Beyond Ourselves Podcast

Have you ever needed someone to extend mercy to you? You did something wrong, thoughtless, or perhaps careless. You felt badly and desired forgiveness. You asked to be forgiven. What if their heart was hardened and they said no?  And how horrible it would be if that described our Heavenly Father. But it doesn’t.  Second Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of Mercies.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES and God of all comfort.”  Mercy flows from our Father. It’s His nature. He is the original transmitter of mercy.  So when you go to a Christian sister or brother and ask forgiveness and they extend mercy, they are a reflection of their Father – the Father of Mercies. The good news doesn’t stop with God being a transmitter of mercy and our Christian brothers and sisters being transmitters of mercy. The good news is we can be transmitters of mercy, reflections of our Father. In today’s society it’s easy to be offended, to hold grudges, to perhaps not want to forgive or extend mercy. But what a precious opportunity for us to reflect our Heavenly Father. Are we?

FATHER of MERCIES, thank You for extending mercy to us. Help us be extenders of mercy to others who point people to You. 

Our nation and the world are going through what some would call a physically, intellectually, morally, and spiritually difficult time.  What should we do in times like this? Shed God’s light, whom James 1:17 describes as the FATHER OF LIGHTS. The prince of darkness, Satan, would love nothing more than for us to stumble in darkness. But James points to our hope.  “Every good thing is given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the FATHER OF LIGHTS, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Charles Ryrie comments on this verse, saying, “God is the source of all light – physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual – and He does not change.”* Rather than stumble physically, intellectually, morally, and spiritually, we can pray with all our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits and walk day by day shedding the illumination of the FATHER OF LIGHTS.

Father of Lights, illumine our hearts, minds, souls, and spirit with Your Light so we walk as children of Light and spread Your Light to others. 

Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion Bible study coming soon. 

Do you ever worry about the end?  True, our day comes to an end. Our weekend comes to an end. Vacations end. Time with loved ones ends. But we need not worry because there is one thing that never ends: God. Psalm 90:2 states, “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” God has no end. He is EVERLASTING.  He will exist no matter what happens to the earth and world. If you’re feeling a sense of loss, loneliness, or that everything in the world is changing too quickly, you have a reason to praise. God is EVERLASTING.  He will never end. His presence will continually be with you.

Lord, You are the EVERLASTING GOD! We rejoice in You. 

Can you imagine if God ruled by whim, by ever-changing emotions and laws? What if on a whim, He decided to not be forgiving? Or, what if on a whim, God decided not to forgive you? What if on a whim, God changed His standard of holiness? I think you might agree with me that we’re thankful that is not who our loving God is. Rather, Psalm 99:4 assures us that our Heavenly Father is a God of justice. He has ESTABLISHED EQUITY.  That is why the psalmist says, “Let them praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He.” (Psalm 99:3) Yes, that is why we praise our great and awesome God. He is not a God of whims, but rather, a God of equity.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You don’t rule by whim, but rather with equity. We love and praise You!  

Recently, someone messaged me the following regarding Covid-19:

Make no mistake. When loved ones are removed from your home by ambulance because the virus has hit them hard, you are not going to be able to follow them there, sit by their hospital bed and hold their hand. You are not going to be able to pop in at 7.00 pm for visiting hours. They are going to have no one other than exhausted and brave hospital staff to see them through days or weeks of barely breathing through a ventilator until they either die or recover. They are not going to be well enough to text you. You are not going to be able to phone the ward to check in on them regularly (staff will be too busy for that). During that time, they will be completely alone, while you sit at home waiting to hear whether they have made it . Imagine that person is someone you love dearly. Because it’s a reality for many. And if that person in the hospital is you, going through  it would be indescribable.”

Disconcerting? Absolutely. However, we who have placed our faith in Jesus have a blessed assurance in even the most dire of times. In  Isaiah 9:6, we’re told in relation to Jesus that among His many names, “ETERNAL FATHER, Prince of Peace” are included. Charles Ryrie explains that Eternal Father literally means, “Father of Eternity; that Messiah is eternally a Father to His people, guarding, supplying, and caring for their needs.” There could be no more comforting thought in dire situations. We have a Father of Eternity who is present with us and our loved ones. He is present – guarding, supplying, and caring for those who look to Him. Who do we need to share the good news with today?

ETERNAL FATHER, our hearts are overwhelmed with Your provision for us in Christ Jesus. Move every one of us who calls Jesus our Savior to boldly speak the truth and hope that we have with everyone in our sphere of influence.

When we go to the beginning, to Genesis 1:1, the first way the ONE we worship is identified, is as God. “In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth.” GOD: Elohim. Scholar Charles Ryrie explains that Elohim is “a generic term for deity as well as a proper name for the true god. Its basic meaning is ‘strong one, mighty leader, supreme Deity.’ The form of the word is plural, indicating plentitude of power and majesty and allowing for the NT revelation of the triunity of the Godhead.” That is the scholarly definition of the GOD we love and worship. But how would you explain to someone who God is to you?

GOD, ELOHIM, we bow in worship and praise of You, for how You have revealed Your majesty to us, for how You’ve reached down and saved us, for how You will raise us up to be in Your presence one day. It is with unspeakable reverence we praise You!