Car Seats

February 27th, 2013 dsisler

I have two car seats in the back seat of my car. One for my granddaughter Joy who is 6 years old and one for my grandson Percy who is 2 years old. Those car seats certainly fill the back seat! And with the birth of Leslieanna I need a third car seat, but there’s no room!

 

Before I needed all of these car seats, I used to remove Joy’s seat from the car after each visit and replace it as needed. That got to be a little tiresome, so eventually I began leaving it in the car until I absolutely had to take it out.

 

I then realized something. Each time I looked into my back seat and saw that car seat, I knew someone loved me. I knew that regardless of what happened or what I did, someone loved me.

 

Now I have two car seats in my car most of the time! That means double the love! But I know in my heart that it’s triple the love! My heart is filled with love and joy when I look at those seats.

 

I’m sure you understand. There is probably something that you see that reminds you of how someone loves you. Perhaps your wedding band. Or a picture. Or maybe it is a location. Whatever it might be, when you see it, you know that someone loves you.

 

There are a few things that remind me that God loves me as well. Each time I see one, I know how much God loves me and what He was willing to do to so that I might be His child. I’ll share a few, but perhaps you have some of your own.

 

The Bible

I’ve had many through my lifetime, and in fact, have several sitting on my shelf right now. I’ve had leather and hard cover. Large and small. Small print and large print. I’ve even had different colors. But they have all meant the same thing. That God’s love for mankind was so great that He wanted to share His love with us. We read about His plan and His love in His Book.

 

The Lord’s Supper

As I sit with the emblems of the Lord’s Supper in my hands each week, I am reminded of God’s great love for me. What He was willing to do for me. That He would offer His Son as the sacrifice for the world. The representation of His shed blood and broken body bring me back to that point each week. To remember His love.

 

The Cross

In recent years, I was given a gold cross necklace by a dear friend. I couldn’t recall ever having one before. It has come to be an important piece of jewelry for me and I wear it quite often. As I put it on, I am reminded once again of God’s love for me. That Jesus suffered through it all, for me. I wear this symbol for all to see what great love the Father has for His children.

 

Maybe there are other things that bring your thoughts to God during the day. I pray that you do. I know that if my thoughts are directed to Jesus just a few more times each day, there will be less thoughts of this world in my head. More thoughts of God’s love will push out my own selfish thoughts.

 

I’m only sharing one verse of Scripture today. But it covers so much. It shows us how much God loves us.

 

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)

 

Car seats and love. For me, it’s what it’s all about…well at least part of it. What about you? What do you see that reminds you that someone loves you? I’d love to hear about it!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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It’s Cold Outside!

February 26th, 2013 dsisler

The past few days have been amazing! We’ve had snow, blizzard conditions, sunshine, a snow moon, cold temperatures and some beautiful scenery. However, with all the blowing snow and cold, I opted to stay indoors. I had remained indoors since last Friday…until last night.

 

My husband and I decided to run out to grab a bite to eat. So we bundled up and headed out. We rarely go to fast food joints, but we had heard of a sandwich we wanted to try.

 

We pulled into this local burger place and there were only two other cars in the parking lot, obviously belonging to the restaurant staff. There were no patrons in the restaurant except us. It was us and us alone.

 

After we ordered, the young man gave us a little number to place on our table and he said he would bring our food out. As we sat down, I chuckled and said, “Do you think he would have trouble finding us?”

 

It was a quiet dinner.

 

Do you ever feel lonely? I know that I do. Especially when I’m shut away from friends or fellow believers due to weather conditions. Someone mentioned recently how young mothers feel isolated when their children are ill. Loneliness can be an issue and we need to keep our eyes open for those who are lonely and then act.

 

So what are we to do when we feel lonely?

 

I believe it might be an opportunity to draw closer to God. Being holed up in my home for days on end are difficult for me, but pulling out God’s Word to read or a Bible study to work on draws me out of loneliness. Prayer time enriches my life. Meditation on God’s words allows God to work on and through me. God will always be my closest Companion. I pray you can say the same.

 

I also believe we have been given technology to keep us from becoming too lonely and isolated. Phones, computers, email, Facebook, and many more advances will keep us connected with others and stop the symptoms of loneliness. Pick up that phone and call a special friend. Check to see what family and friends are up to. Don’t isolate yourself emotionally just because you must be isolated physically.

 

If you are feeling lonely today, I offer some of God’s Word to encourage you. I pray they will lead and guide you to reach out to offset that feeling of loneliness.

