Overflowing Thankfullness

June 15th, 2012 dsisler

I love holidays…all holidays. Holidays equal celebrations for me. And if I’m anything, I’m a party girl. I love to host parties. I love to create celebrations. Therefore, I love holidays! If you were to follow me on Pinterest, you would find that my largest board is for Entertaining/Food Art.

A favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, for several reasons, but I think it is a great reminder of how we, as Christians, should be living daily. With thankful hearts.

I was awakened in the middle of the night to rain. Big rain drops falling on the roof. It was a refreshing. But it was also a reason to be thankful. I thanked God in that moment. And I prayed that the rain was falling on the fires in the mountains.
Last week I was driving the grandkids home. On a stretch of highway, a vehicle decided to return to the highway. The problem was that he wanted to be where I was. I couldn’t move over. I blew my horn. He saw my vehicle. Instead of stopping, he continued driving, but he stayed off the road until I could get around him. I thanked God in that moment.
On many occasions, I wake early in the morning and know my blog post for the day hasn’t been written. I lie awake in bed wondering what the topic should or might be. Then suddenly, an idea begins to formulate. Concepts form into words. A blog post is being written within the confines of my brain. I thank God in those moments.
Thankful. Yes I was thankful in these moments, but am I thankful all the time? Do I live a thankful life? I don’t think so. I believe I’m better than I was, but I still have work to do.
There are three verses in Scripture that mention thankfulness in a way that intrigues me. They mention being more than thankful. They talk about overflowing with thankfulness.
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7 – NIV)
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15 – NIV)
“This service that you perform is not only supply the need of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:12 – NIV)
I may be thankful, but I don’t “overflow in many expressions of thanks to God.” How sad is that? God calls us to be thankful. God desires that our hearts be softened to thanksgiving. And it is for our own good.
When our hearts are geared toward thanksgiving, life is fulfilling. Life is satisfying. Life is good. But it is only good when God is smack dab in the middle of it all.
What if you don’t feel like you are overflowing with thanksgiving? “What is wrong with me?” you might ask. Maybe this verse will open your eyes to an issue.
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3-4 – NIV)
If there is evidence of any of these sins in your life, it will hinder thanksgiving. Sin separates us from God and keeps our minds from dwelling upon Him. Under those circumstances, we cannot imagine thanking God for anything.
When our minds go immediately to thanking God in all situations, we are on the path to living a life with thankful hearts, overflowing with thanksgiving. I can’t say that I thank God in each situation, but I know when I should express my gratitude. I am working on this one.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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The Car Store

