yellow ink, and a blending brush. I used the stencil over on the left page as well to highlight the verses. Then, I used the residual ink on the brush to add yellow to the edges and handle area of the lantern.

I stamped the months from the Vintage Snippets set on the bottom of the page in black ink. Then, before placing the lantern on the page, I stamped some leaves from the Colors of Fall set behind it and around the pages. I stamped the year only beside that using a date stamp.

Next, I stamped a couple phrases from the Worshipful Wordfetti set using red ink. Then, I created the title using the Skinny Caps Alpha and Boss Lady Outline Alpha in black ink. I coloured in the “lit” outline using a yellow marker, then added some detail to that using a white gel pen. Lastly, I added some white paint splatters over the page to emphasize light.

Be encouraged

🎶 Yahweh ~ Leeland

Wherever you find yourself today – filled or low on oil, awake or asleep, or somewhere in-between – I encourage you to draw near to our loving God today. Ask Him to rekindle and tend the fire for Him; our First Love.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:6-7