We Begin Again

January 18th, 2015 dsisler

 

It’s Sunday morning. The beginning of the week. It’s a great opportunity to start over as well. Maybe this morning you need to get up and get to church. Maybe this morning you need to work on a relationship. Maybe this morning you realize that you need to eat healthier this week. Maybe this morning you need to re-energize your relationship with Jesus.

 

If you need to begin again, today could be a new beginning…but you must make the move. Is it time to begin again?

 

The post I share with you today is about God’s message. I pray that you know all of God’s message. If not, that’s another thing to begin again.

 

XOXO (Hugs and Kisses) – Blogging A to Z

 

Isn’t it wonderful to receive a note, letter or email containing the letters “XOXO?” It is an indication that someone loves you enough to send hugs and kisses your way.

 

Last summer, I stepped outside my front door to water my flowers and I found a little note. It had fallen behind my flower box, so I almost missed it.

 

DSC02473I was thankful that I didn’t overlook it. For inside was a message. It was one of hope. A message of forgiveness. A message of grace. A message without using the letters “XOXO” indicated that I was loved enough to receive hugs and kisses. The message was the Gospel!

 

Someone had taken the time to type and print this message, wrap it into a neat package, and deliver it to my door step. How blessed and honored I feel to be the recipient of this message.

 

Have you received this message? Are your eyes open and searching for the message God has for you? If not, I’d like to share the message with you today.

 

What is God’s message filled with hugs and kisses? I’ve gathered a short list here…there are many more messages in God’s Word, but this is a start. These are not in order of importance, but in order according to where they are found in the Bible.

 

God Made You and You Belong to Him

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3 – NIV)
 

 

Do Not Be Afraid

“So 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)

 

God Loves You

“For God so loved the world [you] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever [whoever is you] believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 – NIV)

 

Jesus is Preparing Heaven for You

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3 – NIV)

 

Repent and Be Baptized

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 – NIV)

 

God is On Your Side

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 – NIV)

 

You Are a 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 – NIV)

 

You Are Chosen

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 – NIV)

 

Jesus Will Return

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20 – NIV)

 

God’s message is one of love, grace, forgiveness and acceptance. You can’t be guaranteed of that in this world, but with God, all of these are possible.

 

How have you responded to God’s message? Have you embraced it and accepted it? Have you allowed it to make a difference in your life?

 

Or are you keeping your distance from God, not wanting to hear the full message? If so, why? Why not accept His message today?

 

I plan to be more alert to the messages God scatters throughout my day. I pray that you won’t miss the message that God has for you. It just might be life changing.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Dag

January 17th, 2015 dsisler

 

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you’ve read that I have struggled with my prayer time. Sometimes my mind wanders. Sometimes I’m just not focused enough. Sometimes I’m too tired. Sometimes I’m too lazy. Sometimes I forget. It’s been a frustrating journey for me and one that will continue.

 

???????????????????????????????Maybe I continue with this struggle because the evil one is working on me in this area. You see, I’ve come to believe that prayer isn’t just asking God for a wish list. It’s about change, transformation occurring in my life. As I offer my prayers to God, I offer Him a little bit more of me. I trust Him more. I love Him more. I believe Him more.

 

Of course, that’s not what our enemy wants. So I find myself tempted to do something else, anything else but pray.

 

I read this prayer by Dag Hammarskjold and realized that this is exactly what communion with God is all about. “Give me a pure heart—that I may see thee. Give me a humble heart—that I may hear thee. Give me a heart of love—that I may serve thee. Give me a heart of faith—that I may abide in thee.”

 

Beautiful! And it’s exactly what I want in my life.

 

Scripture leads us to these points as well. Let’s see what God’s Word has to say about these four desires.

 

That I May See Thee

These words come from Matthew 5:8 (NIV). “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Jesus reminded Philip in John 14:9 that if anyone has seen Jesus, they had seen the Father. As we develop our relationship with Jesus, we develop our relationship with God.

 

That I May Hear Thee

Jesus shared the importance of hearing and listening in John 8:47 (NIV). “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” As our relationship develops with Jesus, we are able to hear His voice and respond. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Other verses to consider would be Luke 11:28 and Romans 10:17.

