Hi Gals!

 There is a clothing shop for “bountiful, beautiful, big” women that I have shopped…its name is Added Dimensions (that’s lots better that FAT GIRL’S SHOP)!  Anyway, I was looking at their catalog and I realized that we as God’s Girls have a life of Added Dimensions given to us. Praise God!

I’m defining Added Dimensions as blessings from God.  Dimensions are facets… features… factors… elements… of our life that are given to us as special blessings from God.  We all can experience them daily from our generous Lord.

 Our Added Dimensions catalog is not received in the mail nor do we have to order blessings from it and put it on a Visa card!  We have our source of all blessings from God’s Word.

Blessed are those who observe his instructions, who seek him with all their hearts, Psalm 119:2 (NJB)  

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:25 (NLT)  

When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God – when we obey the Word of God – when we LIVE the Word of God we discover a life of Added Dimensions given to us from God.  God is so lavish in His blessings …He enables us to live a life full of love, joy, and peace…who wouldn’t want these dimensions added to their everyday life?

Just think of all the added dimensions that are a part of your life as a woman of God… our hearts can soar with a sense of….

-          Fellowship with God forever and ever

-          Perfect acceptance

-          Praise and laughter

-          Freedom and liberty

-          Purpose and meaning

-          Security and safety

-          Joy and rejoicing

-          Deliverance from sin

-          Victory over temptation

-          Assurance and confidence

-          Life over death

And…this just names of few of our Added Dimensions!  Make your own list this week. Praise God and lift your voice in worship and adoration for not being a woman of limited blessing!

Joyfully,

Yvonne

Hi Gals!

I just finished reading an Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency mystery…and I ran across the neatest quote: There is plenty of work for love to do.  Now that is a statement that gives me cause to ponder.  Rick Warren states that God created each of us for a mission.  I believe that part of that mission was made very clear by Jesus’ teaching in John 13:34-35 (NLT)
³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
³⁵ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

To rewrite the above Smith quote: There are plenty of things I can do to love others the way Jesus loves me.  The question is: Am I doing that?  On a daily basis am I finding specific ways to love others…specific others?  When we walk closely with our Savior, serving and loving others is the way we demonstrate how much we love Him.  If we do not serve and love others, then Jesus is not ruling our hearts nor in our daily living! It is an oxymoron to say that one is a non-serving, non-loving Christian. That might sound harsh but it rings true with God’s Word

1 John 2:5-6 (NLT)
⁵ But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.
⁶ Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

We must be intentional about evaluating our love quotient. How can we follow God's example and become more people-oriented ourselves? How can we be more sensitive to those around us? Here are some suggestions:

Focus on people

Make sure the most important things you do each day involve a focus on people. Projects are transient. Deadlines soon "die." Do-lists may never be really done, or need to be. But people are eternal.  Lose yourself in others.  Be a listener.

Reach beyond your own world

Make an effort to have contact and relationships with different kinds of people. Reach beyond your normal sphere of influence to touch those who are not similar to you in race, economic and social status, age, and so on. This will take you out of your comfort zone and put you into an “Only-with-God’s Help” zone…and that is an exciting place to be. With the Holy Spirit guiding us, we can learn to love those who are “not just like us”!

Pray-and be alert

Ask God to send people to you. Then stay alert for those He places in your life…both short term and long term. If you find yourself getting too busy; too interested in your own life…ask God to give you a caring, gracious heart.  Ask and you will receive.

 Be Purposeful  about Demonstrating Your Christian Life

At least two things foster curiosity about the way we live and the source of our life: the joy we express and the love we show. People are irresistibly drawn to Christians who sincerely display those two qualities.

Show Love by Specific Actions

Respond to each person in a sensitive and loving way---recognize his or her uniqueness---this can have a great impact on someone’s life.  Try new ways to express love and concern for someone.  Look for practical ways to serve.

We can't argue with the Bible's requirement that Christians be serving others. But often we fail to serve anyway. Ask God to keep your eyes open today and tomorrow for special ways to serve others.

As you think of them, compile a list and then do them.

1 John 3:18 (NLT)
¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

Joyfully,

Yvonne

Just thinking...

 Christmas Day is over but the joy and the celebration continues all year long!  Jesus is truly the reason for every season - every month - every day - all year long!  Here we go together in 2014!  Can't wait!

Commit Yourself to Enjoying a Real Christmas

I’m so excited – our season of celebrating the birth of Jesus is here.  Don’t let anything or anyone rob you of this month-long celebration.  As you start making your lists; shopping; baking cookies; decorating; and attending parties…commit yourself to enjoying Christmas.  Let me clarify that…commit yourself to enjoying a real Christmas.

