Beyond Country

15/12/2025

https://youtu.be/m9gdNv84VQ8

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15/12/2025

Wisdom Hunters
December 15, 2025
Limitations Are Blessings
By: Boyd Bailey

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Psalm 16:5-6

My 88-year-old stepmom has limitations. She faces physical challenges with mobility due to chronic back pain, mental challenges with her memory, and logistical challenges in driving. Three car accidents in the last ten months are a worrying sign for Pat’s safety and others. Limitations are wise, but not always enjoyable. Like many of us, Pat tends to delay decision-making until she has no choice. The discomfort of not acting becomes greater than the discomfort of acting before a decision is made. When I look in the mirror, I see more limitations than I did just a few years ago. My stamina for long-distance driving, especially at night when I’m tired, suggests I should get a good night’s sleep and continue my trip the next day. My calorie intake of food and drinks has significantly decreased compared to my younger days, and I’ve increased my scheduled strength training and cardio exercises. Limitations are the Lord’s way of helping us stay healthy.

David, in the Psalm above, paints a beautiful picture of how God’s boundaries are blessings, not restrictions. They safeguard our inheritance and keep us on His pleasant path. Accepting the Lord’s limitations on our lives starts with first accepting the Lord as “my portion and my cup.” He is our all-sufficient Savior, Lord, and Provider. Our shallow cup of sorrow is overwhelmed by His overflowing cup of love. If Jesus Christ is all we need and want, then our hearts’ desires align with His. Some scholars describe the first sin of Adam and Eve as the deception of discontent. However, there is an abiding contentment where Holiness dwells, and there is no need to strive for the meaninglessness of more stuff when generous Jesus is enough. Limitations are love at work, helping us rest and refuel.

What pleasant places does the Lord’s love and grace provide? A refreshing beverage in a quiet space, reading and reflecting on the Word of God, makes a pleasant place. A relationship where I feel safe, understood, trusted, and loved is a pleasant place. A home-cooked meal with fresh ingredients, enjoyed with carefree company who still carry on meaningful conversations about topics that matter, is a pleasant place. A worship service at church, where Jesus is high and lifted up in praise and adoration, with grateful voices lifting all glory to God, is a pleasant place. Unpleasant places occur when sin sneaks around and pride struts about, which are not healthy. Wisdom avoids these unhealthy places and trusts the Lord’s limitations to lead to adventures beyond your imagination.

Elisabeth Elliot, the well-known missionary and writer, offers insight into our heavenly Father’s joyful places for His children: “God never denies us our heart’s desire except to give us something better.” What may seem like a dull restriction in your life could be disguised as something better that the Lord has planned for you. Look around and seek someone or something the Spirit has brought into your life to love—a neighbor, a small child, a pet, a volunteer opportunity, or a renewed prayer ministry to uplift others to the Lord for salvation, healing, and wisdom. Limitations are blessings, not burdens; embrace and celebrate your Father’s generous love for you. Drink from Love’s cup, rest in pleasant places, and receive your divine inheritance.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

Prayer
Lord, help me see my limitations not as failures but as invitations to depend on You. In my weakness, Your strength is perfected. I am Yours—limited, loved, and led. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Application
Where are you experiencing limitations that need to be seen as a gift from the Lord, not as restrictions for doing something wrong?

Related Reading
Isaiah 55:8-9; Jeremiah 29:11; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 12:10-11

12/12/2025

https://youtu.be/9aQekqF6M5o.

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12/12/2025

Wisdom Hunters
December 12, 2025
First Love
By: Boyd Bailey

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Henri Nouwen realigns my world with his profound words on first love: “Our true self is in God. As we are told again and again in John's Gospel, we can love others because God first loves us. The spiritual life is coming into touch with that first love, which says that we belong to God. As Jesus said, 'Just as I don't belong to the world, neither do you'– but you, rather, belong to the Lover who gives you to yourself. We can be a liberating and creative presence in the world only if we don't belong to the world, if we don't depend on the world for our real identity.”

We understand our first love is our Savior, Jesus Christ, because He loved us first. But how do we stay connected to His vibrant, divine love? As Nouwen reminds us, we must resist letting the world define who we are and whose we are. I need to regularly return to the quiet place where His voice is louder than applause and kinder than criticism. I anchor my heart in Scripture, practice gratitude, and cherish holy relationships that remind me of Who I belong to. Each day offers a chance to release the world's labels and embrace God's refreshing love. When my identity is rooted in Him, rather than in performance, achievements, or others' opinions, I am free to love courageously, serve generously, and live with holy confidence. This is the freedom of belovedness: being secure enough in His love to invest in His kingdom generously.

