free – My Cross Illuminated Art

Wow, it is November 2019. The time change added an additional hour to my 24 hours we call a day and I must say, it was a long day.

In the book of Joshua, it is written:

“As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites. On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”

Now there is a long day!

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This has become more of a commercial holiday in the USA as many gather for a Turkey dinner, full of sides and dessert made often from family recipes and handed down traditions of the family through the generations. There is Harvest Decorations, Horns of Plenty and all the colors of Autumn hanging everywhere. Some people use this day to go to the movies and take advantage of an empty theater before heading to get a dinner out instead of a family gathering around a home table.

Once, a large and very welcomed family tradition of gathering for thanks despite the ups and downs in life, it slowly has lost it’s meaning to give thanks for what bounty we have, for the provisions of food and family and friends and a whole lot more than we think about as we have so much, compared to most of the rest of the earth peopled. Today, sadly, this family gathering is replaced with technology and many have abandon giving thanks as the world seems to offer so many shiny objects that distract us which has lead us to become separated more and more from the one that provides, and from the family unit that is essential to our whole being.

Some months ago, there was an earthquake where I live. I wrote about it in an earlier blog. The services we take for granted were off or unavailable and instead of 10,000 channels and there is nothing on, we had 100,000 stars in the night sky to look at for many hours. We talked to our neighbors and found out though we were a long way from where we grew up, some where from our home town. Unknowingly, we were kindred souls from the same city. We had never known it, as we did not take the time.

We all made sure all around us were alright and we set in silence as we struggled to find things to do without the technology. We laughed, sadly, as we realized it took a shake to get us to step outside and talk with others. look at stars or miss our WiFi and the 10,000 channels of commercials we will never really watch.

When thanksgiving day comes, we might visit our family, but after we eat, we all sit around and we read a text, twitter or social media and rarely think to put down the devices and look and talk with the living breathing people in front of us and speak to them directly, tell a story, share an experience that can make a memory or two with our family and friends.

We should stop every day and give thanks. Yes, we are told hundreds of times to give thanks in God’s word. It is written, “be anxious for nothing, but in all things to come in prayer, supplications (our petitions) with Thanksgiving. Bring out every concern to GOD and the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

It is written: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thes. 5:18) Sometimes it is hard to give thanks for all things, or all circumstances as some translations state. Sure it is easy to give thanks for a fat Turkey, 3 type of dressing and all that comes with most traditional Thanksgiving feast at the Grandparents house. It is not so easy to give thanks for no job, homelessness, for sickness and for depression and struggle; no family to eat dinner with and no dinner itself.

However the scripture is clear “in everything” that is at it states. Basically it is the word ALL. If you look up the meaning in the Greek, ALL means exactly the same in Greek as in American English, in Hebrew and in most languages in the word. ALL means ALL and that is ALL, ALL means. There is no other translation of it, ALL is fully inclusive.

When you can’t pay the bills, it is hard to give thanks, but you must. When there is a blessing of help when you must clean up your yard after a windy storm, you give thanks, though you might have a broken leg, when help arrives with a smile from an unexpected friend you will be giving thanks, for the help and for the broken leg as the lack of the broken leg may not have brought the unexpected friend. Thanks should come even to the smallest and most insignificant items in your life. The big blessing are easy, but the tiny ones often seem to be overlooked, but they can be the most significant ones in your life and they should never be missed in being acknowledged in thankfulness. These are the times where GOD is doing more than you could ask or think.(Ephesians 3:20)

When I am creating my cross illuminated art frames, I give thanks for each one that I am able to complete without issue. They don’t always come to completion easily. I have had a few that took countless times of creation for the same one and it seemed it was not going to happen. However, despite the struggle, I eventually get it made, but there have been a few that giving thanks for came with a lot of struggle and in those while it was aggravating at times, these became some of my favorites.

While I am making the art frames, I often take a moment to give thanks that these crosses are a reminding symbol of where salvation began. I am thankful when I have found I have sinned somehow and have asked forgiveness for that sin. Though I know that Jesus Christ paid it already, I want not only to ask forgiveness as this is obedience, but also it is a reminder of thanks for a gift that is called an indescribable gift at the end of 2 Corinthians chapter 9.

I pray each person that comes and reviews this blog and my artwork understands the gift of Salvation. No matter who, what, where, when or how you or your life has been, you can be saved.

The Gospel message is simple and very transforming to your life. Just start and let the Love of Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit carry you to the gift of Salvation.

If you send an email requesting Salvation Prayer, you will be prayed for and we will make sure you get some information about taking the walk of Salvation.

If you want to know more about Salvation right now, please click that link below this sentence. Remember to consider others as you change your life and share with someone else so they have a chance to change their lives today.

