God's Nature, God's Law

I've said it before but it bears repeating: God is not our personal genie.

He loves us. It is His nature to do so. Within that love He disciplines us, passes judgment on us, and even shows His wrath against those who continue to sin and to rebel against Him.

If you really believe that God is perfect in His love for us then you must also believe that His will toward us is also perfect. God is omniscient (all-knowing), omni-present (is everywhere), and omnipotent (all-powerful).

When we hear words like commandments, laws, and judgments we naturally have a negative reaction toward them, yet we know those are the most necessary things in raising our own precious children. We are precious to God and He has put in place those ‘rules’ for our good. 

It is God’s nature to want the best for us, because He loves us. Do you want to know the real purpose of God’s laws? Here it is in the fifth book of the Bible:

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?’ tell him: … ‘The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness’”

God's Name

I've explained before the symbolic meaning of the four Hebrew letters that make up God’s holy name (yod, he, and vav). Here’s what we are supposed to do with that name:

1. Give thanks to His Holy Name.

2. Bring glory to His name.

3. Rejoice in His name.

4. Trust in His name.

5. Love His name.

6. Praise His name forever.

7. Bless His name.

8. Call on His name.

9. Declare His name to others.

10 Fear His name.

Answering Questions About LOVE

1.  How do we know what LOVE is?

Answer:  1^st John 3, verse 16:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

2. How do we determine who LOVES God?

Answer: John 14, verse 21:

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

3. What can separate us from God’s LOVE?

Answer: Romans 8, verses 38 and 39:

… neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

4.  How should we LOVE God?

Answer: Matthew 22, verse 37:

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

5. How should we manifest our LOVE toward one another?

Answer: 1^st Corinthians 13, verses 4 – 8:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Does God Interrupt Your Life?

God has a right, you know, to interrupt your life any time He wants to if you’ve given your life over to Him. He made you. You are His. He has plans for you. Jeremiah 29: 11 says:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Imagine your boss at work giving you multiple assignments throughout the year. What if you only did half of them? Would you get a poor performance review? Probably, and you can forget about a raise. Worse yet, what if your actions get you fired? What then?

If God interrupts your life with an assignment, do it. If you don’t think you have the skills necessary, think again. He will prepare you. If you are faithful to obey Him, your reward will be wonderful.

Here are some assignments He may interrupt your routine with:

 1) Witness to someone 

2) Give your time to help someone

3) Visit someone in the hospital (or prison)  

4) Travel somewhere you don’t want to go to

 5) Stop doing something sinful in your life

Can you add to the list?

12 Days of Christmas Winner

The 12 Days of Christmas giveaways presented by  Creative Prose Publishing have finished and Michelle W. won Day 4 which was also posted here on my blog (A Log Cabin Christmas).

During this time of year many of my Kindle books are only 99 cents so take a look at My Author Page . And please keep all of us authors at Creative Prose in mind when you're looking to purchase good books. We are dedicated to writing clean fiction.

Happy New Year!

A Log Cabin Christmas

Merry Christmas and Hello! I’m Debra Chapoton, author of A SOUL’S KISS, and I have the honoring of guest posting on day 4 (Four Calling Birds) of The Twelve Days of Christmas over at the Creative Prose Publishing website. I thought I'd show you what Christmas is like when you live in a full log home. To decorate our place, Big Pine Lodge, there are four fundamental elements that are indispensable — think four calling birds — and they are: a giant wreath, railings that drip with greenery and lights, a sentimental display of Christmas music boxes collected over many years and a big tree decorated with rustic ornaments.

Editors are always telling authors to “show, don’t tell” so here are a few pictures:

The wall in the sunroom, right behind where I write, is 26 feet tall and needs a large wreath to fill the space. My husband and I made this one ourselves, decorating it with outdoorsy ornaments featuring a moose, a canoe, a birdhouse, fishing gear, and more. But one wreath isn't enough. We hang them by the front door of the lodge, the guesthouse, and the bunkhouse, and we also have to have one over the fireplace.

You can’t have a log home without a massive fireplace, right? Hubby and I found every one of those rocks on our property, over six tons worth.

We have a wide bridge between the loft and an upstairs bedroom so I have about fifty feet of railing, plus stairway railing, to drape with garland, lights, and tiny decorations. You can see some of it in the last picture. The railing continues into the loft which is open over the kitchen.

You may have noticed in those pictures that the tops of my kitchen cabinets are safe places to display 22 Christmas music boxes. I started collecting one per year when the kids were little. Each one holds a special memory of Christmases past. And yes, I have favorites.

The great room and dining room flow together so at Christmas we can tuck a nine-foot tree into a corner of the dining area and enjoy it from the first or second floor.

Yup, this is a log cabin Christmas. There’s a lot more, too, like Christmas tapestries, handmade Santas, bugles and ice skates and, of course, the prominently displayed manger scene. I could go on and on, but let’s keep it at these “four calling birds.”

Oh, and I guess I have four other birds, that is, I've written four young adult  novels that would make good Christmas gifts for anyone, any age. They are A SOUL’S KISS, THE GUARDIAN’S DIARY, SHELTERED, and EDGE OF ESCAPE. You can also find my chapter books for kids HERE and I've written a couple of non-fiction works: BUILDING A LOG HOME IN UNDER A YEAR and CROSSING THE SCRIPTURES.

