It’s Tuesday Morning

August 28th, 2012 dsisler

It’s Tuesday morning. I’m traveling with my husband. A long road trip from Colorado to Ohio…non-stop. Well of course we have stopped, but we didn’t stop to spend the night along the way.
So today I am going to do something that I haven’t done…I’m going to repurpose a past blog writing. It is “Sunrise, Sunset,” since I’ve been in this vehicle and have seen each of these in the past 12 hours.
So enjoy this repost. I did!
Sunrise, Sunset
Are you a sunrise person or a sunset person? I’ve always been an early riser, so I’ve enjoyed more sunrises than sunsets in my lifetime. I believed a sunrise was more beautiful, but I’m beginning to think that are each beautiful in their own way. For their own purpose.

Our sunrises in Colorado begin in the east, but as the sun rises, it transforms the mountains to the west. The sunrise is as beautiful to the west as it is to the east.

Our sunsets in Colorado have the mountains as their backdrop. I have seen some of the most beautiful sunsets here.
I love that God has given us this type of beauty. Beauty for us to enjoy. Let me share a little of the references in the Bible and what God says about sunrises and sunsets.
Sunrise
In the Old Testament, there are many references to the sunrise. Most of them deal with something facing toward the sunrise. A building, an entrance, where the Israelites were to camp, or the direction they headed on a journey.
These accounts can be found in Exodus 27:13; 38:13; Numbers 2:3; 3:38; 21:11; 34:15; Joshua 1:15; and Joshua 19:12.
Also in the Old Testament, David shared that he was a light at sunrise in his world because he followed and trusted God. (2 Samuel 23:3-4)
In the New Testament, we see the scene at Jesus’ resurrection at sunrise in Mark 16:2-3. “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’”
It seems appropriate that Jesus appeared just after sunrise. Especially since He is described as the “Bright Morning Star”(Revelation 22:16).
Sunset
In the Old Testament there are references to the sunset. If a cloak was used as a pledge, it was to be returned by sunset. These laws can be found in Exodus 22:6; Deuteronomy 23:11; and Deuteronomy 24:13.
During a battle with the Amalekites, Moses’ arms were held up until sunset so the Israelites would obtain victory (Exodus 17:12).
There are other references in the Old Testament that are too gruesome to mention at this time of day, but you can look them up if you’d like.
Mark 13:2 and Luke 4:40 tell us how Jesus was greeted with sick people at sunset. “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.” (Luke 4:40)
I have seen some beautiful sunrises here in Colorado. But I have equally seen some beautiful sunsets. I think these two events, that just happen to occur daily, are a reminder for us to think about our God and how our lives can be changed through Him.
At sunrise we can seek God and ask for His guidance throughout our day. We can know that it is a new day and that we have the opportunity for a “do over.” I guess that is why one of my favorite Bible verses is Lamentations 3:22-23. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
At sunset we can once again approach God with our daily victories, troubles, struggles, temptations and sins. We can seek His grace and forgiveness and allow Him to cover us with His wings. Psalm 141:2 tells us, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” The evening sacrifice is our lives, lived with God’s power and strength throughout the day.
Through my Christian walk, I can enjoy both sunrise and sunset as seen through Scripture. In Colorado, I can also enjoy both sunrise and sunset. I guess it’s not for me to debate any longer. I love them both!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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I Am Nearsighted