 

That I May Serve Thee

Jesus, in His teaching among His disciples spoke of service. When it was time to be glorified, Jesus spoke of serving. “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be.” (John 12:25-26 – NIV)

 

Romans 12:1 (NIV) reminds us that we serve as we offer ourselves as holy sacrifices to God. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”

 

And I love Joshua’s encouragement to the Hebrew nation in Joshua 22:5. He concludes with, “love your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

 

That I May Abide in Thee

I love being in Jesus’ presence and yet, I still struggle with that one-on-one time with Him. If you are in the same situation, let me encourage you with these verses.

 

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4 – NIV)

 

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” (John 15:10 – NIV)

 

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 – NIV)

 

Today I pray that you will find time to see Jesus, hear Jesus, serve Jesus and abide with Jesus. There is nothing as precious as being in His presence.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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A Tow

January 16th, 2015 dsisler

 

A while back as I was out and about, there were two vehicles in front of me with their flashing lights on. The rear car was being towed by the front car. It wasn’t a safe situation, so I kept my distance.

 

www.crh.noaa.gov

www.crh.noaa.gov

As I followed this pair, I realized that neither of them were very good drivers. If one swayed, the other followed. They were in both lanes of this two lane road and also on the shoulder.

 

On occasion sparks would fly. The chain between these two vehicles didn’t seem to be the safest way to transport the obviously disabled car.

 

And then it happened. The chain broke and both vehicles took a quick right turn and stopped by the side of the road. I was thankful that while these two vehicles were figuring out their next strategy that I was able to get around them safely.

 

The swerving, swaying, jerking, unexpected movements and unsteadiness remind me that sometimes in our lives we seem to be following God’s plan well. And then something causes us to become unsteady and get off track. It could be an incident. It could be someone. It could be an attitude. It could be a temptation.

 

Whatever it might be, we suddenly find ourselves on the side of the road of life in a broken-down vehicle and what seems to be the one who took us down this road.

 

When we are in this position, we have the best roadside assistant plan available. Grace. We can call on the One who is able to do far more than we could imagine. We can call on the One who has lavished His great love upon us. We can call on the One whose mission is to seek and save the lost. We simply need to call Him.

 

But what is best is if we strive to never get in this position at all.

 

So how can we be steadfast in our daily walk and not wind up on the side of the road?

 

Ask for God’s help! Psalm 51:10 (NIV) gives us David’s prayer. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” David realized that a steadfast spirit would wane with the situations of life and that only God could restore it within him.

Know that God will come to your aid just when you need it. 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV) says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.” What a blessing to be able to approach God’s throne with this request.

 

What are the results of being steadfast? Psalm 112:6-8 (NIV) assures us, “Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”

 

Are you catching some of these phrases? “renew a steadfast spirit,” “restore and make you strong, firm, and steadfast,” “no fear of bad news,” “his heart is secure,” “trust,” “look in triumph on his foes.” What promises! And God can make these promises because He is steadfast in all His ways.

 

Psalm 111:7-8 (NIV) tells us that our God is steadfast. “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast forever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.” I don’t know about you, but that spurs me on to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful!” (Hebrews 10:23 – NIV)

 

By staying the course, sticking to the narrow path, we know we are heading in the right direction. I pray that God’s words would resonate in your mind when you are tempted to get off track.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Happy Birthday to Me!

January 15th, 2015 dsisler

 

I turned 55 this week.

 

My youngest granddaughter turned 2 two days before my birthday. We celebrated our birthdays together. I just loved my Minnie Mouse birthday cake!

 

On my birthday, I was able to be part of special baptism service. As long as I live I will always remember this precious lady on my birthday.

 

I have been excited to turn 55. Mainly because of the discounts restaurants give to this aging group. It’s not the price that pleases me as much as the portion size. I just can’t eat everything a restaurant puts in front of me.

