Walking With Jesus

Do Unbelievers Anger You?

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

When my sister, Patti, was in the hospital for the last time, we knew she was dying, so we were very concerned that whoever cared for her – nurses, doctors, even the people who came in to gather the trash – were kind and respectful. She was in a special unit that was supposed to limit the number of visitors at any one time to only two, but they quickly learned the circumstances and let as many as wanted to come in to visit her. We were especially appreciative of the nurses who cared for her.

One of the nurses would pray for Patti and us and would take time to let us know what was happening and seemed genuinely caring and interested in taking the very best care of her. We took turns spending the night with Patti, so when I had the opportunity, I would speak with the nurse on duty to share our family’s appreciation.

One nurse, who made it known that she was a believer, shared with me that unbelievers made her angry. It took me aback and has caused me to think about my own response to those who are pre-believers. Since I didn’t know her well, I didn’t push, but in my mind “anger” and “unbeliever” don’t belong in the same sentence.

Toby McKeehan wrote: “Always leave people better than you found them. Hug the hurt. Befriend the lost. Love the lonely.” According to Jesus we’re to be salt and light, thus leaving unbelievers with a better impression of Jesus followers. The “religious” were the ones who angered the Lord, He had mercy and kindness for those who were lost.

As Jesus followers it’s our responsibility to live in a manner that is inviting, ideally leading to gospel conversations that arise out of the context of our love for those who don’t yet know the Lord. Amisho Baraka Lewis wrote: “You can’t fake love when you are harboring hate.” Think of the many conversations Jesus had with those who were, in the minds of the religious Pharisees, “scum.”

Tax collectors, adulterers, and other “sinners” flocked to Jesus, often to see what they could get from Him, but I’m convinced many came because Jesus was “safe.” They knew in His holy presence they wouldn’t be berated, ridiculed, or turned away. Jesus even touched lepers, which astounded the religious leaders, but delighted His followers.

In my mind’s eye I envision Jesus allowing lepers and many others to hug Him as they sought to express their appreciation for what He’d done for them. I can’t wait to hug Him, but I suspect I’ll need to bow in worship before I’ll be able to stand long enough to hug Him. He’s approachable, tender, loving, kind, caring, and every other word that expresses accepting. He never turned anyone away who came to Him in humility and honesty.

If you get angry with unbelievers, how do you ever expect to win them to Jesus? Or maybe that’s the issue. Maybe you don’t believe they deserve Jesus after all the ways they’ve hurt you. When I take time to recount just a few ways that I’ve hurt Jesus and others in things I’ve said and done in my life, I hang my head in shame.

Paul said of himself that he was the worst of all sinners, and I wholeheartedly concur as I view my own life. Jesus didn’t die to show us how good we are, but to enable us to see how very needy we are without Him. Toby McKeehan said: “If you spend time praying for people instead of talking about them, you might just get better results.” And you might also see that, if you’re angry with unbelievers, your anger is misplaced.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Seeing Yourself in the Picture?

“Jesus replied, ‘I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.’” (John 1:50 NLT)

When I was in youth ministry, I took a lot of pictures and Super-8 movies (yeh, I know, I’m really old). The movie camera didn’t have sound, so a couple of the guys in the youth group would add their own soundtrack. One of the most well attended services we had at the church was when we showed pictures or had a movie of one of our recent activities. Why was that?

Because the kids wanted to see their own pictures. We’d invite parents and prospective students to attend as well, hoping to entice them to become a part of the youth group. Why was seeing their own pictures such a draw? Because that’s how we’re wired. With few exceptions we’re the most important person in our universe. Ron Hutchcraft made an interesting observation when he said: “I find that people never really get interested in a picture until they see themselves in it.”

Do you realize you’ll never be compelled to love and serve Jesus until you see yourself in His “picture?” Until you envision yourself walking with Him, loving Him, serving Him. For far too many today the idea of being partnered with Jesus is unimaginable, but for me, in this season of my life, I can’t imagine NOT being with Him every second of my day.

Jesus has had His eye on you since before the foundation of the world. He envisioned you receiving His invitation to follow Him, and joyfully yielding your life and allegiance to Him. When Philip, the one whom Jesus saw under the fig tree, understood that the Messiah, God in human flesh, saw him, knew him, understood who he was, how he felt, and what his God-inspired dreams and aspirations were, he gladly responded to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.

