Beyond Ourselves

Have you ever explored a black cave with only a dim flashlight? Some time ago, I had the opportunity to walk 2 miles in a black cave. Did I say “opportunity?” It was only because I knew my time in the cave was temporary. Had I thought I couldn’t get out, I would have gone mad. Is that what hell is? Trapped in what Colossians 1:13 describes as a “domain of darkness?” Jesus Christ is light. The beauty of the heavens reflect His nature. Close your eyes and picture an eternity of despairing people screaming for release from Satan’s dark domain. Now open them and praise Jesus, whom Malachi refers to as “the MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT,” Malachi 4:1. “’And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts.”  Having been in the cave makes me mindful of how important it is to live a celebratory life. Why? There are people who don’t know Jesus, the Messenger of the Covenant, and that He can save them from the black torment of eternal damnation. We have the opportunity to be Christ’s Light in our world. Are we a bright or weak flashlight pointing others to Him?

Lord Jesus Christ, MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT, thank You for releasing us from the domaine of darkness! Help us be mindfully joyful over our freedom and how we can shine Your light, pointing others to You.

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We like our freedom, right? We often hear someone say, “Nobody’s going to tell me what to do!” Maybe we’ve said those exact words. But, here’s some news that may shock you. God owns us, and He is our MASTER. Why would I say that? Because it’s true if we’re a believer. Paul explains: “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a MASTER in heaven,” Colossians 4:1. Yes! We have a MASTER in Heaven!  Whoo Hoo! Does that make you happy or cause you to bristle?  What does it mean that we have a “master”? The word, “master” in Colossians 4:1 means “the owner; one who has control of the person.” Maybe we’ve never thought about God “owning” us, but, it isn’t a one time teaching in the Bible. First Corinthians 6:10 explains we’ve been “bought with a price.” Romans 6:16 addresses how we are slaves to the one to whom we present ourselves – sin or righteousness. Who would we prefer for our master? Satan or our Heavenly Father?  I bet you’re waving your hand for God.

Let’s think further. If God is our Master, then what should be our posture before Him? I wonder if sometimes we’re too flippant? I wonder if we’ll “about die” (if it were possible) when we’re in heaven and see His glory? I wonder if we’ll wish we had bowed before Him every morning and asked how we might serve Him. We have a MASTER in heaven. He’s a glorious, giving, gracious Master. Let’s serve Him well; with a smile on our face.

Heavenly Master, we worship and adore You and cannot wait to worship You in heaven. Let us serve You well on earth while we await our service to You in heaven.

• His MARVELOUS WORKS. In Revelation 15:3 Moses celebrates the works God has done. “’Great and MARVELOUS are Your WORKS, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!’”  In what way do you see God working in your life or in the life of someone close to you? Wouldn’t you agree God is marvelous?
• His MARVELOUS LOVINGKINDNESS.  The psalmist writes, “Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” Psalm 31:21.  In these verses, marvelous means “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action. Doesn’t that fit our Lord’s lovingkindness? It’s surpassing, extraordinary, and His death for our sins is distinguishable.
• His MARVELOUS SALVATION.  In Matthew 21:42, Jesus asks, “‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES‘?”  Jesus used the word “marvelous” in relation to God’s plan for saving mankind. It means “worthy of pious admiration, admirable, excellent, passing human comprehension, causing amazement joined with terror, extraordinary, striking, surprising.” Each of those words define how marvelous God’s plan of salvation is.
• His MARVELOUS LIGHT.  First Peter 2:9 is one of my favorite Scriptures because it defines who we are and our purpose. “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His MARVELOUS LIGHT.”  We have a message to tell of the excellencies of Christ. We are not in darkness, but rather in marvelous light; meaning “excellent, extraordinary, striking, surprising light.”

Yes, today we’re again amazed at our Marvelous Lord and bow in reverence and praise. Add “MARVELOUS” in Prayers of My Heart in whichever place you’ve chosen to record His attributes and names. I use the first column of Week At A Glance. But you can also use the Month at a Glance section if you’re not recording your 3 daily gratitudes there.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are marvelous in Your work, love, kindness, salvation, and light. We celebrate and worship You!

In Christian circles we often speak of the joy of the Lord, and rightly so. He tells us to pray in His name to our Heavenly Father so that our joy will be made full.  We share Christ’s joy when we use the gifts He’s given us. Joy is a “fruit” of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That doesn’t mean, however, that life is free of sorrow or that we’ll be on a joy ride to heaven. Far from it. I remember when Philippians 3:7-10 became my life verses. I prayed, “Lord, I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection!” I was changed after that prayer. The Holy Spirit filled me and I read the Bible with new eyes. I had an intimacy and passion for Christ that I’d not before experienced. But I need to let you in on a little secret. I stopped my prayer before the end of verse 10. I did my own edit of applying the Bible to my life. Philippians 3:10 says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” I did NOT pray “and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” I saw the end of the verse. I read it, but I didn’t want anything to do with the fellowship of suffering with Christ. Years later, after the Lord faithfully let me know Him more fully through studying His divine nature and attributes and allowed me to experience Christ’s power in ways beyond my power, it was time for me to experience the “fellowship of His sufferings.” It hurt. It was not fun. I cried. I journaled Scriptures. And, my intimacy deepened with the Lord in a way it could not have had I not gone through that time and others since then.  Isaiah 53:3 states about Jesus, “He was despised and forsaken of men, a MAN OF SORROWS and acquainted with grief…” If you are going through a time of sorrow or grief, that doesn’t mean something is necessarily wrong with you/in you. Of course, if it’s due to sin, that is another subject which the Bible addresses and has guidance concerning. But if you are staying the course with Jesus and are suffering in some way, this is when you can get up close to Him, curl up in His arms, read your Bible with opened eyes, and discover that He’ll see you through it.

Jesus, MAN OF SORROWS, thank You for being here for us when we are going through hard, sorrowful times. Help us fellowship well with You. 

In case we ever wonder who made the heavens, earth, and us, the LORD tells us: HE DID. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, the LORD, am the MAKER of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone…'” (Isaiah 44:24)  Is that cool or what?  So look around in wonder at the sky, earth, and sea. Take a deep breath of air. Thank God for making you and all of creation. Yes, look around. Give Him praise.

LORD, our MAKER, You are so awesome! Thank You for the glory of heaven, earth, and the wonder of the human body that shouts Your praise. 

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