Walking With Jesus

Order or Chaos?

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble…The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:1, 7 NLT)

In this season of my life, I strongly believe our lives are allowed to be more chaotic than they should be, especially if we’re a Jesus follower. What comes to your mind when you see or think of the word “chaos?” The Hebrew word used in the verse above and is translated “trouble” means: “distress, affliction, adversity, anguish, tribulation.”

As you think about your life – your spouse, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, social acquaintances, essentially anyone in your spheres of influence – how would you describe all or some of those relationships? And I’m not suggesting that chaos reigns across your whole life, or even is restricted to just relationships, but our interactions with others often characterizes our life as a whole.

How would you define “chaos” as it relates to your life? It may be your house at the end of the day when you have 4 pre-teens running rampant; or the dining room table and kitchen after serving your family Thanksgiving dinner; or your desk at work while preparing for a major presentation.

These and a thousand other scenarios can render our lives “chaotic,” and we can chalk it up as just a part of life, and on some levels it is. While there’s a measure of chaos in anyone’s life at times, chaos can also paint a picture of what we’re feeling and experiencing within – in our heart and mind.

E. Stanley Jones made an interesting observation when he wrote: “If you don’t surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos.” For me, and I suspect for you, the greatest arena in my life for chaos is my mind. What we think about comes about, so, when our mind is filled with chaotic thoughts and considerations, they’re most likely going to work themselves out in our behavior and interactions with others.

Anger is often an instigator of chaos, at least it has been for me. Depression is often seen as anger turned inward. We blame ourselves for the people in our lives who reject us; for our poor performance at work; or our inability to make and keep long-term friends.

“Why don’t people like me?” soon can become: “I’m just a bad person!” And yes, of course, this is an oversimplification to make a point, which is, at least as I understand it as a child of God – order in our life, lifestyle, and interactions with others, grows out of knowing who we are and why we’re alive. Knowing Jesus gives our lives meaning and purpose.

Many people find their purpose in their family, their work, their hobbies, and in many other things, but ultimately, to find cohesiveness in our heart, mind, and soul, we need to commit our lives and ways to Jesus. He is the integrator of my life and the One who orients every dimension of who I am to enable me to be productive in positive and meaning-filled ways.

He is our Refuge in whom we can find strength in times of trouble; our Fortress in whom we can hide when life becomes overbearing. But He’s also our best Friend in whom we can confide, with whom we can face the challenges of life, and find our way through them.

Honestly, being a Jesus follower doesn’t eliminate chaos, as well it shouldn’t. Troubles are often the pathways to potential, to fulfillment, to learning that can be attained in no other way. Chaos can be our friend in opening opportunities for improvement in many areas of our lives – in how we order our lives, how we work, how we play, but most importantly how we love – others and even the Lord.

So, it boils down to not an issue of order OR chaos, but living in a world with order AND chaos.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Where Is the Lord Asking You to Go?

“As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out…” (Acts 8:26-27a NLT)

When the Lord prompts us to do something or go somewhere we have to assume He has a good reason and should not tarry, but immediately obey, but it’s critical we know the prompting is from the Lord and not a bad burrito.

While attending a minister’s meeting in another city several years ago, the Lord prompted me to leave the meeting and go home. He had never done that before, so I packed up and headed home. As I came in the door, my wife’s response was: “You’re home early.” To which I responded, based on the conversation I had with the Lord on the drive home: “Yes, I am, because I missed you and I just wanted to be with you and the kids.”

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

When you boil it all down, we live our lives to please our Master, the Lord Jesus. He deserves to call the proverbial “shots” in our life, directing our steps in a manner, direction, and timing that please Him. To believe we can make our own schedule without first seeking the Lord’s input is to make assumptions that aren’t ours to make.

When I left my meeting, I thought there may be a problem or emergency of some sort with which I would have to deal when I got home, but there was none. It occurs to me that we don’t need to know the why, we only need to obey and trust the Lord has His reasons.

Is the Lord asking you to go somewhere or do something that seems odd to you? Is your heart stirring to make a change, but you’re not sure why or when? My intention isn’t to be melodramatic, but simply to encourage you to always be open and sensitive to the Lord’s voice.

But a word of caution! Satan will seek to manipulate your feelings and have you “follow your heart,” but apart from the Holy Spirit our hearts are wicked and unreliable. The antidote to quick decisions based on emotion is a commitment to prayer and waiting. A rule of thumb that I learned by jumping into too many things that “looked” or “sounded” too good to pass up is this – make yourself wait at least 7 – 10 days before jumping into something.

