Deliberate Confidence

“Then Peter called to Him, ‘Lord, if it’s really You, tell me to come to You, walking on the water.’ ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.” (Matthew 14:28-29 NLT)

My sense is we too quickly dismiss Peter’s faith because he failed, but how many of us would have even gotten out of the boat? Remember, there were eleven other guys still in the boat shivering in fear because of the raging storm. It’s important to notice a couple of things about this story. First, Jesus didn’t call Peter to walk on the water, Peter initiated that idea. It was only after Peter asked that Jesus gave him permission.

It causes me to think, how many of us are “stuck in the boat” when we could be walking on water? How many of us who profess the holy Name of Jesus, read our Bible, pray to the God of heaven, attend church regularly and even witness to others yet are living well below our means in terms of our spiritual power and authority? What if Jesus is standing on the “water” of our lives waiting for us to seek His permission to come to Him, wherever that might lead us?

Oswald Chambers reminds us: “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” True, strong, deliberate faith doesn’t begin with us, it always and only begins with God. I can’t pretend to know what went through Peter’s mind as he sat terrified in that rocking boat, but I can’t help but believe something like: “If Jesus is standing on that water, maybe He’ll let me come to Him!”

Our limitations can only be overcome by the realization that our God has no limitations except those we set on Him. He’s only prevented from doing in our lives what we aren’t willing to believe He can do. Peter was able to envision himself walking on water under the power of Jesus’ authority. Yes, he looked away and fell, but he’ll forever be credited for getting out of the boat and taking those few steps.

What are you and I going to be credited for because of our faith? Setting by and watching others accomplish great things for God? Suit yourself, but not me, I want to get out of my “boat”, whatever that looks like, and walk with all the faith I can muster toward my Savior. Will I fall? Probably, but by His grace I will grab His hand and keep trusting Him.

How about you? What are you willing to trust the Lord to do in and through you? Whatever it is, it will only begin in believing prayer. Before Peter made a move to get out of the boat, he cleared it with the Lord. Notice He didn’t jump over the side of the boat, then ask the Lord to allow him to walk on the water, he sought permission and then obeyed. That must be our pattern as well. So, the logical question becomes: “What’s the Lord laying on YOUR heart to ask Him? What impossible task is He calling you to that you can never do unless He enables and empowers you? What dreams has He given you that have always been ‘OUT THERE’ when in reality, they’re as close as the Master’s permission.”

Dare exercise deliberate, confident faith by asking for the Lord’s help in accomplishing what you know you can never do in your own strength and resources. Where’s He asking you to go? Who’s He asking you to reach? What role is He asking you to assume? On what spiritual adventure is He asking you to embark? What’s He prompting you to learn and to what end? The ideas are only limited by our faith to believe and trust Him to supply. We must open our heart and mind to see our great God in ways we’ve never allowed ourselves to see Him before, to trust Him in ways we’ve never trusted before, and to obey Him in ways we’ve been too frightened to obey before.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Love and Truth

“She replied, ‘That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.’ ‘Dear woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘your faith is great. Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was instantly healed.” (Matthew 15:27-28 NLT)

These closing verses of the discourse that took place between Jesus and a Gentile woman are some of the most disturbing verses to me in all the Bible. At first glance we’re tempted to believe Jesus is being callous and uncaring, but we too often forget that He knows everything, the beginning and ending of every scenario. His reluctance to heal this woman’s daughter wasn’t because he didn’t care, but so she could come to understand more fully with whom she was speaking.

My sense is, if Jesus had immediately healed the woman’s daughter, yes, of course, she would have gone away joyful and fulfilled but would have missed a vital element in the story. Verse 25 says: “But she came and worshiped Him, pleading again, ‘Lord, help me!’” Two critical things happened in that brief transaction: Jesus led her to confession that led to worship of Him as Lord. Those are the two critical elements in the transformation of any life. Had she simply settled for the healing of her daughter, she may have missed Jesus.

Until we realize who Jesus is, we’ll never open our heart to worship and adore Him as He alone deserves. We’re so quick to give our worship to lesser things, never stopping to realize He alone is worthy; He alone is the answer for every need we’ll ever have, now and for all eternity. Until we allow our tears to bathe His beautiful feet, we’ll never allow our hearts to understand who He is and who He longs to allow us to become; we’ll never see accomplished the dreams He has for us and those we have for ourselves and others.

