Beyond Ourselves Podcast
Are We Tolerating What Jesus is Against
Jesus is the Son of Man who knows what it is to live in human skin. But, what is inside of Him is different from us. His innermost being is holy glowing purity. Revelation 2:18-20a describes the ascended Christ like this: eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like burnished bronze. Revelation 1:16 describes His face as the sun shining in its strength. Following these magnificent other worldly, heavenly descriptions of Jesus, we’re told that Jesus, the Son of God, says this, ” I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first, but I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” Yes, Jesus is our Shepherd and He is slow to anger, but we must never forget that He is the Son of God reigning in glory. He sees our deeds and what we are tolerating.
Lord Jesus, SON of GOD, forgive us for tolerating what You hate.
Just You Wait and See
Things aren’t always as they appear. Just you wait and see. For instance, Jesus had no earthly possessions, wasn’t married, and when arrested, His friends abandoned Him. He was lied about, mocked, and beaten almost to death. Mark 14:61 records the high priest questioning Him prior to crucifying Him, “‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’” How incongruous. Blessed? Yet, Jesus was and is the Son of the Blessed One. So, when we think about our lives or circumstances, they may not seem to add up to our being the “blessed child of God.” But that is who we are. Things aren’t always as they seem. Just you wait and see.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Christ, SON of the BLESSED ONE, and for the blessings You’ve promised us.
Are Things Heating Up in Your Life
Our Heavenly Father has a goal: to cleanse us of sin. Malachi 3:3 explains that He sits as a SMELTER, or a refiner, watching over us as the heat of daily life, trials, and sufferings causes our impurities to rise. What happens when our sin glaringly rises in our lives? We have the opportunity to confess them. God’s goal is for us to be increasingly purified so we better reflect Him. Are things heating up in your life? If so, rest assured that your Heavenly Father is closely watching over you. He hears your prayers and confessions. And, has anyone told you? You are reflecting Him more every day.
Lord, thank You, SMELTER of our mind, spirit, and soul. Purify us so we reflect Your image.
“He will sit as a SMELTER and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3
The Difference in Slow and Fast
Lord, thank You for being SLOW to ANGER. You are a gracious and merciful God. We love You and thank You!
When You’re Devastated by the Separation, Take His Hand
Have you ever been separated from someone you desperately wanted to be? Whether the separation occurs due to death, divorce, disease, distance, or destruction, the pain of not being able to reach a loved one is indescribable. “Indescribable.” That’s a word victims and survivors often use when explaining their loss, suffering, and sadness. Jesus understands such depth of emotion. He loves us and created us to live in union with Him. Indescribable love drove Him to leave heaven’s glory and come to earth to seek and to save us. Jesus, separated from sinners, crossed the chasm that separated heaven’s glory and earth’s despair to offer us His holy hand of redemption. Will we take His hand?
Lord, we praise You, who are SEPARATED from SINNERS, yet humbled Yourself to come to earth to save us.
“it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;” Hebrews 7:26.
Prayers of My Heart Journal – Record God’s character traits each day as you praise Him for His great love.
Whose Side Are You On
Sides. Children learn the concept of “sides” at a young age. They’re on this side or that side of the field depending on their team. They learn about historical battles and what each side stood for. The Bible tells us that there are spiritual sides. God is on one side and the devil is on the other. They’re battling over human souls. Ephesians 6:16 tells us how to extinguish the devil’s flaming arrows. But, we’re not in this battle alone. Our Heavenly Father is the Captain of our side, and He doesn’t use just any arrow to win the war against Satan. Isaiah 49:2 tells us that Jesus is a Select Arrow, sent from God’s quiver. He is the One who destroys the works of the devil and saves souls. Take courage. You may be in a skirmish, but if you’re a follower of Christ, you’re on the right side.
Lord Jesus, God’s SELECT ARROW, thank You for coming to earth to destroy the works of the devil and take us to Your side. We love and praise You!
“He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver,” Isaiah 49:2.
Marco Pollo
Did you ever play Marco Polo in the swimming pool? I have fond memories of playing it with my sister, Vicki. We’d take turns closing our eyes and calling out “Marco.” The other one would respond “Polo” then swim away to avoid being tagged. Some of us may think of Jesus as one who is blindly searching for us when we call out to Him. That is far from the case. Jesus has His eyes on us and is waiting for us to call on Him. Jesus is the SEEKER of the LOST, as He explains in Luke 19:10, He came to earth to seek and to save. Call on Him. He sees you and wants to be found.
Lord Jesus, thank You that You see us and know where we are. Thank You for SEEKING and SAVING us. May those who are calling for You then running away, turn toward You with arms open wide.
“The Son of Man has come to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost, ” Luke 19:10.
You Either Have It or You Don’t
We all know what we mean when we say, “I don’t have it in me to….” Then we complete the thought. “I don’t have it in me to go to that reunion.” “I don’t have it in me to keep working the night shift.” It’s important for us to recognize if we do or don’t have something in us. At the top of our check list should be if we have the life of Christ in us. We either do or we don’t, and 2 Corinthians 13:5 advises every person to test themselves to see if they do. You see, going to church, enjoying nature, or being a nice person doesn’t make a person a Christian. A Christian is one who has Christ “in” them. ChristIaN. How do we get Christ in us? As we sow a seed into the ground so a plant can spring forth, we receive the seed of Christ’s Holy Spirit into our spirit. God does the work. He sows His seed into our spirit when we come to Jesus by faith; confessing Him as Lord and Savior. Why would we come to Jesus? Because we don’t have it in us to be perfect. If we want to go to heaven when we die, then we need His Holy Spirit in us. The question is, do we or don’t we have Him (the Holy Spirit) in us? It’s a consideration that has eternal consequences for every person. Learn how to receive the Holy Spirit HERE.
Lord Jesus, promised Seed of Salvation, thank You for planting Your Holy Spirit in our hearts and souls. We love and adore You.
“’And I will put enmity
Between you (satan) and the woman,
And between your (satan’s) seed and her seed (Christ);
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.'”
If You’re Tired of Sinning
I wish I wouldn’t sin. I long for for the day when I’m perfected in Christ’s image. How about you? Do you ever tire of your impatience, bad habit, or perhaps careless word? The fact is, as long as we’re in our earthly bodies, we’ll contend with our the sin nature. As a matter of fact, not only will we contend with it, Galatians 5:17 says our flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Sprit against the flesh; that they’re in opposition to one another…” So we have this little, ummm, big war going on inside of us. Here’s the wonderful news recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. God, in His grace, has chosen to SANCTIFY us, to set us apart for Himself as holy, without blame. Think about it! What we can’t do for ourselves, God has done and will continue to do. We who call upon the name of the Lord will one day live in heaven completely holy because of Christ. Does knowing that cause you to want to lift your voice in praise to God?
Heavenly Father, Sanctifier, thank You for setting us apart for Yourself and for taking it upon Yourself to sanctify us complete and without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are so ready!
“Now may the God of peace Himself SANCTIFY you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
I Think… I Think… Hmmm, What Do I Think?
Do you ever feel that things change so fast you can hardly keep up? Does it seem that people change what they say from one day to the next? Here’s some good news. God doesn’t change. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that Jesus Christ is the SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, and FOREVER. Society may change standards and morals, but our Heavenly Father will always be the same holy, loving, grace-filled God that He’s always been. If we ever wonder who to align ourselves with, it would be Him.
Lord God, thank You that You do not change. You are the SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, and FOREVER.