As You Come to Him

Broken

Imperfect

Selfish

Rejected

Insecure

Sinful

Unproductive

Incomplete

Conformed

Enslaved

Unimportant

Lost

Grieved

Dead

If you are like me, you have felt like some of these words at some point in your life. These are words that describe some of the worst times I’ve experienced. They are not words that I’d like used to describe me at all.

But, they have. And to be honest, I’m sure some of them will be used to describe me before my life on this earth is finished.

I love the phrase, “As you come to him…” from 1 Peter 2:4a (NIV). It gives me hope that regardless of what I am like when I approach Jesus, He is there waiting for me. His arms are open wide and He is looking forward to the time we spend together.

There is so much that follows this phrase in 1 Peter and because of that I think we overlook it. Yes, I am a living stone, I am a spiritual house, I am part of a holy priesthood, and I am an offering acceptable to God through Jesus. Yes, I am all of these things (1 Peter 2:5).

But, how do I come to Him? Am I approaching Jesus with a humble heart? Am I approaching Him with a teachable spirit? Am I approaching Him as a repentant believer?

How do I approach Jesus? How do I come to Him?

How do you approach Jesus? How do you come to Him?

On the flip side, that list from above doesn’t need to remain. As we come to Jesus and accept His love and grace, these are some terms that will describe us.

Whole

Perfect

Selfless

Accepted

Secure

Graceful

Productive

Complete

Transformed

Free

Important

Found

Healed

Living

So come to Jesus. Accept what He has to offer. Allow His grace to flow from heaven and cover you.

As you come to Him…

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

The Dishwasher

My grandson Percy is 21 months old. He is a ball of energy and loves to explore. He also loves to open things. Cabinets, drawers, doors, the dishwasher. If you’ve been around a toddler, you understand.

We’ve been pretty good to keep him out of spaces where he might get into trouble or get hurt. But there was no way to do so with the dishwasher. It was easy to open. There wasn’t a locking mechanism on it, so he’d just pop it open.

So apart from the fact that he could open the door when it was washing, or that he could have access to knives or dangerous utensils, he loved climbing into the dishwasher.

As concerned grandparents, we did the only thing we could think of. We purchased a new dishwasher.

On our search for this dishwasher, we had a set of criteria, not in this particular order:

1. It had to hold a lot of dishes
2. It also had to have a small load ability
3. It needed to be quiet
4. It had to be white
5. The buttons needed to be on the top with locking ability (another of Percy’s favorite things to do is push buttons)
6. It had to be Percy-proof (difficult to open)

So the first thing I did when we entered an appliance store was pull on each door handle of all the dishwashers. If it seemed difficult for me to open, I figured it would be impossible for Percy to open.

From that test, we would then choose the ones that fit the other criteria for our search. We visited all the places within a 50 mile radius of our home that carried appliances. I opened a lot of dishwashers.

The salespeople enjoyed the process as well. Several had to admit they had never heard of making it difficult to get into a dishwasher. They are designed for easy access. Several even had a good laugh over our dilemma.

I have to admit that this was a difficult decision. There was a lot of work put into making this choice.

We find in Deuteronomy that Israel had a choice to make. Moses thought it was an easy choice. But he also knew it had to be their choice. So he shared all the pros and cons of this important decision.

Moses and the priests called Israel together and said, “Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. Obey the Lord your God and follow his command and decrees that I give you today.” (Deuteronomy 27:9-10 – NIV)

There is a lot in these verses, but what I’d like to show is that Israel had already been chosen by God. Now it was their turn to make a choice.

After quite a long speech on blessings and curses, the renewal of the covenant, and prosperity in the Lord, Moses gets to the main point. In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, Moses lays it all out for them. He makes a great case for God.

Moses believes it is an easy decision to make and says so. “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.” (Deuteronomy 30:11 – NIV) Moses goes on to say that they don’t have to go to heaven to find it. They don’t have to cross the sea to get it.

“No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” (Deuteronomy 30:14 – NIV) I love this verse for it is exactly the same for us on this side of the cross. God’s Word is within us. In our hearts and should be on our tongues. And the reason? So that we may know it and obey.

Moses then tells them they have a choice. Life and prosperity or death and destruction.

