The Sunday before Christmas

December 22nd, 2013 dsisler

It’s hard to believe that yet another year has passed and we are nearing the celebration of our Savior’s birth.

 

The message of Jesus’ birth has been heard in messages all across the world during December and these messages have led up to this message. Christmas is coming!

 

These next few days are some of favorite of the year. The Sunday before Christmas leads us directly to Bethlehem. And on Christmas Eve, we are there. We hear the announcement of the Christ child’s birth. We sing with the angels and shepherds. We glorify God for the gift of His Son. We celebrate the redemption of mankind. And we each experience a night of remembrance.

 

I pray that you will find peace in this season. I know some of you are going through difficult times. But I still pray that you’ll find peace. Jesus came as the Prince of Peace and He offers His peace (Philippians 4:7) to those who love Him.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance! Merry Christmas!

 

Building a Doll House: Christmas Morning – Chapter 13

 

Christmas morning arrived. It was time for Joy to see her dollhouse for the first time. However, it was a pretty large gift and would not fit under the tree. So I created a scavenger hunt for her to search for her gift. The hunt ended in the guest room where Joy found her doll house.

 

Christmas 2010 006mmmmmmmmmmmAll the anticipation leading to this moment was worth it. Wondering whether she would like her doll house disappeared the moment she saw it. When Joy saw the doll house, her face told us how she felt. The excitement, the thrill, the joy. It was all there. Expressed by wondering eyes, a smile that melts the heart, and uncertainty of where to begin the exploration. It was priceless!

 

I wonder if this isn’t how God feels when we accept Him as our Father and His Word as our guide to live by. When we get the picture that it isn’t all about “me.” When we willingly and cheerfully give of ourselves to others. Then He looks at us with joy in His heart. With excitement that cannot be contained.

 

He is the Designer and when His creation accepts the challenge to be as He originally designed, God is most satisfied and thrilled by our actions.

 

Christmas 2010 013mmThe Apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in Thessalonica to live lives that pleased God. Take a look at these words. “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1 – NIV)

 

This group of people were pleasing God by their actions and their attitudes. But that didn’t mean they had reached their goal. They needed to keep on doing what they were doing, but do it more and more. So what lifestyle is pleasing to God? Let’s continue with this passage to find out.

 

Paul begins with being sanctified. Sanctified means to be holy or blameless. To be set apart for holiness. There are other passages that call us to be holy. Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:9; and 1 Peter 1:15 to name a few. It means we must live to please God instead of our sinful nature.

 

Which Paul mentions next. “You should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3a-6 – NIV) In order to please God, we must rid ourselves of anything that is displeasing to Him. Our hearts and minds must be pure of sexual immorality, lust, and uncontrollable urges.

 

Paul then moves to our treatment of others. He instructs them to be careful not to wrong another brother or take advantage of him. (1 Thessalonians 4:6) As we come to a better understanding of how God wants us to live, we acknowledge the second greatest commandment. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31 – NIV) Paul was simply restating Jesus’ words.

 

In the next section, Paul encourages these brothers to treat others well, but also to grow their brotherly love. They obviously were doing so, but Paul told them they could improve. “You do love all the brothers throughout Macdeonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:10 – NIV) Regardless of how much we love, we can love more. It is part of what pleases God.

 

This group of Christians were then asked to “make it their ambition” to do a few more things. To lead a quiet life. To mind their own business. To work with their hands. To live lives that will win respect of outsiders. To be independent of others. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

 

For me, this seems like an odd list of objectives for living a holy life. The only directive that seems to be related to God in any way is the section about winning the respect of others. That our holy lives would reflect God and that would bring others to Christ. But clearly, these elements are to be pursued. Pursued ambitiously!

 

I suspect by using these guidelines to live by, we would have less opportunity to allow sin to creep into our lives. A quiet life would imply that carousing isn’t taking place. Minding our own business would imply that our lives are free of gossip. Working with our hands would imply that we desire to accomplish good, not evil. Being independent in our well-being would imply that laziness is absent.

 

In all of these areas then, others for certain would see God working in us and through us. Our holy lives would indeed win the respect of non-believers.

