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Are You Prepared?

Posted on by Paula Davis

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

 

How do you spend the days before a holiday or special event? Mine are usually filled with lists, shopping, decorating and baking. I want to make sure everything is just right for the special day.

Passover was a time of preparation as well. There was cleansing, choosing a lamb and preparing food for the feasts. I imagine there were plenty of lists and worries over everything being just right.

This year Jesus was trying to prepare His disciples for what they were about to experience. This Passover would be different but they didn’t realize it yet. Jesus told them parables but they didn’t understand what He was trying to say. He even told them that one of them would betray Him and send their Savior and friend to His death but still they were unclear.

jesus-teaching-in-temple

Maybe the disciples were not truly listening to Jesus closely enough to figure out the intent of His parables. Perhaps they believed He would explain them later when all the other people had gone.

Or possibly some of them did begin to understand what Jesus was preparing them for but were too afraid to believe it really could happen. There could have been a sense of denial as well. They may have said to themselves, “Maybe this one time Jesus could be wrong.”

When all that Jesus was trying to prepare them for did come to pass the disciples found themselves unprepared and unable to process it all. They weren’t ready to move on and see what God had for them next.

What about us? Have you ever found yourself at a place of uncertainty, unprepared for what comes next? I know I have and sometimes I look back and see how God had been trying to prepare me only I wasn’t paying attention or didn’t want to hear what He had to say.

Thankfully, while the circumstances the disciples found themselves in left them without Jesus for a time that never has to happen to us.

Jesus and His Holy Spirit are always with us to guide and direct us, giving us wisdom beyond our own. He will take our fear and turn it to confidence and joy.

We need only ask.

If you’re facing uncertainty today and it’s unclear what your next step should be I encourage you to take some time to sit quietly and seek God’s guidance. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you, and be open to His leading. Prepare your heart to be ready to hear from Him.

I guarantee you will.

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The New Sacrifice

Posted on by Paula Davis

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”    Luke 19:38

Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, a very important holiday for the Jewish people. It is at Passover that Jews celebrate their freedom from slavery in Egypt.

God’s people had been slaves in Egypt for generations. What began as an invitation by Pharaoh for Joseph and his family to share the Egyptian land turned into fear. Joseph and all of his brothers had died and a new Pharaoh came to power. He saw how numerous the Israelite nation was and was worried that the Israelites would someday side with Egypt’s enemies in a war…and he would be out of a job, or worse yet, killed.

To prevent this from happening the Egyptians became slave masters over God’s people and forced them to hard labor with little or no pay. They lived this way for generations until God provided a way out for them.

One night the Israelites were instructed to kill a lamb without any deformities and paint its’ blood over the doorposts of their home. The angel of death visited the land of Egypt that night and killed every firstborn son. Those with lamb’s blood on their doorpost would be spared.

That very night God’s people left Egypt under God’s protection and found freedom from the Egyptians. They were no longer slaves but were free to worship their Lord in their own land.

leaving_egypt

Every year this freedom is remembered and celebrated in the homes of Jewish families and for some it is a time of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the geographical center of the Jewish faith. This was also true in Jesus’ time.

Remember reading about when Jesus was very young and He taught in the temple? This was during Passover. His family had returned to Jerusalem for the festival that year as well.

This year Jesus knew Passover would be different.

He entered Jerusalem on a colt and was surrounded by hundreds or perhaps thousands of people. People had been following Jesus everywhere He went for years, but just a short time before this Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Many who saw or heard what He had done now followed Him into Jerusalem, shouting praises to Him and declaring, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

jesus_donkey

In just a few days many of these same people would desert Jesus. They wouldn’t understand the sacrifice He was about to make that would give them a new freedom.

Jesus’ life had been perfect (just as the lambs at the Passover celebration) so He was the only one who could serve as a sacrifice for us. While He disagreed with the religious leaders and some of the laws of the land Jesus never sinned. He took with Him to the cross the sins of every man, woman and child who ever lived or ever will live.

It can be easy to praise God and welcome Jesus as leader of our lives when we see miracles and other good things happen in our lives. It’s also easy to turn away from Him when we don’t understand how He will bring good from a difficult situation.

As we enter Holy Week and reflect on the last days of Jesus before His ultimate sacrifice may we examine our hearts and ask ourselves if we believe without reservation. Will we stand and proclaim Jesus is Lord through it all?

