Beyond Ourselves

Have you ever been separated from someone and you desperately wanted to be with them? Whether the separation is due to death, divorce, disease, or distance, the pain of not being able to be with or even get in touch with a loved one is indescribable. “Indescribable.” That’s the word people often use when attempting to explain 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 from heaven’s glory to earth to seek and to save us. Jesus, separated from sinners, crossed the chasm between heaven’s glory and earth. He offers His outstretched hand to save us for eternity and to save us daily. How tightly are we holding to Him?

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 for what each side fought.  The Bible tells us that there are spiritual sides. God is on one side and the devil is on the other side. They are battling over our souls. Ephesians 6:16 tells us how to extinguish the devil’s flaming arrows. We’re reminded that we’re not in this battle alone. Our Heavenly Father is the Captain of our side and He wins the war against Satan because of Jesus who Isaiah 49:2 describes as a  Select Arrow sent straight from God’s quiver to destroy the works of the devil and save our soul.

He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.

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!

Prayers of My Heart – where I daily record God’s character traits to focus on His reign in my life and in the world.

LISTEN

“The Son of Man has come to SEEK and to SAVE  that which was lost, ” Luke 19:10.

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 change.”  “I don’t have it in me to keep working this hard.” It’s important for us to recognize if we do or don’t have something in us. At the top of our checklist 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 and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Why would we come to Jesus? Because we don’t have it in us to be who God created us to be. If we want to go to heaven when we die,  then we need His Holy Spirit in us. If we want to live the life our heart desires, then we need His Holy Spirit in us. The question is, do we or don’t we have Christ (the Holy Spirit) in us? It’s a consideration that has consequences eternally and now. ChristIaNs have the power and ability to live above our circumstances. ChristIaNs have the power to overcome our addictions and habits. Don’t believe the lie that you can’t change if Christ is IN you. The truth is – Christ IN you means all things are possible.

I wish I wouldn’t sin. I long 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 Spirit against the flesh; that they’re in opposition to one another…” So we have this little, um, 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?

Would you have ever believed some of the things going on in our country? It can make your head spin. The changes are happening so fast that people who don’t read or watch the news are going to be shocked one day to learn that their freedoms have been taken away and that they are mandated to do things against their will. Am I advocating that we read or watch the news all day? Not at all. But I can speak to the importance of being informed. I highly recommend having your Bible open and studying (not skimming) what God wants us to know about the days in which we live and about the days that are coming. In Matthew 16:2-3, Jesus said,

When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?”

Recently I taught on Daniel’s 70 weeks, a fascinating prophecy.  It is clear that God spoke through prophets. They warned of future events. Although your head may be spinning at the ever changing society in which we live, what a blessing to know that Jesus will not change as Hebrews 13:8 reminds us,

Jesus Christ is the SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, and FOREVER.

Yes, our nation is changing. The world is changing. But Jesus will always be the same holy, loving, grace-filled God that He’s always been. If we ever wonder with whom to align ourselves with, it is Christ.

Do you sometimes wonder what our world will be like in the future? Revelation 1:5 tells us. “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the RULER of the KINGS of the EARTH…” Yes, one day Christ will rule the earth. Can you imagine what bliss that will be? Naysayers will be nowhere to be found. Lying. What’s that?  Shooting sprees. What are you talking about?  Yes, one day, the supreme RULER whose reign has no end and who reigns with justice and with mercy will rule the kings of the earth. If you’re a citizen of Christ’s kingdom that’s something joyful to think about when you put your head on your pillow tonight.

Have you ever heard someone say “that stinks” when something awful happens? If bad things repeatedly happen, they might even say life stinks.  Instead of focusing on the foul, though, we have a choice to breathe in what Song of Solomon 2:1 refers to as the Rose of Sharon, a reference to Christ and His splendor, heavenly fragrance, and beauty. When life stinks, stay extra close to Christ. Breathe in His fragrance. “I am the ROSE of SHARON, the lily of the valleys.” Song of Solomon 2:1

Do you know who your ancestors are? How far back can you trace your family tree? Being able to trace one’s lineage is important to many and is definitely important in the Jewish culture. Jesus’s human lineage can be traced to Israel’s King David. But Jesus has an even more illustrious lineage as He states in Revelation 22:16. He says, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” In other words, His roots go further back than David. They go all the way to creation. Jesus is the bright morning star, heaven’s light. In our often dark and lonely culture it’s important for us to daily bask in the SonLight. It’s important for us to invite others to join us.