And, yes, I realize there may be a “small window of opportunity,” so you “must act now,” but I also know that “small window” is too often so the other person can get what they want, even if it ends up costing you money, time, energy, or something else you don’t have to spend.

When I was selling cars, I had an opportunity to lease a new car at a very reasonable rate, and at the time I was making enough money I could have easily covered it. But almost the moment I signed on the dotted line I knew I’d made a mistake. I ended up having to find someone to take over the lease after the first year.

Did I not desire to do God’s will? Of course, I did, but “my will” got in the way and God was dishonored through the frivolous way I was using His money. And please don’t hear what I’m not saying. You may be in a much better position than I was, and the Lord may be leading you to get another vehicle (or something else), but just give it prayerful consideration before you leap into something that could turn out bad for you.

If your leading is truly from the Lord, He’ll give you certainty as to what He’s asking you to do.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Someone’s Last Chance?

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10 NLT)

How is Jesus seeking the lost today? His whole purpose for living and dying while here on earth was to seek and save the lost. To create a way where no way existed for lost men and women, boys and girls, to find a home in heaven.

It’s estimated that 90% of the 3 million people who live in my city are lost, without hope, facing a Christless eternity. My mentor used to say: “we’re going to love people to Jesus, one person at a time.” If you think about it just in terms of the sheer number of lost people, it can be overwhelming, but if you break it down to “one person at a time,” remarkably, it becomes doable.

Think of Jesus on the Cross. He had preached, prayed, healed, delivered, forgiven, and loved thousands of people, and now He hung on the Cross with moments left to live – but He’s not finished! One of the two being crucified beside Him said: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom” Some of us, had we been in Jesus’ place, might have said: “You’ve waited too long, leave me alone. Let me die in peace.” But not Jesus! Jesus said: “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Do we not realize that some of those we thoughtlessly pass by on the streets of our communities, or sit with in waiting rooms, or eat near us in restaurants – are we blind to their need of a Savior? Are we too deaf to hear the cries of their heart? Are we so tuned in to our own needs we can’t see the needs of others?

Jen Wilkin wrote: “We must love God with our minds, allowing our intellect to inform our emotions, rather than the other way around.” When we allow our emotions to believe there are just too many lost people, “there’s nothing I can do!” we negate the purpose for which the Lord gave us life. As a Jesus follower our whole purpose on earth is to serve the desires of our Master.

And, yes, of course, He may not have called all of us to be a Billy Graham, or a C.S. Lewis, but He’s called each of us to have a heart for the lost in our spheres of influence. Maybe we won’t win hundreds or thousands to Jesus, but can we win one? Can we influence one life to miss hell and to choose heaven?

Ron Hutchcraft wrote: “Mike said he hadn’t seen all those people going to hell for a long time until his daughter helped him put on Jesus’ glasses. Maybe you haven’t seen them either and they’re all around you. God describes the people you know who don’t belong to Jesus with words like these out of the Bible: they are “being led away to death” (Proverbs 24:11)… they are “separated from God” (Isaiah 59:2)… they are “lost” (Luke 19:10)… they are, the Bible says, “condemned already”… they will be “punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This isn’t just some theological concept.

This is someone you know, people Jesus died for so they could be rescued from all this; people who may never know Jesus unless you introduce them to Him. He has divinely positioned you in their life to be their rescuer, to be their chance at Jesus, to be their chance at heaven.”

Once you see what Jesus sees, you’ll rescue the dying whatever it takes and whatever it costs! And you’ll look in the mirror and say, ‘I am someone’s chance.'”

This isn’t about guilt, it’s about opportunity. Would you allow this chorus by B. B. McKinney to become your prayer today? “Lord lay some soul upon my heart, and love that soul through me. And may I nobly do my part to win that soul for Thee.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Our Inevitable Appointment with God

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)

The Old Testament Prophet Amos warned: “Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!” Similarly, the writer of the Hebrew letter wrote: “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” Why is that important to you and me?

Perhaps you or others you know aren’t ready to meet God. Perhaps a spouse, child, grandchild, friend, or coworker. They may not know that Jesus died for their sin, but I strongly suspect they know that one day their life on earth will end. Most likely they have themselves convinced it will be a long time, not realizing God has made us no promise of a long life.