I think about my wife Rita and the preciousness of our first love. Vibrant. Giddy. Energized. These three words quickly come to mind and flood my emotions. We couldn’t find enough time in our schedules to be together, but we made time, which made my guy friends a little jealous. “Where is Bailey? Oh, he is with his sweetie…again!” My first love on earth was like a force that none of my other relationships could match in the intensity of its control over my heart. If the one who was to become my bride caused all my affections to surrender, how about my affections for Christ? How can I nurture my first love for Christ through intentional intimacy?

If my affections for Rita, my bride-to-be, are so strong, how much more should my heart burn for the One who rescued and redeemed me? Loving Christ means nurturing that initial love through daily intimacy—prayer that lingers, Scripture that renews, worship that stirs, and obedience that costs something. I keep my affections for Jesus alive by remembering what He's done, by serving others with His love, and by choosing Him again each morning. Just as my marriage thrives on intentional time and gratitude, so my relationship with Christ deepens when I slow down, listen, and delight in being loved by Him first. Emotional and spiritual romance requires attention. And the more I taste His goodness and sweet love, the more my heart desires nothing else.

How is the relational temperature of your first love with Jesus? Warm. Cold. Hot. Perhaps a fresh breeze from the Holy Spirit will warm the flames of your love for the Lord. Find solace in these words from Spurgeon: “When the Holy Spirit fills the heart of a believer, He makes it burn with holy affection, deep gratitude, and an intense longing for the presence of Jesus.” Empty your cup of self and surrender to the Spirit’s fullness. The rekindling of first love affections comes as you come close to Christ. You are His beloved, loved by Love more than any other.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2, KJV).

Prayer
Lord Jesus, rekindle my first love for You. Warm my heart with Your Spirit’s fire. Restore my passion, purity, and joy in Your presence. Be my greatest affection and delight. In Your name, I pray, amen.

Application
What is one way you can add fuel to the fire of your first love, Jesus?

Related Reading
Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 6:1; James 4:8; Revelation 2:4-5

11/12/2025

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11/12/2025

Wisdom Hunters
December 11, 2025
Steady and Sure
By: Tripp Prince

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, ESV

I often joke with my friends that I’m “one YouTube video away from rethinking everything.” Someone will send me an interview about health, politics, theology, sports, or whatever, and I realize that within just a few minutes, my opinion can be easily influenced, if not entirely swayed. In truth, when this happens, it is because my original opinion is underdeveloped and not closely or firmly held. And while this may be harmless enough when it relates to hobbies or casual pursuits, it is a deadly posture to take toward matters of faith.

As St. Paul reminds us today in 2 Thessalonians 2, one of our chief goals as disciples of Christ is “not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed.” I take this to be a two-fold exhortation. First, we should not be quickly shaken. What you know to be true and at the core of our faith, cling to it with all your might. Hold fast and stand firm in the love of God shown in Christ, and do not let anyone or anything move you from this solid foundation.

Additionally, do not be alarmed. We live in a cultural moment that is fueled by extremes. Shocking online content gets clicks and views, and so the more outrageous, the better. This should never be our posture as Christians! Just as our Lord Jesus calmed the sea and waves, today He looks at you and me as we anxiously scroll and have our passions enflamed in countless directions and simply says, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). Or, as He says in John 14, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1).

Though the concerns and cares of life may vary day by day, our underlying disposition of peaceful trust in the goodness of God should never fade. It is the foundation upon which our lives are built, and the antidote to the chaos and confusion that swirls around us. Do not be quickly shaken or alarmed. Christ is on His throne, and we have nothing to fear.

Prayer
Father, settle our hearts in this great truth today, we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Application
Where do you find yourself most tempted toward a reactionary and alarmist attitude? How can the truth of today’s passage steady your soul and calm your spirit?

Related Reading
Isaiah 26:3; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 4:14–15

10/12/2025

https://youtu.be/iE3jyYhHluo.

The official audio video for Carrie Underwood’s, “I Surrender All”“I Surrender All” is featured on Carrie Underwood’s album of gospel hymns, titled “My Savio...