John Stott reminds us of a defining truth when he writes: “Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth grows hard if it is not softened by love.” No other story illustrates this truth more perfectly to me than the story of this Gentile woman and Jesus. She wasn’t hardened by the truth that Jesus came first as the Savior of the Jews and that allowed her heart to be softened by the love of her new Master and Lord.

What will it take to soften the hardness of our heart for the lost of this world whose lifestyles and ungodly attitudes drive us up a wall. Can we not see, as Jesus did, the hope that lies behind their neediness? Can we not, with the compassion of our Savior, lead them to His feet with kindness and patience as our Savior exhibited with us? Must we be so content in our own salvation that we have no room for the many others for whom the Savior died?

If not, might the hardness of our heart reveal more about us than them? Might the shallowness of our faith not raise the question as to whether we have faith at all? What kind of saving faith shuts the door that was opened to us? Dare we think we’re better than other desperate sinners? Unless and until we see ourselves on our knees at the feet of Jesus begging for the scraps of grace we need for our life, we’re not worthy to receive anything from Him.

And to think we’re above begging others to yield their life and allegiance to Jesus with every ounce of conviction we can muster is to think too highly of ourselves. We’re beggars showing other beggars where we found food. We must not ever content ourselves in knowing the source of our spiritual food without sharing our Source freely with others.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

How Long Is Eternity?

“The high and lofty One who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: ‘I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.’” (Isaiah 57:15 NLT)

Have you ever thought about eternity? When we are waiting for the outcome of a surgery of a loved one whose life hangs in the balance between life and death, it seems like “eternity”. Or we’re dragging our way through a pregnancy or waiting for approval of our loan, or word from our prospective employer or we have a kidney stone. These and a thousand other scenarios remind us of how long we might perceive eternity to be.

But here’s the truth: we don’t have the capacity to understand it, only God does, but why? Because He alone IS eternal! He has no beginning and will have no end. Mankind has a beginning and an end, at least in terms of this life, but not the next. Because our lives originate in the heart of God, our souls, the essence of who we are, are also eternal. But what does that mean? It means as human beings we’re going to live someplace forever – life without end, just like the God who created us.

That’s exciting for those of us who know Jesus, but for those who don’t yet know Him, they have no clue what the future holds. Imagine if you were offered a job that paid $700 a minute. In your mind you’re probably thinking: “YESSIR , a thousand times YES! Whatever it is, I’ll learn to love it or work for a month, then retire.” Then you learn you can’t stop until the job is done, but wait, there’s more. If you don’t complete the job, you don’t get paid a penny. Okay, so, what’s the job?

You have two options: first, count the grains of sand on every beach in the world or count the drops of water in the oceans of the world. How do you spell – B O R I N G! There isn’t enough time in one person’s lifetime to accomplish something like that, and even if there was, who would want to do it? It’s pointless and purposeless, yet that will be much like hell for those who are too stubborn to open their lives to the only hope they have for a life of abundance, fulfillment, joy, and enjoyment for all of eternity.

Think of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. The rich man had everything this world could offer, lived in luxury with the expectation that anything he wanted or needed was at his beck and call, yet, when he died that all changed…instantly! He found himself alone, impoverished and in torment of body and soul. But Lazarus, who was covered with sores and in constant agony with nothing of material value, only his hope in God, was ushered into a place of comfort, healing, and wholeness the likes of which he’d never had the capacity to imagine.

Now the roles are reversed, but the man who had everything finally realizes what he missed and now his only thoughts are for those who he left behind, his family who are heading to the same place he is unless someone warns them. But here’s the tragedy. Listen to Jesus’ words from Abraham to the rich man: “If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.”

Does that mean lost people are hopeless? No, it simply means that now Someone HAS risen from the dead to give everyone with an ounce of gumption the opportunity to trade their life of sin and shame, even though it be a life of luxury and wealth, for a life of devotion to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Our poverty for His riches, but here’s the truth – it’s a life for a life! Our life of sin and disobedience for His life of sinless perfection lived on our behalf. It’s not a fair trade, because He gave His life on a Cross, and we get forgiveness and new life we can never earn or deserve. And the best part! It’s 100% free! All we have to do is say: “YES”!

