Beyond Ourselves

I thought I had killed a bee, but I only stunned it. Before I could blink, the bee was moving. There’s a difference between stunning something and abolishing it.  When you think about death, does it worry you? Here’s the deal, and it’s great news! Second Timothy 1:10 assures us that we don’t have to worry about death. Why? The verse explains that when Christ died on the cross, He didn’t stun death, but that death continue to be a reality for us. Rather, it says,  “ …our Savior Christ Jesus, abolished death and brought life and immortality to light…” In other words, when our body ceases to live, our spirit continues to live. Those who have placed their faith in Christ and whose human spirit is wed to Christ’s Holy Spirit will live eternally in His glorious light. That’s something to celebrate, not fear.  

Lord Jesus Savior, we praise You for abolishing death! Thank You for eternal life in You. 

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In your lifetime, how many people have you seen take positions of leadership and then be unseated? It happens. People and countries are left shaken … swinging between being hopeful of a new administration or fearful of the one that’s taken office. But our Lord wants us to know that He’s on the throne and He’s not going anywhere. First, there’s no person or spirit or power that can touch Him. Second, if they could, they couldn’t over-power our Lord. If we want someone in our lives on whom we can depend, then we need look no further than the Lord who abides forever. Psalm 9:7  assures us, “…the Lord abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment.’”

Heavenly Father, we praise You that You have established Your throne and no power, person, or principality can unseat You. We love and praise You.

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Can you imagine the conversations that took place after God raised Jesus from the dead? Some didn’t believe it at first. Others couldn’t help but acknowledge His resurrection when they saw Jesus, touched Him, and observed Him eating fish. He wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t a figment of their imagination. Five hundred people witnessed seeing the resurrected PRINCE OF LIFE. In other words, they couldn’t “kill Him dead” forever. Jesus walked right back into life. Why? How? Because Jesus is the PRINCE of LIFE.  What’s more – He is your PRINCE OF LIFE. He won’t let you stay dead. He’s waiting on the other side when you walk the corridor of death. You need not fear.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, the PRINCE of LIFE. 

“…you put to death the PRINCE OF LIFE, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.” Acts 3:15

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IT’S NOT TOO LATE, but it ALMOST is: REGISTER NOW for our Jan 8, 11-noon Women’s Gathering. Call 830-895-0100 or click HERE:  STARTING STRONG with 2020 VISION.

Have you ever seen the startled look in a child’s eyes when they were afraid of something? On the other hand, have you seen a child recognize their father in a crowded room and run to their father gleefully? Have you seen a child cry and call on their daddy and say “Daddy, Daddy,” or maybe “dada”?  It’s hard to believe but Romans 8:15 says believers have “received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘ABBA FATHER;” which means Daddy! Daddy! What does it mean that God is our Abba Father? It means closeness. A personal relationship.  He cares about us. That we can call on Him. You may not have had a great earthly daddy, but you have a great heavenly daddy and that’s a reason to be joyful.

LORD, You are ABBA FATHER! We praise and thank You for adopting us as Your child. Help us trust and obey You. 

Tick Tock: REGISTER NOW! Jan 8, 11-noon Women’s Gathering:  STARTING STRONG with 2020 VISION.

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Have you ever wished you had a mentor; someone to follow; to teach you how to do your job better, to be a better spouse, or how to better live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father? Many lack a good “example” as evidenced 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 choosing to follow God’s Word rather than the world. Ultimately, Jesus is an eXample of how to entrust ourselves to our Heavenly Father’s care. First Peter 2:21 reminds us of the importance of following Jesus’s 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 calls us to follow Jesus.

We praise You, Lord Jesus, our EXAMPLE! 

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Does it seem surreal to think about being in heaven and seeing Jesus?  For most of us, it probably does. The fact is, Jesus is a real person and at a real time in a real place we will see Him. In Isaiah 6:1-5, Isaiah describes his experience of seeing Jesus in heaven. “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and EXALTED, with the train of His robe filling the temple.”

“I saw the Lord.” Let those words sink in.

There was a time – the year of King Uzziah’s death.

There was a place – sitting on a throne in a temple.

There was a description – lofty…exalted…the train of His robe FILLING the temple. How does that even happen?

There were others – Seraphim stood above Him. There was talking. The seraphim called out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

There was more talking – “And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”

Isaiah’s response was, “‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’”

What will our response be in that time and place when we see the EXALTED LORD JESUS?

EXALTED Lord, we can’t imagine what it will be like when we see YOU. Our hearts tremble at the thought of Your majesty and glory. May our awe and reverence for You be lived out in our daily decisions and behavior… in anticipation of the day, time, and place we meet You. 

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A person who is not a Christian once challenged me and asked why believers talk about God’s love but never His wrath. I thought about his question and realized that I’m guilty of that very thing. Think about all the wonderful ways we look at God’s love, gentleness, and favor. Today, however, the context in which God’s actions are described as WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS is a reference to His judgment on people who claim His name, but simply give lip service to Him. God uses the prophet Isaiah to call them out in  Isaiah 29:13-14. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS.'”  He goes on to warn them of the consequences of their lip service and rote worship. We might want to relegate our Creator’s wrath to the Old Testament, but Revelation 16 speaks of God’s judgment being poured out in a future day. We may wonder, “Is mankind’s behavior and sincerity of worship a big deal to God?” The answer is, yes.

Happy New Year!

Do you wish you could twitch your nose or snap your fingers and presto, what you long for would appear this year? The fact is, those techniques may work in movies, but not real life. However, God does work wonders. Sometimes those wonders take time. Other times, moments. Regardless of the timing, our Heavenly Father is the One on whom we are to set our hearts if we’re in need of wonder-working power.  Moses is but one of many who needed a miracle and God stepped in. Listen to his words of praise in  Exodus 15:11. “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” If we’re in need of wonder-working power, we can go to God, be still in His presence, ask Him for help, and listen to what He quietly impresses on our hearts. Have your Bible, pen, and journal with you so you can turn to a Bible verse He directs you to look up and so you can write down what He prompts you to do.  Imagine a year of God’s wonder working power in your life. It’s not a fairy tale. It’s real and it’s available for the person who seeks Christ and desires to glorify Him with their life.