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Obedience ~ Words Worth Remembering Week #11

Posted on by Paula Davis

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands.

As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.

                                                                                                                          2 John 1:6

From a very young age we are taught to obey. Before we can talk or ask, “why” we are taught what is right and wrong. But as we mature we begin to question why we need to obey, a sort of  “what’s in it for me?” attitude. Today’s verse shows us that obedience is a form of love. As children of earthly parents we obey because it pleases our parents and shows our love for them, even if we don’t understand why they are asking us to obey. Obedience to God is the same.

obedience1

Oswald Chambers wrote:

There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral value in obedience, unless a person recognizes the higher authority of the one giving the orders…A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless his obedience is the recognition of a holy God.

God did not intend for us to be slaves to His laws. He asks us to obey because we love Him and recognize Him as the leader of our lives. It is not always easy, and we won’t always understand. But when we know God is asking for our obedience we must step forward in love to Him and to others around us.

Tomorrow we begin what is recognized in Christian churches as Holy Week, the week we remember the days leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus’ entire life was lived out of obedience and love for His Father God. All that Jesus did during His earthly life was done to show God’s love to those around Him, and through Scriptures even to us today.

There is no greater example of obedience through love than this week of Jesus’ life. Through the ups & downs, the people and places we can learn so much through each step of His obedience.

Sometimes the week before a big holiday can be crazy and chaotic. We see that at Christmas, and also now that Easter is just a week away. It can be easy to lose the impact of Jesus’ gift to us at Easter when we focus on the activities and preparation.

This week I will be posting a devotion here each morning. I pray that they will help to focus your day and encourage you to cherish the incredible gift that Christ gave us on the cross.

blessings and peace to you today!
Paula

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Failure? – Words Worth Remembering Week #10

Posted on by Paula Davis

Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
                                                                                          Isaiah 43:18-19

What does it take to be labeled a failure?

I have given this considerable thought due to circumstances in my life lately.

The conclusions I have drawn are these:

1. No one can declare us a failure except ourselves.

2. We are not failures until we refuse to keep trying.

no failure

Thomas Edison is remembered for his many inventions that enhanced the lives of many, including us today. But no matter what the invention was he saw numerous failures before he saw success.  With each failure he kept going.

“If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward”.
Thomas A. Edison, Encyclopaedia Britannica

There are any number of inspirations for not giving up if we look for them.

Colonel Harland Sanders – started the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise at age 65.

Grandma Moses – began painting at 76, after arthritis forced her to give up embroidery. She continued painting until 101.

Julia Child – became a chef after many years as a secret intelligence officer. She was 49 when her first book was published, 51 when her TV program “The French Chef” first aired.

Ray Kroc – went from being a salesman to opening the first McDonald’s at age 52.

Sister Marion Irvine – started running at age 47, when she was overweight and smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Went on to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials at age 54.

Laura Ingalls Wilder – published the first book in the “Little House on the Prairie” series at 65.


The list could go on & on but the point is that none of these people allowed the lack of worldly success to keep them down. They put their failures behind them, but didn’t forget what they had learned from them. Then they looked ahead to see what might be ahead.

One of the biggest challenges I have had in my adult life is with a healthy lifestyle. As a child I was very active and was skinny as a stick. But as I became less active and made poor food choices I put on pounds and found it a much bigger challenge to take them off. Lately as I consistently miss work-outs and eat sugar-filled treats I begin to doubt that I will ever win the war with weight.

This week’s verse is a reminder of what God’s desire is for us in regards to our past. He tells us to put it behind us, not dwell on it and look ahead to the new work He is doing in us. Even when it seems we are walking in the wilderness of being alone, of disobedience or discouragement when we look closely we will see good things springing up.

This gives me hope!!

God’s desires for us are always for good, never desiring for us consider that we are failures. But we have free wills and minds that can think whatever we choose. If we choose to dwell on the past or the negative that is where we will stay.

When we choose to look ahead and SEE with faith what God has planned for us we will NEVER fail.

Praise God for the new things He is doing in each of our lives!!

Blessings & Peace,

Paula

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Truth ~ Words Worth Remembering Week #9

Posted on by Paula Davis

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
                                                                                           John 8:32

Truth.

It can be defined:

  • sincerity in action, character, and utterance
  • the state of being the case : fact (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts
  • a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true <truths of thermodynamics>

And it can be debated.

