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

It's a Schedule

My husband is a systems dispatch operator for a local electric company. His job is to keep the power on for all the customers his company services. His work schedule is on a 5-week rotation where he works 12-hour shifts, both days and nights, including holidays and weekends.

Sometimes his work schedule is inconvenient. Sometimes it works against all things sacred (family and church). Sometimes I don’t like it.

What I do like is that they give him his yearly schedule in advance. As a matter of fact, I have his 2013 schedule in hand right now. So I know exactly what our year will look like in relation to his work schedule.

Schedules are part of life. Whether they are related to work, school, or even an infant, there are schedules to keep and follow. It’s how we cope with them and work through them that matters. But more importantly, it’s what God has to say about keeping schedules that makes the difference.

The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that “there is a time for everything. A season for everything activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 – NIV) He then proceeds to give examples of his understanding of a schedule in verses 2-8. But we also see from this writer that without God, it’s all meaningless (Ecclesiastes 12:8).

Paul encouraged the Ephesian Christians with these words. “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Paul shared that in day-to-day living (schedules) how important it is to make every moment count. Again, count for God.

I believe from these two passages we can see that schedules are part of life. But if we leave God out of our daily schedules, we are whipping up a recipe for disaster.

As we rely on God, we are able to utilize His power, His strength, His wisdom, and His protection (just to name a few). Why wouldn’t we desire His assistance with our schedules?

I have Mason’s 2013 work schedule. However, it could change. If someone should happen to quit, this schedule is thrown out because another shift must be covered. Sometimes that can get a little aggravating.

[I must add this to all of my complaining. My husband has a job. My husband has employment that is not threatened. I am able to do what I do because of the career my husband has chosen. That is something that I don’t take lightly. I appreciate and love all the work he does for me and our family.]

I pray your schedule today allows for some valuable family time or perhaps some personal time, but most important for an incredible connection with God. Time spent with God is time well spent. Don’t overlook Him with your busy schedule. The time you spend with God will be the best part of your day!

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

Sidetracked...Again

Have I mentioned lately that I have a lot going on this month? I certainly do and keep adding tasks and projects to that list of on-going objectives. I woke yesterday morning quite overwhelmed and really not certain that I could possibly get it all done in time.

But I received a good bit of encouragement from some great friends yesterday. It gave me an added boost of energy to get on the projects that need to be done today and tomorrow. Once these are off my plate, then I can get back to working on my original goals. And let’s face it, it’s only November 5^th!

Sometimes we do get sidetracked by unforeseen things in our life. Whether it is good or bad, “life” has a way of getting in the way at times.

There was a couple in the New Testament who knew what being sidetracked was like. How an unforeseen incident changed their lives.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were along in years. Scripture says, “well along in years.” (Luke 1:7 – NIV) Each were descendants of Aaron and Zechariah was a priest.

I love the section of Scripture right before this statement. “Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” (Luke 1:6 – NIV)

I don’t know about you, but I would love to hear God say that about me. To take notice that my obedience to Him is out of my devotion and love for what He’s done in my life (yes that was a sidetrack).

So when it was Zechariah’s turn to go into the temple and burn incense, an angel appeared to him and told him of the upcoming birth of his son. Details were given on how he was to be raised, what his purpose in life would be, and then the name was given. John.

Zechariah didn’t believe it could be so, because they were “well along in years.” Now here’s my question. How could you not believe if an angel appeared to you? How could anyone possibly believe that it wasn’t going to happen? Well Zechariah didn’t believe and because of his unbelief, he was unable to speak until the baby was eight days old. That is a long time to keep silent. That, I would say, was an unforeseen incident that kept Zechariah side-tracked.

But it doesn’t stop there. Elizabeth becomes pregnant. But Elizabeth’s response to this unforeseen event was completely different than Zechariah’s. She spoke these words. “The Lord has done this for me. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” (Luke 1:25 – NIV) Elizabeth was thrilled. Her seclusion was a treasured sidetrack.

When John was born, we are told that Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives “heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.” (Luke 1:57 – NIV) I find it interesting that Zechariah wasn’t mentioned at this point. The priest who was unable to speak due to his unbelief perhaps was still sidetracked. But it didn’t take long for his belief to be revealed to his community.

When asked what they were going to name the child, Zechariah asked for a writing tablet. On this tablet he wrote, “His name is John.” (Luke 1:63 – NIV) Immediately, Zechariah was able to speak and he praised God.

Through this miracle, their neighbors and friends were filled with awe. It was all they could talk about. They knew that God had been in the middle of this event.

Elizabeth’s pregnancy was certainly an unforeseen event. I believe we can look at both Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s reactions to find the best way for us to deal with something that can sidetrack us in our lives.

Zechariah was unbelieving. Elizabeth believed.

Zechariah questioned. Elizabeth accepted.

Zechariah lacked faith. Elizabeth proved to be faithful.

Zechariah asked for evidence. Elizabeth acknowledged her gift.

Do you see a pattern? Each loved God and were obedient to His ways, there’s no doubt about that. But they reacted to this announcement differently.

So I must ask the question, “How do you respond to unforeseen occurrences?” Do you lean more toward Zechariah’s reaction or Elizabeth’s? I think we need to be prepared for the inevitable. Life will throw us a curve ball. There’s no question about that. How we react is really what counts.

I will get through this week. I will get through this month. I can even say I will get through the unforeseen incidents that jump onto the path ahead of me. But after reading of Elizabeth’s determination to be faithful to God, I know it’s possible to go through it all in obedience, with grace, and by God’s strength.

Now I must get to work!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

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