August 27th, 2012 dsisler

I am nearsighted. Now if you’re trying to remember how this works, when you’re nearsighted you can see things that are up-close but things further away seem blurry.
I have tried bi-focals on several occasions, but they just never seemed to work for me. So when I need to read or use the computer, I simply remove my glasses and do my reading. It works relatively well, but it isn’t perfect.
I recently had an eye exam. My eye sight has improved! In fact, over the past few years, my eye sight has steadily improved. Well, my nearsightedness has improved.  My far sightedness has remained the same, however.
I was actually pretty excited about it. I hoped that one day I would be able to toss my glasses completely. Then I mentioned it to my youngest daughter. She worked in the optical department at a local eye glass store and she mentioned that at my age it is common for this phenomenon to occur.
Wow was I disappointed! Of course, the “at my age” conversation wasn’t all that fun either.
I have learned through the years how important eyesight can be. Knowing people who have lost their sight due to disease or accident has helped me to see that this is one sense that I would be disappointed to lose.
But what about our spiritual sight. Am I spiritually nearsighted? Am I sometimes too focused on myself to miss what others are battling? Do I see things that are up-close in focus but things further away seem blurry? Yes, sometimes I believe I fall into this trap.
If I’m really honest, I might even say that it occurs more often than not.
Jesus had something to say about this during the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23 – NIV)
When my eyes are strictly focused on myself or those closest to me, I miss the opportunity to be filled with God’s light. But sometimes this is so difficult to do. So where do we begin to widen the view we see with our eyes?
Psalm 16:8 (NIV) shares how David was able to do so. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” We must keep our eyes upon God.
We also must keep God’s commands and precepts in sight. Psalm 19:8 (NIV) says, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
We must turn from worthless things. “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” (Psalm 119:37 – NIV) Focusing on things that are not important will draw our attention away from God’s purpose. Worthless things will always cause farsightedness.
When we’ve set our eyes upon God, focused on His precepts, and turned from worthless things, our eyesight will improve!
The passage of Scripture that I have used as the structure for this blog is from Ephesians 1:18 (NIV). “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…”
I am certain that each of us would want this for ourselves. For our spiritual eyes to be unselfish. For our spiritual eyes to be healthy. For our spiritual eyes to have 20/20 vision.
It is possible. But it will take effort on your part. You will need to open your spiritual eyes to see what God is preparing for you. You will need to open your spiritual eyes to see others before yourself. You will need to open your spiritual eyes to God’s wonderful law and see how His light will shine through your eyes.
All this I pray for you!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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My Heart

August 26th, 2012 dsisler

I am continuing to prepare for my SE Asia service trip. There are now 28 days (four weeks from today) until we leave. The plane tickets have been purchased. Training has begun. Details of what we’ll be doing are coming together. God has blessed me abundantly. The excitement is building. It is really going to happen!
I purchased a couple of journals to take along. One for personal thoughts and one for blog writing. The journal that will be filled with my personal thoughts of the day is a pink book with “Joy” written on the front. There is a passage of Scripture at the bottom of each page. One reference got my attention.
“The cheerful heart has a continual feast.” (Proverbs 15:15b – NIV)
I love to eat! I love to entertain! I love feasting! And what could be better than a continual feast?
Memories of festivals come to mind from my past, and yes, they were enjoyable. Anticipation and excitement accompanied the prospect of attending a festival. And of course, the festival foods were a highlight.
But that isn’t what this verse is speaking of.
When our hearts are in line God’s heart, His plans, and His attitudes, “life is as joyful and satisfying as the days of a festival.”[i]
What do we need to do to get our hearts in line with God’s? Let’s explore what God’s Word has to say about it.
We must ask for it. Psalm 51:10 (NIV) are David’s words, but they are words we can pray as well. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Allowing God to work in us is a great first step.
David also notes that we are to seek God and hide God’s Words in or hearts. “I seek you with all my heart do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:10-11 – NIV) Seeking and hiding are great ways to line up with God’s heart.
In Acts 13:22 (NIV), Paul quoted God and this is what God said about David. “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” If we want to line our hearts up with God’s heart, we need to do everything God wants us to do.
So what does God want us to do? Here are just a few verses that lead us in the direction of lining up with God’s heart.
Psalm 86:12 (NIV) shows us, “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” Our hearts praising and glorifying God will always line up with God’s heart.

We see in John 14:1 (NIV) that we are “not to let our hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” When we trust in God, our hearts will be in line with God’s heart.