This great leader of God enlightened Israel of the consequences of disobedience and the blessings of obedience. For Moses, there wasn’t a decision to be made. He had already chosen to follow God. Israel needed to do the same.

One final swaying argument for God and Moses would hand the leadership role over to Joshua.

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 – NIV)

I can hear the great crowd cheering after Moses’ convincing words. They are inspiring words. Words that called Israel to action. Israel was all in at this point.

Oh, we know that Israel made bad decisions throughout their history in the Old Testament, but at this point, they chose God. They chose blessings. They chose prosperity. They chose life.

Do Moses’ words call you to action? Are they enough to convince you to love God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him? Are you willing to accept God as your life?

As a Christ-follower, I must ask myself a few questions as well. Am I thrilled that God’s Word is very near? Are God’s commands in my heart? Are they on my lips? Do I listen to God’s voice? Do I hold fast to Him?

I’ll say it like Moses did. It’s not a difficult decision. Choose life!

Well, our searching paid off. Percy cannot open the new dishwasher; therefore, he will not be crawling inside of this one. It was a good decision on our part. I’m so glad that choosing God isn’t as difficult as choosing a dishwasher!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

Building a Doll House: It’s All About the Details – Chapter 8

NOTE: If you missed Chapters 1-7 of Building a Doll House, you can find it in the column under "blog archive" to the right. 

From the beginning of this dollhouse project, my husband said we needed to be very careful with each piece. During the painting process, it was important that the paint didn’t drip, because that would cause it to be out of line with the rest of the pieces. During the sanding process, we had to be sure that just the right amount was sanded or it would fit.

Then of course, the details of the entire project was overwhelming. The directions. The number of pieces. The step-by-step process to take all of these pieces and create one doll house from them all. It was pretty amazing.

Here’s the thing. If we hadn’t paid attention to the details, it would not have turned out the way it was supposed to. It would not have looked like a house. Or at least not a pleasant-looking house.

It’s the same with our spiritual lives. If we haven’t taken care of the details of our faith, it’s hard to say what the outcome might be. But if we follow God’s plan and pay attention to the details, the results will be exactly what God intended us to be.

God planned that we would be “His chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” (1 Peter 2:9 – NIV)

So how do we get to this point? What steps (details) do we need to take to become exactly what God intended us to be?

We must believe

There is a lot that we simply must have faith in. We must believe that God’s Word is living and active and that God breathed life into each verse. (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16)

We must believe that Jesus is God’s Son, sent to be the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. (John 3:15-16; 1 John 5:1; 5:5; Romans 3:22)

We must believe that Jesus was crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and rose to life to prove victory over death. (Luke 24:46-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:14)

We must repent

Repentance means to turn completely around. To go the opposite direction of our original path. So for a believer, we must put to death the sinful nature in order for the spiritual nature to be visible. (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19)

We must confess

You’ve heard it before, Peter’s great confession of our Lord. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16 – NIV) Yes, we must proclaim it as well. (Matthew 16:16; 2 Timothy 2:19)

We must be baptized

Jesus teaches that baptism is part of the salvation plan and was himself baptized. Peter preached it on the day of Pentecost. Paul also was baptized and preached baptism. (Matthew 3:13; 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 9:18; Galatians 3:27)

We must live

Live lives that bring honor, glory and praise to God who has freely lavished grace upon us. There are plenty of passages that lead us in this direction, but I’m just listing two here. (Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 2:10)

We must tell

If in fact we have the greatest news mankind has ever heard, why do we keep silent? Why isn’t His message on the tip of our tongues constantly? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I know that Scriptures tell me to share the Gospel. (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:47)

These are the “details” of our spiritual lives. They each fit perfectly with the next, like a plan, and exactly as God intended. By paying attention to each of these details, we ensure that our salvation will be complete.

Oh, I know that we’ll mess up along the way. I know that a detail will be missed or we’ll botch it up. But please know that God can take all those mishaps, those imperfections, and turn them into a thing of beauty. That’s an added bonus of loving God. Grace.

If you have a question about these “details,” I’d be happy to chat with you. I do know that there is nothing like being in God’s grace.

I’d also love to hear your story of grace. How your faith has been built through the years. What God’s grace means to you. Would you be willing to share?

