For weeks now, I've been trying to think of something to say to try to encourage you and keep you moving in a forward motion. Honestly, though, I'm feeling rather defeated myself, and it's a lot of work trying to keep myself moving forward at the moment. I'm learning things in the process, though, and thought I'd share this with you:

Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. Remember this. Grasp this truth. The Bible promises this:

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Cor. 15:58 NLT)

Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. Every comment you give to encourage someone, every honest prayer you send up, every image you draw, every page you complete, every manga chapter you pump out for the Lord... They are not useless, not a single one, EVER.

Do NOT get discouraged. Nothing you do for the Lord is useless!

We have a tendency to measure our success, our usefulness, based on worldly standards—have enough people looked at this to make an impact? Am I good enough to even bother doing this? Popular enough? Reaching enough people? We end up striving for these things, longing for these things...

But your job isn't to make yourself succeed. Please stop trying. You'll wear yourself out and discourage yourself... You might even give up. And then you move yourself out of the position where God uses you from.

C. S. Lewis wrote, "It is not your business to succeed, but to do right: when you have done so, the rest lies with God." Proverbs 2:7 says "[God] holds success in store for the upright..." Success is God's business, not yours. And it comes in his time, not yours.

Your only job is to obey.

Stop trying to force your success; let God take care of it. And be grateful for what you have. Those few people who adore your art? Your manga? SUCCESS! Reach out to them! Encourage them! Build them up! Be faithful with what God has given you now to the best of your ability! Little is much when God is in it; one life redeemed makes all of heaven rejoice. Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless!!

And when you are faithful with little, you position yourself to receive more. "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21, 23); "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much..." (Luke 16:10).

Obey. Do right. Be thankful for what you've been given. Use it well. Keep moving forward and keep doing your best. No matter how small your position seems right now, from heaven's perspective, it's not useless. And don't give up—be faithful even with little. God will handle everything else.

Don't be discouraged!!! Nothing, NOTHING you do for the Lord is useless. Not now, when you feel invisible. Not EVER.



Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to draw an image based on the following phrase:

47. Creation

You may submit your finished challenge piece into the Completed Works - Color, Completed Works - Manga, or Completed Works - Critique Please folders. Let's get some more of your awesome artwork and characters out there!!

Good luck rising to the challenge, all! Have fun!

Deadline: Sunday, June 3rd

(100-theme challenge taken from here)



TG Community Chat Night | Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 @ 6:53PM (Central Time)
     Join us in the chat room at the Twelve Gates forum! Make friends, meet artists, talk manga! ...And other stuff!



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Upcoming deadlines:

     July 2012 issue: submissions due June 21, 2012
     September 2012 issue: submissions due August 21, 2012
     November 2012 issue: submissions due October 21, 2012
     January 2013 issue: submissions due December 21, 2012



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