Every day in America roughly 200,000 people die by accident. What’s the implication? They leave home expecting to return, but they don’t. Without Jesus every day we wait to let Him save us could be one day too long. Please, if you’re reading this and you haven’t received Christ’s offer of forgiveness of your sin and new life in Him, please don’t wait another second.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Putting your faith in Jesus isn’t only the best decision you’ll ever make from an eternal perspective, but from a daily perspective as long as you live on this earth. I’ve walked with the Lord for more than 60 years and I thank Him everyday for the gift of His presence in my life. I have no fear of death and know that when I pillow my head each night, if He calls me home, I’ll be in His holy presence forever.

Perhaps you or someone with whom you’ve been sharing has the opinion that they have no real interest in all that religious “stuff.” I get it, neither do I. I don’t pray, give, serve, attend, participate in all the things I do because I’m religious, I do them for the same reason I make sacrifices and give of myself in my marriage – because I love someone.

It’s not about “religion” for me, it’s about relationship. Jesus isn’t only my Savior and God, He’s my best Friend. He’s promised me He will never leave or forsake me. He’s a very present help in times of need. He paid the penalty for my sin that I could never have paid, even if I had all of eternity. I’m looking forward to my inevitable appointment because for me I’ll just be going home.

But for those who haven’t received forgiveness and wholeness through faith in Jesus it will not be something to look forward to. Quite to the contrary it will be eternal misery. Why? Because you’ll have all eternity to ponder the reasons you waited for what you will then understand fully would have been the best decision you could have made for yourself.

Why would God allow that to happen you may wonder? Isn’t He a God of love and compassion? Love and compassion led Him to allow His only perfect, sinless Son to die an agonizing, painful death to make it possible that no one would have to suffer eternal torment. But it’s a gift that when rejected carries with it an eternal death penalty.

God the Father did everything possible to prevent people from having to go to hell, but He also gives us free will that puts the burden of decision in our lap. We alone decide our eternal fate – not God, nor anyone else. Me and you, my friend, are the ones who decide our eternal destination. So, please, stop blaming God for “sending you to hell,” when there’s no one to blame but the person staring back at you from the mirror.

Please, if you don’t know for sure that you’re ready to meet God, click this link and watch a 3-minute video by Ron Hutchcraft to help you understand exactly how you can know you’re going to heaven. You can trust God’s Word – you don’t want to go to hell.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Thanksgiving Is More Than a Day

“He has paid a full ransom for His people. He has guaranteed His covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name He has!” (Psalm 111:9 NLT)

*Please allow this Thanksgiving meditation by Sylvia Gunter to become more than a quick read that is soon forgotten. Perhaps it’s something you could read in part or in whole at your dinner table before everyone begins to stuff themselves. Allow her words to be something you seek to apply, not only today, but every day. Blessings, Ed 😊

While many associate Thanksgiving Day with family, overeating and over-shopping, let it propel us toward a heart of gratitude. It is a time to consider God’s goodness, grace, and provision for us. He is the Author of encouragement, help, and hope. I like to think of Thanksgiving as trust-giving and thanks-living.

Thanksgiving should not be a one day event, but a life committed to thanks-living each day. It is an act of trust-giving to be thankful even in the hard places of life. And when things go well it is easy to forget to pause and say thank you to the Giver of those good things. Paul exhorts us to give thanks in all circumstances. He said the Bible points us in the right direction. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

God’s covenantal relationship with us is the basis for thanks-living. God said, “I will maintain My love to him forever, and My covenant with him will never fail” (Psalm 89:28). The psalmist said, “He provided redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever- holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm 111:9). We partner with God when we affirm that we are holding on to Him and His goodness. Our thanksgiving testifies to others that He is worthy of trust.

William Law, a classic Christian writer in the early 18th century, wrote, “Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most, or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms…but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.”

Thanksgiving is a lifestyle, not a day. Can we commit to willing everything that God wills and cultivating a grateful heart that finds the goodness of God in all things even the hard things?

May you be blessed daily with a heart ready to praise God for all things in sincere trust-giving and thanks-living.

What Are You Living For?

“But if I don’t understand a language, I will be a foreigner to someone who speaks it, and the one who speaks it will be a foreigner to me.” (1 Corinthians 14:11 NLT)

Having visited other countries I understand, at least in part, the frustration of not being able to speak to a person in their native language. On some levels the frustration is magnified when we speak to someone who understands the language, and they use familiar words, but their words have different meanings.