In the end, the pieces of the dollhouse went together pretty well. There were a few pieces that didn’t quite fit, but a little sand paper and caulk covered a lot of mistakes. Please don’t look too closely at the dollhouse. You just might find those mistakes.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

And Lots of Shovels

When my daughter Candace was around 3 years old, we had planted a garden. We set up a home-made irrigation system to ensure a good harvest. To keep the hose from moving into the garden and ruining the beautiful plants, we placed shovels around the edge of the garden. Maybe there were 3 or 4.
 

One day Candace and her dad were inspecting the garden. Her Dad was telling her of the wonderful food we were growing. “We’re going to have lots of corn, and green beans, and squash, and potatoes, and tomatoes…”

“And lots of shovels!” Candace chimed in.

To a three-year-old, it did seem that we were preparing for a harvest of shovels. But as adults, we knew that wasn’t a possibility.

Throughout Scripture, we see references to children. Some insist that we become like little children. Others insist that we grow up and no longer think as children. So let’s see the contrast between the two and how we can determine when to be as little children and when not.

First, we can take note of the love Jesus had for little children. He saw something in their purity. In their faith. In their love. These passages show Jesus’ compassion for children.

Matthew 18: 5-6 (NIV) “Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Matthew 19:14 (NIV) “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Mark 9:37 (NIV) “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but the one who sent me.”

Mk 10:16 (NIV) “And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

We also see that we are to believe like little children. In Matthew 18:3 (NIV), Jesus answered the question about the greatest in the kingdom. After calling a small child to join the group, He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

But once we believe, we must grow spiritually. We are not to remain as infants in our faith. We see passage after passage of how we should be growing spiritually into adults.

1 Corinthians 3:2-3a (NIV) “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly.” They were like people of the world instead of people of God. Under these circumstances, it was impossible to grow spiritually.

1 Corinthians 14:20 (NIV) “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” We should not be controlled by evil and we must be mature in our thinking.

Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV) “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NIV) “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

I believe we can see from all these passages that we are to be as little children in some areas of our faith, but we must continue to grow throughout our lives in order to be spiritually mature.

And as Peter puts it, especially since we’ve “tasted that the Lord is good” we should strive for spiritual maturity. Knowing God’s goodness should be a great motivator for us to grow.

So are you growing spiritually? Are you tasting God’s goodness on a daily basis? Have you graduated from the milk and baby food of spiritual infancy to the meat and potatoes of spiritual adulthood?

If not, why not? What steps can you take to begin the process of spiritual growth?

If so, what are you doing to continue your growth? We cannot lean on what we already have produced in our lives. We must continue growing and learning.

We raised a great crop of vegetables that year. However, we didn’t produce any more shovels than were already sticking in the ground. Oh, to have the eyes and imagination of a child.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

My God Reigns

Yesterday was Election Day. I’m sure if you are like me, you are thankful that the television ads are over, the phone calls have stopped, and that peace will once again reign in households all across America.

Over the past few days, there have been statements on Facebook that refer to the fact that regardless of who won the election, that today and every day, God is still in control. He knew what the outcome of the election would be long before the poles opened.

Why is it that we have difficulty maintaining this way of thinking through our day-to-day lives? Why do we spend precious time worrying? We should be spending less time worrying and more time praying.

Yes, God is still in control this morning. He will be all day long and well into the evening. Even while you’re sleeping through the night, God will be in control. When I came to this realization and really accepted it as truth, my life suddenly became less hectic, less aggravating, and produced much less worrying.

A wonderful Psalm delivers this message. “The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.” (Psalm 93:1-2 – NIV)

Aren’t there some wonderful thoughts in this passage? God reigns. He is robed in majesty. He is armed with strength. His throne was established long ago. He is eternity.

If we believe these five statements, we will be able to face each day and offer it to God. In return He will keep our world (lives) on a firm foundation.

What are you facing today? A difficulty? An illness? A broken relationship? A job search? A death? Whatever it is, God wants to be in the middle of it with you. Why not open up to Him and allow Him to encourage you with His strength. Allow Him to wrap His robe around you for comfort. Allow Him to be the Lord of your life and reign on the throne of your heart. Allow Him to be your eternity.

I will be praying for you…and our nation!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

Keep on Casting...