If you’re ready to allow Jesus to change your eternal address, just tap ANewStory.com and allow Ron Hutchcraft to walk you across the bridge to a new life today. Please don’t delay!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Ignorant Pilgrim

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1 NLT)

While there are nearly 70 uses of the term “led” in the King James Version of the Bible, not all of them have reference to being led by the Spirit of God, which is critical. Being led, in and of itself, can be amoral, in the sense it can be either good or bad. I can feel led by my growling stomach to get a pizza or a sub sandwich, which may have no spiritual impact or importance, but what if I’m led by the Holy Spirit to speak to someone at the restaurant about Jesus? That could have eternal implications.

Too often we charge through our day without any thought of being led by the Lord, we’re simply doing what we do, when we do it, almost by rote, not even aware of the eternal implications of what we do, say, or think. But as a Jesus follower why would we dare to NOT have a heart tuned to Jesus, to the eternal implications of what we’re investing our time in? If it doesn’t have some potential to touch someone’s life for the Lord, why would we do it?

Photo by Bulat843 ud83cudf19 on Pexels.com

“What if I’m just going to a doctor’s appointment, or to get a haircut, or to the grocery, to the dentist, or to work, to school, out for a walk, or a thousand other places we go without giving any thought to going except to get there and back in one piece?” Nearly every activity of a believer’s life is an avenue of opportunity to be used by the Lord in a divine encounter. It’s rare we don’t have some interaction with another human being, wherever we go.

Whether our spiritual ear is tuned to hear the Lord’s prompting may be another story, but the Scripture prompts us in 2 Timothy to: “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not.” I’m reminded of Wendell Berry’s words when he wrote: “I am an ignorant pilgrim, crossing a dark valley. And yet for a long time, looking back, I have been unable to shake off the feeling that I have been led…” What if those “meaningless” encounters were actually divine appointments that we missed because we weren’t paying attention to the Spirit’s still, small voice?

What if rather than being tuned to the voice of the Spirit, we’re more concerned about things that have no spiritual significance? Anytime our life impacts another human being we should be sensitive to how the Lord would lead us to interact with them. It’s not unusual to be in line waiting to check out, or waiting to go in to see the doctor or any number of other scenarios and the Lord opens the door for a conversation that could have an eternal impact.

The Lord has prompted me to speak with someone in a room while waiting for my wife to come out of surgery; at an auto dealership waiting to have my car serviced; at restaurants waiting to be seated; on airplanes and in many other situations. The clock is ticking and the end is closing in on us very swiftly; we cannot be unprepared or unwilling to act when the Lord prompts us. Numerous times in Scripture the Lord instructs different ones to go someplace, essentially asking them to drop whatever they were doing and go right at that moment. What a privilege we miss when we’re not listening intently.

Too often I sense I’ve been that ignorant pilgrim traveling through life without a clue that I’m being led by the Spirit, and I’ve missed clear opportunities to speak life into someone’s dying soul. We must be about our Father’s business and keep our spiritual “ear” pressed against His loving heart.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Who Deserves Hell?

“So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority.” (2 Peter 2:9-10 NLT)

Are there some categories of people who deserve hell more than others? Perhaps, but here’s the truth: every human being deserves hell! But why? Because the Bible is clear that: “No one is righteous – not even one.” (Romans 3:10) The issue isn’t that we all deserve to be in hell, the issue is that God loves us so much He’s made a way for us to go to heaven, to avoid the penalty of our own sin and hell.

“Yeh, but I’m a good person. I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone or done anything bad against anyone unless they deserved it.” According to Jesus (Matthew 19:17) the only One who is good is God Himself, which quickly eliminates all the rest of us. So, we have no basis for an argument to defend our innocence or to give an acceptable rationale for allowing us entrance into God’s perfect heaven.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’” What are the clear implications?

We can do some powerful things FOR God and miss having anything in us done BY God! We can even preach powerful sermons and perform miracles and still not have a personal, redemptive relationship with the Lord Jesus. How is that possible? Because it’s a short step from having Jesus as Lord to being lord of our own life; from trusting His grace and strength to trusting our own goodness and good works.

But how is that even possible? Does not the devil, Satan, have power as well to do miracles? Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 in reference to a man who will come to do the work of Satan through counterfeit power, signs, and miracles. Someone who desires to perform miraculous signs doesn’t need Jesus; they only need to sell their soul to Satan.

Jesus recognizes His own and will never get confused as to who belongs to Him and who doesn’t. “But how can I know for sure that Jesus knows me?” Do you know Him? Have you opened your heart and life to His Lordship by confessing your sins, seeking His forgiveness, and inviting His Holy Spirit to take up residence in your heart and life? There’s no Holy Spirit presence in our life until we repent, turning from our old life of sin and disobedience to the Lord, and invite the Spirit to lead us into a transformed life that is being lived to the Lord’s honor and fame.

