Beyond Ourselves
Unclean Lips and Lives
I don’t think there’s any way we can get our minds around what the holiness of the LORD is like. I don’t think we have the slightest idea of the magnitude of heaven’s glory. Isaiah attempted to describe heaven. (Isaiah 6:1-4a) “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. Seraphim stood above Him, …. And one called out to another and said ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled…” What was Isaiah’s response? “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.” Isaiah 6:5. Isaiah’s response to seeing the LORD was a profound awareness that he was unclean. Were it NOT for JESUS bearing our sins on the cross, it would not be possible for us to live in the HOLY, HOLY, HOLY LORD’S presence; which is why we praise HIM today and every day.
We praise You, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY Lord!
Could you use sympathy instead of condemnation
Can you imagine what it would be like to go before a HIGH PRIEST who DIDN’T sympathize with your weaknesses? How haughty would that high priest be? How unrelenting might he be? How judgmental? Yet, that is not our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, He is a HIGH PRIEST, as Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us. But, listen to the description of our High Priest. “We do not have a HIGH PRIEST who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Then, he tells us what to do. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” I want to sing and shout “hallelujah” at this description of our merciful High Priest. Why? Because I mess up every day. Unlike Jesus, I get tempted and do sin. But knowing that I can humbly approach Jesus makes me love Him all the more. I can go to Him in prayer and confess, “I messed up big time. I sinned! I fell for this temptation…again. Forgive me. ” Jesus extends grace to us when we repent, but He also admonishes us, “Go and sin no more.” Why? Because He loves us and doesn’t want us living in sin but rather in holiness. If we’ve been avoiding Jesus because of our sin, today is the day to draw near to our sympathetic HIGH PRIEST.
We praise You, our Lord and High Priest, that although You are high and lifted up, you sympathize with our weaknesses and forgive the repentant sinner. Help us sin no more.
When You’ve Failed and Are Low
Things aren’t always what they seem. And, simply because things appear one way in a moment of time, it doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way. Case in point: Jesus. If we’d been in Jerusalem when Jesus was hanging on the cross, we might have labeled the moment, “Jesus failed.” However, what appeared to be Jesus’s lowest moment, was in fact, God’s highest plan being accomplished. Three days after Jesus’s death on the cross, God raised Him. As Isaiah 52:13 prophesied, “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be HIGH and LIFTED UP and greatly exalted.” Jesus is seated at the right hand of God – HIGH AND LIFTED UP – greatly exalted. The next time something appears to be a failure or loss, look heavenward. Pray. God can change things; even us.
We praise You, Lord Jesus, HIGH and LIFTED UP; greatly exalted.
Groaning. Drained. Hiding.
King David was deceived….thinking he could hide his sin of adultery and murder and merrily continue with his life. But sin isn’t a kind bedfellow. Psalm 32:3-4 records how it affected David. “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.” But, what happened when David acknowledged his sin and confessed it to the Lord? We find the answer in Psalm 32:5. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.'” What advice does David give us in Psalm 32:6? “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found.” David discovered that instead of hiding from God, it was better to make God His hiding place. “You are my HIDING PLACE; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 On occasion, we might be like David and think we can hide our sin from God. But the truth is, we can’t. He sees us and even knows our thoughts. Yet, even while we are in our sin, He invites us to a place of forgiveness – Himself. Today, we can choose to stop trying to hide our sin. We can turn to God and humbly confess, “You are my HIDING PLACE; You preserve me from trouble.” We can experience “songs of deliverance.”
Lord, how sweet to know You as our HIDING PLACE; who preserves us from trouble and surrounds us with songs of deliverance. Thank You. We praise You.
Who Gets it All
Hebrews 1:2 tells us that Jesus is the HEIR OF ALL THINGS. Why was it important for the writer of Hebrews to communicate this about Jesus? At the time the words were written to the Hebrew people, it appeared the government had control over all things. However, God wanted the Hebrews to know that Jesus was the ultimate possessor of everything. He created the world and everything in it; therefore, it is ultimately His. It was important for the first century Christians to be assured of this fact. It’s important for us to be assured of it.
LORD, we praise You for appointing Jesus as the HEIR OF ALL THINGS. Thank You for the assurance that our nation and world are His possession.
When You Cry Out, He’ll Hear
Do you have children or have you ever babysat? Think for a moment to when a child cried. Maybe they were in their crib. Or, perhaps you heard a thud; then the cry of a toddler who had fallen. What happened in the moment they cried out? Their voice “came into your ears.” I love the way that David worded 2 Samuel 22:7, “In my distress I called upon the Lord. Yes, I cried to my God and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears.” In the same way a child’s cry can be heard by us even if we’re in another part of the house, so God hears our cry from His temple. Our cries to God go into His ears. Our Heavenly Father is a HEARING GOD, not a deaf God. What will you cry out to Him about today?
Hearing Father, thank You for listening to our cries. Help us pay attention and hear Your voice in response to our cries.
How Can We Not…
February 28, 2002 God healed my mother. Bernice Ruth Taylor went to be with the Lord. No longer did she suffer the physical ailments that had ravaged her body. She was ready to be with Jesus. She took off her oxygen mask, smiled at us, and after we verbalized our love for one another, she closed her eyes. However, none of us were prepared for the next moment. Mama’s eyes flew open and she startled us with, “boo!” How long she’d planned that dramatic and joyous moment, I’ll never know; or if it was a spur of the moment idea. Regardless, she made her point. She wasn’t scared. She was, in fact, excited. Her attitude reflected Jeremiah 17:14 which says, “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.” My mother knew Jesus was her HEALER and that she was on her way to Him. With that, she closed her eyes a final time on earth and opened them in heaven…fully healed. How can we not praise Him?
Lord God, You are our HEALER and we praise You!
Who is Ruling Our Lives
Do you ever worry about where our nation and world are headed? Although evil may temporarily prevail, the Bible tells us the end of the story. And it’s a good ending! God will prevail. Colossians 2:10 tells us Christ is the HEAD OVER ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY. One day every knee will bow before Him. In the meantime, believers have the opportunity to live under Christ’s rule in our personal lives and to share our faith and hope with others. Are we?
LORD JESUS, thank You for the comfort that You are HEAD OVER ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY! Open our eyes to the fact that we can live under Your rule despite what others do. Help us witness to others our hope and faith.
A Blessing to Slow Down and Think About
Do you ever hurriedly read through familiar passages in the Bible? I often have to remind myself to slow down so I grasp the fullness of God’s words. Such is the case with Matthew 26:27-28; which is often read during Communion. “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.'” When we slow down to read this passage, we realize that Jesus identifies Himself as the Covenant Maker. He makes a covenant with us and seals it with His blood. His covenant with us is eternally binding. Nothing can separate us from Him. What a blessing for us to slow down and think about.
Lord Jesus, COVENANT MAKER, You not only made a covenant with us, but You sealed it with Your blood. We worship, praise, and adore You, our Lord and God.
Follow the Head Leader
The word “but” is an important word and has significance. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, the apostle Paul encourages believers to imitate him in seeking the good of others over the good of oneself. However, he is quick to follow his statement in 1 Corinthians 11:3 saying, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man,….” In other words, Paul explains that he only tells us to imitate him because he is imitating Christ, who is the HEAD OF EVERY MAN. Christ is the One we are to follow. Isn’t it wonderful we have Christ as our HEAD and He shows us and tells us how to live?
Lord Jesus Christ, HEAD OF EVERY MAN, we praise You, our leader and the One we can imitate.