He courageously invested everything he was into everything he believed Jesus to be. He couldn’t wait to stand by His side and yield his life to Jesus’ Lordship. Wherever Jesus was that’s where Philip wanted to be.

How about you? Can you see yourself walking life’s pathways with Jesus? He sees you! Just as clearly as He saw Philip under the tree, He sees you in the activities of your daily life. Just like Philip, we have dreams, desires, hopes, aspirations, and for Philip they were all satisfied in his walk with the Lord. I’m not sure I had many dreams when I was younger.

Being a very average student, I didn’t see myself as “college” material, but when I met Jesus, He had plans for me that I never imagined for myself. And it doesn’t matter your age or station in life. If you’re alive you have a purpose. Jesus is the real deal.

It’s not about religion, keeping rules, or checking boxes, it’s always and only about Jesus. Following Him becomes the adventure of your life. Anyone who believes life is boring doesn’t know Jesus. He’s the only One who can give your life meaning, purpose, adventure, a reason to get up in the morning.

Being in the proverbial “picture” with Jesus is all that matters to me. Submitting to His authority in my life has freed me to be more than I ever imagined I could be. Over the years I’ve written hundreds of sermons, and it was challenging and, on many levels, deeply satisfying. But having the privilege of sharing these posts with you is a dream come true.

Are you seeing yourself in His picture yet? He loves you and will fill and empower you to become the person you were always meant to be.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Intellectually Aware or Spiritually Engaged?

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT)

There are many things we can’t understand intellectually. On a lot of levels even Christianity doesn’t make sense. How can we wrap our mind around God becoming a man, born of a virgin, laying down His sinless life in our place, then rising from the dead to overcome sin, death, and the grave for everyone who would believe what He did was for them, offering them forgiveness of sin and new life in Himself?

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:21: “Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.” It’s interesting to me that while, yes, of course, we seek to explain the Gospel in ways that hopefully make sense to our hearers (readers 😊), human understanding alone won’t translate into salvation from our sin.

It occurs to me that there are those in our families, churches, and spheres of influence that “talk the talk,” and to some extent even “walk the walk,” who have never yielded their hearts and lives to Jesus. They think they have, but in their mind 2 + 2 just doesn’t equal 4. How so?

How can a loving God allow such heart-wrenching tragedies like those that fill our daily news feeds? “If God exists,” they reason, “why doesn’t He stop the blatant defilements that human beings commit against one another?” And I get it, I really do. But we can’t simply view all the horrible things we see and hear every day and not also take note of the ways God is seeking to redeem the hearts and lives of men and women, boys and girls.

A person can sit in their proverbial “ivory tower” making mental note of everything that is wrong with the world and the God who created it, while at the same time professing faith in Jesus, but to me that’s a contradiction. No, of course, faith doesn’t blind us to the unchecked evil in our world, but neither should it result in bitterness, anger, and disdain toward God.

We mustn’t forget we’re in a war and every war has casualties. Satan is a defeated foe who will never surrender; thus, he’s bent on taking as many people to hell with him as possible. He thrives on inoculating people with an intellectual awareness of Jesus, while at the same time doing everything he can to prevent them from becoming spiritually engaged.

It grieves me to see the ways sin cripples and controls those who have become Satan’s agents of destruction – raping, extorting, murdering, lying, violating people young and old. He’s no respecter of anything or anyone and can smile while he’s sticking a knife in your back. And the tragedy to me is that Satan has planted his agents in religions that have “Christian” wrappings but are far from honoring to His glorious name.

Even within solid churches that teach the Bible and are Christ-focused, not only in their preaching, but in and through virtually everything they do, there are those who regularly attend who have intellectual understanding of what they hear, but their faith is an inch deep and a mile wide.

The only antidote to the evil that is rampant in our world and the shallow faith of so many, is the love of God ignited in the hearts and lives of those of us who love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and are seeking with everything within us to be spiritually engaged in making Him known in our spheres of influence.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Listening?

“But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry to Him reached His ears.” (Psalm 18:6 NLT)

Why is it sometimes so difficult to hear God’s voice? Jesus said in John 10:27: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” The word Jesus used that we translate “listen” means “to hearken or to give audience,” but can also mean “to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.”

Could it be we fail to hear His voice because we’re not listening? So often in the hectic schedules we follow we’re constantly texting or calling or receiving texts or calls while we’re doing other things. We might like to think of it as “multi-tasking,” but it can also be called “not listening” or “partial listening.” I’m old school and I’m doing well if I can listen to the radio while I drive.