In this passage Jesus says we will know the truth and it will set us free. So what is He talking about?

How do we know the truth?

Jesus was with His disciples and other Jewish leaders (who wanted to kill Him) as He was speaking. Just before the above statement Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (vs. 31) But the Jewish leaders debated Jesus’ statement saying they had never been slaves to anyone. This is a sentiment we might share.

So how can we be set “free” if we have never been slaves?

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (v 34-36)

As followers of Christ our truth comes from God’s Word and is interpreted for us by His Holy Spirit. The Spirit convicts us of sin and compels us to confess and be forgiven. The more we know God’s Word the better we are able to listen and follow the truth.

truth next exit

The challenge comes when we choose to create our own truth because we don’t like what God’s Word tells us or we ‘adjust’ His truth to make it easier for us to accept and follow, perhaps to make it easier to get along with others who don’t believe God Word is the truth.

But watered down truth is no truth at all.

The consequences of watering down the truth are a less intimate walk with God and a slippery slope towards believing the lies of the evil one. It can happen slowly so that we don’t even realize what is happening. That’s part of the plan.

If you are a follower of Christ I encourage you to take some time today to consider whether you are consistently following the truth of the Bible or are watering it down so that you ‘fit in’ with those around you. It is difficult to be challenged and chastised by those who don’t think as you do. Jesus was killed for following God’s truth. But He did it so that we could be set free.

I’m so thankful for God’s truth. Even when it’s difficult!

blessings and peace to you today!
Paula

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Prayer Power

Posted on by Paula Davis

“Prayer does not equip us for greater works. Prayer is the greater work.”    
~ Oswald Chambers

This quote met me one morning as I sat down for my time with God. And it hit me square between the eyes.

I am a fixer by nature and like to figure things out. Often to my detriment I try and try to solve something until I’m out of ideas and frustrated then I ask someone to help me. Usually I find that if I had asked for help before I started things would’ve gone much more smoothly.

Sadly going to God is too often the same. I’m sorry to say that many times I  choose prayer as a last resort. If I can’t find a solution for something on my own I talk to God about it.

This is certainly a backwards way of thinking and something I work on daily.

God has given us an incredibly powerful tool in prayer. He promises that when we come to Him our prayers will be heard and answered. Our prayers can bring us close to God, encourage and inspire us, challenge us, and show us miracles.

I’m not an expert on prayer, but through reading and my own experiences I have found a few things I’d like to share with you.

prayer hands

1. While spending a concentrated block of time with God in prayer, thanking, seeking and listening to Him is important God doesn’t intend for us to pray only when we can get to our quiet place with a chunk of time.

Ephesians 6:18 charges us:
“ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

There isn’t anywhere that you can’t pray. When someone comes to mind, breathe a prayer for them. When you see something beautiful, say “thanks” to God (yes, that’s a prayer if you’re talking to Him!) These prayers may give a friend just the encouragement they need at a difficult moment and keep you in constant contact with God, developing a closer relationship with Him.

2. Do you know how powerful your prayers are? If you are a child of God and the Holy Spirit lives in you the power of God also resides in you!

Mark 11:24 encourages us:
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Sometimes we hold other Christians in high regard because of their knowledge or gift of speaking and believe that God hears them better than us. We want someone ‘important’ to pray so that God will hear and answer.

Guess what? You are just as important in God’s eyes as any other person He created. Your prayers are POWERFUL! Believe that and you will see God bless your efforts.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
James 5:16b

3. The habit of prayer is much more important than the words we say or how we say it.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

I am learning to change my thinking about prayer. Instead of saying, “I can’t do anything to help, so I will pray” I am learning to pray first. Many times God will then show me if there is something more He wants me to do.

I’m still working on understanding the full power of prayer. I’m thinking it may take my lifetime — at least!

What have you learned about the power of prayer?

blessings and peace to you today!
Paula

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Content ~ Words Worth Remembering Week #8

Posted on by Paula Davis

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12

 

The world around us does not encourage contentedness. We are encouraged to want more and more and to have what we want when we want it. Years ago a fast food chain used the slogan “have it your way”. Now there is a commercial that declares “breakfast just the way I say”.  My dad had a saying, “as a rule man’s a fool, when it’s hot he wants it cool. When it’s cool he wants it hot; always wanting what is not.”