 

“The news about him (Jesus) spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:15-16 – NIV)

 

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” (Psalm 25:16 – NIV)

 

“The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.” (1Timothy 5:5 – NIV)

 

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 15:18 – NIV)

 

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 18:20b – NIV)

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 14:5 – NIV)

 

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23 – NIV)

 

Please remember, God will never have trouble finding you!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Standing on the Promises

February 25th, 2013 dsisler

Do you remember that old hymn? I certainly do. However, as I sang it in years past, I am certain that I never fully understood the whole message. I probably didn’t really sing the words of this hymn. The message that not only does God keep His promises, but we can stand firm in knowing that He keeps His promises. Take a look at these lyrics.

 

Standing on the Promises

 

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.

Refrain:
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.[i]

 

Wow! What powerful words! Is there a line that speaks to you today? There were a few for me.

 

I’m working through a Bible study on prayer walking and at one point the author reminded me, “What God promises, He performs.”[ii] I don’t know about you, but I know there have been some of God’s promises that I’ve simply overlooked. Perhaps even ignored. But why? Why would we possibly do that?

 

Because if we ask for His promises to be fulfilled within us, then it’s time for us to go to work. We must do something with that fulfilled promise and that something means giving of ourselves.

 

Just think of what I’ve missed! Maybe you’ve missed it too! So today let me offer a few of the ideas from the short two pages of this book on God’s promises. See if you come to a different understanding as I have.

 

According to 2 Peter 1:3-4, we know God has given us promises. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

 

Yes, promises, but this verse points out that they are great and precious.

 

So what are some of the promises we’ve missed along the way or haven’t completely accepted? Let’s look at a few.

 

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 – NIV)

 

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 – NIV)

 

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” (Psalm 55:22 – NIV)

 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105 – NIV)

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 – NIV)

 

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 – NIV)

 

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26 – NIV)

 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 – NIV)

 

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26 – NIV)

 

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 – NIV)

 

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 – NIV)

 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5 – NIV)

 

There are plenty more where these came from…if you think you need more, just open God’s Word and allow Him to show them to you. You’ll be amazed.

 

Now, take a look at this paragraph from Randy Sprinkle.

 

“Prayer according to His promises is not only prayer according to His will, it is also already-being-answered prayer. As followers of Jesus, every promise to us carries an assured yes as we ask in faith (2 Corinthians 1:20).”[iii]

 

When we pray God’s promises, we are assured of a “yes.” How thrilling it is to receive His promises!

 

Promises made in this world sometimes disappoint, but God’s promises are always kept. Are always sure. Are always true. They are never disappointing.

 

Are you standing on God’s promises today?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna


[i] Standing on the Promises, Words & Music: R. Kel­so Car­ter, in Prom­is­es of Per­fect Love, by John Swe­ney and Kel­so Car­ter (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: John J. Hood, 1886

[ii] Follow Me, Randy Sprinkle, New Hope Publishers, 2001, pg. 54.

[iii] Follow Me, Randy Sprinkle, New Hope Publishers, 2001, pg. 55.

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The Heart of the Matter

February 24th, 2013 dsisler

I’ve done a bit of redecorating. Actually, I just moved one object, but what an object it is. I’ve had my husband’s grandfather’s ladder in my family room with quilts over it since we moved into this house. I love the look and it’s always been an eye appealing corner.

 

However, there are splinters the size of embroidery needles attached to this ladder. With grandkids galore, I now felt the necessity to move this ladder for their safety. My dilemma was where to move it.

 

After much deliberation, my decision was to place it on top of the hutch in the living room. It would accompany an old window frame and the pair would bring life to an otherwise bland looking wall.

 

You see, my living room walls are 17 feet high. They are the original color of the entire house…slightly off white…and something I’ve wanted to change from the beginning. But they are 17 foot high ceilings. It would take scaffolding to do the job and that’s just something we’ve opted to neglect.

 

So my goal has been to move my décor up in this large open space. But this was by far my biggest challenge. Remember the ladder has large splinters. The weight of the quilts make the ladder very awkward to move. The hutch stands 6 foot high.

 

Our biggest fear was that the ladder would come tumbling down off the top of the hutch. We had to secure the ladder to keep that from happening.

 

After much deliberation, a piece of board was screwed into the top of the hutch to rest the bottom of the ladder on. It should, no it will hold the ladder in place. Short of an earthquake (which is not completely out of the question here in Colorado), the ladder has found its new home.

 

This may seem like an extreme idea. An idea that might have seemed impossible to some. There were moments I had my doubts, but in the end, I knew it was the perfect location for this piece of family history.

 

I’m not the only one with extreme ideas. God had a few of His own and His Son, Jesus brought some of those extreme ideas to life.