When I’m reading the Bible, studying, or writing, the shuffle of my wife’s feet as she walks through the house distracts me. It’s not unusual for me to have to re-read something two or three times to make sure I’m “hearing” what’s being said.

Lisa Lakey, a Family Life devotional writer said it this way: “Truth? I naturally tend to tune in to what interests me most … and tune out everything else. But sometimes it goes even deeper. Resentment and unresolved conflict also seem to have a noise-cancelling effect when I’m listening to my husband. If I know my husband is really hearing me, I feel loved, cherished, valued, and understood. It communicates that I deserve his attention and he desires to understand my heart. And that sense of priority cuts both ways. Listening is a practical, everyday way to place the needs of others above my own. God Himself listens to my cries when I pray to Him, as David reminds us in Psalm 18:6. Just as God listens to me, I long to listen to my spouse—beyond the sound waves hitting my ears.

Foundationally, hearing God’s voice, or anyone else’s for that matter, requires not only attention, but desire. We have to want to hear God speak. We have to believe what our spouse, child, friend, or anyone else says is worth hearing. And this isn’t a simple process. How we listen often depends on what we want to hear.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

When I was younger, I had kidney stones far more often than I care to recount. I remember being in such agony by the time I reached the ER, then having to wait to be seen, then wait while they took blood, then wait for the results, all the while begging them to give me something for my pain. I didn’t want to hear “we’re just making sure that’s what you need.” All I wanted to hear was: “This shot will help you with your pain!”

It’s not so different when someone has lost a loved one or has a chronic condition that medicine no longer addresses. All we want is an answer, not “spiritual mumbo jumbo.” “Why doesn’t God DO something!” becomes the echoing cry of our heart! And the answer that is reverberating in my spirit is so simple, yet, so profound when the Master’s voice responds: “I have! I’m here!”

Spiritual “mumbo jumbo?” No! His presence! It’s the relief that begins when the doctor comes in and says: “We found the source of your pain, and this is what we’re going to do about it!” Even before the medicine is administered, there is a sigh of relief that you’ve been heard, and help is coming.

You’ve been heard, my friend, and help is coming! You’re not alone in your pain. Jesus, the Healer, is with you, but He’s also engineering circumstances to put someone with “skin” to intersect your life. It may be a doctor, a person at church, even someone in your family who has dealt with what you’re experiencing, but God’s presence will be made manifest in someone to love and care for you. Please don’t miss them because you’re not “listening!”

Blessings, Ed 😊

86,400 Ticks of the Clock

“So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 The Voice translation)

*Please read these “timely” words of Sylvia Gunter. May they be helpful and serve as a blessing to you as they were to me. Blessings, Ed 😊 (used with permission)

All of us are conscious of time, in one way or another. We feel that we don’t ever have enough time, but we all have 86,400 ticks of the clock every day. Time is a non-renewable asset.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” The psalmist prayed in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5:15-16, “So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times.” (The Voice translation)

God values time. Receive my heart for you in this blessing. May all the ticks of the clock register in your life that is filled with obedience, enjoyment of God, and awareness of His watchfulness and love. May every present moment be blessed in Him to experience His thoughts and emotions and to receive goodness from His hand. May your days be filled with teaching, intimacy, and trust. Be blessed with eyes on God and not on self, with humility, confession, and certainty of His ever-present forgiveness and cleansing.

Be constantly aware of His feeding hand, aware of tasting the Bread of Life in Jesus. Be blessed to be aware of His fire that burns within you by the Holy Spirit. Let Him translate truth and grace into you with life and power.

May you be aware constantly of God moments in your daily routine and of special God-appointments along the way. May eternal God come into your present time with love, joy, peace, and hope. May you always live in eager anticipation, standing on tiptoe of expectation of seeing God in every moment of your day. God bless your spirit, soul, and body to be aligned with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Are You Planning to Fail?

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT)

You’ve likely heard the cliché: “If you’re failing to plan, you’re planning to fail.” The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” These words of Jeremiah were written “to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.”

God basically instructed Jeremiah to tell those who had been exiled to make the best of it. Build houses, marry and have children, continue to live the best life you can, because you’re going to be there for 70 years. But then, I’ll bring you back to Jerusalem.

Where are you in this season of your life? Do you feel like you’ve been exiled by God to a place, a job, a marriage, a physical, emotional, or mental state, a season in your life when you just feel lost, alone, forgotten? Sometimes life sucks and there seems to be very little we can do about it. Try as we might things don’t improve; in our mind and heart they just keep getting worse. Do you feel like God has abandoned or forsaken you?