 

And holy lives are pleasing to God. I said it earlier, but it is worth repeating. God is the Designer and when His creation accepts the challenge to be as He originally designed, God is most satisfied and thrilled by our actions. Tweet this.

 

So, what steps are you taking today to live a holy life? What ambitions have you set for yourself? What more do you need to do?

 

As Paul said, “do so more and more.” There is always room for improvement. Each of us can move a little closer to God. And in doing so, we are living a life that is pleasing to Him.

 

Many playful hours have been spent in the rooms of the doll house. And I suspect there will be many more to come. This play area has brought great pleasure to our granddaughter, but to be honest, it brings great pleasure to my husband and me as well.

 

Each moment Joy spends rearranging furniture or playing with “the family” brings joy to my heart. Her imagination, her enthusiasm, and her enjoyment make the building of this doll house all that more meaningful. And I smile!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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The Poinsettia

December 21st, 2013 dsisler

Let me tell you a story. It’s a legend actually, from Mexico. It is one that is told over and over, especially at this time of year and it is about the poinsettia.

 

In this legend, a poor girl names Pepita wanted to take a gift to the Christ child. But she had nothing of value to bring to the child. Her cousin Pedro told Pepita that the gift itself didn’t matter. If she offered her gift with a heart filled with love, anything would be an acceptable gift for the Christ child.

 

Pepita began gathering weeds and created a bouquet. As she lay her gift at the Christ child’s feet God was touched. He was moved to action. This small gift of weeds was transformed into beautiful flowers. And not just any flower, but into poinsettias. Each brilliant red and shaped like the Christmas star.

 

poinsettia

 

I love poinsettias…they are red, they are readily available at Christmas and they remind me of what Christmas is all about. Jesus. But I must tell you, when I heard this legend, I thought of the wonder of the whole Christmas story. That God was interested in sharing His Son with the world (and me). Of what the birth of His Son represented (redemption of mankind). But especially what happens when a heart filled with love accepts Jesus as their Savior.

 

Transformation, like the weeds to poinsettias, is what Jesus evokes within us. We want to be different because of the gift from God. We can offer our hearts and lives to him in their worst state (like the weeds) and when Jesus is finished, our hearts and lives are transformed into something beautiful and useful (like the poinsettia).

 

Romans 12:2 (NIV) is a passage that I use quite often in my writing. When we offer our lives to God for His use, we must be different. We must be changed. We must be transformed. And this verse says it best. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 

What a promise! Transformation allows us to know God’s will for our lives. We are able to follow His ways and guidance with peace because we know how good, pleasing and perfect His will is for our lives.

 

We often ignore God’s will and the understanding of His will. When we do so, we are bound to live our lives with uncertainty. With unrest. With no clear direction. But when we allow God’s Spirit to transform us, we are able to see more clearly the path God has laid for our lives. It’s in that transformation that we find confidence, peace, and direction.

 

These days poinsettias come in many shapes, sizes and colors. They are each beautiful in their own way. Maybe this is our way of understanding that we are all unique. We each come to God at different times in our lives under different circumstances. But the real gift is that God takes us where we are and creates beauty from weeds we lay at His feet.

 

I don’t know where you are in your life today. Maybe today is the da that you need to offer the “weeds” to God. Maybe you need to offer God your heart with love. If you do, His transformation will be amazing. Perhaps even miraculous! And isn’t that what the Christmas season is about?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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How Are You Living?

December 20th, 2013 dsisler

I write a lot about how we are to live. Probably because it’s difficult to live up to God’s expectations. And it’s not just for you, my reader. My writings on living-the-right-kind-of-life are for me as well. We all fall short in this area, but I find that when encouraged (and of course allowing God’s Spirit to do the leading), we find the ability to live according to God’s plans.

 

PoppysPerhaps you’ve read this quote. “Live that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” (Will Rogers) While there is some humor in this quote, I believe there is a real message for us. So let’s take a moment to peruse our lives and see how we are to live.

 

There is a single verse in the book of Acts that tells a great story of the Berean people, but it also sheds some light into the way we should be living our lives. Acts 17:11 (NIV) says, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day.”