Our hearts are filled with love because we have the Holy Spirit within us. Romans 5:5 (NIV) says, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Hearts filled with love line up perfectly with God’s heart. Because God is love!
Allowing God’s peace to rule our hearts put us in line with God’s heart. Philippians 4:7 (NIV) tells us, “And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” The benefit here? Our hearts will be protected.
Peace should be the ruler of our hearts. Colossians 3:15 (NIV) reminds us, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
And, we are to have thankful hearts. Peace and thanksgiving. These are qualities we are to possess for alignment with God’s heart.
This is not an exhaustive list. There are other ways to place our hearts in line with God’s. What passages do you recall? I’d love to hear from you! Why not share?
I cannot wait to write in my personal journal. I believe God has great things in store for me as I walk the paths of this journey. I pray that my heart will continue to be in line with God’s. I also pray that God will show me any undesirable thoughts or feelings that might be lingering in my heart.
“The cheerful heart has a continual feast.” (Proverbs 15:15b – NIV)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

[i]NIV Study Bible, 2002, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, pg. 1308.
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Encouragement – Part Eight

August 25th, 2012 dsisler

You’ve seen the signs in movies. “The end is near.” Well, I have come to the end of my writing on encouragement. At least for the purpose of this blog. There are a couple of topics to discuss and then tomorrow, I’ll be writing about something else.
But what a topic this has been! I have learned so much about encouragement and the elements that accompany this word. And when it’s all said and done, if I am not changed, if I do not encourage others, it will have been for nothing.
If you noticed, I have only used New Testament Scripture and it will be no different today. But there was one verse in Proverbs that caught my attention from the beginning. It says, “An anxious heart weigh a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Proverbs 12:25 – NIV)
That’s encouragement. Caring enough to say a kind word.
Today, I will conclude this topic with a couple of things we are to encourage and when we are to encourage. I pray that your heart will be open to further study of this topic and that your spiritual eyes will be open to see those who need encouragement.
What are we to encourage?
I found two things we are to encourage others to do. The first is to hold on to the teachings the New Testament believers had been taught.
Encouraging words to stand firm. Encouragement to remain true. Encouragers who spoke of stimulating minds. These too are words we must hold on to.
“When he [Barnabas] arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”  (Acts 11:23 – NIV)
“Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to retain true to the faith.” (Acts 14:21b-22a – NIV)
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 – NIV)
“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Titus 1:9 – NIV)
“With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.” (1 Peter 5:12 – NIV)
“Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.”(2 Peter 3:1 – NIV)
The second purpose for encouragement is to urge others to do good deeds and speak good words. Consider these passages.
“Encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:12 – NIV)
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – NIV)
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24 – NIV)
Encouraging words that encourage godly behavior and steadfastness. That is what we should be encouraging others to do.
When are we to encourage?
We see in Scripture that we are to encourage in times of trouble.
Paul and Silas encouraged Lydia and those meeting with her after they were released from prison (Acts 16:40).
In Acts 27:27-44, Paul urged the centurion and soldiers to eat some food during the storm and imminent ship wreck. These men were encouraged and ate.
Paul shared encouraging words with the Philippian Church while still in chains.  Philippians 1:14 (NIV) says, “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word God more courageously and fearlessly.”
In this passage we see the one in trouble doing the encouraging. What a message!
There is one last element to encouragement that I’d like to share. Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) tells us, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” We are to encourage one another daily! If it is Today, encourage.
I’m in the middle of having a yard sale. Yesterday morning I was determined to encourage those who ventured into my little sale. I think I did okay. I had K-Love playing the background (you know the “positive, encouraging” music station). I greeted each person with a warm smile. I engaged in small chit chat.
I think I did alright. But today I’m tired. I’m weary. I don’t feel like moving all this junk back outside to try to sell. I believe Today will be the real test. Will my words and my actions be as encouraging Today as they were yesterday?
The only way this is possible is with God’s Spirit at work within me. I will be able to do this because of Him. I’m so thankful for God’s gift of the Spirit!
Encouragement. There is more to this word than meets the eye. And to be honest, there is still so much more to say. More verses of Scripture that can lead and teach on this topic.
I’d like to hear from you. What is the one thing that stands out for you after learning about encouragement? How are you planning to be an encouragement to someone Today? I pray that you’ll not be discouraged and that you won’t give up on encouragement.
“Let us not become weary in doing good [or speaking words of encouragement], for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good [or speak words of encouragement] to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:19-20 – NIV)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Encouragement – Part Seven