For example, I have friends who belong to the LDS church who speak to me about Jesus, salvation, the church, and many other Biblical concepts and teachings, but what they’re saying and what they mean by those words are very different than the words as they are used in the Bible.

Similarly, in our world today more and more people are losing their way because they fail to find meaning in what they’re experiencing in their life. While their lives are filled with better means of communication than ever, more people are lonely and finding less reasons to want to be alive. Knowing how to function as a human being and how to have purpose and meaning for being alive are two very different things.

John Stonestreet spoke to this in a recent Breakpoint: “In a culture broken and enmeshed by meaninglessness, double damage is done to these hurting souls. If we hope to prevent our neighbors from dying too soon, we’ll first have to help them answer the question: ‘What is there to live for?’. A life without meaning will remain empty, no matter how much we try to fill it with prosperity, status, technological gadgets, ‘autonomy,’ infinite choice, and distraction.”

Realizing there are many in the Body of Christ who are suffering, it’s important to acknowledge that suffering isn’t an unbeliever’s plight. Pain and suffering aren’t punishment for disobeying God, and we’re not exempt from them because of our faith in Jesus.

Pain and suffering are a part of the fabric of human existence this side of the fall of man, but meaning isn’t found in health, prosperity, or busyness. True meaning is found in following the One who is life and light and love – the Lord Jesus.

Stonestreet continues: “To borrow from Thomas Aquinas, an increasingly secular culture removes any real conviction we have that it’s even possible to “share in the goodness of God.” Thus, it’ll take the Church, both as an institution and as individuals, to reach those who are hurting. Remaining open to our own pains and struggles, we can place them within a larger framework of meaning and hope. Christians, too, battle with despair but while knowing it will not have the final word. Christ does, so hope does.

Living for something that is visible is to ultimately be disappointed and or disillusioned. Everything that is visible to our human eyes has an expiration date, including this earth. Only what is seen by the eye of faith will last forever. Investing our lives in service to Jesus has merit and benefit while we’re living on this planet, but the real rewards for our faith journey are given when we leave this life.

There are those in our families and spheres of influence who are hopeless and despairing of life. We, as God’s children, have the answer, but many today are confused and hurting to the point they no longer feel they have a reason to live. There are more people taking their own life or seeking help in ending their life than ever before.

But please listen, child of God, for God has positioned us, not only geographically, but in terms of this time in history, to be a voice of hope to those who have no hope and who believe they no longer have anything for which to live. Please be sensitive to those around you who may need a caring word, a loving touch, or a voice of hope, and determine to be those things for the ones the Lord puts in your path.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Has You?

“When Jesus heard his answer, He said, ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’” (Luke 18:22 NLT)

Money and possessions can be the tentacles of Satan when they become our priority. When fear of losing them causes us to hold on more tightly, the reality becomes – they have us, we don’t have them.

We know very little about the man who came to Jesus, but there are a few things we do know. He obviously had some training in the Jewish faith, at least enough to give him an understanding of the 10 Commandments and that there was life after death. He believed Jesus was a “Good Teacher,” and something in him hoped that Jesus would somehow validate His love for His possessions, and still allow him to go to heaven. But that’s not how it works. Jesus always calls us to make a choice – follow Him or hang on to our stuff.

With Jesus, He’s either Lord of all or not Lord at all. And the problem for us is, while we may not wrestle with a love of money or possessions, there are a thousand other things that are vying for our worship. Depending on how God wired us, it may be pride, lust, anger, covetousness, sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, our phone/electronics – the list is nearly endless of the addictions that enslave us and prevent us from being able to commit to the Lordship of Jesus.

Sometimes our addictions come camouflaged as children, work, even volunteering for the church or other worthwhile causes. How can that be? What are the signs or evidence that even something good in and of itself, can become our lord and captor? The two most prominent indicators are time and money.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Perhaps a good rule of thumb for what we consider our treasure to be is: how easy would it be to walk away or to entrust whatever it is to someone else’s care? And even as I write that I realize we shouldn’t walk away from our marriages, our children, and depending on our circumstances, it would be foolish to walk away from our job or to stop volunteering, unless the Lord makes it very clear, as He did with this rich man. So, there must be another way.

For me, in this season of my life, my treasure is Jesus. How do I know that? Because He’s the center and focus of my heart and life. He’s nearly always in my thoughts, my desire is to keep Him front and center in everything I do, say, and think.