Sometimes our best plan is to kneel at the feet of our Savior and seek Him with all our heart. If He’d not allowed me to go through times when I felt alone, I may never have realized there’s never a second of my life when I’m not desperate for His presence.

We’re so prone to run on autopilot when everything seems to be going well, but the truth is, we’re just as needy for the Lord when we’ve got everything as when we have nothing. If we only desire Him in times of struggle, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Jesus isn’t our “genie in the bottle,” He’s our Lord, Master, Ruler, Redeemer, Savior, and Friend. When we plan our life around trips and vacations and work commitments with no regard to what His desires for us are, we shortchange ourselves and miss the joy of moment-by-moment communion with the Lover of our soul. Jesus isn’t our “ticket” to heaven, He’s “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).

If you’re just hanging out with Jesus for what you hope to get out of Him, you’re going to be grossly disappointed. You’re not only going to miss heaven, but you’re also going to miss knowing the Treasure of this life and the next. If you miss Jesus, you miss everything. Heaven is nothing without intimacy with Him, and if you’re not enjoying closeness with Him now, what makes you think you’d all of a sudden want it after you die?

God no doubt has plans for you, good plans, enjoyable plans, but if you see your future void of a meaningful relationship with the Lord, you’ll miss them because you’ll be looking in all the wrong places. So, back to the original question – Are you planning to fail? You are if your plans don’t include knowing, loving, serving, enjoying, sharing, and celebrating Jesus with every ounce of your being.

If you’re not developing and practicing daily disciplines like reading and studying the Bible; praying throughout your day, not only for yourself and those close to you, but for your brothers and sisters across the world who are struggling in ways we as Americans can’t imagine; worshipping with people who love Jesus and love you; and meeting regularly with others who are building their lives around their love for Jesus, then you’re definitely planning to fail.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Do You Know Who You Are?

“Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God.” (John 13:3 NLT)

The setting for the above verse is the upper room where Jesus and His 12 disciples had their last Passover celebration before Jesus would be betrayed and murdered. It’s very likely that Jesus was the only One in the room who was aware that this would be the last time they’d share a meal together until after His resurrection. They didn’t have a clue as to what the next 72 hours would hold, but Jesus is preparing them in ways they wouldn’t yet understand.

It’s a gross understatement, but Jesus was able to do what He did because He understood who He was. He knew He was God’s Son in a literal way, not just “spiritually” like those of us who are God’s children today. In John 3:16 Jesus is identified as the “monogenes” – the only One of His kind! There has never been, nor will there ever be another Jesus – God in human flesh.

Paul said in Colossians 2:9: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” Why is that so vital to understand? Because it’s in Him we find our true identity. Paul continued in the next verse: “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

But what does that mean? What does being “complete” in Him supposed to lead to? What is the value of knowing who we are in Him? Paul uses the rest of His letter to the Colossians to explain what our new life in Christ should look like, in terms of not only accurate belief, but holy, set apart living to God’s honor.

But in John 13 Jesus painted a picture of what knowing who we are in Him should look like: on our knees before our brothers and sisters washing their feet. “Yeh,” you may say, “I understand what that meant and why Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, but what does it mean for us?” It means the same thing for us as it meant for Him – humility! Unpretentious devotion not based simply on who we are as a human being, but who we are as a child of God.

Rich, poor, slave or king, we’re all equal in the sight of God and should be in one another’s sight. Remember Paul’s words in Romans 12:3? “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

Jesus washed Judas’ feet along with all the others, even though He knew within a few hours Judas would betray Him. What’s the message for us? It’s easy for most of us to understand we’re just like John or Peter or one of the other disciples, but the fact remains, we’re no better than Judas. Who among us hasn’t “betrayed” Him with our devilish tongue or cunning deception or blatant misbehavior?

Until we can view the Lord of Creation washing our feet through the eyes of Judas, we’ve missed the point of who we are in Christ. We’re not called to humble ourselves in service only to the people who look, smell, act, and live like us. We’re called to love and serve whoever the Lord puts in our path. Why? Because that’s what Jesus did, and we’re His Body on earth today.

Did you notice the first words of the verse from John 13? “Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything…” The fact the Lord has given us His authority doesn’t give us cause to bypass those in need, it gives us authority to love and serve them to His honor and fame.