10/12/2025

Wisdom Hunters
December 10, 2025
Spirit-Powered Prayers
By: Boyd Bailey

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Romans 8:26

C.S. Lewis describes the process of prayer as a work of God. It's all initiated, sustained, and answered by the Lord. He puts in our hearts the desire to pray, the Spirit gives us the words to pray, and our heavenly Father answers our prayers, all the while Jesus is interceding for us with fervent prayers. Lewis describes the divinely orchestrated prayer process, “An ordinary simple Christian kneels down to say his prayers. He is trying to get into touch with God. But if he is a Christian he knows that what is prompting him to pray is also God: God, so to speak, inside him. But he also knows that all his real knowledge of God comes through Christ, the Man who was God—that Christ is standing beside him, helping him to pray, praying for him. You see what is happening. God is the thing to which he is praying—the goal he is trying to reach. God is also the thing inside him which is pushing him on—the motive power. God is also the road or bridge along which he is being pushed to that goal.” Rest knowing your prayers are in heaven’s hands.

When Scripture says, "the Spirit intercedes for us," it means that God Himself prays on our behalf when we cannot find the words or the strength. Romans 8:26-27 reveals that when we are weak, confused, or unsure how to pray, the Holy Spirit steps in, translating the wordless groans of our hearts into prayers aligned with God's heart. The Spirit doesn't merely assist our prayers; He initiates and shapes them from within. He searches our motives, interprets our emotions, and presents our needs flawlessly before the Father. Even in our deepest silence or confusion, God is praying for us. We are never alone in prayer. As the Spirit carries what we cannot articulate and brings our prayers to completion in ways we could never manage on our own—Spirit-powered.

What happens when your prayers are Spirit-powered? There is a letting go of what you don’t know. You are at peace knowing, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16, NLT. God will answer the appropriate prayers at the right time. There is also divine protection that occurs. Spirit-powered prayers shield you from yourself. Wisdom does not expect to receive everything it asks for, as the saying goes, “Be careful what you ask for.” So true. In my flawed state, I may ask for something I’m not ready for, or a friend is not prepared for; thankfully, the Spirit intercepts our unhealthy prayers and replaces them with God’s best. Prayers are not meant to be perfect; the Spirit offers protection.

Surrender is the first step to praying in the Spirit, trusting completely that the Lord knows what’s best. Resist the urge to sound eloquent; instead, bring all your feelings of inadequacy, fear, and confusion to your prayer time. It’s often when your prayers feel weakest that the Spirit can make them strong. Surrender opens the door for the Spirit to pray through you. When you stop striving and simply show up: raw, honest, and willing, you create space for God’s power to work in your weakness. The Spirit isn’t looking for polished phrases; He is looking for a yielded heart. Trust that when your words falter, His never do. In total surrender, prayer is a divine partnership.

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).

Prayer
Holy Spirit, I surrender my words, my will, and my worries to You. Pray through me with power beyond my understanding. Shape my heart to desire what You desire. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Application
How do you know that you are surrendering to the Holy Spirit in your prayers?

Related Reading
Zechariah 12:10; 1 Corinthians 2:11; Galatians 4:6; Jude 20

09/12/2025

https://youtu.be/3RspiKxJotI.

You know, usually when I make these videos I blab a lot in my descriptions. I'll shut up this time, no blabbing necessary. The lyrics are pretty clear. I wil...

09/12/2025

Wisdom Hunters
December 9, 2025
The Fullness of Time
By: Mez Stead

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

I am a story person. From childhood, a good story has been like bread and butter to me, the essential stuff of life and goodness. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to believe that we are all of us, by God’s good design, story people. Stories are the sea we swim in, the way we perceive and understand reality. We are not merely thinking machines, but human beings with hearts that rise up and respond to a hero’s quest. I see this in my four-year-old son. Give him a lesson on courage, and it may or may not go in one ear and right out the other. But tell him a story about a courageous hero, and he begins to stand a little taller, to show a little more nobility in his duties as protector of his baby sister. We were made for stories, but that is because, ultimately, we were made for The Story of which Christmas is a climactic moment – the moment that the hero bursts upon the scene of despair just in time. In the fullness of time…

The verse for today’s reflection is one of my favourite Christmas verses. It reads like the beginning of a fairy tale, doesn’t it? “But when the fullness of time had come…” has a similarly inviting ring as “Once upon a time…” And there’s a perfectly good reason for that similarity. The story of Christmas, the Gospel story in its entirety, is the True Story to which all good fairy tales harken and which all good stories pay homage with echoes of God’s redemptive plan. What wonderful news it is that our faith is not based merely on theories or ideas, but on a story that unfolded in history, a story to which we are invited to participate! Make time to enter into the glorious Story this season, and take heart in remembering that, just as our Hero came in the fullness of time that first Christmas, He will come again… in the fullness of time.

