Beyond Ourselves Podcast
Help is On the Way
“Help is on the way.” It’s all I could think to say as I grabbed my purse and headed to my car. She needed to hear those words. She needed to know that help was on the way…the kind of tangible help we need when we’re at our wit’s end when we don’t know how much more we can take. And so, God wants us to know, “He is our HELP.” We may not see Him, but we have the full assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present HELP in trouble,” Psalm 46:1. Are you in trouble and need HELP? Are you in despair and need HELP? Are you disturbed about something and need HELP? Unlike the friend who had to wait for me, the Lord is our present HELP. We need only call on Him as Psalm 43:5 reminds us. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the HELP of my countenance and my God,”
Heavenly Father, we praise You, our HELP, and the HELP of our countenance.
So What’s Jesus Up to?
Around Easter, Christians focus on the weeks prior to Jesus’s crucifixion. Resurrection morning, we celebrate that death couldn’t keep Jesus in the grave. But, where is Jesus now and what is He doing? Hebrews 6:20 tells us where Jesus is. “Jesus has entered as a forerunner (in heaven) for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus is in heaven and He’s praying for us. How do we know He’s in heaven? He told His disciples before His crucifixion that He had come down from heaven to earth and He was returning to heaven. People saw Jesus rise from the earth and ascend through the clouds into heaven. Angels assured those watching Jesus rise in the air that what they thought they saw, they truly saw. Yes, it’s true. An airplane defies gravity and ascends beyond our sight into the clouds. An airplane’s power is minuscule compared to Christ’s power. All is well, friends. Christ, our forerunner, has gone ahead of us to heaven. He made it safely there. We will, too, where we’ll be united with loved ones and the Lord forever.
Lord Jesus, forerunner of all who put their trust in You, thank You for safely seeing us through the travail of death and bringing us to heaven’s glory.
Whoo Hoo!
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Whoo Hoo! And I don’t say that lightly. Thunderous applause should erupt upon hearing that God is not only the God of the Jews. He is also the God of those who are not born a Jew but who have placed their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. Gentiles, friends who are not born a Jew, if you are a Christian you have been grafted into the promises God made to Abraham. Have you given hearty praise to God for including you in His plan of eternal salvation? You are not going down in the flame. You are going up to the glorious presence of the Lord God Almighty and Son Jesus Christ.
“…is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” Romans 3:29.
GOD of the GENTILES, we praise You for including us in the blessings and inheritance of the Jews.
God Himself Will…for You
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Do you sometimes wish you were stronger in your convictions and more consistent in your walk with Christ? Do you ever wonder how God could love and forgive you? The answer to our questions is summed up in one word: GRACE. First Peter 5:10 explains: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” The God of All Grace, who gave His Son to die for our sins, the God of All Grace who ransomed us, the God of All Grace who transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, that same God of All Grace will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. Praise HIM, He hasn’t saved and forgotten us. “God Himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” Personalize that grace-filled promise and say it out loud:
God Himself will perfect me, confirm me, strengthen me, and establish me. The God of all grace has forgiven my sin by the sacrificial death of Jesus.
Now glory in this truth. Celebrate Christ’s resurrection – proof that God, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will by grace, complete what He began in us. Praise the God of ALL grace.
GOD of all GRACE, I love and praise you. Thank You for calling me to eternal glory in Christ. Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life so I can live eternally in Your glorious presence. Thank You, God of all grace, for perfecting, confirming, strengthening, and establishing me in Christ Jesus. I love You!
Unwrap It!
Gifts! Who doesn’t like to receive a gift? Presents wrapped with brightly colored paper and bows. A gift tag with OUR name on it. And most importantly, someone holding the gift and offering, “Take it! I bought it for you!” Beaming, our Lord God waits for us to take the gift described in Romans 6:23. That in spite of our sin, He offers the “free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our Heavenly Father gives us a gift that cost His Son’s life. Forgiveness is the first thing we see in the gift. Then the gifts of His Holy Spirit, heaven, friendship, eternity, and so much more! With each day, we realize there’s more of God’s love to unwrap. The Gift Giver smiles as our eyes light up in joyful praise.
Lord God, thank You for GIVING us the GIFT of eternal life in Christ Jesus and for all that is encompassed in the gift of His life! We praise You.