 

mason's cardLast night on my way home from Bible study, I stopped by Hancock fabrics for a couple of things. This is great. At the register the clerk said, “It’s senior discount day. Are you 55 or older?” My face lit up and I proudly said, “I just turned 55 yesterday!” “Then you get a 20% discount on your purchase today.” I laughed as I got into my car with my small bag of goodies, but it’s alright to get old (er).

 

sand

I need more sand and a bigger box!

I’ve been wanting to get some of that kinetic sand for my beach themed office. I didn’t want it to play in, but I want to put it in a container under my desk so I can put my feet in it and feel like I’m at the beach (my first thought was to remove the carpet in the room and fill it with sand, but my husband really didn’t like that idea). Kinetic sand is kind of expensive, so I’ve never bought it. I did find a great “recipe” for making your own and I had planned on doing that. But I opened my gift from my husband and bought me a box of the sand. I was so happy. And the card he got for me was just beautiful…and beach themed. He knows me so well.

 

I received another card from someone who knows me pretty well too. This is what the card said.

 

Jesus, the Faithful One

The confidence we have…

The trust we hold…

The hope we carry…

Rest in His faithfulness.

Every promise He has made

He purposes to fulfill.

He has the authority

To accomplish all He has spoken.

His power is limitless…

His character changeless…

His love endless!

 

Best birthday present ever! Jesus!

 

And a reminder of who Jesus is and what He has done in my life. The promises. The power. The love. How truly blessed I am.

 

It’s nice being the center of attention. Birthday lunches with friends. Gifts. Cards. Birthday wishes. Phone calls from family and friends. These are so nice and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

 

But I would trade it all for Jesus.

 

I pray that you too have found confidence and trust and hope in Jesus. I pray that you believe His promises. I pray that you understand that His power is limitless, His character is changeless and His love is endless.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Read Carefully

January 14th, 2015 dsisler

 

I’ve been building a doll house for my granddaughter. Some of the instructions are miserable to understand. Kind of like a sewing pattern. For instance, at one point I had to look up words like “pediment” and “gusset” to find out what I was looking for.

 

And then, if the instructions aren’t difficult enough, the parts sheet is such tiny print that I had to buy a new magnifying glass to even read the words!

 

So far, there hasn’t been any “funny” instructions or guidelines to follow, but I’ve heard there have been some unusual and unique instructions on some products. Take a look at a few:

 

  • On a Sears hairdryer it says, “Do not use while sleeping.”
  • On a Rowenta iron, the words “Do not iron clothes on body” are in the instruction manual.
  • “Fragile. Do not drop” are on the product label for a Boeing 757.
  • And just in case you might not know. “Warning. Contains nuts” is on the can of Sainbury’s peanuts.
  • Apparently someone needed to know, “Wearing of this garment (a Superman costume) does not enable you to fly.”[i]

 

When we take the time to read instructions and understand how to use a product or put something together, we are able to do so without much difficulty.

 

God knows how important good instructions can be. Scripture is filled with advice when it comes to this topic.

 

God asks that we listen to instruction. We would be wise to listen and accept instruction, whether it is His or from a wise person.

 

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” (Proverbs 4:13)

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” (Proverbs 19:20)

 

Some benefits of listening to God’s instructions can be seen in these verses.

 

“Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.” (Proverbs 8:33)

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20)

“When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.” (Proverbs 21:11)

 

By following God’s direction, He leads us in the way we should go.

 

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalm 119:35)

“A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24)

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

 

There is no doubt about it, when we listen to God’s instruction, accept what He has asked, learn from what He has to say, and allow God to lead us throughout our lives, we will be wise, prosper and gain knowledge. Why then is it so difficult to do?

 

Because we want to get involved. We want to change the instructions. We think we know better than God and tweak the directions. Sometimes a little. Sometimes a lot. These are the times we get ourselves into trouble.

 

God has provided pages and pages filled with good advice and instruction. It’s all there for your use. Why not pick up God’s instruction manual and see what He has to say to you today?

 

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12)

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] “Live Intimately: Lessons from the Upper Room,” Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose, David C Cook Publishing, 2008, pg. 156.

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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 Jacksonville, Florida.

  • 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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