Walking With Jesus

What Sends Someone to Hell?

“The disciples were astounded. ‘Then who in the world can be saved?’ they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.’” (Mark 10:26-27 NLT)

Have you ever had a conversation with someone about hell? Ideas abound regarding what people believe about hell, everything from “it doesn’t exist” to “it’s what people experience on earth” to “God is too kind and compassionate to send anyone there.”

Notice the title of this post – “What Sends Someone to Hell?” not “Who…” The Bible is clear that it’s not God’s will that anyone perish, but that all would repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Anyone who chooses hell must step over the bruised and broken body of Jesus who laid down His life so that no one would have to go to hell. God doesn’t “send” anyone to hell, but neither will He force anyone to go to heaven.

It’s not sin itself that keeps someone out of heaven. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul outlines a lot of sins that he says will keep many from the Kingdom of God. But in verse 11 he writes: “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Sin has a solution, and it’s not complicated, but unless someone is willing to accept God’s provision, they, by default, choose the only alternative. If someone refuses to be forgiven and rejects sin’s payment made through the blood of Christ shed on Calvary’s Cross, there’s no other payment adequate to pay sin’s debt. Keeping the law or being good enough isn’t the answer. Giving money to the church or organizations that help the suffering isn’t the answer. Even sacrificing your life for another, while admirable and noble, it doesn’t get you to heaven.

Charles Stanley wrote: “Jesus’ message was simple. Eternal life is found through faith and faith alone. Both heaven and hell will be full of men and women who have committed every imaginable evil. The difference is not in the severity of their sin, or in the number of their offenses, but in their response to the offer of the Savior.”

Across the years there have been those who have asked me: “How can you be so sure you’re right? What if you’re wrong?” And my response is some form of: “I believe the Bible is true because I’ve known it’s Author for many years. So, the real question becomes, what if I’m right?”

Paul said in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” People can argue all day about the accuracy and inerrancy of the Bible, but to me I have no doubt that the Bible is accurate and true in it’s message. And it’s not because I’m an authority on the history of the Bible or it’s languages, it’s because I’m a child of my heavenly Father and I know He never lies.

The bottom line to me is simple, saved people go to heaven; unsaved people don’t. So, my mission as long as this old body has life, is to try to help people make an informed decision about the most important issue with which they’ll ever be confronted – where they’ll spend eternity and why!

What sends someone to hell is certainly not a Savior who died to prevent anyone from going who is willing to confess their sin and place their trust in Him, so, it must be a refusal to make that decision. But why would anyone who understands that ever choose hell? That, my friend, is a great question and is the very reason I want to help anyone with whom I have contact to understand what’s at stake.

Will you help me spread the word? Let’s warn everyone we know, or whomever will listen. There’s too much at risk if we remain quiet about such great news.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What If the Prodigal Hadn’t Come Home?

“We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” (Luke 15:32 NLT)

The story of the lost son is part of a trilogy: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, all of which are found in Luke 15. Jesus often used stories to convey spiritual truth that would be hard to understand otherwise. So, what is the point of these stories? Lostness!

The stories Jesus told are called “parables” in the Bible, and each parable has one main point. They are not allegories, which can attach meaning to each part of a story. The point of the lost sheep story is that the sheep was found. It’s the same with the coin and with the son. If the sheep, coin, and son hadn’t been found, they would have remained lost.

However, it’s interesting that in the first two stories, the shepherd and the woman searched diligently for that which was lost, but in the story of the lost son, the father didn’t go looking for the son, he waited at home. Why is that?

Sheep and coins have no capacity to find their way home. Humans do. Humans can think and reason and make decisions. Why? Because God has given us those abilities, but He’s also given us the will to decide for ourselves. Why is that important? Because human beings can’t find their way home to God if they don’t understand and realize they’re lost.

So, what if the “lost” son never realized he was lost? Like the sheep and coin, he would have remained lost. “Yes,” someone may wonder, “but he was still a son. His ‘sonship’ would never be changed or lost.” And that’s true, but, in a spiritual sense, sonship doesn’t equal salvation.

There’s a sense in which every human being is a “child” of God through creation, but that doesn’t mean we have a relationship with Him. Jesus said in John 3:5, in his conversation with Nicodemus: “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” In this context, “water” is referring to natural human birth, not baptism.

