Go and Show

August 16th, 2016 dsisler

 

I’m slowing writing the Book of Luke and oh the gems I’m finding. I could never share all of them, but today I wrote these words. “Go and show” from Luke 5:14 (NASB).

 

CCJesus had healed a man with leprosy and He asked the man not to tell anyone that Jesus had healed him. But instead, he was to go and show the priest that he was clean and make the necessary sacrifices.

 

I don’t know if I’m reading more into this than Jesus intended, but I think we can find some real wisdom here. This is what my take away is: Don’t just tell others about Jesus, but go and show them Jesus.

 

Perhaps you’ve heard Francis of Assisi’s quote, “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.”

 

So how can you go and show Jesus to others today? Maybe it can be as simple as waving to a neighbor, or showing kindness on the road, or helping a mom with her groceries in the parking lot, or paying for the person’s coffee behind you, or stopping to talk with someone. Yes, these are ways to go and show Jesus to others.

 

But now let’s get serious. What about volunteering in a homeless shelter? Delivering food to those in need? Showing kindness to those who are obviously your enemy? Support a missionary or sponsor a child in an underdeveloped country?

 

Friends, Jesus never intended for us to live in the comfort of our own lives and not get involved with others (Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 8:34-38; Galatians 2:20). Jesus asked 12 men to leave the comfort of their own lives to go and show others what Jesus could do for them. That is what He wants us to do as well.

 

Jesus’ last words to His disciples are words you’ve heard many times before. “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 – NIV) Their mission is our mission.

 

How do you plan to live today? Will you ignore those around you who need to be shown Jesus? Or will you go and show the world that you belong to Jesus and how He is able to make some remarkable changes in their life? I pray that you will go and show. Watch our world, here we come!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“My Lighthouse” – Monday Musical Musings

August 15th, 2016 dsisler

 

Darkness. It’s all around us and even in our own lives at times. Fear. Doubt. Anxiety. Depression. These are all emotions that can pull us into the darkness of that scheming evil one.

 

IMAG1492The good news I have to share with you today is that there is a Light that is able to dispel any darkness in your life.

 

Jesus’ words in John 8:12 (NIV) remind us that He is the Light. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

 

You see, we can live in the light when darkness is all around us. Because when we are walking with Jesus, we are in His Light. And Jesus reminds us that in His light, there is life.

 

This is exactly where I want to live and I pray that you want to do the same thing.

 

The song I’ve chosen today is called “My Lighthouse.” When we seek the light from the Lighthouse, we will find our way home. We will find our way back to Jesus.

 

I pray that you will take the time to read through these lyrics today. They will lead you to Jesus and that will make all the difference in your world today. Jesus is the Lighthouse and He is shining His Light so that you will to come to Him. Don’t miss it.

 

“My Lighthouse”[i]

 

In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won’t walk out
You’re great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

In the silence You won’t let go
In the questions Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

My lighthouse
My lighthouse
Shining in the darkness I will follow You

My lighthouse
My lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore
Safe to shore

I won’t fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I’ll rise and sing
My God’s love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

Fire before us You’re the brightest
You will lead us through the storms

 

Click here to listen to this great song.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

 

[i] “My Lighthouse,” words and music by Rend Collective, Thankyou Music, CapitolCMGPublishing.com, Integritymusic.com,  2013.

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It’s Sunday!

August 14th, 2016 dsisler

 

It’s Sunday! Woohoo! Are you making preparations to head to worship? I pray that you are.

 

I love today’s repeated blog post. There are so many elements from two years ago that fit in to my world today. I pray that you will find time to renew yourself, your quiet time or your relationship with God. He makes all things new.

 

New

 

We are in the throes of August. Back-to-school traditions are in full swing and some schools have already started. Fall programming at churches are ready to begin. The thought of cooler weather lingers on everyone’s minds. Life is about to change.