The Gospel Message to Salvation

Remember, view the images that are posted in the NEW ART section of this website. If there is a link for “Enter Drawing” and you would like to have a chance to get one of the available Art Frames, don’t wait. The drawings are on the 28th day of each month when available. We will contact the winner and get the art frame shipped to you. There is no charges for this. To the winner of the drawing, it is freely given. We do not ask for any money for the Cross Illuminated Art that is given, not even shipping and handling.

Thank you for taking the time to view my Art and also to read and to share with others this website.

If there are any questions please send an email to info@mycrossilluminatedart.net

If you set the world away from your life for a moment and focus on the Cross and what it means, your life will be transformed. It all starts at the Cross, where Christ Jesus, paid it all for us all.

Click on the Cross at the right, see where His blood paid for our sins.

If you need prayer then send a request by clicking the word prayer.

Also if you would be interested in some of my art, then go to the New Art section and see what is available. Enter the drawing of any available NEW ART.

Focus on GOD through Jesus Christ, daily. If you will give GOD the focus, he will show you the reason he created you and if you commit your works to him, he will place the thoughts in your heart so you know what you should be accomplishing in your life.

God Bless and may his face shine upon you in 2019 !!!

Artist and believer in Jesus Christ,

Sharon Smith

Seems in 2019 the use of “Free” is making a come back. Of all the things you could use the word Free in association with is doing your Federal Taxes in the USA, with “free, free, free”. There is currently one commercial on media channels which Free, Free, Free is being touted.

In light of starting 2019, it might be of low importance though since the USA Government has been on hold to financially function until some political issues are resolved. Again as in a previous blog post, I think again of Isaiah 9:6 and the government shall be upon his shoulders. But I digress, back to free.

So what is Free, what is the origin of Free as a word? In etymology, one of the meanings of free is, “Sense of given without cost.” in some uses or languages or time of centuries past it was associated with a woman and the Love that a relationship could lead into. The word Free itself is in other terms of etymology as an adjective, which could be stated “word used to qualify, limit, or define a noun or noun-like part of speech”, seems odd that Free would be associated with the word that means to “qualify, limit or define” another word. So Free in itself supports some other word and is not a stand-alone word, but supports more than just FREE! A “Free Gift”, for instance, would put this into perspective.

The reality on earth is, there is nothing for free. Somebody, some entity, has to pay for it. As my husband has stated, “nothing is for free, somebody somewhere had to pay for it.” This even applies to our Holy Father in heaven above. While in Romans 5:8 it states this is a free gift, it still took the life in the flesh of GOD as Jesus Christ to pay for our sins to make a way for our salvation and that was a cost which goes above and beyond anything that compares with anything we as people in any capacity are capable of giving. I don’t mean to say that a soldier or a hero who went into a situation to fight for others to have life, liberty or freedom, to sacrifice themselves for others are not giving of themselves freely, but each of their sacrifices took from those in their lives, parents, brother’s, sister’s, family, friends, futures and all for others. Even Jesus Christ himself stated there was no better sacrifice than when a friend lays down his life for another, but that death other than for the Glorification of GOD still ends up costing the others that were a part of their lives.

Free on earth does not mean without obligations or strings. If you get something for free, the value of it can be taxed so you may have to shell out some money for the free thing. You might have to participate in a survey or try something for a time before free is given. Rarely, if ever, is anything completely free created by human beings on this earth.

Salvation is freely given, there is no obligation to accept it, but the gift is beyond compare and you will not get taxed, get a bill, there will be no collection after time because you don’t have the ability to pay and there are no long qualification steps to receive it. It is given already. There was the resurrection, but there is no repossession of your salvation once received. Christ was more than enough, so we don’t need to pray to GOD that Jesus needs to be nailed back on the cross because it did not cover your sins payment!

When historians changed from B.C. to A.D., salvation was available and it is something that could not be given until Jesus Christ died on the cross for us all and was resurrected. If you want humility, think of what GOD has given; Adam walked in the cool of the day with GOD. Even he, his first creation, did not receive the gift of Salvation as we have been offered. Adam’s sins were paid for, so Adam has that even though he died in the flesh before Jesus came and did so for us all. So we who have lived the past 2000 + years have the free gift of Salvation if we will accept it. It has no borders, it can be accepted 24 hours a day, 365.25 days per year and in any language, in any time zone and it can be received alone or in a group, on the mountain top or in a hole in the ground. (“There are no Atheists in a Fox Holes”)

“The same is true with God’s gift of salvation. To us it’s free, but it cost God the life of His Son. The reason is that on the cross Jesus Christ became the final sacrifice for our sins. He paid for our salvation with His blood.”

So when you see the word FREE, know that even the Creator of all there was and is and ever will be, could not give a free gift, without a cost, but don’t let what it cost go and not be received; “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.