In the story of the two brothers, both had been “born of water,” but neither had been born again of the spirit. The “prodigal” son was just as lost at home as he was in the far country, just as his older brother was. Nothing changed in the younger son’s standing with his father until “he finally came to his senses” and made the choice to return home.

There’s no indication that the older brother ever made that choice, illustrating that we can never leave “home” and still be just as lost as if we did. How does that translate for us? We can be a “good” person, have high moral standards, not participate in the “sins of the world,” and still be as lost as someone who has done it all.

So, what if the son who ran to the far country had never found his way home? He would still be just as lost as he was when he left! Geography has no bearing on lostness. We can be just as spiritually lost at “home” as in the pursuit of the pleasures of this world.

We can be part of a church family, believing all the right things and still be as lost as someone who’s never heard the name of Jesus. The only way to find our way home to the Father is to come to our “senses”; to realize we’re “lost” without a saving knowledge of Jesus. It’s not WHAT we know that saves us, it’s WHO! Apart from Jesus there is no salvation, no matter what we know or where we are.

If you’re not certain you’ve found your way home to the Father, check this link: The Bridge to God | Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Lies We Believe

“Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. (1 Timothy 4:2 NLT)

What lies do you believe about yourself that are keeping you from being all the Lord desires you to become? Things like: “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not attractive enough” or “I don’t know enough” or “I’m not smart enough” or ______________ and you can fill in the blank.

Sin got it’s start in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve believed a lie. Satan, who can’t tell the truth and who is the “father of lies,” put doubt in the mind of Eve about the accuracy of what she heard God say. He is still doing that today.

One of Satan’s favorite tools to disarm us and cause us to doubt God and ourselves, is discouragement. He turns our minds and attention to ourselves rather than to God and His Word. Why do you think gossip is so appealing to so many? Largely because it turns the negative and difficult things we tend to believe about ourselves onto the frailties of others.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

It’s much easier to see our shortcomings in someone else than to face them in ourselves. And why is it that we have so hard a time facing them in ourselves? Because Satan’s goal is to magnify our weaknesses and perceived shortcomings and minimize the power of God to help us change.

Lies are sometimes exaggerated truth. For example, weakness becomes an insurmountable barrier which renders us helpless in our own eyes. Lack of knowledge or experience become obstacles that magnify our inability to learn or do anything worthwhile in God’s Kingdom.

So, how do we deal with the lies that become so deeply rooted in how we see ourselves and who we come to believe we “really” are? The same way we make progress in any area of our life in Christ – faith! James MacDonald wrote: “Every good thing God wants to give to you comes through faith.”

Jesus said in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” When we’re discouraged, all we hear is the “you can do nothing” part. We tend to skip over the “will produce much fruit” part. What’s my point?

EVERYTHING, every detail of our growth and development in our walk with God, from start to finish, is by faith. To believe we can be or do anything in and of our own strength and ability is to rob God of His deserved glory and honor. Is that to say we just sit back and wait for Him to do everything? Of course not. We are His workmanship, His masterpiece of creation, and we can do ALL THINGS! But how? “Through Christ who is our strength!” (Philippians 4:13)

Kevin Elijah Burgess wrote: “Life is hard. God is good. Glory is coming.” When Satan begins to whisper lies that cause you to believe any version of “I’m not enough,” do the same thing Jesus did when He was being tempted in the wilderness – quote God’s Word! “Yeh, but I don’t know any Scripture to quote?”

THEN LEARN SOME! It’s inexcusable for a child of God not to read and memorize Scripture. In Ephesians 6 when Paul is outlining the “Armor of God,” the only offensive weapon we have is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Our primary weapon against the lies of Satan that would continually desire us to focus on ourselves and all we’re not or can’t do, is the nourishment of the words of God found only in His Word, the Bible.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God Rejoices Over You

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17)

*Please read these words of Sylvia Gunter slowly, carefully, and repeatedly. Think about them with more than your mind. Let your heart soak in the depths of love your Father has for you. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to share this message of God’s love for you. Enjoy! Blessings, Ed 😊 (used with permission)

“The Lord Your God is in the midst of you, a mighty One, a Savior—who saves! He will rejoice over you with joy. He will rest in silent satisfaction… He will exult over you with singing” (Amplified). Your Father’s heart longs for you. Be blessed as you receive His embrace. He loves you in the way you were created to be loved. He has come to overwhelm you with His love. He takes great delight in you.