What is a real Christmas?  A real Christmas keeps Christ in the forefront.  Celebrating a real Christmas means taking the time to revere God. A true Christmas celebration recognizes the significance of Jesus’ birth that night in the manger. An authentic Christmas season joins the angel chorus in worshipping the God Who sent us Jesus.

Luke 2:8-14 (HCSB)
⁸ In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:
¹¹ Today a Savior, who is •Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.
¹² This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”
¹³ Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!,,

We have 22 days to set aside for praising God and offering thanksgiving for what he has done!   Here’s my suggestion for making an intentional effort to honor God this Christmas season:  Make a Glory to God in the Highest Vessel

1.      Use a Christmas Box, or a jar you decorate, or maybe you have a special container that you treasure…

2.      Each day write out a praise for a gift you receive from Jesus [Example: I praise you Jesus for your gift of forgiveness for my sins]; read it out loud; and put it in the Glory to God in the Highest container. (Trust me, you’ll find at least 22 blessings you receive from Jesus and the bonus is that…thinking of them helps you to focus on Jesus)

3.      Divide up the story of the birth of Jesus and read it in both books as a part of your “Real Christmas” celebration.  These are the Scriptures: Matthew 1: 1-25; Luke 2:1-20;      { Okay, let’s do the math…. 25+ 20 = 45 verses….you have 22 days to read these 45 verses  … this isn’t a big task…if you want, you can read just 2 verses a day}

Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to rediscover a holy reverence of God and the blessed reason why the baby Jesus was born!   It is possible to over shop, over spend, over eat, and over commit  but it is never possible to over celebrate the birth of Jesus – our Lord and Savior!

Some people will miss the mark and spend all their time and energy on traditions that might not lift up Jesus.  Please let us be deliberate and not miss the wonder of Christmas. If we leave Christ out of Christmas, we've lost the whole reason for this wonderful season of celebration.

Take the time to remember the mystery of God becoming man and meditate on the love of God who gave us the best gift of all – salvation through Jesus Christ!

Enjoy your family, enjoy your traditions, and enjoy the sheer wonder that God became man, born of a virgin, in fulfillment of prophecies. And that He was born to die, to take away the sins of the world and to rise again!

Joyfully,
Yvonne

HARMONY

Hi Gals!

I listened to a TV show speech the other night where the character talked about harmony.  It got me to thinking.  HARMONY … does my life exhibit harmony?  What is harmony?

According to Webster’s dictionary harmony is a pleasing arrangement of parts. In music  harmony means a group of chords that produces a melody.    So, a life lived in harmony would be a life lived with order and balance… for the believer it is a life lived in accord and agreement with God’s Word and His Ways.  What does God have to say about harmony?  Psalm 85 paints a beautiful picture of harmony.  Jesus’ life gives us the way to harmony.

Psalm 85:10-13 (NLT)
¹⁰ Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!
¹¹ Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
¹² Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.

I love verse 10 in the New King James Version: Psalm 85:10 (NKJV) Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

The work of Jesus makes a life of harmony possible for us.  We are given righteousness,  peace, mercy, and forgiveness – the chords of harmony -  even though we fall short of the glory of God in our sinful natures. 

When we think of harmony we must remember that Satan’s aim is to disrupt harmony in our world.  Satan is the opposite of God and brings discord, imbalance, tension, and disturbance.  God brings harmony. 
In these verses I see three kinds of harmony. We have:

Rejoice and Be Glad

Hi Gals,

Summer … it’s hot, humid, and I become a bit lazy!  But, I don’t want to miss out on the days of summer – I don’t want to be so lazy and hazy that I become dull and stagnant.  Just like plants, I think I really need a lot of spiritual “watering” during the summer.

As I think about this I am brought face to face with God’s Word:

Psalm 118:24 (NCV)
²⁴ This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!

Each day is a celebration of our salvation in Jesus. It is important that in each day and every experience of our lives that we see Jesus in them. Jesus has given us an incomparable gift – not one we deserve but one that is ours – freely given. We are daughters of God – co-heirs with Christ. We are so blessed!  That is our cause for rejoicing and being glad….daily.

So, I say rejoice in every day. It is a gift from God. But it is so easy to slip into a lackadaisical attitude about our wonderful relationship with Jesus. The next time you hear someone say, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it,” think about what that really means. God’s only son who was God made flesh died for you so that you could enter into His presence and live there forever! The day that He did that for the whole world is worthy of our praise EVERY DAY indeed!!!
In my Bible notes I have jotted down the following daily steps to go along with Psalm 118:24.  I don’t know where they came from; they are not original with me, but I want to share them with you.
Everyday is a celebration of life. Begin every day with this affirmation of faith: "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps 118:24).