Jason and Dana Rongione

Where there is no vision, the people perish. . .

Dana's Corner

Meet Christian author and speaker, Dana Rongione. Sign up to receive her free weekday devotionals, check out her books for the entire family, or schedule her to speak at your next ladies’ event.

April 05, 2017

Meditative Moments: Isaiah 30:9-10

April 05, 2017/ Dana Rongione

Jason and Dana Rongione

Welcome to the website of Jason and Dana Rongione, missionaries to the country of Wales.

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Morning by morning, new mercies I see. I love these beauties!

#morningglory #godscreation

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. ”
— John 6:37-40
I love this passage because it covers nearly all the bases concerning salvation. Notice, Jesus said those who come to Him, He will not cast out. He continues in the next verse by saying of all He has been given, He will lose nothing. And lastly, Jesus confirms salvation’s plan: he who believes will have everlasting life. In this one passage, we see God will not cast us out nor can we slip from His grasp because then He would “lose” us. God cannot take salvation from us; neither can we walk away from it. Read more on today's devotion at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#devotion #salvation #eternalsecurity #bibletruth #dailydevotional #canilosemysalvation

From the moment we accept Christ as our Lord, we are sealed unto the day of redemption. That means not only are we marked by a seal (in the form of the Holy Spirit) that cannot be removed but we are also sealed in the sense of security. The seal cannot be broken nor can it be taken away.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. - Ephesians 4:30

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, - Ephesians 1:13

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. - II Corinthians 1:21-22

Read more in today's devotion at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#salvation #sealedbytheholyspirit #eternalsecurity #assurance #dailydevotions #Biblestudy #bibletruth

There are those who teach one can lose their salvation if their works do not live up to the standard of what God expects. In other words, if--after salvation--you sin, you become lost and must become saved again. While believers should not desire to sin, the fact remains we still live in the flesh, and the flesh is the part of us that is not saved; therefore, it will fail us from time to time. The important thing here is to confess our sin to God, ask for forgiveness, and move on (I John 1:9). A second (or fifteenth) salvation experience is not required because salvation is by faith, not by works. It is not conditional based on our accomplishments but is fixed
because it is based on Christ’s finished work on Calvary. But again, don’t take my word for it. See what the Bible has to say about the matter at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#eternalsecurity #everlastinglife #salvation #oncesavedalwayssaved #savedbyfaith #canilosemysalvation #notbyworks

It is impossible to be unborn after we’re born. Even if you were to die, that’s not the same thing as being unborn. That’s death, but it does not undo your birth. It cannot happen in the physical or spiritual sense. Therefore, when Jesus speaks of being born again, He is referring to a permanent state of being. Once one is born, he is born. The process cannot be undone.

To me, this concept is clear, but there are many who struggle in this area, so I wanted to cover it within this short series on salvation. Make no mistake, once you are born into the family of God, you are a child of God, and nothing can change that. No matter what you do or where you go, if you are born again (saved), you’re going to Heaven. Now, if you’ve lived a life of sin and worldly pleasure instead of one pleasing to the Lord, there will be a lack of rewards for you in Heaven, but you will be there, nonetheless. Lord willing, we’ll discuss this in more detail tomorrow when we talk about whether our works here on earth affect our salvation.

Until then, cling to this truth: born is born. It cannot be undone. Take comfort in this.

#bornagain #salvation #savedbyfaith #eternalsecurity #dailydevotions #bibletruth

Perhaps I should have taken Barnabas for his walk a bit sooner. Neither of us enjoys being rained on!
#rain #downpour #walkingthedog #dogwalk

The word “everlasting” means “without end.” So, if we receive everlasting life when we accept Christ as Lord of our lives, that salvation is without end. If we could lose it, the life would not be everlasting. It would be temporary, and there is no basis for such a concept in the Word of God. The Bible makes it clear: when we believe, we receive everlasting life.
Read more at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#salvation #assuranceofsalvation #eternalsecurity #oncesavedalwayssaved #biblequestions #devotional #devotions #Biblestudy #bibletruth #everlastinglife

Don’t grow complacent in the fight. Don’t become so familiar with Satan’s tactics you fail to prepare for the unexpected. Keep your eyes open and your guard up. You never know when you might encounter an enemy in your path.
#watchandpray #spiritualwarrior #spiritualwarfare #spiritualattack #deadlydarts #spiritualenemy #beonguard #bevigilant

Has God ever slammed a door in your face? It smarts, doesn't it? We don't like to be told "no." We pout when we don't get our own way. After all, we have plans, goals and dreams, right? But aren't God's plans, goals and dreams for us more important? Yes, it's disappointing when God closes a door just when we thought things were looking up, but we know it's for our good. The real question is, how do we respond? Let's discuss that in today's devotion, Doorways and Decisions. DanaRongione.com

#decisions #facingdecisions #makinggodlydecisions #whengodclosesadoor #godshutsthedoor #whengodsaysgo #whengodsaysno #followinggod

For children, delight is easy to come by. A new toy. Recess. A trip to the zoo. A loose tooth. Christmas. Yes, each of these things and many more bring a gleam to the eye and a smile to the face of youngsters across the globe. But in the grown-up world of jobs, traffic, deadlines, and bills, delight is harder to come by. Perhaps that’s why so many of us struggle with the concept of delighting in the Lord. We want to be happy and joyful. We want to sing praises and give worship to God because we know He’s worthy. But how do we force ourselves to feel delighted when the emotion isn’t there? Find out in today's devotion, Reunite With Delight at DanaRongione.com.