The prayer of Jesus was “Father, let them know deep inside that as You love Me, so You love them, they in Me and I in You” (John 17:21,26 paraphrased). God loves you as much as He loves His Son. His love for you is way beyond anything you can imagine.

Rest in His presence and let His peace quiet your mind. Let His love calm your heart. He is for you. God is mighty to save. He will fight your battles for you. He has said to you, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” (2 Chron. 20:17).

Your Father smiles at you today. God likes you — today, every day, every moment. Hear Him rejoicing over you with singing. Let His love be the foundation of your life. You are beloved in the complete finished work of Jesus. God delights in showing you His love.

Let go of the past, as you face the future with your Father. Be blessed with joy, peace, and rest in Him. Be blessed with refreshing and renewal in His presence, as you pursue the fulfillment that He has created for you. Be blessed as He gives you victory and rejoices over you.

An archive of past devotionals is available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

Factors That Deter: Faithlessness (Part 2)

“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.” (Hebrews 10:26 NLT)

Knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially when it comes to being a follower of Christ. As in the verse above, knowledge of Jesus – about the details of His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and current reign with His Father in heaven – does not equal salvation. To know facts isn’t the same as responding by faith.

A person can read the Bible and even memorize large portions of it, as did the teachers of the Jewish laws, but that knowledge in and of itself will not qualify us to be children of God. Without faith, or, in other words, faithlessness can never please God. So, knowledge without faith is valueless in terms of it’s ability to put us in a right relationship with God.

The plot thickens, because there are those who believe that because they attend church and listen to sermons, they may even read and study the Bible, that those activities will make them right with God. Their lifestyle doesn’t change, in the sense that they continue to live in habitual, deliberate sin, but they wrongly assume God will overlook their sin because of their knowledge of His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

There’s only one sacrifice sufficient to cleanse us of our sin, or, in the words of the verse above, “that will cover these sins,” and that’s the blood of Jesus offered on Calvary’s Cross. If we’re not trusting in Christ’s sacrifice “there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.”

That’s the danger of faithlessness when it comes to the essential tenets of the Christian Faith. If our “faith” is misplaced, it’s of no value to us, in the sense that it will not make us right with God. In other words, if what we believe about Jesus doesn’t match what the Bible teaches, it will not lead us to saving faith.

For example, if we believe that because our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or anyone else with whom we have a close relationship is following Jesus, then we must be okay because “we believe the same things they do.” Believing isn’t enough. James 2:19 explains that even the demons believe and tremble, but they’re certainly not exhibiting saving faith.

Faithlessness, as I’m using it in this post, is misplaced or absent faith. Belief and faith are two sides of the same coin. I can believe in Jesus – who He is, what He’s done, what He died to accomplish – but if that belief doesn’t activate living, abiding faith which leads to repentance and a change of direction in my life, I’m not saved, I’m deceived.

And please don’t misunderstand. After receiving Christ as Savior and Lord, while God views us through the lens of the sinlessness and righteousness of His Son, we aren’t, in and of ourselves, perfect. We will still sin. We’ll struggle to overcome sin patterns in our lives and will never become perfect in this life. Yes, of course, we’re accounted as sinless and perfect because of the blood of Jesus, but we’ll wrestle with our sin-nature until we receive our new, perfect bodies when we die.

However, we should expect to see a change in the way we think and live, based on the Spirit’s activity in our lives. The longer we walk with and serve our Savior, the more desire we should have to allow His will to become our will, so much so, that as our love for Jesus increases, so should our disdain for our sin.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Factors That Deter: Faithlessness

“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’ ‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed.” (John 20:27-28 NLT)

Thomas, a member of the original twelve Disciples, has often been referred to as “doubting Thomas” because of his declaration in John 20:25: “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.” The above verses record Jesus’ appearance to Thomas and His response to Thomas’ doubt with verification that He did indeed die and was risen from the dead.

