Today is the first day of the week. We find in Scripture that we are to do three things on the first day of the week. First, we are to observe the Lord’s Supper and second, we are to hear God’s message proclaimed.

Take a look at Acts 20:7 (NIV) to find these two elements of the first day of the week. “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Pal spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”

Then in 1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV) we find the third thing we are to do on the first day of the week. “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”

The first day of the week has special meaning to us as Christians. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; and John 20:19).

Folks in our society have made the first day of the week many things. A sports-filled day, a shopping day, a family day, a lounging day. I believe we can also do all of these things as long as we’ve done all there is to do as a believer in Christ. We must first honor Him with our obedient lives and spend time with Him and fellow believers.

There are other passages of Scripture that teach us all of the elements to corporate worship (Acts 2:42), but the verses listed above specifically mention the first day of the week. We must not neglect this day. We must spend time with God in these special ways. It is our way of giving back to God for all that He has done for us.

And since it’s the first day of the week, you will also be reading an older post. I know you really don’t want to hear this, but Christmas is just around the corner. So I thought it would be nice to repost the doll house series on Sunday’s. It will take us right up to the week before Christmas!

So today, I share Chapter 1 with you of Building a Doll House: And So it Begins. Enjoy!

Building a Doll House: And so it Begins – Chapter 1

Originally I was going to call this group of blog posts, “What I Learned from God While Building a Doll House.” I liked this title, but the more I thought about it, the more I believe it’s more than just what I’ve learned. I have been given the opportunity to relate the building of this doll house with what God desires for each of us and for what he desires in our homes.

We first got the idea of building a doll house for our granddaughter when she saw a doll house in a toy store and was mesmerized by it. We thought it would be a fun and exciting process, so we began our journey.

We started at the hobby shop. Standing in front of half a dozen fully built houses was inspiring. We decided upon one and asked to see it closer. The store manager lifted it off the shelf and we inspected it. Yes, this was the perfect house for Joy.

Along the wall were accessories: furniture, knick knacks, fireplaces, flooring, wall paper, lights…the list could go on, but you understand. Then the manager asked if we were thinking of adding electric for the house to have lights. “Of course,” we said. “I quit before I got to that point,” replied the manager. “It’s a lot more work than most people realize. I hope you’re giving yourself plenty of time to complete this project,” he added. It was at that point we began to understand the enormous task we had thought to undertake.

We purchased the house kit and a few accessories and left the hobby shop with our heads spinning.

Think a moment about the creation of the world, the universe, and man. Can you imagine what Jesus and the Holy Spirit thought when God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). Were there questions? Maybe opposition? Probably not. They all agreed to the plan. And I’m sure they didn’t have the overwhelming feeling Mason and I had at this undertaking, but none the less, they knew what it meant. What it would cost. Rejection, pain, inconsiderate words and actions on man’s part, and death.

Oh yes, creation was the beginning of the fall, but there’s so much more! Through the resurrection of Jesus, we have the opportunity to accept the grace offered by God and along with it, the hope for a future with God for eternity.

That first step into God’s grace may seem daunting, almost impossible. And on our own, it is. We can only understand His forgiveness when we allow Him to take it on. And through His love and strength, we are able to overcome any “trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword…In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35, 37 – NIV)With Him on our side, we have nothing to fear.

This is the first part of many chapters in this story. Enjoy the process and the finished project. We did and still are.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

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