My Desire

April 21st, 2012 dsisler

Winter came. The leaves fell off the branches of trees. It was looking pretty bleak.
Until.
Until I saw something special in a tree in my neighbor’s front yard. It was beautiful. It was what I had always wanted (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration). Still, it was something I never dreamed of being within my grasp.
My Grandfather on my Dad’s side had a hornet’s nest in his dining room. I believe my sister was with Grandpa when he spotted it. She stopped and asked if she could have it. There it sat in the dining room. Very much out of place in this formal setting.
The memories of that nest brought such a longing to my heart. I wanted that hornet’s nest!
My neighbor was out in the yard, so I ventured over and asked about the hornet’s nest in their tree. I wanted to know if I could have it!
It was given to me, so I started the research. I figured I’d be able to get it at some point, but how long would be a safe amount of time before cutting it out of the tree?
A Google search was all it took. I would just need to wait until I was certain there was no activity within the nest and cut it down.
So we waited.
We waited until it was a cold, cold day, pulled out the ladder and up my husband went to cut the branch out. With hornet’s nest in hand, I headed back to the house with my newest treasure.
I desired this nest. I would have done whatever was necessary to get it. But I didn’t know I desired it until I saw it. Until I knew it was there. Then, I wanted it more than anything!
Sometimes we know our hearts desire. For a young woman, finding the perfect mate is her desire. For a college student, a decent grade on a test is their desire. For an aging saint, heaven becomes a deep desire.
But then there are the times we really don’t know what our desire is until we see it. Like the hornet’s nest. Or a certain blouse. Or that large fish that just jumped in the lake. Then, that desire becomes important.
God has quite a bit to say about our hearts desires. Let’s see what His Word says.
First of all, Paul states, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out,” in Romans 7:18. We know what we want to do, but it doesn’t always come out the way we desired.
Fortunately for us, God forgives and He heals and He redeems and He satisfies. He satisfies our desires. “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5)
David praised God for the abundance his nation had experienced. He also asked that God would help them keep their desire and loyalty. “O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:16-18)
The next few verses tell us that along with desire comes obedience and love.
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
“I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)
“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” (Psalm 20:4)
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our hearts.” (Isaiah 26:8)
I believe God also wants us to desire salvation of others. Paul states in Romans 10:1, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” This verse specifically says the Israelites, but we can believe that God’s desire is for all to come to Him.
When it is all said and done, my desire is to be like Jesus. My desire is to see all come to know God and Jesus as their personal Savior. My desire is to know, love, and understand God’s Word so that I might live my life to honor and praise Him.
My hornet’s nest is not in my dining room…it is in a tree in a little nature scene I have designed above my front door. I can see this hornet’s nest each day and it reminds me of my Grandfather and what he meant to me.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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A Painted Picture

April 20th, 2012 dsisler

Have I mentioned lately how beautiful our Colorado Rocky Mountains are? Well, they have been simply gorgeous this past week. We had some snow in the mountains and it makes for a picture perfect moment when you see them.
And then there are the mornings when the sun is just rising in the east. Upon looking to the west, a pinkish, orange glow covers the snow-capped mountains and it is breath taking!
One morning this week, I was out and about quite early and as I was heading west, the mountains went through their transformation. What was unusual on this particular day was that they looked as if they had been painted.
Brush strokes of each color filled my view as if God had painted it specifically for me.
It was truly an inspiring moment.
I enjoy reading descriptions of how God created this world. David was especially good at this in the Psalms. Let’s look at a few of them.
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens…When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” (Psalm 8: 1-2a, 3a)
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1)
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2)
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses.” (Psalm 33:6-7)
“It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers. The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” (Psalm 74:15-17)
“In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:4-6)
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. To him who alone does great wonders who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights—the sun to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night…with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1, 4-9, 12)
“Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds.”(Psalm 148:1-10)
With all the beauty we have here on earth, it’s never difficult to praise God for His creation. Everything on earth, everything God created, praises Him. Even the glorious Rocky Mountains bring praise to God. They are a reminder to lift our hands and voices to worship Him for what He has done.
Thank you God for Your creativity, for Your thoughtfulness, for Your desire to give mankind a beautiful earth. Thank you for the beautifully painted picture You designed just for me.
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Change

April 19th, 2012 dsisler

You’ve probably noticed yet another change in the style of my blog. There is a good reason for the change. After the initial modification, I heard comments like, “I liked the red…I felt like I was sitting in your family room.” “Where is the red?” “It felt warm the way it was before.” “It was you!”
So after trying a different look (for quite a while I might add), I’ve decided to combine the two. A red background with black lettering on white. It should fulfill all of our desires and needs.
To be honest, I liked it the way it was originally. I’m a red person. But I’m also a red and white person, so I think I will like this template in the long run.
Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the “what’s new” arena. You know what I’m talking about. Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and that old friend, Facebook. I thought by changing my blog to the “new” style, I would be doing something “right.”
I was wrong.
Sometimes it is okay to keep things the way it’s always been. Change just because you can is a poor reason to change.
So I’m back to red.
While I believe we are to change for our spiritual maturity, I also know that God doesn’t change. He is the same today as He was in the beginning.
There are numerous verses of Scripture to lead us in that direction.
The last book of the Old Testament shares the message with the Hebrew nation. Malachi 3:6 “I the Lord do not change.” God does not change, nor does His commitment or His purpose.
Hebrews 7:21 assures us that God will not change His mind either. “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind; You are a priest forever.”
We also see that Jesus remains the same in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) Gifts come from a Father who doesn’t change. Unlike other people in our lives or even the circumstances of our lives, God will not change.
And in the last book of the Bible, we see more evidence of this unchanging God. “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:8) Yes, the First and Last, who is, was, and is to come is unchanging.
Everything changes in our lives. From what my hair looks like each day to favorite restaurants closing to lanes on the expressway being moved for construction to the design of a blog post.
The one thing we can count on to never change is God. God, His purpose, His commitment, His Word. Never has changed. And never, ever will change.
Praise the Lord, He never changes!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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It’s Just A Couch

