Walking With Jesus

Repentance and Salvation

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT)

Without any desire to judge the intent of a person’s heart when they come to Jesus, but based on the words of Paul above, I believe to a large degree the reason a lot of people “wash-out” of their “commitment” to Christ, is their lack of repentance. What is repentance?

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in the direction of a person’s life. It’s a military term that paints the picture of a soldier making an about-face. They’re walking in one direction, then make a 180 degree turn and begin walking in the opposite direction. The implication for those of us who are Jesus followers, we’re walking in an ungodly, disobedient direction in our life, but we repent – by God’s grace and with His help – we allow the Lord to change the direction of our life.

It’s an act of God that is reflected in our attitudes – in the way we think, coupled by a change in the direction of our life. In short, we’re walking away from God, but upon repenting, we are now walking with and toward God, which reflects our desire to submit to His authority in our lives.

The plot thickens when our “sorrow” isn’t for our sin, but because we got caught. Our regret doesn’t lie in our violation of God’s law and the breaking of His heart, but rather in the fact our sin became public. Obviously, it’s a two-pronged process. Yes, of course, we’re embarrassed when news of our addiction becomes known or when our spouse files for divorce or we’re fired from our job for inappropriate behavior.

And often that’s the catalyst for finally getting the help we need, and, as part of that process, seeking forgiveness. That’s legitimate and is not uncommon in a person’s life who genuinely desires to find salvation in Christ. But the truth is, repentance and salvation aren’t simply the way we begin a relationship with Jesus.

Repentance, turning away from our sin and seeking forgiveness and cleansing, is an ongoing process for a child of God. We’re not saved and immediately set free from all sin. We’re forgiven, but sin continues to haunt us. The reality is, the closer we walk with Jesus the more we hate our sin and disobedience, thus the more quickly we repent and seek the Lord’s guidance in getting back on track.

Salvation from sin is an instantaneous event in the sense that every sin past and present is forgiven, and we’re cleansed and freed from the guilt and shame that they’ve caused. And the grace and forgiveness are appropriated for even every future sin. That’s why we need to keep short accounts with God.

John wrote in 1 John 2:1: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father.” And in 1 John 1:9 he writes: “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

So, the process, as I understand it becomes: when we disobey a clear directive of God; we confess, we agree with God’s estimate of our dwelling on wrong thoughts, harboring wrong attitudes, or committing wrong actions; we seek forgiveness through Christ our advocate; then we repent, we turn from our sin, receive forgiveness and continue our walk in newness of life.

Salvation, as is Sanctification, is an ongoing, life-long journey. Ideally, every time we fall, we rise with greater determination to rely more fully on the Holy Spirit, by going immediately to Him when we sin, learning from our failure, and seeking greater closeness and more continued fellowship with our Savior in and through the ministry of His Holy Spirit.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Belief and Hope

“I have the same hope in God that these men have, that He will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15 NLT)

As we continue our look into the “couples” of the Bible, today we’ll consider the relationship between hope and belief. While similar in some ways, they stand alone in the emphasis they offer in God’s Word.

Hope focuses on our expectation of a positive outcome in a circumstance over which we have little or no control. We hope the weather is nice for our picnic, or we hope our sports team wins the big game or we hope we’ll one day go to heaven.

In the Bible hope and belief are more closely aligned. For example, I have hope in the soon return of my Savior, the Lord Jesus, but my hope is built upon my belief that the Bible is true and Jesus’ promise to return will happen according to what the Bible teaches.

Belief is a decision I make based on the information I have available. It’s a conviction that informs my life how to live out my belief in real time. It’s a deep conviction based on the reliability and truth of that which I believe.

As it relates to our faith in Christ, our confidence doesn’t rest on the strength of what we believe, but on the character of the One in whom our trust is centered. While our lives are guided by what we believe to be true, if the foundation of our belief is based on a wrong or faulty understanding, our hopes can be dashed when the truth is revealed.

It frightens me to think that the basis of many believers’ faith isn’t Jesus at all. Yes, of course, they “believe” in Him, in the same sense that they believe the earth is round. It’s information that is true, but it doesn’t govern the way they orchestrate their lives. Belief in the Bible refers to that upon which our decisions are based, thus the roadmap for our life.

If Jesus is alive, as He claimed to be after the resurrection, and if He is returning as He promised He would, and if we genuinely believe that with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength, then every decision we make, every activity in which we engage, every relationship in which we invest time and energy, every word we speak or write, every breath we take, every detail of our life will be motivated and directed by that belief.

Nothing, no detail of our life will be unaffected by the power of that belief. And on the basis of that life altering, life defining belief we have hope – confident expectation that one day sooner than any of us can imagine, in the twinkling of an eye – we’ll be in His holy presence for all eternity.

