Dear friend,

How are you doing lately?

This week has been a bit crazy for me, what with my laptop crashing on Monday and throwing off all my to do list stuff. You wouldn't believe how much my time for my art business isn't actually spent painting. There's so much research and organization and updating and creating social media posts... but it was kinda nice to have a kink thrown into my plans this week.

So I wanted to share with you something I've been learning in my personal Bible study lately.

I've been reading Acts in my quiet time lately. I wanted to study the Holy Spirit's moving since I had just read Galatians before and "be led by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, bear fruit of the Spirit" really stood out to me. So I thought Acts might be good, to take a look at what it looks like.... and it's been really good.

But I thought it was the Holy Spirit's movement that was going to stand out to me the most... and it really hasn't been.

Instead I've been shocked with the reminder of how absolutely devoted to the Lord the early church believers were. And I've been reminded how absolutely beautiful the Gospel is.

When I was an early teen or so, I thought that after someone's saved and understands the concept of the Gospel that it's time to move to other passages of Scripture, learn and wrestle with "harder" concepts... but now I realize how wrong I was.

I don't think that we ever get too old for the Gospel, or could ever know too much about the Gospel that we can't learn from it and be awed by it again.

I think it's less a step away from the Gospel we need to take, but more of a step further and deeper into the Gospel.

I've been amazed to see the heart of the early church... those who faced hard things, stoning, beatings, slander, legal charges, and more. And they continued living for the Lord, sharing what the Lord has done.

I think I sometimes take the Gospel too lightly. I forget what exactly it means and how beautiful it is. I'm afraid it's easy for me to loose the joy of my salvation.

This morning after reading about Paul saying good bye to the leaders of the church at Ephesus as he encouraged them to stand for truth and warned them that it would be a battle to stand for truth and they would face adversaries, I wanted to write a story. I wanted to paint a picture with words of how beautiful the Gospel is that it would cause regular people who are just as scared and broken as you and me... that it would cause them to bravely face hardship and totally transform them into people after the Lord's own heart.

So I got out my document and started typing a story about a boy in a magical land. I was going to write this whole story of redemption and show how poor and broken and horrible in spirit and situation he was and then have a King arrive and choose him as his child and bring him under His care.

But then I stopped. I disappointedly realized that no matter how long I spend or how many words I use or what kinds of symbolism I create.... I can never craft something to truly reflect the beauty of the Gospel.

I mean, the God of the universe who created all of it with just a word, all the intricate details and the biological operations that scientists still are amazed by today, He looked upon me, in my self absorbed, self righteous pride and said "That one. I will make her Mine."

It overwhelms me when I think about it. (How do I forget such an amazing thing?!)

And He doesn't just claim me once and leave. No. He continually is committed to shaping me into truly being His, of the same heart and mind as Himself.

What the Lord has done for me, not just choosing me and saving me from my own sinfulness, but growing me and changing me and maturing me, and even being faithful to me when I'm tired and lonely and discouraged and being faithful in all His promises as One whom I can cling to and lean on in all things... what the Lord has done for me... it can only make me say "You are worthy of it all".

Every dream, fear, heartache, dislike, rejection, dejection, discouragement, difficulty that arrises... He is worth enduring all of it for because He chooses to continue to endure me.

And I think maybe if I can keep the Gospel at the forefront of my mind and go deeper and deeper into what it means and how it should affect me... maybe just maybe I'll find in me the same boldness that the early church had to sit in a jail and sing praises to the Lord even while chains held them down.

Whatever you're facing today, be it anxiety or tiredness, pain or illness, discouragement or trials ahead or behind you... I hope to remind you of the beauty of the Gospel and what the Lord has done in your life.

If He has done that much amazingness in you and me... He is surely trustworthy with lesser things than salvation of our souls.

~Isabel Grace

P.S. I have limited new member spots for the print club this month and it closes on Monday! If encouragement and exclusive artwork and Scripture arriving in your mailbox for only $12/month sounds like something you'd love, go grab your spot HERE! I'd love to have you!