My husband and I took his little car out for a spin yesterday. He drives it more than I ride in it (I do have my reasons). But he had been out on several errands earlier in the day, so his stereo was cranking out some tunes when he started the car. He was listening to the Imperials.

It warmed my heart.

As we continued listening to the album I realized that they were all songs that I really liked and I wondered why it was in his collection of music and not mine?

A particular song came on and it took me to my freshman year at Cincinnati Bible College (they’ve changed the name of this school, but I have such difficultly calling it that…sorry Cincinnati Christian University). I joined a group of people who performed with puppets and muppets. We traveled around the area, set up our big stage and equipment, and then proceeded to share God’s message through these inanimate objects.

The music we used was always fun and lively, had a great message to tell, but it also needed to have some different parts going on so that each muppet could do something different. You know, like backup singers.

The song that brought back these memories is “Bread Upon the Water.”[i] The lyrics are taken from Ecclesiastes 11:1 and Luke 6:38 and if you haven’t heard it in a while, just Google it and find yourself singing along to this tune.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NIV) says, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”

But another section of the song quotes Jesus from Luke 6:38 (NIV). Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Oh how I wish I had been sitting at Jesus’ feet to hear these words. He wanted this crowd to get the message…give! We know Jesus shared this message on multiple occasions, but not like this. The results of our giving are immeasurable. The blessings we receive when we give go beyond anything we could ever imagine. So much so that we are unable to keep them confined. And then we need to give yet again.

There are many ways to give. We can give of our time, our talents, our money, ourselves. Maybe you can only give in one of these areas. Maybe you’re able to give in all of these areas. Whatever the case, Jesus tells us to give.

So how are you giving? Do you volunteer in your local church? If not, you need to. Your church needs you. And regardless of your talents, if your heart is in it, God will bless it. If you don’t know where to start, start by asking around and see where there is a need. I’m certain you’ll receive plenty of ideas and invitations.

I work with a team of ladies to plan women’s events for our church and the minister’s wife heads up this team. She closes each email to us with these words. “It’s a pleasure serving Jesus with you.” Yes, it is a pleasure to serve Jesus. It is my pleasure.

God wants us, urges us to give. As Christ-followers, giving is part of our spiritual DNA. We cannot deny it. We must embrace and develop this area of our lives. And then, we simply need to wait.

Keep on casting…

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

Bread Upon the Water

Well there are people who think they're not receiving

Anything from God at all

Oh they are shaken from their believin'

When they don't see results they quickly fall

But don't you waiver keep on living

In the way God wants you to

Don't get discouraged keep on giving

Soon it will come back to you

Oh keep on working seeking the kingdom

Instead of working for your needs

Just keep on sharing the love of Jesus

You know growing comes from planting seeds

Keep on casting your bread upon the water

Soon it's going to come back home on every wave

Keep on casting your bread upon the water

Soon it's going to come back home on every wave

---

[i] © Universal Music Publishing Group, Bread Upon The Water Lyrics by Gaither Vocal Band, music composed by Grein

3 a.m.

Oh how I wish I could turn my mind off at times. You know, like at 3 a.m. when I’m wide awake and thinking of something I need or want to do? That’s when I do wonder why Mr. Sandman doesn’t show up and sprinkle some of his little dust over me so that I might fall into a deep sleep for another three hours.

But it doesn’t happen that way. The harder I try to fall back to sleep, the wider awake I become.

This morning was yet another morning when I was wide awake at 3 a.m. and I just couldn’t stop my mind from doing what it’s designed to do. Think.

Since my acceptance of the two writing challenges during November, I’ve taken on two new projects that are media driven.

Now while I am pretty good with most secretarial skills, I’m most challenged by the media driven programs. Like PowerPoint. I love it, but since I don’t use it on a regular basis, I forget some of the features and it takes me longer to do anything because of that fact.

So not only was my mind thinking of what I might write this morning, I was also thinking of the two new projects, the presentation of the two new projects, the related details that go along with the two new projects, plus the two writing challenges that I have undertaken for November.

It’s no wonder I couldn’t sleep!

So here’s my question this morning. How can I possibly be effective today with only four and a half hours of sleep?

Well, if I rely on my own abilities, I know it is impossible. I don’t believe I can be effective on my own. But, I do believe with God’s Spirit working through me, I can be effective.

Here are some Scriptures to back up this statement.