Obviously, Thomas’ exclamation that Jesus was his Lord and God settled all doubt in his heart and mind that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be and did exactly what He told His disciples He would do. Tradition records that Thomas came into conflict with the Hindu priests of Kali, who killed him for insulting their deity – or simply for converting many of their followers.

What can we learn from Thomas’ moment of faithlessness?

First, doubt is not sin and will not in any way hinder God’s love for and devotion to His children. Doubt, for many believers, is a natural response when first walking with Jesus. It’s not unusual to doubt things that are foreign to our mind and heart. Things like the virgin birth, Jesus’ many miracles, His Resurrection, and Ascension. It’s clear to me that Jesus didn’t fault Thomas, rather He addressed his concerns, resulting in Thomas’ full devotion to Jesus as Lord and God.

Doubt doesn’t necessarily equal faithlessness, in the sense of complete lack of faith. Faithlessness, as I use it in this post, is not a blanket denial of everything we believe about God and Jesus. It’s more an isolated or specific issue with which we wrestle as believers, as a person of faith. Some people, for example, doubt that God could possibly love them for all the wrong and evil things they’ve done.

It still boggles my mind that Jesus would die for me; that He would offer the gift of forgiveness to me, in light of all the ways I’ve despised and rejected Him in and through all the ways I’ve sinned against Him. Yet, based on His example when helping Thomas deal with his season of faithlessness, Jesus specifically addressed Thomas’ concerns. It’s not by accident that even before Thomas had opportunity to give expression to his doubt, Jesus spoke to the very issues with which he wrestled.

The Holy Spirit has on multiple occasions and in varied ways addressed my doubts and given me assurance that, not only is He not upset with me, He invites me to bring my doubts and fears to Him. Yes, of course, our periods of faithlessness can deter us in our walk with Him, but in His mercy and grace, He always gives me assurance that, even though I may not have full understanding this side of heaven, I can trust that one day I will see fully, and have clear understanding.

Hebrews 10:23 says: “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.” And then in 11:6: “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

It’s apparent that this is a multi-faceted issue, so let’s look at it from a different perspective in tomorrows’ post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Factors That Deter: Obduracy

“Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (Ephesians 4:18-19 NLT)

Have you ever been working on your car or other type of machine and you ran into a nut you just couldn’t get loose. Try as you may, it wasn’t budging. You’ve just run into an obdurate nut. The verses above describe an obdurate person. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “obdurate” as “stubbornly resistant; unyielding, inflexible, adamant.” Trust me when I say, obduracy is a factor that deters when it comes to being a Jesus follower.

How do you get through to a person like that? You don’t…without prayer! Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”

How does a person get to the point where all they can think about is following the desires of their lust-filled heart? Anyone’s journey, whether towards a life of holiness and obedience to the Lord, or away from Him to a life “full of darkness” begins in the mind. What you think about comes about. What you feed your eyes and ears feeds your mind and nourishes or defiles your heart.

As a rule, human beings don’t change the direction of their life without good reason. When we’re young and impressionable we often seek to follow the lifestyle of someone we respect or want to impress. If they’re a Jesus follower, it plants the seed in our mind that following Jesus is a legitimate path in which to invest our life.

However, if our “role model” is God-defiant, belligerent, and shows no remorse for their sinful lifestyle, that may very well be the path we choose. But the frightening factor is that we often follow our course of choice without giving it a lot of thought. If someone were to ask: “Why are you an alcoholic? Spouse abuser? Money-lover? Possessions pursuer? ____________ and you can fill in the blank, the vast majority of the answers would be: “I don’t know. Why does it matter?”

Our lives are often not built, they’re accumulated. In the small town in which I grew up, a young boy’s dream was to own a nice car. Why? Nice cars attracted girls (or so the theory went). But cars aren’t free. To own a car, you had to have income. So, unless your parents were rich, you had to get a job. So, you get a part time job to pay for your car, to get you a girl, OOOOOPPPPPSSSSS, who gets pregnant. So, you get married and now your part-time job isn’t enough, so…! You get the picture.

The scenarios are varied, but the end result is, we often end up in a lifestyle that chooses us, not one we’ve chosen for ourselves. Similarly, most people don’t choose hell, hell chooses them. Satan is relentless and has no concern for who your father is. He’s a defeated foe and he’s going to take as many unsuspecting, spiritually blind victims as he possibly can.