His will for each of us is to put Him first by loving well those in our spheres of influence – our spouse, kids, family, brothers and sisters in Christ, neighbors, and those whom He places on our heart who are lost.

The key in finding and keeping balance in our lives is allowing Jesus to sit on the throne of our heart and to rule every other area and dimension of who we are or ever hope to be. If I or someone or something else is on the throne of my life, I will be out of balance and I will focus on the created thing more than my Creator.

And please understand, this sounds a lot easier than it is. It’s a process that takes time, effort, and energy, but it’s got to start in your heart and mind. Like the rich man, we have to decide – not once, but every day (sometimes every second) that we want Jesus to rule. As long as we have breath we’ll have the inclination to rule ourselves and to desire what we want, when we want it.

The key for me is that I want Jesus – now and forevermore! How about you? Who or what has you?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Strong for God?

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. (Romans 4:20 NLT)

It’s no small thing to be a servant of the most high God! It takes strength and perseverance, endurance, and persistent effort. Why? Because it’s counter-cultural; it’s the exact opposite of what our carnal self desires and for which it longs.

It’s an irony born in the heart of every human being. The Bible teaches that God has planted eternity in the human heart, yet our stubborn will to exalt and worship what is seen often overrides and discards that which is eternal. We have difficulty seeing the hand of God on our lives or in our world because of our incessant drive to please ourselves.

It reminds me of the reporter who was interviewing different workers involved in the construction of a cathedral. One man was asked: “What are you doing? What’s your contribution to the construction of this great cathedral?” to which he responded: “I’m pouring concrete for the foundation.” Another responded to the same question: “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m a bricklayer. I’m laying brick.”

Another young man, cleaning up the other workers messes, answered the question by saying: “I’m sweeping the floors of what one day will be a great cathedral. A place many will come and experience life-changing moments that will point them to the Holy God who will be worshipped here!”

Photo by Wojtek Paczeu015b on Pexels.com

You see, it’s not what our literal, physical eyes see that makes us strong for God, it’s what we see with the eye of our heart. Jon Bloom was on to something vital when he wrote: “God does not need you to be strong. He wants to be your strength.” But how do we allow God to be our strength?

Abraham, often thought of as the father of our faith, led the way for us by simply believing God and following His directives. The problem with that for far too many would-be “warriors for Christ” is that they’re desirous to do what God tells them to do, they’re just tuned to the wrong frequency. Their head is in the clouds, while their mind is in the gutter.

Too many professing believers today want all that God can give, wrongly believing the best way to get all the world offers is to ask God for it. We want to believe that God is our “Jeanie in a bottle.” All we have to do is “rub” the proverbial “lamp” of prayer and out pops Jesus to do our bidding. Presumably, when we’re strong in what we want, God will provide our every whim.

However, strong expectations do not necessarily translate into strong faith and strong effectiveness for the Lord. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:20-21: “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”

Is it fair to say that Paul was strong for the Lord? What made him strong? The same thing that made Abraham strong in God – trust! If we’re to be strong for God it begins by having strong trust in Him and strong determination to be His holy, set apart, instrument to do His bidding, not our own. Strength often grows out of hardship, suffering, and pain, yet those are not typically the things for which we pray.

Can we determine simply to pray as Jesus prayed in the garden: “’Abba, Father,’ He cried out, ‘everything is possible for You. Please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.’”

That prayer is the epitome of trust and is foundational for anyone who desires to be strong for God.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Ambition

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 NLT)

Are you ambitious? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary ambition means: “eager desire for success, honor, or power.” There are some who frown on any ambition, but that seems counterintuitive to me. I want to be hugely successful in honoring Jesus and allowing His powerful life and love to flow in and through me to His fame, don’t you?

And, yes, of course, ambition is typically “me-focused,” and that’s the point: Who are you seeking to exalt in and through your ambition? If it’s only you, you are among all people most to be pitied. Why? It’s like a worm ambitiously seeking to be a human being. No matter what the worm does, thinks (can worms think? 😊) or desires it will never become a human being.

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Vance K. Jackson wrote: “Many collapse under the weight and pressure of self-promotion and self-exaltation. But when God promotes, His promotion is sustainable.” Ambition is actually a gift of God, but like so many gifts God provides, we too often distort it and seek to make it beneficial simply to ourselves. The Apostle Paul referred to people like this in Philippians 1:17 when he wrote: “Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.”

