Beyond Ourselves
Heaven to Mankind, Here’s Comfort
When Simeon, anointed by the Holy Spirit, saw the infant Jesus at Christ's presentation in the temple, he knew He was seeing the long awaited Messiah. Jesus is the Consolation of Israel, but He is also the Consolation for any person who turns to Him for salvation.
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Could You Use Some Compassion?
Could you use some compassion? Has life been brutal? Does it seem like everything is going wrong? Are you trying your best but it never seems to be enough? Are you on a treadmill of bad habits that you’re trying to break and can’t? Do you feel like a failure? If you’ve ever felt one of those ways then you know how our soul longs for compassion in the midst of those times. Exodus 34:6 is an incredible word from God if you could use some compassion today. It says,
Then the Lord passed by in front of him (Moses) and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, COMPASSIONATE and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.”
Those are refreshing words to hear at any time, but do you know when God expressed His compassion? It was on Moses’s second trek up Mount Sinai for a “redo” of the Ten Commandments. Why a redo? Because when Moses saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf he angrily shattered them. Yes, God called Moses back up the mountain and showed him compassion. Our Heavenly Father is compassionate. Go to Him. Call on Him.
Heavenly Father, thank You for deeply loving us, forgiving us, and being COMPASSIONATE toward us. Help us gratefully receive Your compassion and walk in it rather than cling to desperation and loneliness.
Thank you for Your COMMANDments
You’ll not find a verse in the Bible that says, “God is commanding.” Yet, most people are familiar with the “Ten Commandments.” Yes, God has our best interests in mind and therefore He tells us how we can live life to the fullest and avoid the pain of wrong choices. When we live by His Words, we experience life’s richest joys. How many of the 10 Commandments do you know by heart? Rather than peep at the following list, jot down from memory as many of the 10 as you can.
YOUR TURN – NO PEEPING
Did you recall them all? Are there any for which you need to repent? Which do you need to pray and ask God to empower you to better keep?
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,”
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Lord, You have given us Your COMMANDS because You love us and have our best interest at heart. May we not live contrary to Your ways, but rather live under Your divine rule.
Watch and Share the “End Times” Promo 
Ready or Not, He’s Coming
Did you play Hide and Seek when you were a child? The familiar, “Ready or not, here I come” warns the person who is hiding to be ready. Revelation 1:5-7 is not child’s play. It is a serious warning that Jesus is coming and we need to be ready.
Behold, HE IS COMING with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
“Amen” means there’s no discussing it. It’s happening. We will either be ready for Christ’s appearing because we’ve repented of our sins and been forgiven or Jesus will come and find us in our sin and shame. If you’re not ready for Christ, respond to His gift of salvation today. Read John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:8-11. Confess Jesus as Lord. Repent of your sins. Receive His gift of cleansing you of sin and His gift of the Holy Spirit. Today is your opportunity. Prepare to meet Jesus. He’s coming.
LORD JESUS, COMING KING, we believe that as You came once to earth you are coming again. Thank You for Your gift of salvation. Stir the hearts of the unsaved to realize that ready or not, You are coming. Stir our hearts to tell others about Your gift of salvation.
Register for END TIMES: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. 5 week, FREE study by email. Begins March 1.
The Gift of A Comforter
One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that the weatherman said, “feels like minus 11.” If only we had power and water. We had neither. The winter storm continued and we couldn’t get down our icy driveway to get to our adult children’s homes. If you’ve lived in an area affected by a winter storm you know how devastating the cold can be. Especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we may have taken for granted becomes deeply appreciated in a winter storm. So, too, is a spiritual Comforter when we’re experiencing life’s storms. Second Corinthians 1:3 describes the as Lord as the God of All Comfort. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, or we are experiencing a literal storm, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why? The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” How incredible that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence.
Adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67.
Sweet friends, you are in my prayers as you suffer through life’s storms.
Heavenly Father, You are the God of all COMFORT! Please comfort all who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Bring resources to help them. Strengthen them as only You can. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Register for END TIMES: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. 5 week, FREE study by email. Begins March 1.
Thank you, Lord, for being CLOSE TO Us when we’re BROKENHEARTED
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day marked by exchanges of tokens of love. But what if you wake up alone? What if your loved one is deceased? What if your loved one cheated on you? What if you’ve never had someone love you? What if you’re not only alone but you’re crushed in spirit? I find it amazing that the Bible is the most honest book we”ll ever read. Our Heavenly Father knows there will be times in our life like that, which is precisely why He wants us to know that even if we’re alone, He’s close. Even if there is no one to save or lift our crushed spirit, HE CAN. Our Heavenly Father is sending a loud and clear Valentine message to you that He loves you. There is nothing we have done or will do and there is no place we can go that He isn’t present. “I LOVE YOU. I’M HERE,” our Heavenly Father calls to us, with Jesus echoing His love by laying down His life for us so we can live eternally with them.