By the way, did you know that the four calling birds represented the four gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? The story of Jesus’ birth is in Luke chapter 2. We always read it before we dive into those presents under the tree. Speaking of presents, I have a $10 gift card for one of you. Please enter below for a chance to win it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Do I Know If That's God's Voice?

The key to recognizing God’s voice is to have an intimate relationship with him. You’d recognize your spouse’s voice on the phone, right? But what about someone you’d only spoken to once twenty years ago? Not likely. It is of utmost importance that you spend time in worship and prayer EVERY DAY, not just once a week or, worse yet, Christmas and Easter. What if your spouse said he loved you, but only spent a couple hours with you twice a year? Not much of a relationship, is it?

Once you have a regular relationship with God that little voice in your head (your conscience, you think) will clearly give you the answers you seek. Don’t ask God for a sign. Asking for a sign is a huge mistake; it shows your unbelief. When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign he condemned them as “wicked and adulterous” so don’t be like them. Stick to reading the Scriptures and praying. A lot.

Hearing God's Voice

God speaks through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If you hear him it is because you belong to Him. If you don’t hear Him it is because you don’t belong to Him. Why would I make such a divisive statement? Because that is what the Bible says. Here’s the New Living Translation of John 8: 47:

Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God.

Now read this from 1^st John 4: 6:

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Do you want to hear God’s voice? Pray. Wait. Listen. Read (the Bible). Join a church. Join a Bible study. Have fellowship with other Christians. God will speak to you. You will hear His voice.

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Seeking God's Direction

Sometimes I lack “honesty of heart” meaning that my selfish ways take over and though I may think I’m waiting to serve God, I’m just waiting. I busy myself with egocentric thoughts and deeds. How do I get out of this rut?

I must sincerely look for God’s direction through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s leading. I need to read and study on the Holy Scripture. Wait and listen.

I can’t be impatient, self-righteous (though I should be righteous), or look to the world for answers. If I need to talk with someone and get their opinion it should be another Christian.

Eventually, in God’s time, He will give me direction.

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99 CENT CHAPTER BOOKS FOR KIDS WITH KINDLES:

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A TICK IN TIME

THE TUNNEL SERIES

Let God Take the Initiative

I've learned from Philippians 2:13 that 

for God it is who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

That was a difficult verse for me to figure out. I understand it to mean that God Himself works in me to help me want to do His will. Alone I could accomplish nothing, but in the spiritual realm He does the heavy lifting for me. He has a purpose, a good one, and with his help and guidance I can act toward that purpose and accomplish anything.

So if God calls you to do something you've never done before (speak in front of thousands, for example) he will also give you the tools you need (confidence, subject matter, composure) and work it out so you succeed.

Truths to take away from this simple verse:

1)  I can do nothing without God.

2) God is the one who does the work.

3) God is present in my life.

4)  He wants to energize in me “to will and to act”, that is, he wants me to have a desire (drive) to please Him and He wants me to work at it. I take that seriously and that is why this blog’s focus has changed to a Biblical perspective instead of just self-promoting my books.

5) I can please God. Whoa! That is mind-boggling, but that’s what this verse says at the end: it’s all for His good pleasure. Amazing. So I should just “let go, and let God,” right? Right. I’ll let God take the initiative.

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Building a Log Home in Under a Year

Is God My Genie?

How many times do we tell God what we want? I do it every day. I want God to be like my own personal genie. I pray “Please, God, do this, help me here, grant this wish, protect my family, heal our illness, give us this and that” and I go on and on. 

I really need to change this and start praying “What are you doing, God? How can I help You?”

If I look around and watch what’s happening in my life I will find plenty of things that I can do. God is always at work. Instead of expecting God to fuss with my life I need to join God and find a way to help Him with whatever He is already doing.

I need to remember to:

          Do things God’s way.

          Be His servant.

          Yield to His will.

         Stop telling God what to do in my life and join Him in His work around my life.

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DO YOU READ YOUNG ADULT NOVELS?

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Check out these:

Edge of Escape

Sheltered

The Guardian's Diary

A God-Centered Life

Self-centered life vs. God-centered life

It’s so hard not to be self-centered, but with a bit of awareness I can turn my life away from me-me-me, me-first, only-me, looking-out-for-number-one to a purposeful, God-centered, God-is-number-one, fulfilling life. I’d rather be on track for an eternal purpose than just trying to be popular or rich or beautiful in this short earthly life.

Questions to answer no to:

Am I focused on myself from the time I get up until the time I go to bed?

Am I proud of my accomplishments and believe that I am solely responsible for each and every good thing I've done?

Do I try to make myself acceptable in the world’s eye; am I caught up in fashion, wealth, status, and beauty?

Questions to answer yes to:

Do I keep myself available for conversation with God (prayer) from the moment I wake up until the time I go to bed?

Do I trust God to meet my daily needs and give Him the credit for every good thing in my life?

Do I ignore the world’s standards and try to be like Jesus, knowing the Scriptures, living the truth, standing up for Biblical principles?