Think about that for a minute. Paul’s not speaking of those who are lost, who are enemies of God and the Church, he’s talking about people who bear the name of the Savior, who are speaking boldly the claims of Christ, yet are doing these wonderful things not for God’s glory and honor, but their own.

Paul didn’t say to not be ambitious, he simply pointed out that we need to check our motives when we do anything, even for the cause of Christ. Jesus’ goal was essentially to forget Himself, to nullify benefit for Himself in preference that everything He said and did, including the person He was becoming as God’s Son on earth – EVERYTHING would be to His Father’s honor and glory.

His ambitious goal was to make the Father known – to enable the invisible Spirit of the Father to become visible in and through His life. He wanted anyone who looked at Him to see the Father. And the wonderful thing about that is, He fulfilled His goal perfectly, so much so, that He passed on to us the honor and privilege of carrying on His legacy in and through our lives.

Jesus said in John 5:30: “I can do nothing on My own. I judge as God tells Me. Therefore, My judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent Me, not My own will.” Paul emphasizes that Jesus has passed the baton of submission to the Father’s will to us when he wrote in Romans 12:1: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”

So, what’s the bottom line? Essentially this – our life as a Jesus follower is not our own, it’s been bought and paid for by the blood of our Savior; therefore, to live our life as if it were our own, being driven or motivated by selfish ambition is on many levels the greatest denial of Jesus we can make with our life.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Imitator?

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT)

Do you remember Gunsmoke? It was a TV program a long time ago that featured “Matt Dillon” as the Sheriff of Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870’s. At the beginning of each episode Matt Dillon would face off with a bad guy to see who would remain standing. Many times, I would put on my holster and “draw” against Matt Dillon. Of course, he didn’t stand a chance against my lightning speed (in my dreams 😊).

Not only did I want to outdraw Matt Dillon, but I also imagined what it would be like to be him, to live in the late 1800’s when all it took to keep peace in the city was a sheriff who could outdraw the bad guys. It seems we each have someone we admire and seek to imitate when we’re growing up.

Maybe it’s a parent, an uncle or aunt, a friend, or a celebrity, we just want to have a track to run on, a purpose for being alive, a validation for taking up space on the planet. Something I’ve learned as a Jesus follower – the only person God wants us to be is ourselves. If He’d wanted us to be anyone else, He would have created us to be them.

But in the process of being our best selves, He wants us to model our lives after Him. That’s why Paul reminded young Timothy to “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do…” But how do we do that? How do we imitate perfection? In Ephesians Paul writes directly to the point of what a child of God’s life should look like. Not only in terms of outward behavior, but also in how we think.

Anything we want to become begins in our mind, in our thoughts. Henry Ford said, “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!” Do you desire to be an imitator of God? What might that look like for you? Paul specifically mentions that we should model God in how we love and speaks to the sacrificial love of Jesus. But he also speaks about more specific things such as sexual immorality, impurity, or greed.

He lists others, but his point as I understand it, isn’t to be so regimented in doing right things we forget to do them for the right reasons. I can live sexually pure, avoid “the very appearance of evil,” be generous, thoughtful, and kind, and do those things as a means of gaining favor with God so He’ll let me into His perfect heaven, and miss the point of why I should be doing them.

Imitating God isn’t the entrance “exam” for getting into heaven, it’s to render glory, honor, and praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords. It’s not about us, it’s about the One we’re seeking to imitate. The closer we’re able, by His Spirit and with His guidance and help, to conform our lives to the likeness of our Savior, to that extent we’ll be effective in pointing others to Him.

Ideally, the more I can imitate Jesus, the easier it will become for me to share His life and love with others, and the more believable my words will be because they will align more perfectly with the way I live my life. Is anyone going to become completely like Jesus? Yes, and no. Yes, absolutely, once we get to heaven, but no, never in this life.

Can we grow in His likeness? I pray we can, more every day! There are people I know and have known across the years who have enabled me to see Jesus more clearly for having spent time with them. My mentor, Jim Burchett, and his dear wife Carolyn were as much like Jesus to me as any person I’ve ever met. I have their picture in my office, and I thank God for their wholesome and godly influence in my life. They were the ones who, in the darkest night of my soul, opened their hearts and home to me and loved me through that season. I want to imitate them as I seek to love the people in my life to Jesus.

Blessings, Ed 😊