Beyond Ourselves

Do you remember the account when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac? I’ll never forget when the words jumped off the pages of the Bible. Abraham said to Isaac as they walked to the place where he was to sacrifice Isaac, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.” (Genesis 22:8) Think about those words.

God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice. 

And, He did. A ram appeared in the bushes and Abraham sacrificed the lamb in Isaac’s place. And, so God does that for us.  He provided the Lamb – Jesus – innocent, holy, undefiled – to be the sacrifice for us.

God provided for Himself the sacrifice. 

God provided for Himself what no human could provide – a worthy sacrifice; heaven’s Lamb. Years later, the angelic announcement of Christ’s birth was first made to shepherds. The shepherds left their flock to find and worship Jesus, the LAMB of God. ‘Behold, the LAMB OF GOD who takes away the sin of the world!‘” John 1:28-29

Jesus, LAMB OF GOD, thank You for giving Your precious life as a sacrifice for our sins. Father, thank You for sacrificing Your Son to save us from our sins. We adore and worship You!

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I struggled with today’s devotional because first I went in one direction and then another.  The key verse is 1 Timothy 6:15 and the Lord’s attribute scheduled to be highlighted today is King of Kings. It’s a rich verse. “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the KING OF KINGS and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”  The verse is straightforward. It’s a beautiful verse to read. The context, though, goes contrary to our human bent. Would you share your thoughts as to why the glorious description of Jesus as King of Kings who dwells in unapproachable light is in the context of   1 Timothy 6: 7-19? Warning: if you read it closely, you may get a holt jolt. 

“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  

But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,  that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,  who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”  Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

KING OF KINGS, give us a holy jolt to the importance of these words. 

PLEASE SHARE WHY YOU THINK CHRIST’S GLORIOUS ATTRIBUTES ARE IN THE CONTEXT OF THESE VERSES. THANKS!

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“Hell on earth” is a phrase people sometimes use to emphasize a horrible place or time they’re going through.  They feel captive and in torment.  It goes on and on and appears to them that they’ll never escape their misery. Certainly the Jews felt that way in Nazi concentration camps. So can a spouse in a destructive marriage. Or an employee who has a relentless job. So can a Christian when principalities of evil and world forces of darkness are pitted against them. That happens? Yes. Ephesians 6:12 plainly says that Christians “struggle against rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Too often, though, we don’t see it. We go to church. Memorize verses. Try to live a good Christian life. Then, bam! Something horrible happens or perhaps is ongoing. All we see is what’s visible. We are deceived into thinking our problem is with a person, job, child, parent, or ourself. Paul tells us to open our eyes. Satan hates you if you’re a believer and will do everything on earth to take you down, destroy your witness, and make you miserable during your short years on earth. Why? Because he knows he can’t have you or keep you. Revelation 1:17-18 records Jesus’s words to John when he was exiled on the island of Patmos. “‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I HAVE THE KEYS of death and of Hades.” Your hell on earth, whatever it is, is not going to last. Jesus has made sure of that. Satan will be bound. You’ll be free. Jesus has the keys and is locking Satan away. In the meantime, remember, Jesus also has the keys to joy and fullness of life. If you know Christ and you know the Bible but are miserable, isn’t it time to start deeply MEDITATING on Scripture for yourself? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and your heart to understand God’s kingdom inspired Word. Study Ephesians 6 and arm yourself against Satan. Stand firm against what appears to be your “hell” knowing it is stoked by the invisible enemy. Or, you can keep being miserable and deceived by the enemy. But, what a pity.

Lord Jesus Christ, You were bombarded by Satan over and again. Demons nipped at your holy feet. World forces of darkness blinded the religious leaders to who You were. But you showed us and taught us the way to release. You have given us kingdom keys. May we not be blind and ignore Your holy teachings, but rather pray without ceasing and walk by Your Spirit.