June 14th, 2012 dsisler

I just love the excitement of children when they see something new or different. They simply cannot contain that excitement and don’t really care who is around to hear it.
This past week, I had to stop into a car dealership to pick up a part for my husband. I had my granddaughter Joy with me, so together we walked into the showroom. She could not believe her eyes! “There are cars in here! Pretty cars! It’s a car store!”
The receptionist was an older woman; probably a great grandmother and she just chuckled. She thought Joy’s reaction was priceless. Joy’s excitement was contagious. Yes, there were cars in this store. It was a car store!
We picked up the part and headed toward the door. But Joy wasn’t finished. She asked if she could look at all the cars. So we spent a few moments going around each one. She touched them. She was impressed with how clean they were. How shiny they were. How they sparkled.
Life through a five-year olds eye is precious and special.
How refreshing it is to watch and listen to our young. They repeat words and phrases we say. They mimic our actions. They are watching. Very closely.
So I have to ask myself, “Am I living the life that I want my grandchildren to mimic? Is my vocabulary free of words that I would not want to hear from the mouths of my grandchildren?” Perhaps I’m doing okay, but I know I could be a better example.
I then must ask, “What do I want my children and grandchildren to learn from me? What do I need to do to make sure they have heard my (God’s) message loud and clear?”
I must teach it. Deuteronomy gives us two verses about teaching our children and grandchildren about God. “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart a long as you live. Teach them to your children and their children after them.”(Deuteronomy 4:9 – NIV)
In regard to teaching about God’s commands, He says, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”(Deuteronomy 11:19 – NIV) I have a responsibility as a parent and grandparent to teach them what God has taught me.
I must live it. This one is a hard one. Mainly because these are the people who see me in my relaxed mode. Who observe me when I don’t have to have my “good face” on. Nevertheless, I must live it. I’m commanded to do so.
Colossians 1:10-12 (NIV) has some good words to live by. “And we pray this in order that you may life a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” I think there is a good sermon in these few verses! I may need to write these down to read daily! Perhaps even memorize them!
I must pray. Jesus prayed for future believers in John 17:20 (NIV) and we should follow His example in this area. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.”
And Romans 12:12 (NIV) says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  We cannot assume that someone else is going to be praying for our children and grandchildren. We must fall to our knees with diligence and faithfulness.
I must trust. Trust that their lives are in God’s hands and that He will care for them. David knew about this trust. In Psalm 37:5-6 (NIV), he says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
He also reminds us in Psalm 62:8 (NIV), “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
We can only do our part, but because we do our part in this, we find assurance in Paul’s words. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 – NIV) I cannot think of anything else I’d rather have than hope. Hope that God will come through for me and my family.
This wasn’t the only time Joy was excited during our week together, but it was a memorable one. I am thankful that God is able to fill her with this same excitement. Now I just need to wait. Patiently. But that is another blog post for another day!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Fire on the Mountain

June 13th, 2012 dsisler

Coloradans are facing a large wild fire in the mountains where we live. Yesterday there was a heavy cloud of smoke over much of north central Colorado. Wind causes a great deal of concern in the burn area. Wind blows the smoke away, but makes fire control much more difficult. If there is no wind, a cloud of heavy smoke fills the air, but the fire is easier to handle.

Unfortunately, wild fires in Colorado are a part of life. We live in a windy area with very dry climate. We have battled the pine beetle and have lost. There are thousands of trees in the foothills that are dead and completely dry. The smallest spark can cause a brush fire and it can spread very quickly.
Many homes and structures have been destroyed and one life has been lost. It is a sad situation.
It is a daunting task to fight the blaze. It is a daunting task to rescue residents and livestock from the area. It is a daunting task to house, feed, and clothe the number of displaced evacuees.
For those who are on the front lines, my prayers are lifted for your safety. For those who have lost everything, my prayers are lifted for your comfort and God’s peace.
It does seem that this raging fire is winning. But we have hope that today will bring some relief to the efforts and that the firefighters and tankers will begin to gain control of these flames. 

David was displaced and down cast on many occasions. But he knew where his hope had to land. In God. In Psalm 42 (NIV), David shares some of his thoughts on his situation.

“As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While men say to me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
How I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
Therefore I will remember you
From the land of the Jordan,
The heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
All your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God my Rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?’
My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.”
Hope is an essential element in our lives. Without it, we would give up. We would continue to be downcast. But with hope, we have something to look forward to. Something to fight for. Something worth continuing day-to-day through the fires of this life.
I know where my hope lies. It is in the same God whom David placed his hope. The same God who is my living God. My Rock. Who directs me by day with His everlasting love and who sings a lullaby to me at night. My God, my life.
Yes my prayers are with those in direct contact with the fire and those affected by its destruction, but my main prayer is that they seek this same God to help them through this situation. I pray that you also find hope in my God.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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The B-I-B-L-E