Isaiah wrote a message long ago for us to consider. “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17 – NIV) When I think of effectiveness in connection to righteousness (God’s righteousness upon me), the result will be quietness and confidence. Now with that combination, I can be effective.

Paul and Barnabas were pretty effective guys. But they also knew where their effectiveness came from. God. God’s Spirit at work in them caused a great awakening among the Jews and Gentiles. Look at Acts 14:1 (NIV) to see the results. “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.”

Paul loved visiting with his Church people. And the Church at Corinth held a special place in his heart. He had a great desire to spend some quality time with this group, so at one point he opted to skip a visit so that he could stay longer the next time…and because of an effective work in Ephesus.

“Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1 Corinthians 16:6-9 – NIV)

On another occasion, Paul wrote these words to Philemon. “I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.” (Philemon 1:4 – NIV) Paul was and is pretty good at deepening our understanding of all we have through Jesus Christ.

And then there’s the message from James about prayer. I began with righteousness and will end with righteousness. “Therefore confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16 – NIV) Now that is what I call effective!

So what can I take from these passages?

Through God’s righteousness, I can be effective.

Through God, I can speak effectively for Him.

Through God, great doors for effective work will open.

Through God, I can effectively deepen my understanding of His goodness.

Through God’s righteousness, my prayers are effective.

I am certain that I will not be of any use at some point this afternoon. I will more than likely need to take a short nap in order to be effective. But in those moments when I feel the least effective, I know that I can lean upon God and His righteousness and I will be effective.

How effective are you today?

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

Perfection!

Perfection. What comes to mind when you think of that word? I think there is perfection in our world. The perfect combination of flavors brings a smile to my face. I believe I’ve seen perfect sunsets. I’ve experienced perfect days.

Imperfection. What comes to mind when you think of that word? I must admit there is imperfection in our world. Computers that aren’t compatible with upgraded programs. Potholes that cause flat tires. The absence of fireflies in Colorado.

Perfection and imperfection. I believe we can look at these words through Scripture and find God’s view on them. So let’s do that. Let’s see what He has to say about perfection and imperfection.

Imperfection

We know from the Old Testament that the Hebrew nation was to provide sacrifices without blemish. They weren’t to have imperfections. (Leviticus 22:21; Numbers 19:2)

We are imperfect. If you read through all of the lists of sins we are to get rid of, you and I both know that we haven’t achieved that task yet. You’ve seen the lists. Galatians 5:19-22; Ephesians 4:22-31; Ephesians 5:3-4; Colossians 3:5-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; and 1 Peter 2:1. Unfortunately, some of those sins are still in my life. I am imperfect.

Perfection

Paul’s final words to in 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV) were, “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” Aim for perfection. Now that I think I can do.

Yes, we are to rid ourselves of the sins listed above, but we also have lists to show us how we are to live. Galatians 5:22-23; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:23-24; 32-5:2; Philippians 2:14-16; Philippians 4:4-8; Colossians 3:12-17; Colossians 4:2; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 1 Peter 2:4-5; 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Peter 4:8-11; 1 John 1:7; Jude 1:20-23.

“Aim for perfection.” Other versions of the Bible have translated this phrase a little differently. Maybe we can gain some insight from them.

“Keep things in good repair.” (The Message)

“…be made complete…” (New American Standard)

“Try to be complete.” (New Century Version)

“Aim for restoration.” (English Standard Version)

I love the ESV translation. “Aim for restoration.” It seems to help me understand that it is a work in progress. That it is a time-consuming project. Maybe even that it is a never-ending task. I must continue to work at living the way God wants me to live, because I know that it is only through Him that I am perfect.

I believe that as we remove a sin from our life, we must replace that void with something. Something good. Remove something from the imperfection list and replace it with something from the perfection list.

I also believe that I cannot do this without God and His Holy Spirit working in my life. My sinful nature is too strong for me to battle on my own. And God has given me the perfect tools to go into battle. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us of the armor we are to take up and use. God’s armor.

Let’s strive today to live as godly men and women. Let’s utilize the tools (God’s armor and His Holy Spirit) as we head into battle. Let’s aim for perfection. Aim for restoration. Let others see Jesus through you that “…they may see your good deeds and glorify God…” (1 Peter 2:12 – NIV)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna