Beyond Ourselves
Are We Tolerating What Jesus is Against
Jesus is the Son of Man who knows what it is to live in human skin. However, what is inside of Him is different from us. His innermost being is holy glowing purity. Revelation 2:18-20a describes the ascended Christ as having “eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze.” Revelation 1:16 describes His face as “the sun shining in its strength.”
Imagine that visual for a minute. Jesus’s face was like the sun shining in its strength. Following these magnificent otherworldly 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 the Good Shepherd and He is slow to anger, but we must never forget that He is also the Son of God reigning in glory. He sees our deeds and what we tolerate that is against Him. Is there anything we need to repent of before we ask Him for His continued blessings?
Lord Jesus, SON of GOD, forgive us for tolerating what You hate.
We Can’t Wait!
“He’s coming with a sleigh and reindeer.” That’s what some parents tell their children about Santa and kids get excited in anticipation of his arrival. But hey, believers! The real gift-giver from above is coming in the clouds and not with a sleigh and reindeer. Rather, Christ will come with the armies of heaven following Him. (Revelation 19:14) Rather than wearing a human-made Santa suit, Revelation 19:16 describes Christ’s robe and what is written on it:
on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’
Christ’s coming isn’t a fairy tale. It’s a fact. It’s incredible and beyond exciting. As Old Testament believers once looked forward to the day the Messiah would come, believers look forward to the day Jesus will return to earth in glory. How magnificent that will be!
Christ Jesus, LORD OF LORDS, we bow in worship and praise You, King of Kings.
I Get to Go Home
In the month of December, we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Jesus. He is a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. Fast forward 33 years. Can you imagine His anticipation when, after pouring His teachings into people, and completing His mission to conquer death and sin, it was finally time for Him to get to go home – to return to His glory and heaven? He must have been giddy…about to explode in joyous anticipation. Hebrews 7:26 zeros in on the great divide between Jesus and us. “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens…” High. Priest. Holy. Innocent. Undefiled. Birthed into a mess of sinners. What must His child’s holy heart have felt? What teenage temptations did Satan pile on Him? What spiritual battles did He fight alone, with no one in whom He could confide? We will never know the extent Christ suffered for us even before His scourging death. Then, He awoke from the grave. Alive. But still here. Until finally, Acts 1:9. It was time to go home! Can you imagine what the disciples experienced when Jesus was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received Him out of their sight? I can’t imagine it. I’ve tried. Put yourself in the scene. There you are. Jesus is telling you that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be His witness. Mind-boggling. The Holy Spirit who was upon the “greats” like Moses and Elijah, is going to come upon you! Before you can get your mind around that, Jesus starts ascending, lifted up before your eyes. You’re in shock. His feet are literally off the ground. Your head is titled back. You look up and watch until you can no longer see Jesus who is gone…exalted above the heavens…home.
Heavenly Father, we can’t get our minds around Your majesty, throne, and what heaven is like. But, we’re so glad Jesus is with You, exalted above the heavens. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all You have done for us – incredible!
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Check Your “Ask/Worship” Ratio
Lord, Most High God, forgive us for asking but not worshipping You with thanksgiving. Holy Spirit, prompt us to be grateful, thankful believers who worship more than we ask.
Praise God, Non Jews are “In,” Too!
Have you ever appreciated a Biblical truth but gained a deeper appreciation while reading the Bible? That happened to me while teaching Acts 10, the chapter where the Lord gave Peter a vision and told him to go to Cornelius’s house, a non-Jew, and share the message of salvation with his household. Peter, who once thought that God was the God of the Jews only, was illumined and led by the Spirit to say, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” (Acts 10:34-35) Paul reinforced this miraculous good news in Romans 3:29, stating, “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also?” If the God of the Jews had not extended the gift of salvation through Jesus to we who are not Jewish by birth, we would have been excluded from heaven for eternity. We would have suffered loss eternally. The good news is, the God of the Jews opened His arms and the pathway for non-Jews to be saved. Could I hear a hallelujah?
God of the Jews, we praise You for extending the glorious gift of salvation to we who are not Jews. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Remember “So That”
Does sin weigh you down? It often does me. As long as we’re in our earthly bodies, we’re going to sin. But, and this is big – because Jesus took our sins, we’re declared righteous and we’re also called to be righteous. In other words, sin is to be “dying off” in us as we purposefully draw close to Jesus, learn His ways, practice His teachings, and look at our sins through His eyes. The bottom line, we recognize we have an upward calling and we don’t want sin to be a part of our life. Here’s how 1 Peter 2:24 explains it. “…He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross “so that…” Jesus suffered so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
One thing God convicted me of as I meditated on this verse was this: If it was so important to Jesus that my sin be dead, then I should consider what I’m doing with any sin in my life. Am I careless with it and allow it to remain? Or, mindful of Christ’s sacrifice, do I stand against it so it dies and I live to righteousness?
If you follow the P.R.A.Y. format in Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, or have been to one of my P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conferences, you recall that we can mindfully P.R.A.Y. and repent of our sin. We can ask God to help us conform to Christ’s image.
P. raise – Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you for bearing my sin in your body on the cross so that I might die to sin and live to righteousness.
R. epent – Forgive me for not looking at sin as you do – as something to be put to death.
A. sk – Help me stand against my sin rather than fan its flame.
Y. ield – Quicken my spirit to quickly yield to You when I’m tempted.
Friends, I’d love to have you join me any week on Wednesdays or Thursdays for our weekly Bible Study of John. Click here for more info.
Live outside of the Texas Hill Country? No problem! My weekly teachings and Listening Guides will be added HERE each week so you can follow along or use it for a group study.
Making Tracks, But Are They the Right Ones
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’ 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!
Have You Ever Wished You Had Someone to…
Have you ever wished you had someone to watch your back? Or better, to watch over your soul – your mind, emotions, and will? The fact is, believers have just that person in Jesus. First Peter 2:25 tells us “…you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” When doing research for my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion about God being the guardian of our soul, I discovered that the word “guardian” is translated from the Greek word episkopos and means an “overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things done by another are done rightly.” (page 98) What a blessing for us to have God as the Guardian of our souls!
God assumes responsibility for being the Guardian of our soul, but it is our responsibility to tune into Him and follow what He tells us to do both in the Bible and when the Holy Spirit prompts us during the day. Begin each day prayerfully greeting God and lifting up your soul to Him. Invite Him to fill your soul, then pay attention to His prompts throughout the day. You know how I value opening my prayer journal every morning and recording His attribute that I share with you. Being still in God’s presence with pen in hand and journal open is an invitation for God to prompt us how to pray and also what He wants us to do. If you haven’t yet tried journaling, this time in our lives is a perfect time. Prayers of My Heart Journal
LORD, thank You for being the GUARDIAN of our souls. Help us be ever sensitive to Your Word and will.
Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion
Friends, I’d love to have you join me on Wednesdays or Thursdays for our weekly Bible Study of John. Click here for more info.
Live outside of the Texas Hill Country? No problem! My weekly teachings and Listening Guides will be added HERE each week so you can follow along or use it for a group study.
Help People See Jesus
Have you been battling something and you’re tired? If so, we do well to remember that as believers we don’t stand alone. We have each other as we battle our flesh, the world, and Satan. Exodus 17:8-15 records a great visual of how we can come alongside each other, and under the banner of the Lord, defeat the enemy.
Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.
So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sunset.
So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Moses built an altar and named it The Lord Is My Banner; and he said, ‘The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.’
In this passage, we learn that the Israelites won the battle as long as they could see Moses’s staff which represented God’s power.
What can we learn from this account?
- We must station ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
- We must lift one another in prayer.
- We must keep our eyes on Christ, the Victor.
God is our Banner. Lift Him high before the eyes of others. How? Share “365 Days of Praise” with family and friends each day. Each devotional focuses on a different aspect of God’s divinity, power, and sufficiency. Or, take 30 seconds and click the FB or Twitter share link at the end of each post.
Will you join me in daily holding up God’s name and power? Who in your family and which of your friends could use the daily reminder that God is in the battle with them?
Heavenly Father, we often feel there is little we can do to make a difference in our world. But there is something we can do. We can lift high Your name so others are reminded of Your presence and power. Thank You, Jehovah-Nissi, our banner.
Friends, I’d love to have you join me on Wednesdays or Thursdays for our weekly Bible Study of John. Click here for more info.
Live outside of the Texas Hill Country? No problem! My weekly teachings and Listening Guides will be added HERE each week so you can follow along or use it for a group study.
9/11
I spoke in New York shortly after September 11, 2001. Shortly after Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked three planes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., killing everyone on board the planes and nearly 3,000 people on the ground. Shortly after a fourth plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field, killing all on board after passengers and crew heroically attempted to take control from the hijackers. Evil reigned in the hands of the terrorists that day but evil didn’t ultimately win then and evil will never ultimately win. Christ Jesus is the victor over evil! He overcame evil and sin and the sting of sin – death. All who place their faith in Christ will live eternally in His glorious presence. Today and continually we remember with gratefulness our loved ones, friends, and the many we will never know until heaven – those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. Today we also remember with utmost gratefulness the Lord Jesus who sacrificed His life for our souls. We must never forget either.
Lord Jesus, thank You for making PURIFICATION OF OUR SINS. We love and praise You for the ultimate sacrifice of Your life to make us pure as You are pure.
“When He had made PURIFICATION of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:3
Friends, I’d love to have you join me on Wednesdays or Thursdays for our weekly Bible Study of John. Click here for more info.
Live outside of the Texas Hill Country? No problem! My weekly teachings and Listening Guides will be added HERE each week so you can follow along or use it for a group study.