#delightinthelord #spiritualdelight #joyofthelord #christianjoy #dailydevotions #dailydevotional #dailyinspiration #Christianauthor #christianspeaker #dailydelight #spendingtimewithgod

Someone today needs a miracle. Someone is walking down a lonely pathway, wondering if there's any hope. Someone is looking for a friend. These people need to hear our stories. They need to know what Jesus did for us and what He can do for them. They need to see the results of an encounter with Jesus and to be assured that it's not a temporary fix. They need to hear a true story.
Read more in today's devotion at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#inspire #inspiration #witness #thegreatcommission #goandtell #goandtelltheworld #goandtellthegoodnews #dailydevotions #dailydevotional #dailyinspiration #yourstory #yourstorymatters #thegospeltruth

When Christin Henry placed her three young children to bed that mid-July night, she did not know how much her life was about to change. Around one o’clock in the morning, a fire started within their mobile home, forcing the family to flee the house in search of safety. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. . .at least, not from the human perspective.

The two-year-old daughter died in the fire that night, and her older brother passed away a short while later. For the next week, the rest of the family did their best to heal and deal with their grief, but the fight was not over. On Sunday night, July 22nd, the last—and oldest—of the three children went home to be with Jesus.

May I be honest with you for a few minutes? It is so difficult to wrap my head around tragedies like this. The Henry’s are good people, Godly people. Why would the Lord allow this to happen? How could a loving God allow such tragedy and heartache in the lives of His children? It’s so hard to fathom and honestly impossible for me to understand. But here’s the thing, I don’t have to understand; I have to trust. Trust God knows what’s best. Trust He is working all things (yes, even these horrible things) for our good. Trust He will gain glory through this trial. That’s undoubtedly what Christin Henry is doing.

Read the rest of this devotion at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#inspiration #inspire #tragedy #grief #trustingod #faithingod #godisgood #blessedbethenameofthelord #dealingwithgrief #facingtrialstogether #facingtrials #heartbroken

Sometimes, I think of how awesome it would be to go back in time and erase my past mistakes and the heartaches I’ve experienced. But if I did that, things would never be the same. I wouldn’t be me. While some things may be better, others could be worse. There’s no telling what would be affected by righting my wrongs or undoing past hardships. And honestly, I’m not willing to risk it, even if it were possible. I’d hate to wake up in a life where I had my health but not my husband or where I was a famous, best-selling author but had rejected Christ.
The fact is, this life is mine—both the good and the bad. And instead of trying to erase my past, I need to embrace it because it has molded me into who I am today—a person with a sincere desire to serve God and to trust Him for my every need. I wouldn’t be who I am today had it not been for the things of my past. Yes, some events were painful, but, as the song says, “Through it all, God’s been good.” Today, perhaps you are plagued by the sins of your past or burdened by tragedies faced in your earlier life. No matter how horrible those things were, please don’t try to erase them. Embrace them instead. Notice I said embrace them not dwell on them. There is a difference. Dwelling on them leads to self-pity and discouragement whereas embracing them leads to growth and acceptance of who you are and how you arrived at your current state.
So embrace those past experiences. Count them as lessons learned and steppingstones to get you to where you are today. As a former pastor once said, “God can take a crooked stick and draw a straight line.” Likewise, God can take a painful and shameful past and use it to shape you into something beautiful. Won’t you allow him to show you how? “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” — Jeremiah 29:11

#embracethepast #god'splans #godsplan #dailydevotions #devotional #inspiration #motivation #bibletruth

Deep in the woods of Camelot, a magical spell has gone horribly wrong, flinging Merlin and Arthur into ancient Israel in the year 30 AD. Uncertain how to return to their home in Camelot, the teenagers must seek out a miracle worker by the name of Jesus. But they will quickly discover that finding this man called Messiah is much more difficult than they could imagine. . . and far more dangerous. Their most pressing question is whether Jesus has the power to send them home, but what they should be concerned with is whether they'll reach Him in time.

Get backstage access to the writing of my newest Christian fantasy: Hope Reborn: The Chronicles of Merlin, Book One. Visit https://www.danarongione.com/the-merlin-chronicles-backstage/ for the details.