This is so true. When it’s rainy we wish the sun was shining but too much sun makes us long for the cool rains to water our dry plants & flowers. Like watching fireworks in the rain, being content with what we are given is well outside the realm of our society. Honestly, it is difficult for me too.

Watching fireworks

This week’s verse was written by Paul from a prison cell. What an incredible relationship he must have had with the Lord to be able to be content even as a prisoner! Paul found a way to let the Lord work in and through him even when he was trapped in a prison where he had no control of his outside circumstances. But Paul did not allow his circumstances or the people around him to ‘get him down’ so to speak. There is no record that Paul campaigned to get out of prison (although I imagine he may have talked to God about this) but instead he did what he could and sought the Lord for how he could reach others in the midst of his circumstances.

I spent years feeling like a prisoner as a single adult without an earthly spouse with whom to share the fears, desires, joys and accomplishments of my life.   As I sought God in the midst of my unwanted circumstances He reminded me that being single is not a sentence. In fact, being married to a spouse apart from God’s will for our lives would be a life-long sentence brought on by our own selfishness and stubbornness. God has promised He will be enough, even in the darkness and fear. While I still desire an earthly mate I realize that marriage was never intended to take the place of God’s relationship with us and it isn’t something God owes us just because we think we want it.

Do you have times when you feel like a prisoner, trapped in your life and circumstances?

When we feel this way God wants us to remember what it means to be content.

Being content is to be satisfied, comfortable, even pleased with the circumstances we find ourselves in.

It is not pleasing to God when we whine about what we don’t have, or what we believe we need to make life complete.

It does not mean that God doesn’t want us to pray about getting out of unwanted circumstances, yet at the same time we should not dwell on a future desire but learn to live for Him where we are at.

After all, who are we to tell the God of all creation that we know better than He does what is best for our lives?

God is so gracious to be patient with us when we slip into those times of egotism and self-pity. Let us look with anticipation toward the day when we can stand with Paul and truly be content, knowing that we too can do all things through the strength of our incredible God.

Wishing you blessings and peace…and contentedness in your life today.
Paula

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Balancing Act ~ Week #7 Words Worth Remembering

Posted on by Paula Davis

But the Lord is faithful,
and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
                                                                                                     2 Thessalonians 3:3

I am on a quest for a healthier me and discovering how parts of our body work together to create the person who was ”fearfully and wonderfully made.’ (Psalm 139:14) There are so many elements it can be overwhelming to think about how intricately we are made by our Creator.

Lately I am learning a lot about balance including balancing the forms of exercise, how often to exercise, and measuring in the right amount of stretching, eating right and sleeping enough. The comparisons to other areas of our lives are almost endless and have been addressed by many others.

balance

The part of balancing that I hadn’t spent much time thinking about before is the idea of core strength. In order to properly balance our body our cores must be strong. Our body’s core is the abdomen and lower and mid-back regions – the center of us. The stronger our core, the better our balance will be, thus the less we are apt to fall.

In our spiritual lives our core is our relationship with the Lord
and the truth of His Word living in us.

The stronger our relationship is with the Lord and the more we know and live out His word the healthier our spiritual lives will be and the less apt we are to “fall” into the ways of the world and struggle in our daily lives. We make God our core and depend on His strength to bring balance when we feel off-balance.

Strengthening our physical core is not necessarily easy. While the range of exercises has become broader than the old-fashioned crunches, those exercises are not always fun and can cause a bit of pain in the process. But the pain (if it’s not extreme) means the exercises are working our muscles and making them stronger. As we are consistent with our exercises and increase our balance we are able to do things we never could before.

The same is true with our spiritual core. As we consistently spend time in prayer and God’s Word He will become our core and give us strength against the difficulties in life. As we rely on His strength to keep our balance we will find ourselves able stand up against anything the evil one tries to throw at us.

What are you working on balancing in your life? Can we help you find your balance and strength in Him?

blessings & peace to you!
Paula

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“WHERE’S HEIDI” Book Review

Posted on by Paula Davis

This is a highly anticipated book for me. I am blessed to be part of a writers’ group with the author, Lisa Buske and was treated to glimpses of the manuscript as this incredible book took shape. That being said, my relationship with the author does not automatically grant her a positive review! But the truth is, I do love this book as much as the author!

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“Where’s Heidi, One Sister’s Journey” gives us a unique view into a tragedy we only get a glimpse of through news reports. One Easter morning Lisa was awakened to the sound of a ringing telephone. Soon the voice of her aunt on the answering machine plunged her into a tragedy that would impact the rest of her life. Lisa’s only sister, Heidi Allen had been kidnapped.