How will the world be drawn to Him if those of us who bear His holy name don’t give them an accurate picture of who He is? And how will we ever illustrate what He’s like if we don’t know who we are in Him?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Hallmark Christmas or Saving Private Ryan?

“The king of Babylon now stands at the fork, uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He calls his magicians to look for omens. They cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver. They inspect the livers of animal sacrifices.” (Ezekiel 21:21 NLT)

We tend to see our life from one of two distinct vantage points: We should always be happy, light-hearted, and positive. Or we see life as a battlefield where there are clearly “winners” and “losers.” How do you view your life? More to the point, how should we as Jesus followers view our lives?

Lisa Lakey wrote in a Family Life devotional: “I love a good romance. I’m more than happy to curl up with a blanket and a bucket of popcorn and waste an entire day watching chick flicks. Throw in a snowy day, a Christmas mix-up, and a happy ending? You had me at Hallmark. My husband, not so much. If nothing’s being blown up, shot down, or wrecked (apparently emotions don’t count here), he’s out. That’s a pretty good picture of who we are. I entered marriage with a Hallmark Christmas mentality. I wanted to experience love and laughter with a cute guy (nailed that part!) and experience my happily ever after. Sure, we’d have a few arguments here and there that would threaten to pull us apart, but we’d always find our way back to each other. We were ‘meant to be.’”

How do you envision Jesus as He walked this earth? Always happy, cheery, upbeat, positive? Or was He saddened by the deluge of sin that permeated the world He created, the world to which He’d chosen to visit for a very specific purpose? Why do we so often feel so insistent that it has to be one way or the other?

On some levels it seems we must prefer the Old Testament or the New. The verse above from Ezekiel typifies so many verses in the Old Testament that seem to paint a picture of constant strategizing on the part of kings and military leaders bent on conquering their world, or, at least, defending themselves from those who were seeking to conquer them. Yet, even in the New Testament, we see the same principles being applied on a spiritual level.

Paul urges us in Ephesians 6:10-11: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” In this season of my life, I tend to be a strategist, constantly planning, hoping, praying to win one more “battle.” Either battling to keep the enemy at bay in my own life or battling in prayer to make headway in leading someone to the Lord.

How is it for you? Are you always looking for the Hallmark “happy ending?” Or are you content when the “bombs” of life miss your house? Can it ever actually be that clear cut? Jesus said in John 16:33: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

The reality is life on planet earth is hard. Sometimes it’s frightening, sad, lonely, anger-inducing, and just plain mean. But there are times when we can celebrate the victories of love, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and hope. I’m not naïve enough to believe there aren’t some people’s lives where much of their life is pure, unadulterated hell. But for most of us, we have the privilege of having joyful seasons to offset the torments and tragedies of loss and heartache.

I believe the truth is, life to a large degree is what we choose to make it, especially as a Jesus follower. If Paul and Silas can pray and sing in jail after having the flesh ripped from their backs with a Roman whip, I can deal “courageously” when someone takes my favorite parking spot.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Evil We Face

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13 NLT)

What is your greatest temptation? A lustful heart and mind were issues for me for years, but in this season of my life my greatest temptation is to dishonor the Lord by not recognizing His hand on every detail of my life. When completing any project, whether writing an article for this blog or changing a light bulb, I thank the Lord for enabling me to have the knowledge to do whatever it is, but also for the resources to make it possible – i.e. a computer on which to write, post; or money to buy the bulb, etc.

Perhaps you think that’s a bit extreme, but in my mind, it helps me keep my focus on the Lord, remembering that apart from Him I can do nothing (John 15:5). “Yeh,” you may be thinking, “but isn’t that taking that verse a little too literally?” Perhaps, but where do you draw the line? Every thought leads to something else – another thought, an action, a reaction – which leads to another and another.

Think of the worst sin you’ve ever committed. Think of the evil it represented and the vile repercussions of that one sin. Think of the people you love who were most affected. Think of the ongoing implications on your effectiveness as a child of God. Like the proverbial ripples in the water from a single stone.

One of the tragedies of modern Christianity, especially in America, is we’re asking the wrong questions. We’re asking, “How far is too far?” Or, as John Piper wrote: “People who are content with the avoidance ethic generally ask the wrong question about behavior. They ask, What’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with this movie? Or this music? Or this fame? Or these companions? Or this way of relaxing? Or this investment? Or this restaurant? Or shopping at this store? What’s wrong with going to the cabin every weekend? Or having a cabin? This kind of question will rarely yield a lifestyle that commends Christ as all-satisfying and makes people glad in God. It simply results in a list of don’ts. It feeds the avoidance ethic.”