TIP:  If you need help growing in your faith or prayer life, visit my website where you’ll find resources to help you. Begin with Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion,  If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case,  the P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference available on DVD or CD, or Listen UP: 31 Points about the Holy Spirit every Christian should know.  Take advantage of the many free website resources – slideshows and videos, or podcasts on a variety of topics you can listen to on the way to work or while you go about your day. Browse around. Find what you need. Begin today.  Also, I’m updating my 4 week Bible study on 2 Peter: How to Live by the Divine Nature. This is a critically important book of the Bible. If you’re interested in joining me for this  study (we’ll do it by email once a week for 4 weeks with me providing short teaching videos/podcasts), let me know. debbie@debbietaylorwilliams.com

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I need a keeper. Someone to watch out for me and over me. Why? Because sometimes I don’t know the right path to take. Sometimes I start to let my emotions crash like the waves into a pit of nothingness. I need a keeper with a capital K. And, you know what? I have One and so do you if you’re a Christian. Psalm 121:5-7 states, “The Lord is your keeper… The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.” Isn’t it nice, no…more like wonderful, to think on the fact that our Heavenly Father is our Keeper? And, He isn’t snoozing on the clouds. Psalm 121:3-4 says, “He who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.” In other words, our Soul Keeper is alert and watching out for us. So, of all the people in the world to whom you could entrust your soul, who more wonderful than our Heavenly Father? Here’s something else that’s wonderful to think about.  Isaiah wrote, “It is You who have kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.” (Isaiah 38:17)  Isn’t that a marvelous visual? God casts all our sins behind Him and keeps our souls from the pit of nothingness.  I’m jumping up and down in my spirit over that one. The more time we spend with Christ and learning His ways, the more filled we are and the more we experience the opposite of the pit of nothingness.  We experience heavenly joy and fulfillment that only comes from intimacy with Christ.  Will bad things ever happen? Yes, because we live in a sinful world. But we aren’t destined for a pit of nothingness.  We’re destined for the throne.

Heavenly Father, Soul Keeper, we praise You for protecting us from evil and the pit of nothingness. Thank You, Lord. 

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I see it in his eyes. They are kind. His eyes say it all. His eyes tell me what’s in his heart. My husband, Keith, looks at me with kind eyes. My response? I feel the most tender of love for him.

The eyes tell us what fills the heart. And, so we wonder. What fills Jesus’s eyes?  What if you were in His presence and He looked deeply into your eyes. What if you couldn’t take your eyes away from His. What would you see in His eyes for you? You’d see kindness; kindness beyond anything you’d experienced. Kindness that causes you to love Him with every fiber of your being.

So, the apostle asks in Romans 2:4, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His KINDNESS and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the KINDNESS of God leads you to repentance?”  What a question! Do we?  Do we think lightly of God’s KINDNESS and tolerance and patience toward us? In other words, are we going about our day hardly looking Christ’s way? When He convicts us of sin, do we look in Jesus’s eyes and sincerely apologize to Him? Or, are we like a child who is caught doing something wrong and maybe at best, mutters, “sorry.” Or do we simply ignore our Lord?

Look in Jesus’s eyes. Think deeply of the riches of His kindness.

Dear Savior, You are so kind and loving and patient. Forgive us for sinning against You and one another.  May we look deeply in Your eyes and and reflect Your kindness to others. 

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Record Christ’s attribute, KIND, in Prayers of My Heart. Click to ORDER. 

Do you ever feel like you’re getting a bad rap, that things aren’t fair? Have you wondered why some people get away with things with no apparent consequences? Often, those questions are warranted. As thinking people, we can’t help but wonder at the justice system. But then we must quickly remember that in the end, no one gets away with anything before God. He sees our sin and knows our thoughts. Most importantly, God is JUST. As Psalm 89:14 states,“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne…” God weighs hearts and motives. He forgives repentant sinners. He deals with unrepentant ones. Lay any vengeance you have toward another person at God’s feet. He will rule justly with the person because that is His nature – JUST.

Lord, we praise you. You are JUST!