 

Daytona Beach 021mAugust has always been a special month for me. My oldest child was born on August 21. My second child was born three years later on August 23. As you can imagine, August birthdays and back-to-school shopping were nearly always combined.

 

August also means that women’s Bible studies all around the world are about ready to begin. Women from all walks of life will spend more time in prayer and study with Bibles in hand starting in just a few weeks. Not that these same women don’t study and pray during the summer, but there’s just something about the fall and the re-gathering of these faithful women that makes me believe the evil one isn’t as excited for August to end as we are.

 

The church I attend and where I work is gearing up for a final push this fall as well. We have our end of summer bash tomorrow night at a local water park and I know the kids are going to have a blast. The kids and students will be promoted to their new classes this Sunday. New neighborhood groups are being formed. Even our current message series is pushing our folks to something a little bigger, to a relationship with Jesus that’s a little deeper.

 

We rarely think of it this way, but August is a time of new beginnings. New studies. New grade levels at school. New teachers. New clothes. For some, new life in Christ.

 

There are plenty of passages that speak to this idea of new. King David spoke of a new song in Psalm 40:3. Solomon said “there is nothing new under the sun” in Ecclesiastes 1:9. Isaiah heard new things from God as stated in Isaiah 48:6. God spoke through Ezekiel 36:26 and said new hearts and new spirits were to come.

 

There were new names (Daniel 1:7), new days (Zephaniah 3:5), a new teaching (Mark 1:27), a new command (John 13:34), new life (Acts 5:20), a new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:6), a new covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25), new creation (Galatians 6:15), new birth (1 Peter 1:3), a new heaven and earth (2 Peter 3:13), new everything (Revelation 21:5).

 

Early in Jesus’ ministry He was asked why His disciples didn’t fast and pray as John the Baptizer’s and the Pharisees did (Luke 5:33-35). Jesus replied with encrypted words that we now understand, but for His audience, I’m sure they wondered what bridegroom he was talking about.

 

Jesus then went on to share a parable with those around Him. “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘This old is better.’” (Luke 5:36-39 – NIV)

 

Jesus’ audience understood this parable. They used goatskin to hold wine. As fresh wine fermented, the wine would expand. As it expanded, the new goatskin would stretch. If an older skin was used, it would not expand any further than it already had, so it would eventually burst.

 

We see in this parable that Jesus brought a new way of life that could not fit into or be confined by the old religious ways. Jesus also used this moment to show how some would be reluctant to change from their old traditions and look earnestly at the message Jesus was teaching.

 

Paul later expanded on this idea of new life, new way and new attitude. In Ephesians 4, Paul said it this way. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 – NIV)

 

Perhaps this is the perfect time of year to think of new beginnings. Maybe it’s the time we should think about resolutions. For me, this is an exciting time. I am rejuvenated by the possibilities of the fall.

 

I pray that you are able to jump into a small group or Bible study. I pray that if you need an attitude adjustment, need to take off the old you and put on Jesus or are ready to take a step toward Jesus that you will do so this fall. Jesus is waiting to join you on this journey.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Intentional Living

August 13th, 2016 dsisler

 

I’ve been in two long days of leadership training through Willow Creek. As usual, there were some awesome speakers and I have pages of notes to go over to find the best of the best pieces of wisdom that I can use in my work life, my personal life or my spiritual life. It’s kind of overwhelming.

 

DSC00374But what I love about the Global Leader’s Summit is that this same information can be used in any business or church. These tools and tips are useful whether I’m running a women’s ministry at church or a coffee shop up the street. These are the best practices of influential leaders across the globe.

 

While there were some great leadership tips, one session in particular was geared toward anyone. John Maxwell reminded us to live intentionally by adding value to people. Let me tell you his thoughts on how we can add value to people every day.

 

First, we must value people. As we think of this idea, remember all the instances in the Gospels where Jesus valued people. The woman at the well. Zacchaeus. The woman with the bleeding disorder. Jesus valued each of these people and He showed it. I believe we can be a lot more like Jesus in this area.