 

I see three areas in which the Bereans excelled.

 

First, they were noble in character. They far exceeded the Thessalonians in this area. While Paul and Silas were in Thessalonica, the Jews who were not persuaded by Paul’s teaching became disgruntled.

 

This group hired “some bad characters,” thugs as we might call them. These thugs stirred up the crowd and soon a mob was formed and rioting began. Paul and Silas fled for their lives.

 

The Bereans weren’t like this. They had chosen to listen peacefully to all that Paul and Silas had to say. They were noble in character.

 

We, like the Bereans, are called to live noble lives (Proverbs 12:4). Have hearts stirred by a noble theme (Psalm 45:1). Think noble thoughts (Philippians 4:8). Have noble purposes (2 Timothy 2:20-21). Plan noble plans (Proverbs 12:4).

 

Outstanding qualities are what defines nobility. We must live lives where others might say what was said of the people living in Berea.

 

Second, the Bereans eagerly received Paul and Silas’ message. Their desire was to learn all that Paul and Silas had to teach them.

 

Are you eager to receive God’s message? Do you long to hear God’s Word preached? Are you listening to what God has to say to you?

 

God has given us a message that is filled with hope, joy, and grace. Why wouldn’t we want to eagerly listen?

 

James takes this idea one step further. James 1:22 (NIV) says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

 

Yes, we must listen and learn, but we then must put that knowledge into action. We must be willing to take that same eagerness of hearing the message and then eagerly follow God’s teachings.

 

Eager receiving equals changed lives.

 

Third, they checked Scripture for themselves to see if Paul and Silas’ message was an accurate one. I love this little section of Scripture because it tells me that the Old Testament scrolls housed in the Synagogue were available for the people to study.

 

The Bereans wanted to know if what Paul and Silas were preaching fell in line with God’s Word. And, after careful examination, they knew that it did. Because it was a continuation of God’s story. It was the best part of the story. Salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

When was the last time you pulled out your copy of God’s Word to see if what you heard was in line with Scripture? I hope it’s often. I would even pray that you check all that I write in this blog.

 

My reason for thinking this way? When you study God’s Word, when your knowledge of what He has to say grows, when you want to know the fullness of Scripture, then you will be blessed beyond words.

 

We can take an example from Timothy. Paul shares his charge to Timothy in 2Timothy 3:14-17 (NIV).

 

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

Knowing Scripture will take you to the highest of heights. It will change you. God’s Word will teach, rebuke, correct and train as you learn from it. And best of all, God will be able to use you in a far greater way because you will be equipped.

 

We can learn quite a bit from this one verse of Scripture and from the Bereans. I pray that each of us will find an eagerness to be in God’s Word daily. To hear His message as often as it is presented. And to live noble lives that praise, honor, and glorify God.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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What Do I See?

December 19th, 2013 dsisler

I am nearsighted. Now if you’re trying to remember how this works, when you’re nearsighted you can see things that are up-close but things further away seem blurry.

 

I have tried bi-focals on several occasions, but they just never seemed to work for me. So when I need to read or use the computer, I simply remove my glasses and do my reading. It works relatively well, but it isn’t perfect.

 

When I worked at the bookstore earlier this year, I would find myself taking my glasses off somewhere in the shop, being distracted by a phone call or customer and then having to search for my glasses. It got to be quite funny. I’m sure my glasses were playing a little hide and seek game with me.

 

Now as I sit at a computer most of my day, my glasses sit next to my computer. I try to return them to my face as soon as someone walks into my office, but that doesn’t always happen. I’ve had to explain the whole bi-focal thing on several occasions.

 

DSC02513Within the past few months I’ve had an eye exam. My eye sight has improved! In fact, over the past few years, my eye sight has steadily improved. Well, my nearsightedness has improved.  My far sightedness has remained the same, however.

 

I was actually pretty excited about it. I hoped that one day I would be able to toss my glasses completely. Then I mentioned it to my youngest daughter. She used to work in the optical department at a local eye glass store and she mentioned that at my age it is common for this phenomenon to occur.

