“Come and See Jesus” – Today’s Touch

 

It’s Thursday and I remembered to write about poetry! I pray that you will find some joy in today’s poem.

 

Holy Land Experience 023mThe title of this poem caught my attention and as I read through it. I loved the many ways we can see Jesus throughout Scripture. As you come to see Jesus, He begins to show up in your own life and then others see Him through you. What an encouraging word today. Many blessings to you, my friends.

 

“Come and See Jesus”

by Kim Merryman, ©2008 Guidepost submission

 

Come and see the tiny baby,

sleeping on a bed of straw.

The angels came and sang His praises,

and shepherds watched in silent awe.

 

Come and see who’s in the temple,

listening to the rabbis teach;

a twelve-year-old who asks them questions,

His wisdom is beyond their reach.

 

“Come and see,” said John the Baptist,

“The Lamb of God sent from above.

On Him the Father sent His Spirit,

it came down on Him like a dove.”

 

“Come and see,” insisted Andrew,

when he found Simon by the sea.

“I believe we’ve found Messiah.

Drop your nets and come with me.”

 

“Come and see”, cried out the woman,

“The man who told me all I’d done.

He said He’d give me living water.

Could He be the Holy One?”

 

Come and see this man called Jesus.

He heals the sick, the blind, the lame.

Even demons are subject to Him.

Those He touches are never the same.

 

Come and see this Jewish Rabbi,

as He teaches on the hill.

The crowds are spellbound by His message,

He teaches them about God’s will.

 

Come and see the righteous anger,

of the man from Galilee.

See Him cleanse the crowded temple,

of the merchants and their greed.

 

Come and see the Lord at prayer,

in the garden on His knees.

Sweating drops of blood in anguish,

God’s will be done is what He pleads.

 

Come and see the man betrayed,

by His own disciple’s kiss.

Sold for thirty silver coins,

by a traitor in His midst.

 

Come and see the suffering servant,

hands and feet nailed to the cross.

Hear Him say, “Father, forgive them,”

as His friends weep for their loss.

 

Come and see, His tomb is empty.

See, the stone has been rolled away.

The Son of God has conquered death,

He has risen from the grave.

 

Come and see the risen Savior,

See and touch His nail-pierced hands.

Hear Him say, “Go preach the gospel,

to every nation, every land.”

 

Come and see, men, women, children,

Jesus is the Life, the Truth, the Way,

to peace and joy and life everlasting.

Believe in Him without delay.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Need Some Help

 

I find myself needing a few words of encouragement this morning. Maybe you’re in the same boat. So here are a few of my recently pinned Pinterest pins that I love. I pray that you will find exactly what you need in God’s Word today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Two

 

I am excited to share a couple of things that have been going on in my life. Today marks day two of training for a program called The Journey. If spiritual formation is on your mind, this is an awesome way to take others down the path to a deeper relationship with God.

 

Through The Journey, I’ll be leading a group of women to a deeper understanding of who God is, who they are and how their lives line up with God’s plan. It’s going to be an exciting program and I can’t wait to get started.

 

20160627_193104The second thing I’m pretty excited about is that my Stephen Ministry training is complete. Over 50 hours of training and twenty weeks of class time has provided me with some beautiful tools and guidelines that will help me in my day-to-day living, as well as helping women who need a listening ear.

 

Last night was our commissioning. The nine of us stood before our family and friends and were set apart for this role by our elders. I started crying when they called the first person up and, being the last person commissioned, I was pretty much blubbering. I have grown very close to our graduating class of Stephen Ministers and am blessed to called each of them friend and fellow Stephen Minister.

 

20160627_191715A passage was spoken over each of us and we were prayed over by two of our elders. I want to share what was given to me. “May the Spirit dwell in you richly, filling you with joy and peace and courage for all your endeavors in the Lord’s service.” Okay, I’m tearing up again. This was pretty special, but I knew I would feel this way when I read through the last section in our manual.

 

Two questions. These are the two questions that brought tears to my eyes.

 

Question #1:

“Take a few minutes to reflect on what Stephen Ministry means to you.”

 

Question #2:

“Select a Bible passage or story that you would like to use as your ‘Motto of Stephen Ministry’ or your ‘Picture of What Stephen Ministry Means.’”