 

While in the Old Testament God presented commandments to His people, Jesus presented a new covenant in the New Testament, and Jesus took this covenant to a new level.

 

Jesus said that even if you felt hatred or anger toward another, you were committing murder (Matthew 5:21-22).

 

Jesus spoke of the thought of another was adultery (Matthew 5:27-30).

 

Jesus taught in Matthew 6:21 (NIV) about our hearts and treasure. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Jesus preached that it was the state of their hearts that was sinful. In Mark 7:20-23 (NIV), we read these words of Jesus. “What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.”

 

I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I believe this pretty much clears it up for us. According to Jesus, it isn’t just our actions that are sinful, our thoughts and what we harbor in our hearts can be sinful as well.

 

Perhaps this is why Jesus tells us the state of His heart in Matthew 11:29 (NIV). “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

 

As we allow our hearts to be more like Christ’s heart, our words and our actions, as well as our motives are shifted dramatically. Our sinful hearts no longer have dominion. The gentle and humble heart of Christ is reflected through us.

 

Paul encouraged the Colossian Church with his words in Colossians 3:1 (NIV). “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”

 

As we set our hearts on heaven and God’s kingdom, our love for God and others is more visible. 1 Timothy 1:5 (NIV) says, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” All of our actions must be accompanied by love.

 

And as we set our hearts on things above, we also find strength. “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13 – NIV)

 

And we find encouragement. “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:17 – NIV)

 

And we find direction. “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 – NIV)

 

It is a heart thing. But we are not on this journey of transforming our hearts on our own. Jesus is with us through the entire transformation. And what a dramatic change. Not just one that we see, but one that the world sees as well. For if we do not share this transformation with others, it is useless (James 2:14).

 

I am excited that as I sit at my desk, I can see the new home of my ladder bearing the weight of its quilts. It is a new focal point and one where my eyes will be drawn frequently.

 

I am also excited that the eyes of my heart have a focal point. It is Jesus and the hope and glorious inheritance I have found in Him.

 

“I pray also that they 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 – NIV)

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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God’s Name

February 23rd, 2013 dsisler

A name. It is part of what defines you. Sometimes people hear a name and say, “it fits that person.” Sometimes, not so much. When children are born, we take great lengths to find the perfect name for the child. It might be given before birth or perhaps after, but still it is not given without great deliberation.

 

My children were no different. Philip Daniel, Candace Lee, and Bethany Joy were all given with great care and thought. Each named after a person or simply because we liked a name. And each of their names can be found in the Bible…Philip and Candace in the same chapter of the book of Acts.

 

Names are important. They have been since the beginning of time. Adam took the time to name each animal God had created. The final name he gave was to Eve, his perfect mate.

 

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah in Genesis 17. He gave the name of Israel to Jacob in Genesis 32. And in the New Testament, we see Jesus changing the name of Simon to Peter in Matthew 16, after Peter’s confession of Christ.

 

With these new names, their lives were changed. Changed to be committed people of God. Their new names would reflect who they belonged to. The Lord.

 

Also in Scripture, we see many names for God. But I don’t want to look at the list of names; I want to discuss The Name.

 

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10 NKJV)

 

Wow! This verse tells us that His Name is amazing and powerful. Yet sometimes we dismiss it, forget it, or ignore its power. There are other verses that lead us to this conclusion as well.

 

Psalm 8:1 – “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”

 

Isaiah 12:4 – “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.”

 

Micah 5:4 – “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

 

Deuteronomy 28:58 – “…revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God.”

 

His Name. That’s it. The Proverbs passage tells us His Name is a strong tower. That in His Name there is great strength and protection. Simply in His Name.

 

And what are we to do? We are to run to it for safety. Run. Directly to him. We see from the following passages how we are to run.

 

Psalm 119:32 – “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

 

1 Corinthians 9:26 – “Do not run like someone running aimlessly.”

 

Hebrews 23:1a-2b – “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

 

The Amplified Version adds some insight into the Proverbs passage. Take a look.

 

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong.” (Proverbs 18:10)

 

The consistently righteous man knows where the power is. It is in the Name of God. He knows outside the safety of the strong tower, evil will be there to lure him into its clutches.

 

I didn’t care for my name for years and I really don’t like the song “Donna,” even though I hear it quite often from people. But through the years I’ve come to enjoy hearing my name. Especially from those who love me.

 

I look forward to the day when Jesus calls me by name, and then writes my new name on a white stone. I wonder what that name will be?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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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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    In September 2012 I went to SE Asia on a service trip. For more information, check out preachitclearly.blogspot.com.

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