TIP:  Write God’s attribute that I highlight in each devotional in Prayers of My Heart. Writing it on paper writes it on your brain. When you’re troubled, flip through the pages of your journal and thank God for who He is as you reflect on His nature. It will build your confidence, decrease your stress, and help you live a more joy-filled life. Click HERE  to order.

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June 14, my husband, Keith, and I celebrated our anniversary. I’ve known him for almost 46 years. We’ve been married 44 years. I knew him when he didn’t have money to buy french fries with my hamburger. I know him as the guy who likes to put on an old teeshirt and mow the grass. But, I’ll never forget the first time I sat at the back of the room when he was holding court. After sentencing a criminal, he motioned to me to approach the bench. All eyes turned on me, and I suddenly felt nervous and intimidated. Why in the world did I feel that way? Was it the courtroom? Was it his position behind the bench in a long black robe? If I felt that way approaching the judgement seat of my husband, I CAN’T IMAGINE what it will be like to sit in God’s courtroom and hear Him call my name to approach His bench. Are you ready to hear God call your name? Because He will. Regardless of whether you like it or not, it’s not your choice. Second Timothy 4:1 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to Judge the living and the dead…” Every soul will appear before God, our Judge.  Those who accepted Jesus’s death on the cross as judgement for their sins will receive rewards at the Judgement. Those who rejected God’s gift of forgiveness in Christ will be judged for their thoughts, words, and actions based on God’s holiness. If you know someone who hasn’t professed their faith in Jesus, diligently pray for them. If you’re not sure what or how to pray for the unsaved, click here.

Lord, we who have received salvation through Christ humbly, gratefully praise You, JUDGE of the LIVING and the DEAD. Open our eyes to see the unsaved. Open our mouths to speak loving truth to them. Quicken the hearts of our unsaved friends and family to acknowledge their sin and turn to You; to say “yes” to Your gift of salvation. 

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“What’s a spiritual happy dance?” someone asked me after I mentioned in an email to my prayer team that I was doing one. I couldn’t help but smile, then realized no one except my husband had probably seen me do a spiritual happy dance. Why? Because it’s before God and it comes from a heart flowing with joy. Does our Heavenly Father care if we are joyful? Yes. Jesus said in John 16:24, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” This doesn’t mean giving Jesus our worldly wish list. Rather, it means our aligning ourselves as servants to our Lord’s will. We also read verses like John 15:11 where Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Jesus referred to Himself as having joy and in being the giver of joy.  These verses may be a clue to why believers often don’t have joy. We may be able to quote Jesus, but are we living Him? In other words, if Jesus was on earth, would His emotions be tied to the things to which our emotions are often tied: if we’re being treated like we want, if others are doing what we want, if we have the home, success, job, living standard we want. You see, Jesus held loosely to this world because He had seen the KINGDOM and the best and finest in this world is passing away.

Yes, we often get sucked into the rush and whirlwind of this world because we’re living in it. But Jesus said don’t store up on earth where moth and rust ruin. Many of us may not be experiencing joy because we have one foot in heaven and the other on earth and we’re wretchedly pulled and stretched. We struggle to make it through the day. Jesus explains in John 15:1-10 that the deep joy for which our soul yearns isn’t in money, the right job, or another person. Christ had no home, no spouse, and a job that was anything but glamorous. He was constantly talked bad about by religious people. Those closest to Him argued. He was in constant demand day and night. His family didn’t understand Him. So what joy is He talking about? It’s the joy we experience leading someone to the Lord. It’s the joy of leading a Bible study and seeing someone grow. It’s the joy of seeing God accomplish something through us that only He could do. It has nothing to do with money, clothes, homes, and other trappings that Satan has deceived us into thinking that when we get them, all will be right with the world and we’ll be happy. It’s a big fat lie. Joy comes when our head, heart, and motivation are Spirit driven. When was the last time you did a spiritual happy dance? “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11

Lord, we praise You, in whose presence there is fullness of  JOY!

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