 

Here are my answers:

 

Question #1:

I started the training for Stephen Ministry to gain tools and tips for helping others when they are faced with a difficult situation. This training far exceeded my expectations or my desires. I have drawn closer to God through these weeks of study and preparation and training. I have come to a better understanding of who I am in Christ through these sessions. I have accepted the fact that I need God’s Spirit to work within me continually so that I may be used by Him to do His work with others. I have a deeper appreciation for those who are hurting and my spiritual eyes have been opened to their needs.

 

Question #2:

The verses of Scripture that I chose are from Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV). “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

 

Well at the end of the day today, I will have completed two very important pieces of training. Am I all set for service in God’s Kingdom? I said it last night and I’ll say it again, “Yes, with the help of God.”

 

I think I’m going to cry again!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“Great Are You Lord” – Monday Musical Musings

 

I want to share this beautiful song with you today. What a great reminder that everything within our being is because of God our Father. It is His breath within us that gives us the desire and need to praise Him.

 

As you read through these lyrics and perhaps sing through the song below, I pray that you are drawn toward God in a way that you have not experienced in the past. I pray that you will find the need to fill your lungs with God so that you can praise Him. I pray that you will praise Him with everything within you. Oh, how great is our God!

 

“Great Are You Lord”[i]

 

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

Great are You, Lord

 

It’s Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise

We pour out our praise

It’s Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

 

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

Great are You, Lord

 

All the earth will shout Your praise

Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing

Great are You, Lord

 

Click here to listen to this beauty!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] “Great Are You Lord,” words and music by Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan and David Leonard, Integrity’s Praise Music, Integrity’s Alleluia! Music, Sony/ATV Timber Publishing, Hands Music, 2014.

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Oops!

 

Well I managed to do it again. I didn’t write or post anything yesterday. I was busy with grandkids all day long and never once thought about getting something down on paper to share with you. Please accept my apology!

 

Since it’s Sunday, it’s time for a repeated blog post. I pray that your day is filled with God’s grace and peace.

 

Mirrored Image

 

butterflyMy seven-year-old granddaughter (remember this is a repeated blog post…Joy will be 10 in October!) drew this picture of a butterfly. Isn’t it beautiful? As a grandparent, I thought it was beautiful just because she drew it. But then, she explained how she drew this picture.

 

She took a crayon in each hand and as she drew the right side of the body, she mirrored the motion with her left hand. As she drew the upper portion of the right wing, she drew the upper portion of the left wing. Simultaneously, she created both sides of the butterfly to match the other.

 

You see, this butterfly is brilliantly beautiful!

 

Of course, we see this same idea in Scripture. That we are to be mirror images of Jesus. When we mirror Jesus, we must mirror His qualities and character. Matthew 5:48 and 1 Peter 1:16 tell us that we are to be perfect and holy because Jesus is perfect and holy. And 1 John 2:6 tells us that if we claim to live in him, we must walk as Jesus did.

 

But let’s face it, those are pretty big shoes to fill.

 

Paul’s advice to the Corinthian Church was to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Gospels are filled with examples of Jesus encountering people. When we know how Jesus lived His life and interacted with others, we can follow His example and live our lives in the same manner.

 

But there are other Scriptures that point us to how to live like Jesus did. Paul spoke to the believers in Ephesus to be imitators of God and to live a life of love (Ephesians 5:1-2).

 

To the believers in Philippi, Paul said, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:3-5 – NIV)

 

Again, these are big shoes to fill. But Jesus knew that we would need help in reflecting His image in our lives. He didn’t leave us on our own, but gave us a Helper. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) to see how God’s Spirit helps us. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

 

Through transformation by the Spirit, we are able to reflect, mirror Jesus’ glory more and more. Transformation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 calls it becoming a “new creation.”

 

Transformation is a matter of the heart and when our hearts are in line with God’s Word, we reflect or mirror Jesus (Proverbs 27:19).

 

1 Corinthians 13:12 mentions that we don’t see this mirrored reflection as clearly as we could, but that one day, when we see Jesus face to face, the image will be true perfection.

 

If you look closely at the image of this butterfly, you’ll see little differences and if you were to look solely at the left side, you would see the flaws. But as a whole, the left side is a good replica of the right side.

 

It’s the same with our spiritual lives. When we separate ourselves from Jesus, our flaws are evident. When we examine our hearts more closely, we see that we are not following as close to Jesus as we should. It’s only by being close to Jesus that we are viewed to be mirroring Him.

 

Today, I believe we must look at our lives and ask ourselves how closely we are mirroring Jesus. We must examine our hearts to see if they are in line with Jesus’ teaching. We must determine if we have given ourselves over to transformation.

 

How’s your reflection?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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