Over time he’ll harden a person’s heart by blinding them spiritually, resulting in someone who opposes the Gospel, not because they’re rejecting God, but because they fear it will interfere with their devilish lifestyle, which, of course, it will. The only thing to do in a case like that is to pray and let the Lord lead you in asking pointed questions. Questions that will, like WD-40 on a stubborn nut, begin to penetrate the “rust” in their heart and mind, and loosen their spirit to thoughts of God.

It’s a process that may take years, but prayer and faithfulness on our part to not give up on them, will one day, I believe, pay rich, eternal dividends.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Factors That Deter: Stupidity

“This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and let Me heal them.’” (Matthew 13:14-15 NLT)

In the verses above Jesus is quoting the words of Isaiah to His disciples when they asked Him why He used parables. To me they are among the most frightening words in all the Bible. Think of those in your family or close friends who haven’t opened their heart and mind to Jesus. Try as you may to help them understand, it’s as though their minds are numb to the Truth.

You know what? It’s because they are. It’s called “stupidity.” To be stupid means “to be dull of mind.” Like ignorance, it’s a condition that, at least in a spiritual sense, we choose to have. An older man was wearing a t-shirt the other day that said: “Life is hard. It’s even harder if you’re stupid.” I laughed, mostly because it reminded me of the things I’ve done in my life when I allowed my mind and heart to be dulled to the voice of God. It’s easier for me to laugh than cry.

Think back over the times when you’ve been stupid; when you’ve done, said, or thought things that you knew in your heart weren’t right and would lead to sin, but you wouldn’t be deterred. Years don’t dull the pain of our stupidity, in some ways, the years magnify its heartache.

It may not always be the case, but for me stupidity was a process. As a rule, we don’t just wake up one day and decide: “I think I’m going to ruin my marriage today.” Or we don’t have a sudden insight that says: “It just seems right to rob that bank.” Or, like Adam and Eve in the garden, we hear a voice that says: “Did God really say we shouldn’t _________?” and you can fill in the blank.

Satan is subtle, but persistent. Like a patient farmer, Satan will plant the proverbial seed that initially may not take root, but he continues to “water” the lie he’s planted until one day we think, do, say, or act in a way we never dared dream we would. Most people in prison didn’t see “prison” as their desired outcome. They just started hanging with the wrong people and in order to fit in, they began to do, say, think, and act like those around them.

Many today think religion is the answer to their deepest longings and desires. They find a group of people who look and act nice, so they begin to spend time with them. They take them to church, and they learn to sing songs and listen to people talk about God and Jesus. They hear speeches about God and Jesus that cause them to feel funny, so one day they raise their hand or walk to the front to “accept Jesus.”

It makes them feel really good for a while, but over time the feelings wear off and they find their life isn’t really any different than it was before. So, little by little they sink back into the same hole their life was in before. But why? Largely because the dullness of their heart and mind was never addressed, only the surface feelings that we have when we want a change in our lives.

The only cure for stupidity is salvation in Christ alone by faith alone. Saying a prayer filled with good intentions doesn’t change anything but our emotions. We don’t need to feel better, we need to die to ourselves and let the Lord give us a new life that can’t be counterfeited by religious behavior. Only becoming a slave of Christ, realizing our lives are not our own, but belong to Him to do with us as He sees fit, will give us the outcome that will satisfy our heart and mind long term.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Factors That Deter: Ignorance

“…having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;” (Ephesians 4:18 NKJV)

Ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge, thus rendering every person ignorant in some ways; however, the way it’s used in the above verse isn’t simply a lack of knowledge, it’s a deliberate avoidance of the truth that is evident and can easily be known and verified. That’s what’s killing millions today who aren’t necessarily ignorant of the Truth of the Gospel, but are choosing to ignore it’s implications for their lives, yes, even those who profess to know and love Jesus.

Notice the verse above points out two very real and debilitating effects of living our lives while ignoring the manifold efforts of God to draw us to Himself. First, our understanding is darkened. It means to cover or block from our mind what is obvious or, to use a common expression – is “in our face.”

Psalm 97:5 says: “The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory.” One application of the word “proclaim” in this verse means “to talk or recount,” with the clear implication that God uses His created world to speak into our lives the goodness of His presence.