The reality is, we can’t have one without the other. Hope based on belief in something that isn’t true or isn’t possible isn’t hope, it’s deception. And that’s exactly what Satan delights in having people believe. If Satan can convince me that because I prayed a prayer of confession and repentance and on the basis of that prayer I can live anyway I please, but am eternally secure in my confidence that I’m going to heaven, I’m believing a lie because that’s something the Bible doesn’t teach.

Belief in Jesus doesn’t simply reveal itself in the words that I speak or even the words I pray, but in the lifestyle I adopt that reveals trust in the truth of Scripture coupled with disciplined obedience to a lifestyle devoted to growing in my likeness of Jesus. And please don’t hear what I’m not saying. Just as the words of a prayer don’t save me, neither does a disciplined lifestyle save me. Jesus’ completed work on Calvary is the basis of our salvation.

When we by faith in Christ alone respond to His invitation to be born again and begin a relationship with Him, our belief stirs in our heart to allow the Spirit of God to make needed changes in our speech and behavior. But this is not a means of “earning” our salvation, it’s simply a means of giving visibility to what I believe is taking root in my heart and changing the way I live.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God alone and to Him belongs all glory, honor, and praise. Our changed lives give those with whom we share our belief confidence that the same Savior who is changing us can change them for His sake and to His honor and fame.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Joy and Delight

“The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message.” (Matthew 28:8 NLT)

Joy isn’t the giddiness experienced by a child as they open gifts at Christmas. It’s a deep, abiding satisfaction that gives evidence of the delight of our heart with who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. Joy, in that sense, is a uniquely Christ-centered response that rises up in us and produces emotion that can range from ecstatic jubilance to reverent calmness.

As lovers of the Lord Jesus, we respond to His presence and the gift of His loving sacrifice in different ways. Joy, at least for me, is more an inner realization that God has gifted me in unique and extraordinary ways, as He does every one of His children, that result in varied responses contingent upon where I am in my walk with Him and what else is going on in my life.

Think of the first time you understood Jesus hung on the Cross for you. Remember the moment you yielded your life and allegiance to Him. Being unchurched and ignorant of the Bible’s teachings, when I knelt before Him in contrition and humble acknowledgement that I was a sinner in need of His forgiveness and grace, the joy of His response resulted in almost uncontrollable crying. When I rose to my feet, I literally felt lighter, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders.

In retrospect, as I remember how powerfully the Lord touched my heart and life, I can more easily understand why the women who discovered the empty tomb were both frightened and filled with great joy. Any time we’re offered a glimpse into a miracle, it brings fearful emotions, as well it should. Fear isn’t necessarily a negative emotion.

Reverence in the presence of God and His holy activity, on some levels MUST give rise to fear as we ponder our appropriate response. To be disrespectful inasmuch as we downplay or underestimate what God is doing or has done, cheapens and lessons the impact and value of not only what He’s done, but who His is. Perhaps that’s the very reason Jesus taught His disciples and us to always enter prayer with addressing our heavenly Father with honor and reverence.

“Hallowed by Your name” is an instruction that alerts us and should make us mindful that we’re not chumming with our buds but bowing our heart and life before the Master Designer and Creator of all that is, both seen and unseen. This is the glorious God of the Bible, given visibility in and through His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus.

Joy is the feeling we have when having been adrift in the ocean for a day and night, the rescue helicopter hovers over us, and our “savior-rescuer” lowers himself into the water and places ropes around us to lift us to safety. Delight is resting in the security of knowing our nightmare has ended and we’re finally on our way home.

In this season of my life the joy of God’s presence is sometimes almost overwhelming. His closeness to me is comforting and satisfying like nothing else I’ve ever experienced in my 75 years on this planet. My delight in being His child, I pray, is evidenced in the priority I give Him in my life, in my marriage, in what I write in these posts, how I treat my family, friends, and neighbors, how I serve Him through the ministry of my local church family, in the investment of my time and resources, and in the deep longing He’s given me to see everyone in my spheres of influence come to know, love, and serve Him as He deserves.

The longer I walk with my Savior the more easily joy is given rise in my spirit, resulting in deep and satisfying delight in His love for me and my love for Him. May you experience joy and delight in your walk with Jesus in this new year in ways you’ve never experienced before.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Failure and Fullness

“From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” (John 1:16 NLT)

Failure, like so many areas and activities of our lives, is relative. Some, unfamiliar with the truth behind Jesus’ sacrifice, would dare say He was a failure. After all, a bright, young, Rabbi got Himself murdered on a cross at age 33. “What a waste!” some would conclude. Yet, Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross led to His greatest triumph on Easter Sunday morning.