April 18th, 2012 dsisler

As part of my office makeover, I wanted to add a couch for comfort, but also to create another bedroom in our home on the main floor. A couch in our family room was a hide-a-bed, so this was the perfect choice to move to my office. It also meant that we got to buy a new couch for that room.
We chose the perfect couch, moved the old couch into my office and then waited. As I waited for the new couch, my mind moved the furniture in the family room around. It was only natural then that my body had to follow. I moved the furniture.
We sat in the family room in this new configuration. It was unusual. It was strange. It was foreign. The more I sat there, the more I disliked this new look. Really disliked it. I was surprised! I am usually a flexible, roll-with-the-punches kind of gal. But not when it came to my family room layout.
Before a half hour passed, I knew what needed to be done. In a matter of minutes, I flipped all the furniture around again to where it belonged.
Oh how I wanted the new look to work. But my old ways would not allow for that. I wanted the room to be the way it always was. No change.
If I view my spiritual life in this same way, I would become stagnant. I would not be following God’s instruction for my life. His plan clearly includes change, new creation, transformation, taking off the old, putting on the new, and spiritual maturity.
Change
In Matthew 18:3, Jesus tells the group that change must occur. That change must include trust and great faith in what God is able to do. “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Without change, the kingdom of heaven is a far off dream.
New Creation
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) With Christ, we become new. A new creation. He created us. He redeemed us. He fulfills the re-creation of us through His sacrifice.
Transformation
Paul shares with the Corinth church that being transformed into Jesus’ likeness is part of the process. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Transformation is accompanied by radiance that is from the Lord.
Taking Off the Old, Putting On the New
Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us that we must take off our old lifestyle and put on a new lifestyle. Not just at the moment of salvation, but for always. “You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by it is deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Spiritual Maturity
“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. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:6-8) We move toward spiritual maturity when we live in Christ and are rooted and built up in Christ. Our faith is strengthened so that we are less susceptible of being deceived by false teachings.
We must not become stagnant in our spiritual lives. We must continue to learn, study, and apply all that God’s Word has to say to us. We must also share our story with others. Who have you shared your change of heart with?
The new couch looks perfect where the old couch used to live. The old couch adds great warmth to my office. Now life is as it should be…in the realm of couches.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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The Elevator Incident

April 17th, 2012 dsisler

Last week, my daughter Bethany took my granddaughter Joy to a local museum. Two of her little friends from preschool and their mom joined them. It was a great day and they enjoyed it (as usual when they are together).

The day passed without incident until it was time to head to the upper level of the museum.

They headed to the elevator and somehow, the kids got onto the elevator without the moms. And yes, the doors shut with the kids inside.
Bethany said there was silence for approximately three seconds, and then screaming. From the inside of the elevator. They realized what they had done.
Bethany explained to Joy where the “open door” button should be. Of course, there was no writing on that button. It was the universal symbol for “open door,” but Bethany was able to tell Joy to push that button.
But while Bethany was talking with Joy, one of the kids pressed the “emergency” button, so now from the elevator, crying children and a phone ringing could be heard.
Finally, Joy got the button pressed and the doors opened. Immediately, the trio ran into their mother’s arms. Reunited, the children settled down, but I am pretty sure they will not be running ahead for a while.
There is nothing like being in the arms of someone who loves you. There is such comfort, peace, security, and pleasure in those moments. I know exactly how these children felt when their mother’s embraced them.
I enjoy feeling God’s arms around me too. Knowing that He is there to protect and comfort me just when I need it most is soothing.
Isaiah 40:11 blesses us with comforting words. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and he carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” He gathers. He carries them close to His heart. He gently leads. What a tender Father we have.
Not only is God tender, but we also can know His power. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying ‘Destroy him!’” (Deuteronomy 33:27) God is there to protect you against your enemies. Completely!
God also desires to pass that strength on to us. Psalm 18:32 says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” His strength is what gets me through most days. I’m so thankful to have this available to me.

Throughout high school, my best friend Becky, her mother Dodie, and I would sing as a trio. Sometimes in public, but mostly around the piano in their home. One of our favorite songs was “Sheltered in the Arms of God” by Dottie Rambo.
I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender.
They’re leading me in the paths that I must trod.
I’ll have no fear for Jesus walks beside me
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.
Soon I shall hear the call from heaven’s portals
Come home my child,
It’s the last mile you must trod
I’ll fall asleep and wake in God’s sweet heaven
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.

Chorus:
So let the storms rage high,
The dark clouds rise,
They won’t worry me;
For I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God.
He walks with me,
And naught of earth shall harm me,
For I’m sheltered in the arms of God.[i]
Life is so much easier within the arms of our heavenly Father. Regardless of your struggle today, run into His arms. There you will find all that you’ve been looking for.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
In loving memory of Becky…keep singing my friend.

[i] Sheltered in the Arms of God, Dottie Rambo and Jim Davis, copyright 1969 by PEERMUSIC LTD
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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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