Paul reminds us in Romans 1:19-20: “They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So that they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

So, why are people so blinded to the obvious? Because Satan has darkened people’s minds and hearts to anything holy and righteous that may turn them to God. That’s why it’s so vital that we, as His followers, live holy and “separated” lives. Not separated in the sense of never having contact with those who are lost, but in the sense that our lives, like all of nature, can illustrate what a life separated unto God can look like: lives of joy, peace, patience, goodness, meekness, love, faithfulness, kindness, generosity, and many others manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s presence living in and through us.

Secondly, the verse says that when someone deliberately chooses ignorance of all God is doing to point them to Him, it leads them to being alienated from the life of God. That’s why it’s so important that we allow the Holy Spirit to create in us a clean heart with pure motives as we live Christ before our loved ones and friends.

The difference only Christ can make in our lives needs to be put on display, not so people in our spheres of influence will make much of us, but to point them to Jesus so they can learn to make much of Him. Who will magnify Jesus in and through their lives if we don’t? If lovers of Jesus won’t put Him on display, who will? If the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts aren’t declaring His majesty, how will those whose lives ours touch be freed from their ignorance?

And even as children of God, our self-imposed ignorance of the Bible and even the basic principles of godly living, are killing our witness and pushing lost people away. When those who profess faith don’t read the Bible, spend time in prayer, or even attend corporate worship regularly, how can they expect to influence others to follow Jesus?

When we who claim to walk with Jesus illustrate no visible difference in the way we think, act, or live than those who don’t know Him, who are we trying to fool? Certainly not God! Only Jesus can lift the darkness of our lives to enable us to be light and life to those who are walking in darkness – in and outside the church.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Being a Symphony of Light

“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” (Hebrews 11:3 NLT)

What is the purpose of light? If we gave that some serious thought, I’m sure we could come up with a lot of answers. But for our purpose today think of light as that which dispels darkness. In the King James Version of the Bible “light” is mentioned 235 times.

The first words of the Bible are “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Then in chapter 1 verse 3: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

If you’ve ever been to a Symphony you may have noted all the various sounds coming from the area where the orchestra sits, prior to the start of the actual performance. It’s anything but melodic. Then you see the conductor take their place in front of the musicians and all becomes very quiet. Then, with the wave of the conductor’s hands, there’s an explosion of sound that is so beautiful it almost defies description, and you’re mesmerized by what you’re hearing.

In my mind that’s something like what I envision happening on the opening day of creation. Only the heavens and the earth were witnesses to this magnificent display of God’s powerful creativity, but in my mind’s eye, everything must have been quiet and so dark you could almost feel it. Then, not with His mighty hand, but with His voice, He spoke, and light appeared with such force it drove the darkness from His presence.

Imagine a light so bright you have to cover your eyes, like looking directly at the sun; a light that demands notice! That’s who Jesus came to earth to be. John, in the opening verses of his Gospel, describes Jesus as the One who would bring light into the world. And Jesus said of Himself in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

In the Bible, darkness is compared with evil and light is good and points to that which illustrates the goodness of God. R. L. Dabney wrote: “The light of a holy example is the gospel’s main argument.” What if our lives, individually and corporately, shed such light on Jesus – who He is, what He accomplished for us on the Cross, what He’s doing in our world today in and through His Church, and what He’s coming back soon to do in our world – that our lives were as the harmonic, awe inspiring beauty and majesty of an angelic symphony!

Think of the impact our lives would have on those who don’t yet know Jesus. What if our countenance, our attitudes, our demeanor, our words, individually and as a Body, bore such resemblance to the light and love of our Savior there could be no mistaking that what we were believing and living out in our daily lives was Truth incarnate.

Feel His majestic presence in your heart and life! Know that with the light of His life radiating out through your life nothing is impossible! Recognize in the depths of your spirit that you are His Symphony of Light as Jesus lives His life out through you each day.

Let your lips praise and exult Him! Let your face shine with His loving presence! Let His words fill your mind and mouth as you joyfully share Him with those who don’t have a clue who He is.

Let the symphony of Jesus’ love and light begin in and through your life today!

Blessings, Ed 😊