August 24th, 2012 dsisler

I met Frank years ago. We attended the same church. Frank had the gift of encouragement and I was the recipient of his encouragement on several occasions.
During a frightening period of unknown illness with our youngest child, Frank encouraged us to be positive about the outcome. Not to even speak or think our fears.
During a rebellious season, Frank pulled me back into God’s loving arms and allowed me to see the abundant grace God was willing to lavish upon me.
But Frank’s greatest encouragement came through his prayers. He was (and still is) a great prayer warrior. He knew the exact words to say. He prayed Scripture often. He prayed prayers I had never heard before. And I was encouraged.
In yesterday’s blog post, I listed passages that say we are all to be encouragers. Today we will continue with how and why we are to encourage. I pray that you will listen to God’s Word and act upon them.
How are we to encourage?
There are two passages that speak to this and they say nearly the same thing. We are to be humble. Humility must accompany encouragement.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10 – NIV)
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (2 Peter 5:6 – NIV)
As we gain encouragement from God, we are then able to encourage others. Through it all, we must remain humble, under God’s mighty hand, and He will do wonderful things.
Why are we to encourage?
I found several reasons mentioned in Scripture for encouragement. Let’s see what God’s Word has to say.
First, we are to be encouraged and encourage for and toward unity. That unity begins with God and then we can become an encourager to others to be united with Christ and with His Church.
Through unity we are able to endure, glorify God, understand the full riches from God and know Jesus Christ.
These passages point us in this direction. Romans 15:5-6; Philippians 2:1-2; and Colossians 2:2.
Certainly without unity we would not be able to encourage one another.
Second, we are to be encouragers because we know the hope we have found in Jesus Christ. Through God and His grace, we are built up and we receive the inheritance.
Acts 20:32 (NIV) says, “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Through the love and grace from God, we receive eternal encouragement and good hope. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV) says, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
A couple other passages you may want to read about hope are Romans 15:4 and Hebrews 6:18.
When hope abides within us, we really must encourage others to join us. Hope brings life to a discouraged soul. Why wouldn’t we encourage others to grab hold of it?
Third, we see that encouragement leads to strength. Speaking words of encouragement gives our hearts and souls the ability to continue on. To keep on going.
Acts 15:32 (NIV) tells us, “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.”
And in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV) we see these words. “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
We are strengthened by encouragement and that leads to good deeds and words.
And finally, encouragement can be used for admonition or rebuking. Above I mentioned a season of rebellion against God. Those kind words of encouragement from Frank brought me back to Him. Notice I said kind. We must temper all that we say in love or we take the chance of turning a soul from God completely.
Titus 2:15 (NIV) says, “These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.”
I believe this might be the most frightening. But I also believe if we have followed God’s guidelines ourselves, we are able to admonish for the right reason and purpose and are able to do so.
You might want to read Colossians 3:16 and 2 Timothy 4:2 for more insight.
As we draw to a close on this study of encouragement, I pray that you’re understanding has been stretched. I know mine has!
Don’t be stingy with encouraging words. Let them flow from your lips. You never know who you might be an encouragement to.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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  • About Me

    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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    In September 2012 I went to SE Asia on a service trip. For more information, check out preachitclearly.blogspot.com.

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