 

Wow was I disappointed! Of course, the “at my age” conversation wasn’t all that fun either.

 

I have learned through the years how important eyesight can be. Knowing people who have lost their sight due to disease or accident has helped me to see that this is one sense that I would be disappointed to lose.

 

But what about our spiritual sight. Am I spiritually nearsighted? Am I sometimes too focused on myself to miss what others are battling? Do I see things that are up-close in focus but things further away seem blurry? Yes, sometimes I believe I fall into this trap.

 

If I’m really honest, I might even say that it occurs more often than not.

 

Jesus had something to say about this during the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23 – NIV)

 

When my eyes are strictly focused on myself or those closest to me, I miss the opportunity to be filled with God’s light. But sometimes this is so difficult to do. So where do we begin to widen the view we see with our eyes?

 

Psalm 16:8 (NIV) shares how David was able to do so. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” We must keep our eyes upon God.

 

We also must keep God’s commands and precepts in sight. Psalm 19:8 (NIV) says, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

 

We must turn from worthless things. “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” (Psalm 119:37 – NIV) Focusing on things that are not important will draw our attention away from God’s purpose. Worthless things will always cause farsightedness.

 

When we’ve set our eyes upon God, focused on His precepts, and turned from worthless things, our eyesight will improve!

 

The passage of Scripture that I have used as the structure for this blog is from Ephesians 1:18 (NIV). “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…”

 

I am certain that each of us would want this for ourselves. For our spiritual eyes to be unselfish. For our spiritual eyes to be healthy. For our spiritual eyes to have 20/20 vision.

 

It is possible. But it will take effort on your part. You will need to open your spiritual eyes to see what God is preparing for you. You will need to open your spiritual eyes to see others before yourself. You will need to open your spiritual eyes to God’s wonderful law and see how His light will shine through your eyes.

 

All this I pray for you!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Hugs from Heaven

December 18th, 2013 dsisler

I forgot I had this little book on my shelf. It’s one that I’ve had for several years, but have never taken the time to read through it. It’s a small book and only 111 pages long. You might equate it to a devotional book.

 

DSC03873mThe title is what caught my attention years ago, “Hugs from Heaven: The Christmas Story.”[i] The author takes a few passages of Scripture and turns them into a real story. The story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25 ; Luke 1:26-38). She brings them to life and through the combination of Scripture and quotes is able to create an excitement about the first Christmas.

 

I also find great beauty in this little book. The pages are filled with beautiful artwork that draws the eye toward gold holly leaves and spirals and swirls and calligraphy. Each page offers more of the story and a visual surprise.

 

And yet, there is more. Before each chapter, G. A. Myers shares a little devotional thought to prepare the reader for the next phase in the life of Mary and Joseph. One in particular caught my attention.

 

We celebrate Christmas near the end of the year. A mere six days before the start of the New Year. Perhaps the year has brought disappointments. Disturbances. Emotional stress. Financial difficulties. Unemployment. And this list could go on.

 

With the season of hope that Christmas creates and the possibilities of what the New Year could bring, we can put aside the worries and cares of the past year. We can move forward with renewed hope because of what Christmas represents.

 

We too, like Mary and Joseph, can offer ourselves to God to use in the New Year. We can say, “I trust You, God, because You are faithful.” We can believe God’s Words, “Do not fear; God is here.”

 

I cannot even imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt during these days leading up to the birth of the Messiah, but to see their great trust in God is so impressive. They took God’s Words to heart and made it their lifestyle. And they were given a treasured responsibility. To raise God’s Son as their own.

 

When we place our trust in God as Mary and Joseph did, God will use us in remarkable ways. Whether they are big or small, God will use a willing heart to do remarkable things for His Kingdom.

 

My question to you today is “Do you trust Him?” If so, let’s hold on to the hope we receive through this Christmas season and carry it over into the New Year. God is just waiting to share some news with you.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna


[i] “Hugs from Heaven: The Christmas Story,” G.A. Myers with personalized Scripture by LeAnn Weiss, Howard Publishing Co., West Monroe, LA, 1999, pg. 18-19.

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    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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