Until the regeneration of our heart and mind happens, we’re simply going through the motions of trying to make ourselves better, more acceptable to the Lord, which is impossible except by His grace and forgiveness. When we’re willing to humble ourselves before the Lord, admitting our need of forgiveness and His grace, it’s at that point He opens His heart to us and invites us to walk with Him. Please tap ANewStory.com and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a helpful illustration of how this happens.

No one deserves heaven! Everyone deserves hell, but, gratefully, the Lord Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin to make a way for anyone willing to ask Him for the gift of eternal life. If you haven’t already asked Him, please don’t wait another second.

Blessings, Ed

By: Rick Warren

*This powerful message from Pastor Rick Warren was just too good not to share. Enjoy. Blessings, Ed 😊

“An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win.” (1 Corinthians 9:25-26 TLB)

The right dream focuses your energy. And we all could use more focused energy, right? It seems harder and harder to find these days.

By now you’ve learned that you can’t do everything. But not all things are worth doing; some things are more important than others. God doesn’t expect you to do everything. So you shouldn’t expect yourself to be able to do everything.

Smart selection is key. You have to decide what matters and what doesn’t, what dream is worth your life and what dream is not worth one second of your life.

Did you ever dream about being famous? Or maybe the best in the world at something? Or the richest person you know?

Those dreams are not worth a moment of your life, because they are fleeting. One minute you could be a hero, and the next minute, you’re a zero. One minute you’re on the cover of some magazine, and the next week it’s in the trash.

Going after trophies is a foolish goal. Why? Because, given enough time, all your trophies are going to be thrown away by someone in this generation or the next.

Don’t live your life for trophies and world records and fame. Those are not big enough dreams!

You need a dream that impacts eternity. That kind of dream focuses your energy and helps you endure.

The Living Bible paraphrase says, “An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win” (1 Corinthians 9:25-26).

When you choose God’s dream for your life, you become purpose driven. You’re not like a boxer practicing by punching the air. When you punch, you do it to score. You’re not just playing around with your life.

God’s dream focuses your energy so that you can run straight to the goal he has set for you. When you run with that kind of effort, you won’t waste a second of your life.

Talk It Over

  • Think of the biggest dream that you’ve had for your life. How does the amount of time and energy you’ve given to it show how focused you are on it?
  • In what ways can your specific dreams affect eternity?
  • Why is it important to sometimes refine the scope or focus of your dream?

Christian Maturity

“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT)

How do we know if we’re growing in our relationship with Jesus? What evidence or characteristics begin to surface that weren’t present in our life before we met Him? Are those in our families and other spheres of influence noticing, asking questions that lead us to believe our life in Christ is really evident to anyone else? Are people asking us to pray for them, counsel them in times of trouble, asking for our advice, or in other ways giving us indication that they value our opinion?

Maturity isn’t a bad word in the Christian Faith, yet, in reality, it’s something that we will work a literal lifetime to approximate. Of course, there are immediate steps we can take to get us started on our journey to a mature faith, but here’s the truth – no one arrives at full spiritual maturity this side of eternity. To believe otherwise is to believe a lie! How do I know that?

Elyse Fitzpatrick points to a critical truth when she writes: “Maturity in the Christian life is measured by only one test: how much closer to His character have we become?” Our goal from start to finish is to grow in our likeness of Jesus, yet, on this side of eternity, that goal will never be fully reached. Does that mean others won’t recognize His likeness in our life? If we’re truly born again of the Spirit, of course they will, but Jesus was and is perfect in every aspect and dimension of His life and has a oneness with the Father that we will only approximate in this life.

Here’s what I’m learning. If we want to grow to be more like Jesus, we will. We’ll become His students in learning to pray, read, understand, memorize, and share His Word; in loving Him, the Father, the Holy Spirit and others to His honor and fame. We’ll grow in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world regardless of what “brand” of Christianity they follow, but here’s a critical element we too often forget: we’ll learn to listen well!

Yes, of course, be careful and discerning, because just because someone professes something, doesn’t always mean they’re living it. There are cults and very liberal denominations and groups who profess to be “Christian”, but don’t display His character in the way they love and live. To profess Truth but not live it is worse than not knowing the Truth at all. Jesus IS TRUTH incarnate, so that becomes our goal in every avenue of our life. Not simply to know the truth, but to exhibit it in the way we speak, act, and live.

