Beyond Ourselves Podcast

It’s messy. It’s hands-on. It’s a commitment. It’s time-consuming. It’s up close and personal. What is messy, hands-on, time-consuming, and up close and personal? Being a potter, which is how God is described in Isaiah 64:8. “O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You are our POTTER, And all of us are the work of Your hand.” If you feel like your life is spinning out of control, remember that you’re in the divine Potter’s hands. He’s not going to let you fly off His Potter’s wheel. Rather, just the opposite. He’s molding and shaping you into a vessel of honor and glory. Rest in the assurance of His divine hands. 

Heavenly Father, we praise You that You are our Potter. Thank You for shaping us into a divine vessel.

Watch the video clip from Debbie’s teaching series.

Does a holy fear ever rise in you?  What kind of holy fear? The good kind. A reverential fear. An overwhelming acknowledgment of God’s greatness and our smallness. Utter awe at the thought of standing in God’s majestic presence.  Tear filled sorrow for those who don’t know Jesus.  Trembling for those who defy God and set themselves against Him. One day every person will give an account of their lives to God, who Genesis 14:19 describes as “…God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.” Christ tells us that those who deny God will spend eternity apart from Him. If we’re in a relationship of saving faith with Jesus, what are we doing to make sure others know Him? May holy fear cause us to think more of others than of ourselves; to speak to the unsaved about Jesus, and pray for them.

Heavenly Father, POSSESSOR of HEAVEN & EARTH, how comforting to know that because of Jesus we will live eternally in Your presence. Stir our hearts to share the good news with those walking in darkness.

Life is filled with joy, but also pain. Sometimes the most painful questions we ask are why didn’t God heal a loved one or friend?  If you’ve had those questions, you’re not alone. We don’t know the answer to many questions. In times of pain, when we don’t understand and we don’t have answers, we look in faith to Jesus. He allowed Himself to die so we’d have visible evidence of not only His love, but also eternal healing.  Jesus knew there would be challenging questions on this side of heaven. He said to those listening to His teachings in Luke 4:23, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!'” But instead of preventing His death, He died a painful death with no pain killers and with no one holding His hand. He died to pay for our sins, and by His resurrection, gives proof of ultimate eternal healing. For that, we are grateful beyond words and continue to look in trust to our loving Savior and Great Physician. 

Jesus, eternal Physician, thank You for rising from the dead so we can see the ultimate healing You give to all who place their faith in You. 

Ha! If you know me, you know I’m not giving advice about how to be perfect because I’m anything but that. If you’ve ever hung your head in shame because of sin, I can relate. If you ever feel horrible about something you did or said, I’m with you.  It’s easy to get discouraged when we know the right thing to do and don’t do it. In those times it helps to remember God’s words to us in 1 Peter 5:10. “…the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, confirm, strengthen, and establish YOU.”  Whew! God will PERFECT us. We can’t become perfect through our human effort.  Are we responsible for cooperating with God? Yes.  We’re to renew our minds according to the Bible.  We’re to learn how to prayerfully walk by Christ’s Spirit. The next time we sin, rather than simply walk around with our head hanging low, let’s take hold of the Bible and put our minds to it. Let’s ask God to perfect our walk with Him and others.

Lord, thank You for not only calling us to Your eternal glory but for also taking it upon Yourself to PERFECT us. We love You and give You praise!  

“…the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”  1 Peter 5:10

Have you ever defended your bad behavior by saying, “Nobody’s perfect“?  Or has someone ever said to you, “Nobody’s perfect” in defense of something they’ve done wrong? It’s a common response because it’s true. Nobody is perfect except Jesus. However, and this is big, our imperfections aren’t excuses to stay as we are. Rather they’re signals for areas where we need to look to Jesus for His example and empowerment to change. For instance, in  Matthew 5:48, Jesus doesn’t say, “Heh guys, give yourself a break. Nobody’s perfect.” Instead, He says, “Your Heavenly Father is perfect. You’re to be perfect.”

Heavenly Father, You are PERFECT. Thank You for the gift of Your Spirit who transforms us as we intentionally walk by Your Spirit.  

Are you concerned for a family member or friend who refuses to trust Jesus for salvation? Are you worried they’ll die apart from Christ? If we’re concerned for the unsaved, it’s for good reason. This world isn’t all there is. Standing on earth, there’s life beyond the clouds we can’t see just as there’s life below the oceans we can’t see. Yes, all people are alive after they pass through this life – either in Christ’s presence or apart from Him for eternity.  Jesus implores us to take the way to heaven – through Him. So, what do we do if an unsaved friend or family member refuses to turn to Christ? We align ourselves with the Lord, who we’re told in 2 Peter 3:9 is “not slow about His promise, but is PATIENT…, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” God is PATIENT. Keep praying. Keep looking for opportunities to speak the truth in love.

Heavenly Father, thank you for being PATIENT. Help us be like you – patient and prayerful.

“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.  

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!