 

Next, think of ways to add value to people. Be prepared ahead of time and know how you can add value to another person in different settings. Jesus thought of the woman at the well long before He sat down at that well. He knew He would encounter her. And we can do the same. We need to give ourselves margin in our lives where we can actually spend time with someone is just one way to be prepared.

 

And then we need to look for ways to add value to people. Mr. Maxwell called these people “added value liver’s” and “added value looker’s. I am not as good at this one as I should be. I don’t tend to look people in the eye…if I don’t, I won’t see the hurt they’re feeling or understand the need they have. If I don’t know about it, I don’t have to do anything about it. But that’s not the way Jesus lived His life.

 

Then we can add value to others. What we’ve thought of and prepared to do and seen, we need to do it. We need to meet a need. We need to speak to someone. Maybe we need to embrace someone. The point here is to do it.

 

And finally, we need to encourage others to add value to others. This isn’t something I can keep to myself, so I’m sharing it here, with you, my readers. Follow these same ideas and you too can live an intentional living life.

 

I want to end by sharing a quote from John Maxwell. He says, “When you change your thinking from ‘What am I going to receive?’ to ‘What am I going to give?’ your entire life begins to turn around.”

 

Paul wrote in Acts 20:35 (NIV) that Jesus said, “’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” If we believe Jesus said these words, then our lives must show it.

 

What do you need to change in your life so that you can live an intentional life? How can you show others that you value them? What steps do you need to take to make a difference in another’s life?

 

I know where my weakness is and I intend to be more intentional in looking for ways I can add value to other’s lives. I pray that you will not just think of this as another nice post, but that you will actually take these words to heart and allow God’s Spirit to massage it. Let Him do the leading…but join Him on the journey.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Temptation

August 12th, 2016 dsisler

 

As I’m writing the Book of Luke, I was touched by the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by the devil. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve read this passage (in Luke, Matthew or Mark) or heard a message about it through the years, but I have to say, I found a few things interesting that I believe we can keep in mind when we face temptation.

 

???????????????????????????????First, the devil knows Scripture. In Luke 4:10-11, Satan shared a verse or two with Jesus. However, he twisted it so that it fit his need at the time.

 

The lesson I believe we should learn from this is that even the evil one and evil people know Scripture. They may even quote it to you. But beware, it probably is not accurate information. So don’t take their word for it. Look it up. See if it is indeed what the Bible says.

 

We can also learn that we must be careful with how we use Scripture. No taking a verse out of context to make it prove our point. No misquotes. No adaptations. If we are going to use Scripture, we must use it accurately. Remember Paul’s encouragement to Timothy? “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 – NIV) Great words of advice for each of us.

 

Second, the devil decided to wait for another opportune time to tempt Jesus again. “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13 – NIV)

 

The lesson we can learn here is that we shouldn’t expect Satan to give up. Like this encounter with Jesus, he will wait for an opportune time to tempt you and me. It’s important for each of us to know when we are most vulnerable. Maybe when you’re tired, or angry, or hungry, or alone, or when you’re with a specific person, or away from home, or                                   (you can fill in the blank here). When you (and I) know your weaknesses, you (and I) can be prepared for when it happens.

 

And just how can we do that? Put on your armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). Be prepared for battle. Don’t just stand there and allow the evil one to pummel you with his fiery darts. Take your stand and fight.

 

And take a cue from Jesus. He used Scripture to battle temptation. You can do the same. Find a passage of Scripture that helps you through your specific temptation and keep it handy. Using God’s Truth in the battle will expose the lies of the father of lies.

 

You probably already know all of this, but it was good for me to write it down. This is for my benefit as well as yours. I pray that when the devil shows up at an opportune time, that you will be prepared to fight the battle. I certainly plan to be.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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  • "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 Jacksonville, Florida.

  • 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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