Beyond Ourselves Podcast

I thought I had killed a bee, but I only stunned it. Before I could blink, the bee was moving. There’s a difference between stunning something and abolishing it.  When you think about death, does it worry you? Here’s the deal, and it’s great news! Second Timothy 1:10 assures us that we don’t have to worry about death. Why? The verse explains that when Christ died on the cross, He didn’t stun death, but that death continues to be a reality for us. Rather, it says,  “ …our Savior Christ Jesus, abolished death and brought life and immortality to light…” In other words, when our body ceases to live, our spirit continues to live. Those who have placed their faith in Christ and whose human spirit is indwelt by Christ’s Holy Spirit will live eternally in His glorious light. That’s something to celebrate, not fear.  

Lord Jesus Savior, we praise You for abolishing death! Thank You for eternal life in You. 

NOTE: This post was written and scheduled prior to the events of January 6.

In your lifetime, how many people have you seen take positions of leadership and then be unseated? It happens. People and countries are left shaken … swinging between being hopeful of a new administration or fearful of the one that’s taken office. But our Lord wants us to know that He’s on the throne and He’s not going anywhere. First, there’s no person or spirit or power that can touch Him. Second, if they could, they couldn’t over-power our Lord. If we want someone in our lives on whom we can depend, then we need to look no further than the Lord who abides forever. Psalm 9:7  assures us, “…the Lord abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment.’”

Heavenly Father, we praise You that You have established Your throne and no power, person, or principality can unseat You. We love and praise You.

Have you ever seen the look in a child’s eyes when they were startled or afraid because they couldn’t see where their parent was? On the other hand, have you seen a child who is afraid look for and find their father and run to him? Have you heard a child cry for their parent?  If so, consider Romans 8:15 that says believers have “received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘ABBA FATHER.” Abba Father can be translated Daddy. So what does Romans 8:15 imply? It tells us that our relationship with God is tender and close. God has chosen to come close to us. He has chosen to embrace us. He has chosen to get into human skin so we can see and smell Him. We can watch and learn from Him. We can run to Him as children ran to Jesus and He embraced and blessed them. He protected and defended them. Our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ deeply care for us. In a world that sometimes seems to have gone mad, it’s reassuring to know that we have a Heavenly Father. And although we may be startled or afraid at times due to the events in our life, nation, or world, we can look to our Father, assured that He’s watching out for and over us.

Heavenly Father, ABBA FATHER, thank You for adopting us into Your family. When we fear, turn our eyes to You. Help us walk confidently through our day assured that You’ve got us. 

Have you ever wished you had a mentor, someone to follow, to teach you how to do your job better, be a better spouse, or how to walk in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father? Many lack a good “example” as seen by the normalization of arguing, lying, materialism, and trusting in “self” rather than God. Yet our Heavenly Father gives us a good example – His Son. Jesus shows us how to stand against temptation, how to live for God’s will, how to treat others, and even how to suffer when following God’s Word rather than the world. Jesus is the ultimate eXample of how to entrust ourselves to our Heavenly Father’s care. First Peter 2:21 reminds us of the importance of following Jesus’s example. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,” In a world filled with bad examples, our Father provides a mentor in Jesus and tells us to follow His example.  Will we this year?

Heavenly Father, thank You for providing Jesus as not only our Savior, but also as an example to us. Jesus, help us follow Your example increasingly every day. We love You!

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Does it seem surreal to think about being in heaven and seeing Jesus?  For most of us, it probably does. The fact is, Jesus is a real person and at a real time in a real place we will see Him. In Isaiah 6:1-5, Isaiah describes his experience of seeing Jesus in heaven. “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and EXALTED, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”

“I saw the Lord.” Let those words sink in.

There was a time – the year of King Uzziah’s death.

There was a place – sitting on a throne in a temple.

There was a description – lofty…exalted…the train of His robe FILLING the temple. How does that even happen?