The most terrifying evil doesn’t exist “out there.” It’s not the pedophiles and sex traffickers that keep me awake at night; it’s not the rapists, murderers, abortionists, or crooked politicians. Emerson wrote: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” Of course, that can point to the wonderful things of which we’re capable, the inventions, ideas, resources we can pour into making our world a better place to live.

But what frightens and begs my dependence upon the Lord is the evil that lurks, of which I may not even be aware. Do you realize what you’re capable of in your darkest moments? Anything! The greatest potential for evil may be masked by our religiosity, but without Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit guiding and protecting us from the evil one, we can’t even imagine what we’re capable of doing or being.

Why is this even important for us to consider? Because we have the tendency to coast, to rest on our laurels, to become satisfied with what we’ve done, been, or have become. We begin to believe the lie of Satan that we’re “a good person.” That we’ve actually earned or deserve the accolades of others; that we’re a notch above those poor saps who can’t seem to get their act together. We become the Pharisee at the temple praying, letting God know what a good catch He made when He got us.

Should the fact of our propensity to evil alarm us? Absolutely, but only to the extent it drives us to the arms of our Savior. Fear is for those who haven’t yet met or wander away from the Savior, Jesus. In His care we have no need to fear anything or anybody. Remember David’s words: “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.” When our heart and life are tucked safely and securely in the protective custody of our Savior it’s not us who need to be afraid, but Satan and his devilish emissaries.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign?

“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.’ But Abram replied, ‘O Sovereign Lord, what good are all Your blessings when I don’t even have a son?’” (Genesis 15:1-2 NLT)

In the text above where the NLT translates Abram’s response as “Sovereign Lord,” he’s literally saying, “O Lord God,” using two Hebrew names for God: Adonai and Jehovah. These are transliterations of the Hebrew, meaning we take English letters and substitute them for the Hebrew letters.

Essentially what Abram is doing is recognizing that the Lord God of Israel is the ever-existing, Sovereign Creator who reigns supremely over everything and everybody. According to the Webster’s New World College Dictionary (Fourth Edition), Sovereign means: “above or superior to all others; chief; greatest; supreme; supreme in power, rank, or authority…”

John Piper reminds us: “God is sovereign over your life, and God is good.” That sounds very spiritual and it’s certainly theologically correct, but what does it mean in layman’s terms? Does it mean since God’s got the “wheel” all I have to do is ride out the journey? Does it mean since He’s all powerful He will “auto correct” my bad decisions? Does it mean since He’s all-knowing He will give me a “heads-up” when I’m about to do something really stupid?

God’s sovereign rule in our lives is a process in which we have a part. How so? First, by yielding our will to His we allow Him to forgive us, which sets in motion the transformation of our life and character, resulting in an ever-increasing likeness to our Savior, which is our goal as a Jesus follower. When we align our will with His by being born again of the Spirit, we invite the Sovereign Ruler of all that is to enable us by His indwelling presence to allow Him to rule and reign over us – body, mind, soul, and spirit.

Does that mean God will make us do whatever He wants? No, it means we give Him permission to do whatever He wants – a big difference. God isn’t a bully who forces us against our will to do anything. He’s a gentleman who will work cooperatively with us to accomplish His sovereign will in and through our lives.

Micah Wood said it well when he wrote: “Before the Gospel heals a man, it humbles a man. It tells him the depth of his need for God.“ Until we get a glimpse of who God is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we likely won’t trust Him, nor realize that His rule in our life is best. How can we be so sure?

Having walked with the Lord for more than 60 years it has become crystal clear that He loves me most and knows me best. I trust Him without reservation with anything and everything related to my life. He will never do anything in me, to me, or for me that isn’t loving, merciful, and leading in some way, even if I may not understand, for my good and His glory.

Does that imply I’ll always love what He does? Of course not. Did I love it when my parents disciplined me? We see the proverbial “parade of life” through a keyhole, while God sits on the roof top. He sees our lives from beginning to end and has the vantage from which to see things we can’t possibly see. That’s why I trust His sovereign wisdom to guide me in the ways He sees best.

His sovereignty doesn’t force us to do anything against our will, but it does enable us to walk confidently in the paths on which He leads us. Learning to trust His wisdom and follow His Spirit’s leading are two very rich and rewarding aspects of His sovereign rule in and over our lives.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