Beyond Ourselves Podcast

Where is “home” to you; the place where you or the one with whom you “hang out” and find comfort, love, and purpose?

If you didn’t say the Lord, you’re missing out. Why?

Deuteronomy 33:27 says God is a dwelling place.

Psalm 91:9 tells us, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Jesus said in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

Again, in John 15:7, Jesus explained, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Jesus affirmed the gift of being close to Him when He said, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love,” John 15:9.

John writes that we are to “abide in Jesus, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming,” 1 John 2:28.

Yes, we are to be with, dwell with, abide with, hang out with Jesus as we would a dearest family member or closest friend.

Lord, what a gift for You to be a DWELLING PLACE where we can dwell and abide. We love You.

How would you describe yourself? Would you ever use “door” to describe yourself? I certainly wouldn’t. But Jesus did.

In John 10:9, He said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved…”

Why would Jesus describe Himself as a door?

He wants us to know that there is an “outside” of heaven and an “inside” of heaven. Heaven is a place, and we are “outside” until we go “into” heaven through Jesus.

Make no mistake. Everyone will not live “in” heaven. Only those who enter through Jesus will be in heaven.

Our Heavenly Father sends a personal invitation to everyone to enter eternal life in heaven through Jesus who paid our entrance fee by dying on the cross for our sins. Knocking on the door is not required. Repenting of sin and confessing Jesus as Lord is.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being the DOOR through whom we can enter heaven and live eternally.

Have you ever wished someone would do more than tell you they love you; they would show you?

Romans 5:8 explains that is what God did when He sent Jesus to earth. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God demonstrated. He showed us His love.

In addition, Jesus showed us His love by dying on the cross for our sins so we could live with Him in heaven.

John 15:13 explains, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

If you have ever longed for someone to do more than tell you they love you, that they would show you, then your longing has been met. Your Heavenly Father and Jesus have shown you. They have demonstrated their love.

Thank You, Lord, for DEMONSTRATING Your love by saving us. Help us increasingly demonstrate Your love to others.

Have you ever wished there was someone who could get you from one place to the next? Maybe you needed a ride because your car was in the shop. Or perhaps you longed for a promotion and hoped your boss could help you make a move.

Is the Lord interested in us moving from one place to another? Yes. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He taught them to pray, “deliver us from evil,” Matthew 6:13. Deliver us. Rescue us. Take us from evil to holiness.

Jesus’ prayer is answered for all who call on Him for salvation as Paul records in Colossians 1:13. “He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.” Deliver. Rescue. Take us from Satan’s kingdom to Christ’s kingdom.

Jesus is the Deliverer whom David prophesied was to come (Psalm 14:7) and to whom Paul referred in Romans 11:26, “…THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”

Jesus is our deliverer from past, present, and future sin. He is our deliverer from evil. He is our deliverer from fears as David again testified. “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears,” Psalm 34:4.

If you are looking for someone to deliver you from evil, deliver you from past, present, and future sin and deliver you from your fears, look no further than Jesus.

Lord Jesus, we praise you, our DELIVERER. Thank You for rescuing us from the domain of darkness, from evil, from sin, and from our fears. We love and worship You.

Have you ever considered that the Heavenly Father delights in Jesus? Yes, Jesus is God’s delight, as Isaiah 42:1 points out: “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights.”

In a world full of evil, what a blessing it must be for the Heavenly Father to look at Jesus and say, “My soul delights in You.”

Reading that our Heavenly Father delights in Jesus stirs in me a longing for Him to delight in me, but I can’t imagine that being the case due to the fact I still sin.

Then again, could our Heavenly Father delight in us while not delighting in our sins? Yes. Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

Our Heavenly Father has set His affection on us. He loved us before we were saved (John 3:16). Now that we are saved, He corrects us like a loving father corrects his children.

So while celebrating God’s pure delight in Jesus, we can also mindfully learn what is pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, in whom Your soul DELIGHTS. Help us be more mindful of how we can live so that You delight in us.

Have you ever been without electricity and light for a significant period of time? In 2021 a winter storm in Texas caused our home to be without electricity for six days during which I experienced darkness to a greater degree than ever before. Sitting in the darkness, I thought of what unbelievers will experience in eternity; forever separated from the light of Christ, who the prophet Zacharias referred to as the “Dayspring from on high” (Luke 1:78).

What did Zacharias mean when he used the term “Dayspring from on high” in reference to Jesus?

No doubt, “Dayspring” refers to what we would expect – the light of day. Jesus, the Dayspring of heaven, brought heaven’s glorious light to our dark world. He brought it not only to our world at large, but to us individually when we turn to Him.

If you know someone who is not a believer, share with them that Jesus is the Dayspring from on High through whom they can have eternal light.

If you are struggling with darkness, if your thoughts are dark, if your perspective is dark, turn your face to the Dayspring from on High. Ask Him to rid you of any darkness, of any sin, and to fill you with His glorious presence, the Dayspring from on High.

Glorious DAYSPRING FROM ON HIGH, shine the light of Your presence on us and in us. Show us sins we need to confess. Forgive us. Fill us with the Light of Your presence.

Have you ever questioned the “why” behind God’s commands? If so, it helps to remember that God created us as Genesis 1:27 reminds us. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Our creator knows what is best for us and what hurts us. Jesus’ commands such as those found in Matthew 6:34 to not worry and in Ephesians 4:31-32 to forgive and to put bitterness away from us are examples of our Creator’s instructions that serve our best interests. They help us have more peace, contentment, and joy.

What can happen if we, the creation, ignore our Creator’s ways? Romans 1:24-25 warns us. “God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.”

God created us. His Word is our instruction manual; far more important than a car or appliance manual. If we want our life and relationship with Him and others to run smoothly, we’re wise to read and follow His instructions.

How well are we following our Creator’s instructions?

Heavenly Father, CREATOR, forgive us for too often ignoring Your instructions. Awaken us to the importance of reading and following Your holy teachings.