Prayer
Thank you, Abba Father, that you sent your Son at the fullness of time to redeem your people. Your Gospel is the most wonderful story. Thank you for inviting me into it. Help me this season to remember all that you have done and to look forward to what you will do as the story continues. Amen.

Application
In the bustle of the holiday season, set aside time to simply ponder the story of Christmas. Let your childlike faith be refreshed in the wonder of it.

Related Reading
Micah 5:2; John 1:14; Matthew 1:23

08/12/2025

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08/12/2025

Wisdom Hunters
December 8, 2025
An Invitation to Be Loved
By: Boyd Bailey

Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations."

Luke 14:15-16

Jesus has extended an invitation to you to be loved. It's not an exclusive, high-society event, but rather a chance to join Him in humbly serving together. The invitation might read something like this: An Invitation from Jesus. You are invited, not because of your résumé, reputation, or deeds, but because I love you. The table is ready, the seats are open, and there’s room for everyone: the weary, the overlooked, the burdened, and the broken. Come as you are. Leave your excuses behind: your busyness, your pride, your fears of not being enough. Everything you’ve been searching for is already prepared. Join Me in My Father’s house, not as a guest who observes, but as a servant who shares in the joy of generosity. Here, greatness is measured by grace, and fulfillment is found in faithfulness. There is work to do and love to give. Come quickly, before the moment passes, for the feast is not for those who are too busy, but for those who are ready to say “yes.” Signed, Jesus: The Lord of the Banquet, the Friend of Sinners, the Servant of All.

In this compelling story, Jesus shares His invitation to His banquet, and there is a somewhat surprising response from the first group of invitees. Because of their busy schedules, they are unable to say “yes” to Jesus’ invitation to be with Him to be loved. Being busy with everyday life kept them from forming an intimate relationship with their Lord and Savior. Has busyness become your excuse for neglecting a sweet and intimate time with Jesus? Where is He inviting you to enjoy His great faith adventure? The Lord’s invitation is extended to you every Sunday to worship and praise Him with His local body of believers at a Spirit-filled church. There is a divine invitation for you to discuss spiritual matters with your family in an interesting way. You can pray together for the needs of others and then celebrate the gift of answered prayer.

Since you focus on what you believe is important, how vital is it for you to RSVP “yes” to your Savior, Jesus, to His daily invitation to join Him where He is working? Here is a genuine concern. As Jesus describes in His story of the Great Banquet, your “no” may move the Holy Spirit to invite others who will gladly say “yes” to His divine invitation to experience God. Jesus is a gentleman. He will not continue to invite those who ignore or say no to Him. And here is another beautiful truth: Jesus not only invites you, but He also invites you to invite others to be known and loved by Him. Yes! You have the best gift to invite others to know and love God.

What does it look like for you to invite others into the presence of the Lord's intimate love for them? It can be as sacred and simple as slowing down to truly notice someone. Ask about their story, get to know them. Invite a coworker to lunch and ask how you can pray for them. Text a verse to a friend going through a tough season. Host a dinner and give thanks to God for His goodness. Share a testimony of how Jesus met you in your weakness, not your strength. Offer to read Scripture with someone who is spiritually curious but unsure where to start. Sometimes the most powerful invitation isn't a sermon or a strategy, it's your presence, your listening, your willingness to walk with someone toward Jesus. Love extends the invitation; the Spirit does the rest. Listen today for the Lord’s invitation to join Him and look for those you can invite to Jesus!

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (Revelation 3:20, NLT).

Prayer
Jesus, today I say yes to Your invitation of love. Open my heart to receive You fully. Lead me where You are working, and let my life reflect Your grace. In your name I pray. Amen.

Application
What busy activity do you need to cease for a season to be with Jesus?

Related Reading
Psalm 34:8; Isaiah 55:1; John 7:37; James 4:8