#themerlinchronicles #hopereborn #danarongione #merlin #kingarthur #camelot
#medieval #fantasy #christianfantasy #fantasynovel #fantasynovels #christianfantasynovels #christianauthor #merlinandarthur #christianfantasynovel #ancientisrael #biblestories #bibletales

Snake on the left.” The phrase was stated with so little emotion and emphasis it took my brain a few seconds to transition from the pleasant conversation Jason and I were involved in to his casual warning. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing casual about a snake on the path! Had I been the first to spot the long, writhing critter, the entire scene would have played out much differently (and probably more comically). But Jason, being the matter-of-fact man he is, walked right on by with a quick, unimpressive warning thrown over his shoulder.

The ordeal left me pondering how often we look at sin in our lives and say, “It’s just a little sin.” How casually do we dismiss things we know are wrong because it’s part of the world in which we live? It’s just a little lie. Just a one-time affair. Just a curse word. Just a guilty pleasure. I’m afraid we’ve become so accustomed to sin that much of it doesn’t even gain our attention anymore. It passes through our homes, our marriages, our lives, and our churches unnoticed and unconfronted. What once made us cringe is now an everyday occurrence. Why? Because we’ve grown comfortable and casual with sin, treating it like it’s no big deal.

But it is a big deal. It’s such a big deal that Jesus had to die to save us from it. Each sin, no matter how harmless we claim it to be, had to be paid for, and Jesus was the only one who could do it. He loves enough He was willing to leave everything and give His all for us. That, my friends, is a big deal.

So, the next time we view sin, let’s take it seriously and deal with it accordingly. It’s time to stop glossing over what’s wrong and stand up for Jesus. Not only that, but we also need to warn others, and I’m not talking about a casual word over our shoulder. I’m talking about confronting them and telling them like it is. Speaking the truth in love. And teaching others to do the same. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. ”
— James 4:17

Read more at DanaRongione.com.

# sin #dealingwithsin #resistthedevil #dailydevotional #dailydevotion #spiritualwarfare #hiking

Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved. ” - Isaiah 57:10

Does the path appear long and scary? Troublesome roads can leave us weary, even if we haven't traveled them yet. Just the thought of the way ahead is enough to cause fear and dread. Whether we're facing a stressful day, week or even year, the path before us can evoke anxiety within us, making us weary before even taking the first step.

But look at the next phrase in this verse in Isaiah: yet saidst thou not, There is no hope. No matter how tired, weary or fearful we may become, we should never allow ourselves to feel there is no hope. There is always hope. Jesus made sure of that when He came to die and rise again. Not only did He purchase our salvation, but He also bought our right to believe and have faith in the things we cannot see, including the things that lie at the end of the road which we are facing. And as long as Jesus lives, there will be hope.

So how can we tap into that hope? Find out in today's devotion at DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#dontgiveup #hope #hopeingod #hopeinjesus #hopeinchrist #inspiration #dailydevotions #dailydevotional #dailyinspiration #devotional #devotions #weary #wearyintheway #hopeless

A couple of weeks ago, I was doing a deep clean and rearranging of my office. When I say I was cleaning, I mean I went through every shelf, cabinet, and drawer, including my many filing cabinets. Over the course of my twelve years as a writer, I had accumulated an unbelievable amount of information about various writing tactics, programs, sources, and the like. As I waded through the material during my recent office cleanse, I realized that most of the stuff was outdated. So much has changed in the writing world, especially when it comes to online factors, that the information was useless. I can’t tell you how many trash bags I filled with papers and programs that were no longer relevant.

We live in a changing world, and what used to be the latest and greatest is now considered antiquated. Remember Myspace or the coveted phrase, “You’ve got mail”? What was once the norm is now being outdone or overrun. Such is life in a rapidly changing world.

But I am so thankful that when everything else around me is changing, I can know God’s Word will never change. The information contained within the precious pages of my Bible will never be outdated, irrelevant, or useless. The content was valuable 2,000 years ago, and it’s still priceless today. The Word of God is forever settled and will always nourish the spiritual man. And no matter what other trends may come or go, the Scriptures will never fade away.

I don’t know about you, but that knowledge gives me peace and security when everything around me is in a state of transition because I can trust that, no matter what’s happening in life, I can count on God’s Word. His promises are true. He is faithful. And His Word will stand the test of time. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. ”
— Isaiah 40:8

#God'sWord #wordofgod #stand #devotional #devotions #dailydevotions #dailydevotional #dailyinspiration #bibletruth #bible

"Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, Even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. ”
— Numbers 32:1-5

For forty years, the children of Israel wandered in the desert, and here, on the brink of entering the Promised Land, a group decided they don’t want to continue the journey. After viewing the land they had just conquered, the two tribes agreed that where they were at present was good enough.

Good enough. Oh, how those words must break the heart of our loving Father who longs for His children to have the very best. So, why do we do it? Why do we repeatedly settle for less than what God wants us to possess? I have a few ideas. Find out what they are in today's post on DanaRongione.com/wordfitlyspoken.

#inspire #inspiration #devotional #devotions #dailydevotional #dailydevotions #godsbest #dontsettle #dontsettleforless #seekinggodsbest #seekinggodsbestformylife