In our more lucid moments, we’ll often be forced to admit that our most valuable life-lessons were learned in the wake of failure. I could fill a lot of pages listing all of my failures, but the truth is, much of what I write has been learned by the Holy Spirit’s instruction as a result of the times I’ve fallen or failed.

Henry Ford said: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

Two pictures come to mind when I think of failure. One is found in John 18 that records the three times Peter denied that he even knew Jesus. The second is found in Matthew 26 which records Judas’ betrayal of Jesus with a kiss.

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Abraham Lincoln said: “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” The reality is, we’ve all failed, not only in the course of life, but, if we profess faith in the Risen One, we’ve all failed Him. It’s called sin, and, according to Scripture, we’ve all “been there, done that.” It’s never a question of “if we sin,” it’s only a matter of how often and how we respond.

That Peter and Judas sinned is no surprise to anyone. How they sinned is what raises the hair on the back of our necks. And, sadly, it’s not uncommon for us to say or think: “How could they? Why, I’d never…!” But if you’ll remember, that’s what each of the disciples said prior to Jesus’ execution (Matthew 26:35).

Failure can lead to despair, depression, and self-execution, either by a rope, as Judas chose, or by our continued inability to believe Christ could/would forgive us. Rather than confess our sin and receive forgiveness and the fulness of the Spirit’s indwelling, we wallow in our failure and nullify any good that Christ might have gained through us.

Einstein said: “Success is failure in progress.” Whatever measure of sensitivity to the Lord’s leading we have will largely depend on how quickly and truthfully, we confess our failure and turn from it. If our confession of sin simply seeks to put a Band-Aid on the cancer of our addiction to sin, not much is going to change in our life.

It’s not until, like Peter, we go out and weep bitterly, not because we were “caught” in our sin, but because we realize the deep, deep debt of gratitude we owe the Lord for giving us another opportunity to get it right. It’s no accident that Peter became the preeminent leader of the early church. It wasn’t his greatness as a man or even as a leader, it was his willingness to repent and turn from his failure, relying solely on the fullness only Jesus could provide.

How about you? Like Judas, will you give Satan the upper hand and allow him to rob you of your “life?” Hopefully, you won’t literally take your life, but if you’re not intentional in pursuing forgiveness and fullness in Christ, you run the risk of becoming simply another religious robot, going through the motions of religiosity. Your concern will focus more on how others view you than how Jesus views the people in your spheres of influence who are lost, heading for a Christless eternity.

Choose, rather, to respond like Peter, seeking Christ, not only for forgiveness, which is vital, but allowing Him to make you more effective for Him than you ever dared dream you could be. You and I are only as effective as our willingness to confess our sin and believe in His limitless Lordship to fill, empower, and enable us to overcome our sin, doubt, and fear, and move forward in the power and anointing of His Holy Presence with us.

Failure or fullness? Which will you choose? Remembering, it’s a choice we are continually making.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Pain and Suffering (Part 2)

“The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.” (Matthew 13:38 NLT)

In yesterday’s post we looked at pain and suffering from the standpoint of our own responsibility. We considered that much of what we often tend to think of as “pain and suffering,” is brought about by our own negligence or disobedience to the clear instructions of Scripture. Admittedly, especially if we come to Christ late in life, much of our pain and suffering is the result of reckless living, the “logical consequences” of a life devoted to sin. However, there are circumstances, accidents, diseases, offenses committed against us over which we have little or no control or responsibility, from which we suffer greatly. Where is God in these?

In the verse above, from the parable of the Wheat and Weeds in Matthew 13, Jesus explains that the farmer planted good seed, which, according to Jesus’ explanation of the parable, were people who belong to the Kingdom of God, but the “weeds” were people who belong to the evil one. From the very beginning, God has given mankind the gift of choice.

In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve exercised their free will to choose to disobey God’s clear instructions. The result of their sin was a world of evil out of control, so much so the Lord regretted creating them, and chose to cover the earth with water, killing every human being except those He allowed to enter the Ark.

Fast forward to 2023 and you see a growing population dominated by evil the likes of which the world has never seen. Jesus said in Luke 17:26-27: “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.” Everyone was so busy carrying on life as usual they had no time or interest in what God was doing. What’s my point?

When sin is rampant good people, yes, even people of God, including children, handicapped, mentally challenged, and others who can’t care for themselves, are going to be neglected and hurt. Is that to imply that God has lost control? Certainly not! But God’s hands and feet on earth are His Church, His people, but the ever-increasing need is so great, and the world population is expanding so quickly there is unprecedented need.

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It’s heart-breaking to see all the suffering in the world today, but it’s not that God is turning a deaf ear. Every day there are those who are answering His call to go to “the uttermost parts of the world,” for evangelism certainly, but many are seeking to bring clean water, medical help, education, and training. There are those who are going to the impoverished of the world to teach them how to grow their own food; to establish means of generating income through small businesses; and in other ways being the visible hands and feet of Jesus.