When a child disappears or is kidnapped the news reports primarily reflect the loss of the parents, grandparents and other adults in that child’s life. The siblings are wisely protected from the media and news reports. While this makes sense it also leaves out an important piece of the full picture. It often causes us to forget that siblings have lost a companion, a confidant…a best friend. With this book Lisa closes that gap for us as she takes us on a journey…her journey of the hours, days and years that followed Heidi’s disappearance. She bares her heart to us to see and feel the tragedy first-hand. Her story is compelling and draws each reader in to what became her reality.

Thankfully Lisa’ story is not without hope. Heidi’s disappearance is unfortunately still a mystery. But through her journey Lisa has found the ultimate Hope in the saving grace and overwhelming love of Jesus. And ironically enough, this gift was offered to her by a child.

You’ve got to read it for yourself!

Purchasing Information:

Where’s Heidi? One Sister’s Journey will be released, April 3, 2013. Lisa’s book will be available at Amazon.com for your convenience. Additional bookstores and locations will be posted on her website once confirmed.
Lisa will be hosting a “scavenger hunt” as part of her TOP’S Tuesday blog series in the month of March to reveal a mystery location and book signing on April 3, 2013. There will be a limited number of books available at this location but more will be available at the book release party at The River’s End Bookstore in Oswego, New York later this same day.
More information will be posted as it’s determined.
_MG_7548                    
About the Author:
Lisa M. Buske’s sister, Heidi M. Allen was kidnapped on April 3, 1994 never to be seen or heard from again. God has taken a tragic instance of her life and transformed it into a life-saving occurrence. She writes with passion and out of obedience for the God who saved her knowing others need to hear her story. Lisa’s relationship with Jesus opened the door to a hope and healing she didn’t think was possible.
Lisa’s husband, Ed, daughter, Mary, and her parents serve as Lisa’s team as she writes and speaks. Lisa’s faith in God and dedication to family motivate and inspire her to do and be the best woman, wife, mother, and sister she can be. Her life proves it is possible to survive when God is part of the equation.
In addition to writing and speaking, Lisa works as a teacher’s assistant for her local school district and serves at different capacities within her church.
Contact Information:

To learn more about Lisa M. Buske or to follow her writing and speaking:
Facebook: “Where’s Heidi?” book page and “Lisa M Buske” author page
Twitter: @LisaBuske
AIM: Lbuskewriter
Writing for Him…to keep Heidi’s memory alive with prayers to heal those affected by abduction.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1 -2 (NIV)

 

 

Please take some time to stop at Lisa’s blog and pre-order this book. You won’t be sorry you did!!
blessings and peace…
Paula
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Week #6 ~ Words Worth Remembering

Posted on by Paula Davis

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
                                                                                                      Romans 12:12

Hope is easy when  you are certain of the outcome. 

But what about hope when all seems hopeless? That can be very difficult. And then God tells us to be JOYFUL as we hope. Joy comes naturally when good things we are hoping for get closer to becoming reality. It can be very difficult to remain joyful as we hope for something that is uncertain. Especially when it takes a long time for that hope to become reality.

Patience is simple when we can see the end.

A man I admire once told me that we can get through anything when we know there is an end. Even something hard or painful can be endured when we know that one day it will stop. When we are afflicted with physical pain, emotional distress or mental anguish and we don’t know when or if it will end most of us can easily slip into despair. Patience does not come easily.

Prayer comes naturally when we know what to pray for.

There are people and circumstances all around us that obviously need prayer. Sickness, struggles and sadness abound. Sending a prayer heavenward when we see someone suffering is natural. But there are times our prayers aren’t answered right away. We pray and have faith but don’t hear God’s voice or sense His direction. Being faithful as we wait for the outcome is God’s desire.

While each portion of this verse can be a challenge they each come with a reward.

Being joyful as we hope for something makes the waiting much easier, and the journey less stressful.

Being patient in the midst of affliction allows us to see the progress even if it is slow, and provides a witness to others of how God cares for us and walks with us through our trials.

Being faithful in prayer draws us closer to God so that even when the answers don’t come we are secure in His love and faithfulness.

And I am certain that through obedience to this verse we will find God’s peace in the puzzle of our lives.

blessings and peace to you!
Paula