There were others – Seraphim stood above Him. There was talking. The seraphim called out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

There was more talking – “And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”

Isaiah’s response was, “‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’”

What will our response be in that time and place when we see the EXALTED LORD JESUS?

EXALTED Lord, we can’t imagine what it will be like when we see YOU. Our hearts tremble at the thought of Your majesty and glory. May our awe and reverence for You be lived out in our daily decisions and behavior… in anticipation of the day, time, and place we meet You. 

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A person who is not a Christian once challenged me and asked why believers talk about God’s love but never His wrath. I thought about his question and realized that I’m guilty of that very thing. Think about all the wonderful ways we look at God’s love, gentleness, and favor. Today, however, the context in which God’s actions are described as WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS is a reference to His judgment on people who claim His name, but simply give lip service to Him. God uses the prophet Isaiah to call them out in  Isaiah 29:13-14. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS.'”  He goes on to warn them of the consequences of their lip service and rote worship. We might want to relegate our Creator’s wrath to the Old Testament, but Revelation 16 speaks of God’s judgment being poured out in a future day. We may wonder, “Is mankind’s behavior and sincerity of worship a big deal to God?” The answer is, yes.

Happy New Year!

Do you wish you could twitch your nose or snap your fingers and presto, what you long for would appear this year? The fact is, those techniques may work in movies, but not real life. However, God does work wonders. Sometimes those wonders take time. Other times, moments. Regardless of the timing, our Heavenly Father is the One on whom we are to set our hearts if we’re in need of wonder-working power.  Moses is but one of many who needed a miracle and God stepped in. Listen to his words of praise in  Exodus 15:11. “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” If we’re in need of wonder-working power, we can go to God, be still in His presence, ask Him for help, and listen to what He quietly impresses on our hearts. Have your Bible, pen, and journal with you so you can turn to a Bible verse He directs you to look up and so you can write down what He prompts you to do.  Imagine a year of God’s wonder working power in your life. It’s not a fairy tale. It’s real and it’s available for the person who seeks Christ and desires to glorify Him with their life. 

Last year, innocent people were killed. Covide struck suddenly. You made it through one storm and another hit. Are you ready for a new year?  If so, may I recommend how Psalm 61:3 describes God.  “You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.” A tower is a high place where we can look at life from God’s perspective, where we pray, pour out our heart to God, intercede for others, and quietly listen for His counsel. If we want to experience God’s best next year, we can. Our Father is a tower of strength and refuge to whom we can go.  Start the New Year strong…with your face set like flint toward heaven…with your pen in your hand ready to write words of praise to your Father, intercessions for your family, church, nation, friends, and yes, yourself.  The Bible is a journal of God’s interactions with man, of peoples struggles and God’s faithful interventions and merciful hand. Prayers of My Heart is a journal of God’s interactions with you, of your struggles and God’s faithful interventions and merciful hand. I encourage you to get a journal for a donation of any amount. Take a glance at the benefits of journaling here.

Jesus, tower of strength and refuge, we praise You. When we don’t know how we can get through the next minute, You help us get through the next year. You are our strength and help. Thank You for all the ways You guarded and guided us this past year. We look to this coming year with joy and hope because of You.  

Sin. It’s here. Our sin or another person’s sin is a part of life. Perhaps one of the most glaring sins is selfishness. We want what we want. We want it when we want it. Things or people who stand in our way frustrate us. But what if sin didn’t exist? What if we were free of sin?  The good news is – that day awaits us.  Because of Christ, our Savior and VICTOR over death, we will one day be sin-free as 1 Corinthians 15:57 reminds us. “…thanks be to God, who gives us the VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  We will one day experience the magnitude of what our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ achieved through the virgin birth and cross. In the meantime, let’s remember to give thanks to God for daily victory over sin through the Spirit’s empowerment and for eternal victory over sin through Christ. Today, let’s raise our voices in praise of Christ, who has won the VICTORY over sin.  

LORD, We praise You for being VICTORIOUS over sin and death. We worship You. 

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