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for loving us and being close to us.
“The Lord is CLOSE to the BROKENHEARTED and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
More than ever before, I am convinced of God’s eternal love and plan as I delve into our study, End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. Join me! You’ll be so glad you did. Even if you’re in another study and don’t have time right now to do the study, go ahead and register so I’ll know to email it to you. Then you’ll have it for when you’re ready. It’s FREE! Sign up HERE.
Check Your Closet Again
Have you ever thought about God in relation to your clothing? It’s an odd question, I know. But the Bible says that in addition to God’s many character traits that He is a clothier. A clothier is a person who makes, sells, or deals in clothes or cloth, and God fits that description from Genesis when He clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins to Revelation where God clothes us in “fine linen, white and clean.” There’s an additional way our Heavenly Father clothes us. He clothes our innermost being. Galatians 3:27 describes believers as being “clothed with Christ.” Think about that. God could provide no finer clothing than for us to sport Christ’s righteousness. So, the next time you start to say, “I don’t have anything to wear,” remember…you do!
Lord God, we praise You for being our CLOTHIER, for covering us with Christ’s righteousness so we are not ashamed before You.
PS: No doubt, you’ve heard about rewards in heaven, right? Have you ever thought, “I don’t need rewards. Heaven is reward enough?” I’ll be honest, before preparing for our study of End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do, I’d had similar thoughts. Now? I’ve changed my mind. I’ll be sharing important scriptures on this topic in our study. If you haven’t signed up for this FREE email study, sign up today! Read, watch, study at your convenience. Learn more here. This is important information all believers should know.
Let the Blessing Sink In
Jesus asked His disciples who others said He was. Then He asked the more important question. “But who do you say that I am?” That’s a question every one of us must answer. Have we replied to Jesus as Simon Peter did? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? Jesus affirmed Peter with these words, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (v17). Did we catch that? Jesus did more than affirm to Peter that he answered correctly. Jesus also pointed out that because Peter had confessed with his mouth what he knew in his heart – that Jesus is the Christ, Peter was blessed. Not only that Peter would be blessed one day, but that he was already blessed. Peter’s heavenly grasp that Jesus was more than a good man, that Jesus was God’s Son who had come to save us from our sins, sealed Peter’s destiny. His confession sealed his sins being eternally forgiven. So, too, my friend, you are blessed. Blessed with the forgiveness of your sins for eternity. Blessed with knowing the destiny of your soul so you don’t have to live in fear of death. In case you haven’t thought about it lately, let the blessing sink in.
Jesus, You are the CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD. I praise You!
“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” Matthew 16:16
YES! END TIMES: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW, WHAT YOU CAN DO begins MARCH 1.
Praise to God’s CHOSEN ONE
How would you answer the question, “In what does your soul delight?” If someone asked me, I’d have to think for a minute. What about you? Would you say you’re “into” music? Or, would it be sports? Or your family? Or work? Or cooking? Fill in the blank. My soul delights in _________________. God the Father tells us in whom His soul delights.
“’Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My CHOSEN ONE in whom My soul delights.’” Isaiah 42:1
Jesus is God the Father’s Chosen One. Sounds like a proud father watching His child, doesn’t it? I wonder if our souls would more often find delight if we kept our eyes on the CHOSEN ONE.
JESUS, GOD’S CHOSEN ONE, we worship and praise You. We delight in who You are!
Check Out this Privilege
Isn’t it amazing that our human nature often rejects what is good and gravitates toward what is bad? Although it’s sad, it’s true. Peter calls believers to realize that the person people reject when they turn away from Christ “is choice and precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 2:4) The Greek words “choice and precious” mean that God appointed Jesus to the most exalted office conceivable.* He is held in honor and prized by His Father.** Continue reading in 1 Peter 2:5 and your heart can’t help but be warmed. Jesus is a choice and precious living stone and believers are also living stones, being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. For what purpose? “To offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Oh my. So often we sacrifice for things on earth that are temporal. But to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God? That is a privileged calling and it is ours, my friend.
CHOICE AND PRECIOUS Savior, we love You and praise You. Focus our eyes on You and our time and energy on eternal rather than earthly, passing things.
This is RIGHT IN KEEPING with Session 5 of “END TIMES: What You Should Know, What You Can Do” – The Rewards for Faithful Living. Have you registered yet for this FREE study I’ll email to you beginning March 1?