June 12th, 2012 dsisler

I watched a documentary with my husband last night that he had recorded a while ago. The documentary revolved around Thomas Jefferson’s book, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth[i]. The documentary was about the conservation of the book, the process of this conservation, and film of how it was repaired. That part of the documentary was very interesting and filled with information that held my interest.
Throughout the documentary, it described Jefferson’s philosophy for creating this book. He purchased two English versions, two Greek versions, and one French version of the Bible. He then began cutting out portions of Scripture where Jesus interacted with others and pasted them onto sheets of paper that would later be bound into a book.
Jefferson’s goal was to have a book filled with only the teachings of Jesus. The parts he chose to eliminate were miracles. All of them. There isn’t an angel appearing to Mary. No miraculous conception of Jesus. There are no healings. No calming of storms. There are no raisings from the dead. Including Jesus’ own resurrection.
This is where Jefferson lost me. I understand his desire was to only document Jesus’ teachings, but part of Jesus’ teachings on morals brought miracles into play. My faith in what God’s Word says drives me to be a moral person. And without the miracles and definitely the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Gospel doesn’t exist.
We must not dilute God’s plan. The Gospel is God’s plan for mankind’s salvation. So what can we find in God’s Bible about the Gospel?
Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9:16 (NIV), “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” The gospel must be preached. We are compelled to preach it…completely. A total package.
Paul also says, “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:2 – NIV) We cannot be saved by anything other than the full gospel.
Then of course, we see that Satan is working hard to keep us from understanding the gospel as a whole and shares in the perversion of the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 4:2 and Galatians 1:7 we see how Satan works.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2 – NIV)
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:7 – NIV)
Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 1:17 (NIV) that the cross of Christ loses its power if the gospel is not preached. “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
And finally, 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NIV) tells us that we are entrusted with the gospel and that it is God who tests our hearts. “We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.”
Perhaps I am being too hard on Jefferson. After all, he created this work for his own use. His desire was to learn exactly what Jesus said about being a moral person. He never intended it to be published, and it was not published during his lifetime. He read from it daily to learn Jesus’ words to live by. So why didn’t he just read from the Bible?
Someone once asked me about a book suggestion. They were looking for something to read through the summer and thought I might know of a new author to help them reflect upon God. My suggestion? Read the Bible. God’s Word says it best. No one can make His point better than God himself.
So if you’re looking for a great book to read for the summer, pick up God’s book. Read it…daily. I can guarantee it to be the best reading material and your life and outlook will never be the same.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

[i]The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Thomas Jefferson, 1820.
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Bethany’s Star

June 11th, 2012 dsisler

Several years ago, I bought my youngest daughter a star. A real star, out there in space.  When we received the information, the coordinates for her star were included so that we could go in search of that star.
Unfortunately, I have no clue where all that information is. I couldn’t tell you where her star is for certain. She might be able to, but I don’t know for sure. So for me, that star is lost. It really is out there in a big sky with millions of other stars.
I’ve since read that stars aren’t reallyfor sale. That makes sense. I mean, how can I say, “That’s my star!” when in reality someone else has probably purchased that very same star. It isn’t something I can hold or visit or re-gift.
Stars have held mankind captive since God placed them in the sky. They’ve been used by God to give emphasis to a promise (Genesis 22:17). They were used in dreams as examples (Genesis 37:9; Daniel 8:10). Mankind bowed down and worshiped stars (2 Kings 21:3). Stars signaled the end of a work day (Nehemiah 4:2). They praise God (Psalm 148:3).

A very special start guided the Magi to the Messiah (Matthew 2:2). And Jesus is referred to as the “bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).
We too are called to be stars. Paul shares a section of Scripture in Philippians 2:12-18 that is titled, “Shining as Stars.” There are some great concepts in this section, but Paul encourages the Philippian Church to be a bright light in the darkened world. To be beacons drawing those caught in darkness to Jesus.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” (Philippians 2:14-16a – NIV)
As Christians, we have the light, the word of life. It is only natural that we share it with others who need it so desperately.
And in 2 Peter 1:19, Peter explains that because we have Scripture (the word of the prophets), we should pay attention to them. We should listen and obey until the “morning star rises in your hearts.” I love this phrase. Has the morning star risen in your heart? It has in mine! And for certain, it draws me to God’s light daily. Hourly.
I don’t know where Bethany’s star is. It’s there, but with all the others in the sky, it’s difficult to pick out that special one. I am thankful that the Bright Morning Star is much easier to find and to spend personal time with. I pray that you too are in His presence daily.
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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