“Sing to the King” – Monday Musical Musings

December 29th, 2014 dsisler

 

I’m still trying to finish my little novella about Mary by Francine Rivers. This book doesn’t just tell of the birth of Jesus, but continues with the journey that Joseph, Mary and Jesus made through His childhood. While it is a story made up by a talented author, I’m sure many of the scenes she portrays probably did occur.

 

CCThere are times when Mary wants to scream to the world who Jesus is. There are times she wants Jesus to tell everyone who He is. In her heart, Mary knew that it was God’s timing and that the Messiah would be revealed when God’s timing was perfect.

 

Unlike Mary, we are able to rejoice in our Savior and tell the whole world who He is. We are able to share His message and sing to our King. Today’s melody points us in that direction.

 

“Sing to the King” is another catchy tune that I find myself singing quite often. The message is captivating! I also love being reminded that I belong to Jesus.

 

In a world where I have a great chance of being distracted, this simple reminder brings me back to where I need to be. Singing to Jesus and declaring His Kingdom to others.

 

We find in Scripture that we are to sing praises to God for all that He’s done. King David was especially fluent in this area. Here are a few of his reminders to sing praises to God.

 

“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (Psalm 7:17 – NIV)

 

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:6 – NIV)

 

“Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.” (Psalm 21:13 – NIV)

 

“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy.” (Psalm 33:1-3 – NIV)

 

“Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” (Psalm 47:6-7 – NIV)

 

“I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.” (Psalm 59:16-17 – NIV)

 

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.” (Psalm 108:1 – NIV)

 

King David brought other elements into praising God, such as instruments and dancing. We read about such worship in Psalm 150.

 

Music and singing is part of our worship to God, but it certainly isn’t all that is involved in worship. I also find that this worship song leads us to understand that we are to be preparing ourselves for Christ’s return.

 

And the last portion of this song that makes my heart sing is the line that says, “Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King.” Oh how I look forward to that day. The day when the evil one is no longer a threat to those I love and to me. That day when I know true victory in Jesus. On that day, all who have sung the song of the redeemed will be singing together in triumph. Yep. I can’t wait.

 

So I share “Sing to the King” with you today. Embrace the joy that accompanies knowing Jesus and sing to your King!

 

Sing to the King Who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation His empire shall bring
And joy to the nations when Jesus is King

Come, let us sing a song
A song declaring that we belong to Jesus
He is all we need
Lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus
Sing to the King

For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We’ll join in singing with all the redeemed
‘Cause Satan is vanquished and my Jesus is King[i]

 

For a quick “pick-me-up,” why not listen? Click here.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] Words and Music by Billy James Foote, First verse and theme of song come from “Sing We the King” written by Charles Silvester Horne, 1910

 

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My Winter Wonderland

December 28th, 2014 dsisler

 

It is a cold, snowy Sunday morning in my neck of the woods. I haven’t left the house for three days! Not because of the weather, but because I didn’t have to. But this morning, I’ll get ready and head out into this winter wonderland.

 

Why? Because it is the Lord’s Day. It is time to worship my God and King. I pray that nothing will hinder you from worship this morning.

 

We are nearing the end of the alphabet in the Blogging from A to Z series. Today I’ll share some information about Ukrainian eggs. Have a great day!

 

Ukrainian Eggs – Blogging A to Z

 

I am so blessed to have my grandkids nearby. On one visit a while back, when Percy was napping I was able to spend some one-on-one time with Joy. She wanted to look at my Ukrainian Eggs. One by one, she held an egg and told me why she liked it or didn’t like it. She decided upon her favorites and then sat and listened to my explanation.

 

Ukrainian EggsYou see, I love creating. Anything. When I had the opportunity to learn how to make Ukrainian Eggs, well, it was just meant to be! My husband’s grandparents came to the United States from Russia. This was a chance for me to add a bit of his heritage and culture into our home. I learned the process and began making these lovely creations and still have a deep desire to continue this craft.

 

Everything about a Ukrainian Egg is representative of something else. The color, the symbol and even the egg itself. And the best part is that each symbol leads to God! Yes, they are an evangelistic tool. So, I was once again given the opportunity to share with Joy the great news of the Gospel.

 

Symbols were very important to God throughout the Bible and we’ve carried that importance throughout the history of the world. You may be thinking of some, but I’ll give you a few here.

 

The Rainbow – represents God’s promise to never destroy the earth by flood again (Genesis 9:12-17)

 

Baptism – represents the death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:1-4)

 

The Dove – represents the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22)

 

The Lord’s Supper – represents the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:17-26)

 

The Bride and Bridegroom – represents the Church, God’s people and Jesus (Ephesians 5:22-33)

 

The Empty Tomb – represents hope, eternal life, victory (1 Peter 1:3-5)

 

As I said, each symbol on a Ukrainian Egg means something. I was delighted to find that the symbol for “joy” was the red poppy. Each time I see a red poppy, I think of my granddaughter, as well as the joy in my life because Jesus is my personal Savior. What about you? Do you see something and automatically think of someone or Jesus? I pray that you do.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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The Bible

December 27th, 2014 dsisler

My family loves Christmas. We always have and we’ve passed that love down to our kids and grandkids. Since we’ve grown, we decided several years ago to exchange names at Thanksgiving and then buy gifts for the name of the person each received.

 

???????????????????????????????This year, we decided to give books for this exchange and so far I haven’t heard any complaints. My gift this year was from my future sister-in-law (thank you Gail!). I got a new Bible. Oh, not just any old Bible, but the one I wanted. I’ve read The Voice on line and have been intrigued by the translation.

 

On the front cover, this version boasts these words. “Guaranteed for life.” As I looked into it, it seems that indeed once registered, this Bible can be replaced or repaired during my lifetime. There is a list of tips and guidelines for the care of this new Bible, but the folks at Thomas Nelson want their Bibles to last a while.