Could You Use Some Gentleness to Pass to Others?
When you think of Jesus, do you think of Him as gentle? In Matthew 11:29, it’s one of the ways He describes Himself. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What does Christ mean when He says He is gentle or meek? It is often defined as “power under control.” Although I don’t fully understand this great combination of attributes, I see them in my husband. Keith has great strength of character, yet he stoops down to pick a tiny flower amidst a field of grass in order to gently hand it to me on our walks. Christ, while holding infinite power, offers us His gentle heart and in Him, we find rest for our souls. Jesus calls to us and tells us to walk closely with Him and learn from Him. Who in your family or home needs Christ’s gentleness expressed to them through you? To the degree we are walking close to Christ we’ll be able to walk in gentleness with others.
Lord Jesus, You are both strong yet GENTLE. In these days of stress, help us pray and yield to Your gentle Spirit so we bless others as You bless us.
Passing Earthling or Proven Jesus
Who are you following these days? An earthling or Jesus? Why does it matter? Because we’re all going to die one day and Jesus says He alone is the “way” (John 14:6) to eternal life in heaven. Some people argue that there are many ways to heaven. Jesus says not so in Matthew 7:13-14. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” And, in John 14:6, “I am the way,…no one comes to the Father but through Me.” We can believe an earthly spokesman/author or we can believe the One who said He came from “above,” who was crucified, buried, resurrected 3 days later, and ascended into the clouds. I choose to believe the One who demonstrated His otherworldly, heavenly powers over an earth-born personality voicing their opinions. What about you?
LORD Jesus, we praise You, the GATE by whom all who call upon You can be saved.
A Sippy Cup Won’t Do
When we come to God for a new life in Christ, we don’t come to a sippy cup of refreshing life. We come to an overflowing fountain of life. “Come to Me and drink!” Jesus invites us. (John 7:37) And don’t stop drinking. God’s fountain flows in the “innermost being” of the one who believes in Jesus. From where does the living water originate? Psalm 36:9 tells us. “For with You is the FOUNTAIN of LIFE…” God is a FOUNTAIN of LIFE. During trying days, we can use our time to dive into the deep waters of Bible study. Why? We’ll refresh our soul that has been drained by the day’s trials and worries. There’s no better time than now to read or re-read “The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World.” Or if you prefer, listen to the FREE audio. Rather than let life drain you, drink in all God is and has for you.
Lord, You are the FOUNTAIN of LIFE! Thank You for Your Word, Spirit, and presence that fills us and flows in and through us when we drink richly of You.
The Plan A Woman in a Plan B World: Introduction
Tornado Alley
In a tornado, a storm shelter is the “go-to” place. It must be near. It must be stocked. Knowing we have a storm shelter gives us hope when we’re surrounded by deadly tornadoes. God is mindful that we live in stormy times on enemy ground. The apostle Peter writes that the devil prowls the earth looking for someone to devour. New Testament writers address the evil in the world. The question is, are we mindful that God is our FORTRESS? He’s our “go-to” person in the midst of life’s storms and temptations? Perhaps you, like me, haven’t always thought of God as your fortress. If that’s the case, we can increase our mindfulness that He is and join the psalmist David’s resolve, “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust.'” (Psalm 91:2) We can live the coming days with confidence in God, our FORTRESS. Are you in?
Lord God, You are our FORTRESS. Thank You that we can turn to You any time, day or night.
Is Your View of God Accurate
Some people have a wrong view of God. They may accuse Him of not being tolerant. However, our faith is based on the tolerance* or forbearance of God. Romans 3:25b-26 says, “…in the FORBEARANCE of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” To clarify, God is not tolerant of sin. Rather, sin is so “intolerable” to God that He sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could be made new. God “passed over” or “paid for” sins that had been committed and would be committed. Our forbearing Lord is just. Our forbearing Lord is the justifier (just as if I’d never sinned) of the one who places their faith in Jesus. There is no better time than now for us to share this message with others. People are dying. Many may never have heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Please pray God will stir the hearts of believers to share the good news with others and that the unsaved will hear, be convicted, repent, and be saved.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your forbearance, for bearing with us and justifying us so we can stand before You as if we’d never sinned. Amazing!
*”Forbearance,” http://www.blueletterbible.org