What does “living the Truth” mean in practical terms? It essentially means if God’s Word says it’s true, it’s true and we should seek to obey and follow it in our lives. For example, Hebrews 12:14 says: “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” Living a “holy life” literally means to live a life that is set apart for sacred use and purpose; be an exclusive agent of the Lord whom He can choose at any second to do anything He desires for us to do. But how would we ever know what that is or what He would want us to do?

We learn to listen well. Jesus said in John 10:27: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” When we love someone, we not only hear their words, we listen to their heart. The longer we walk with Jesus the more in tune with His heart we will be. Maturity doesn’t necessarily have to do with how much we know or even how much we obey, but how closely we listen. Mature believers in Jesus begin to look and act more like Him the more intently they learn to listen…and obey!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A Daily Prayer for Putting on the Armor of God

By: Dr. David Jeremiah

*Dr. Jeremiah’s helpful prayer should be our foundation as we begin each day’s battles with the enemy of our soul. I pray it will be a helpful reminder for each of us. Blessings, Ed 😊

Ephesians 6 tells Christians to “put on the whole armor of God” so they can stand against the schemes of the devil. Prayer is one of the ways we consciously put that armor on. It turns our attention from our circumstances to Christ and reminds us that victory is not found in our strength, but in His.

BEGIN THE DAY ARMED

Connect with God at the beginning of the day. Armor is less than helpful if you put it on before going to bed. As you pray, be specific about your needs, your temptations, your relationships, and the battles you expect to face. Ask God to help you stand in truth before the pressure of the day begins.

Cameron V. Thompson wrote, “A day without prayer is a day without blessing, and a life without prayer is a life without power.”1

PRAY ON THE ARMOR OF GOD The following prayer follows the structure of the armor of God and can help you begin the day prepared.

Heavenly Father,

Your warrior prepares for battle. Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God.

I put on the Girdle of Truth. May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word so I will not be a victim of Satan’s lies.

I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. May it guard my heart from evil so I will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.

I put on the Shoes of Peace. May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so Your peace will shine through me and be a light to all I encounter.

I take the Shield of Faith. May I be ready for Satan’s fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.

I put on the Helmet of Salvation. May I keep my mind focused on You so Satan will not have a stronghold on my thoughts.

I take the Sword of the Spirit. May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in my hands so I can expose the tempting words of Satan.

By faith your warrior has put on the whole armor of God! I am prepared to live this day in spiritual victory!

Amen.

This is not a magic formula. It is a daily act of dependence. It reminds you who God is, what Christ has provided, and how you are called to stand. Put on the armor prayerfully, then walk into the day with courage.

Praying this way also trains your heart. The more specifically you name truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God, the more readily you recognize what the enemy is attacking. The armor is not an abstract idea. It touches your thoughts, your heart, your witness, your confidence, and your obedience.

Use the prayer slowly. Pause over the piece of armor you most need that day. Ask God to show you where lies have entered, where fear has gained ground, or where your mind needs to be guarded by the assurance of salvation.

I hope that this prayer strengthens you today and reminds you that victory is found in Christ.

Have You Stopped Asking?

“But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep My promise to him. No, I will not break My covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in My holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun. It will be as eternal as the moon, My faithful witness in the sky!” (Psalm 89:33-37 NLT)

Do you ever get discouraged? Feel like quitting? Wonder if it’s all worth the effort? When you read through the Psalms, especially the words of David, you get a sense at times David feels like he’s fighting a losing battle, but in the words above, given through Ethan the Ezrahite, the Lord promises and confirms that the words He spoke to David would prevail and come to fruition.

Perhaps another way to think of it would be, have you stopped believing? No, I’m not suggesting you’ve given up your belief in Jesus, but has your discouragement prevented you from continuing to ask Him the hard questions? Will I ever be healed? Will my loved one(s) ever be saved? Will my grown children ever come back to You? Will my co-workers or classmates ever stop hassling me? Will my young children ever get out of diapers?

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

The list is long of questions that can lead us to discouraging answers, but I’m learning that questions aren’t always the issue. Why not? Because our source of hope is in Jesus and He should be the basis of all the questions that really matter. For example, “Has He ever failed?” And, yes, that’s a very biased question leading to a sometimes ambiguous answer. But why? Because we too often evaluate “failure” based on OUR experience of something, not on how God responds.