 

Of course I knew that’s what “guaranteed for life” meant, but I also knew the other guarantee that accompanies every Bible. Abundant life and eternal life.

 

King David knew the abundant life found through God. Take a look at his words from Psalm 52:8 (The Voice). “But my life is abundant—like a lush olive tree cared for at the house of the one True God. I put my trust in His kind love forever and ever; it will never fail.”

 

In John 10:10 (The Voice), Jesus said, “I came to give life with joy and abundance.”

 

Later in the Book of John and as a supplement to the text, the authors of The Voice give us this insight to John 21:12. “It is the reality that through Jesus believers can have abundant life, a full and meaningful life, here and now through faith.”

 

And there are plenty of passages that show us the way to eternal life through Jesus Christ. Luke 19:29-30 (The Voice) says, “I’m telling you the truth: there is nobody who leaves his house of wife or siblings or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive more than he has given up—much more—in this age and in the age to come. He will receive eternal life.”

 

John 3:16-17 (The Voice) is probably spinning around in your head. “For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.”

 

Romans 6:22-23 (The Voice) offers these words. “But now that you have been emancipated from the death grip of sin and are God’s slave, you have a different sort of life, a growing holiness. The outcome of that life is eternal life. The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift—eternal life through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King.”

 

For further reading about eternal life, take a look at 1 John 1:1-2; 1 John 2:25; 1 John 5:11-12; and 1 John 5:11-12 (or maybe read the whole book of 1 John).

 

Guaranteed life. That’s what faith in Jesus is all about. When we follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are given this free gift. Life. Abundant life. Eternal life.

 

This gift from God is available for anyone who is willing to place their trust and faith in Jesus. Have you accepted this gift? If not, maybe today is the perfect day to be filled with life. Look for Jesus. Accept the life He offers. The guarantee is beyond measure.

 

As a follower of Jesus, are you living the abundant life Jesus has offered? I pray that you are living life to the fullest through Jesus. I pray that you are not letting days slip by without being filled by Jesus’ presence and words. I will have to say it again, the gift of abundant life Jesus offers carries a guarantee beyond measure.

 

The New Year is just a few days away. If you are in need of a resolution, why not make a commitment to spend more time in God’s Word? Another guarantee is that what you read within its pages are life-transforming. Make it a good year by allowing Scripture to change you.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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All I Know About Christmas

December 26th, 2014 dsisler

 

I have a wall hanging in my living room. It stays on the wall all year long, even though it speaks of Christmas. This is what it says.

 

“All I know about Christmas I learned from Jesus.”

 

JoYou see I have a tendency to get pretty caught up in the trappings of the earthly meaning of Christmas. This plaque hangs where I can see it every day to remind myself what Christmas is all about.

 

So what have I learned from Jesus? I’m going to share twelve, but there are plenty more. Perhaps you can add to this list or make your own list.

 

#1 Be Open to Learning

I shared several passages in the past that show the importance of being open to learning. Here they are again if you need to be reminded.

 

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5 – NIV)

 

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Micah 4:2 – NIV)

 

#2 Remain in Him

Jesus reminds us over and over that He will never leave us. The lesson we are to learn is to remain in Him.

 

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” (John 15:4a – NIV)

 

#3 Jesus is Truth

As Jesus teaches us, we find truth in Him. As we know the truth, we are set free.

 

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 – NIV)

 

#4 We Are to Love Others

Jesus showed His love for us when we didn’t deserve it (Romans 5:8). We are to follow His example and love others.

 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34 – NIV)

 

#5 We Must Bear Fruit

Over and over in John 15:1-11, Jesus mentions that we are to bear fruit. This is linked with remaining in Jesus. If we remain in Him, we will produce fruit.

 

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8 – NIV)

 

#6 All I Do is To Bring Glory to God

Jesus gave God the glory for everything He did on earth. At Jesus’ birth, God was given glory for this Gift (Luke 2:13-14). We too, must glorify God in all that we do.

 

“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” (John 8:54 – NIV)

 

#7 We Must Serve

Jesus did not come to be served. He came to serve. We must learn this lesson from Him.

 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 – NIV)

 

#8 We Must be Merciful and Compassionate

When our hearts break for what breaks Jesus’ heart, we begin to feel mercy and compassion well up within us. And as we learn this lesson, we see the great need for God’s mercy and compassion in our own lives

 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 – NIV)

 

#9 Share the Gospel

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. As we come to know Him more and more, we realize that we are to do the same. Oh, we can’t be saviors to those we meet, but we can introduce them to the Savior.

 

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10 – NIV)

 

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19 – NIV)

 

#10 Teach Others

As we learn from Jesus, we are to teach others. Share the lessons. The values. The ways of God.

 

“And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20a – NIV)

 

#11 He Will Never Leave Us

Although Jesus is not physically present on this earth, He still remains. God sent His Spirit to be with us. What a wonderful gift! And Jesus is with us through every situation, heartache, trouble, joy, life, and death. Jesus is with us.

 

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b – NIV)

 

#12 Follow His Example

As we learn from Jesus, we see clearly that we are to follow His leadership in all areas of our lives.

 

“A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40 – NIV)

 

I know I could go on. Once I get on a roll, it’s hard to stop. But I will. I continue to learn from God’s Word. Each day I find a spiritual nugget that brings joy to my heart. The journey is so rewarding.

 

I pray that you’ll find some spiritual nuggets along the way this Christmas. Jesus is willing to be your Teacher. It’s up to you to accept your role as student.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Merry Christmas!

December 25th, 2014 dsisler

Barn“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

Luke 2:6-7

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Mason & Donna Sisler

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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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