For example, when our child is sick or our job is on the line, or our own health is failing, or a thousand other scenarios where we’re begging God to do one thing and He does (allows) something different. Did HE fail? Or did our expectations of Him fail? And please understand, I’m not trying to let the Lord off the proverbial “hook”, I’m trying to help us see that He’s perfect in every way and incapable of failure of any kind. He cannot NOT do the right thing in the right way at the right time – EVER!

It would be a violation of His holiness and perfection, not to mention His omnipotence and omniscience. Here’s the bottom line: God cannot and will not violate His own character. What we want in any given circumstance may seem the right thing, but the Lord sees the beginning from the end and knows the outcome of every choice and decision. What it boils down to is a matter of trust. Who will we trust?

Yes, of course, pray and ask for outcomes that would be pleasing to us. If I have a loved one who is sick, of course I will pray for their healing with great expectation. But if the Lord chooses to take them home to Him, I’m certainly fine with that as well. “But what if they die and they don’t know Him?” That’s very likely, at least in my mind, the most painful and difficult scenario I can imagine, and there’s no way to sugarcoat the outcome.

Every morning I name dozens of my lost relatives by name, pleading with the Lord and with them, to come to Jesus, knowing that it’s not God’s will for any of them to perish. I’m reminded of 2 Peter 3:9 where Peter writes: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

Here’s the painful truth: people go to hell against God’s will! We can pray and beg and beg and pray, but some will never open their heart to the Lord. Does that mean we should stop asking the Lord for their salvation and them to repent? Not until hell freezes over!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

An Abandoned Heart

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NLT)

When we abandon something, as a rule, it means leaving it absolutely alone and empty. That’s what an abandoned heart looks like, except it’s emptied of everything that’s unlike Jesus and completely filled with the Holy Spirit. A heart abandoned to the Lord seeks nothing but intimacy with Him and completeness in the carrying out of His eternal purposes.

Obviously, no human being except Jesus has ever fully realized the dynamics of that desire, but it should be our heart’s desire to seek the Lord with every fiber of our being. And why wouldn’t we? What of earthly value should hold a stronger grip on our heart? Why would we desire anything that isn’t in line with the Father’s desires for us? If it doesn’t honor and glorify Jesus, why would we seek or want it?

John Eldredge speaks to this when he writes: “Worship is the act of the abandoned heart adoring its God.” We worship what we value; we value what we deem essential to our life and living; we give our allegiance to what owns us. So, the question becomes, “What owns ME?” As a rule we only think of that which we own, but the reality is, what we give our time, effort, and money to, too often owns us.

It may be a person, organization, or material possession or possessions, but what occupies our time and that on which we spend our money can easily own us. Ask yourself: “What can I live without?” Or perhaps a better way to think of it: “What can I NOT live without?” Obviously, we need air, food, water, to survive physically, but we also need companionship, interaction with others, love, friendship, shelter, transportation, and many other “luxuries” to live meaningfully.

When you read the question above, did you first think of the Lord as that which you could not survive without? Perhaps because I’m writing this and know where my thoughts are headed, Jesus was first to come to my mind. He’s the air I breathe, the desire of my heart. I literally cannot imagine life without Him. The song Holy Forever by Chris Tomlin came to mind. The first verse says: “A thousand generations falling down in worship To sing the song of ages to the Lamb. And all who’ve gone before us and all who will believe Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb, Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all; All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all, And the angels cry holy, All creation cries holy, You are lifted high, holy, Holy forever”

May I be honest? If your heart isn’t abandoned to the Lord, what are you waiting for? There’s nothing of earthly value that can compare with knowing, loving, serving, and sacrificing for King Jesus. Please, if you don’t know Him and love Him supremely, please tap ANewStory.com and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a brief illustration that will help you understand why it’s so vitally important to give your life to the Lord Jesus while there’s time.

Because of Jesus we have the opportunity not simply to live our life, but to invest our life in something that will never die or never end. Eternal life is real and begins the moment we yield our life and allegiance to the Lord. He gives us courage and confidence to live boldly, knowing we’re not simply biding our time on this earth, but investing our lives for His eternal purposes. But how do we invest ourselves in His eternal purposes? We share His life and love with anyone who will listen and let them know they have the same opportunity He’s given us, to invest their lives in eternity by giving their lives and allegiance to Him. It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