But what compounds the suffering and pain of many is the blatant evil that is rampant in our world. It’s estimated that nearly a million young people are kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery every year in America alone. Multiply that by the number of people who are slaves to alcohol and drugs and you have a world that makes Sodom and Gomorrah look like a 1960’s Disney movie.

God is our only hope! He opened a way to know and love Him and become a part of the solution rather than continue as part of the problem. If Satan can keep people’s minds filled with darkness, blaming God for what He gave His only Son to address, the world will only get darker.

We must, as God’s children, live fully committed, no-holds barred for Jesus. We are God’s answer to the needs of mankind. We have the Good News that can change people’s hearts and lives. We have the powerful Holy Spirit who can work miracles and change this world for good, one person at a time, but we must take our lives in Christ more seriously. We must make prayer the priority in our lives that it has to be.

God isn’t slack, but neither will He do for us what He’s commissioned us to do. We must seek first His Kingdom being diligent in carrying out our Father’s Business. This is no time to be lazy or negligent when it comes to our walk with the Lord. It’s a time to commit everything we are to everything He is. The salvation of the people in our spheres of influence are depending on it! Why is that so important? Because there is no greater pain than not knowing Jesus!

Holy Father help us!

Blessings, Ed

Pain and Suffering

“What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position ‘a little lower than the angels’; and because He suffered death for us, He is now ‘crowned with glory and honor.’ Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9 NLT)

Pain and suffering are the common denominators of each member of the human family. Just because we put our faith in Jesus and serve Him conscientiously, doesn’t exempt us from what Jesus referred to as troubles or tribulation. The issue isn’t whether we’ll suffer or have pain, the only issue is when and to what degree.

Rushing to Jesus in an effort to be delivered from the hardships of life is a little bit like spending all your money on Christmas presents, then crying out to the Lord because you can’t make your normal monthly expenses. It’s not that He doesn’t care or isn’t with us, it’s that He isn’t, as a rule, going to bail us out of a jam we’ve put ourselves into.

You’ve likely heard the adage: “the two happiest moments in a person’s life are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it.” For me it wasn’t a boat, it was a car, but the point is the same. I had no business leasing the car, I had too many other places that money needed to go. But I made the deal and loved the car, until I quickly realized I’d been a fool to get it.

We’re like that in life. We ignore the clear instructions of the Lord by bypassing reading and studying God’s Word, forfeiting our “God-time,” missing church and/or our small group meetings, neglecting serving with our brothers/sisters in Christ, then wonder why we have no heart for Christ or the things of the Spirit.

When my children were small, I read a book by Rudolf Dreikurs entitled Children: The Challenge. The main idea I gleaned from that book was the issue of “logical consequences.” It was masterfully written and made a lot of sense, especially as it related to the relationships between parents and children. But on many levels, it can apply to our relationship with our heavenly Father.

For example, when children are first learning to handle things, like toys or food, they notoriously toss whatever they get in their hands onto the floor, then start crying because we don’t pick it up for them fast enough. Dreikurs essentially said: “Let them cry.” Why? Because they have to learn that the logical consequence of throwing something onto the floor is you no longer have it in your hand.

In a similar way, God allows us to suffer the logical consequences of our own misbehavior. We smoke until our lungs are destroyed or drink or drug until our bodies are ruined. We defy God’s Word ignoring His clear instruction regarding purity and holiness of life, then wonder why we worry or fret about every detail of our life.

Much of our “suffering and pain” are the results of our own disobedience to God’s clear instruction. Yes, of course, He forgives us when we repent and turn from those things, but He seldom, if ever, frees us from suffering the logical consequences of our sin. However, that being said, there are times when we suffer and it’s no fault of our own.

I think of the suffering of Job, in the Bible and millions of people who live in deplorable conditions, including children who are faultless, yet suffer in immeasurable ways. Does God not care? Can He not address those vast needs?

Let’s look at these things more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The “Couples” of the Bible

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT)

As we begin a new year, I’d like to point our attention to several “couples” in the Bible. No, these aren’t literal married couples, rather couples of words that often go together in Scripture. Words like “faith and persistence,” “pain and suffering,” “failure and fullness,” and so forth.

Today we’ll look at the first couple, faith, and persistence. It’s worth noting that the above verse from Ephesians, follows Paul’s instruction on the whole armor of God, which he begins in Ephesians 6:10 by saying: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” In our walk with Jesus there is no strength but God’s strength; there is no “mighty power” except it’s given us from God.

The purpose of God’s armor isn’t simply to protect us from attacks from without, but to be a constant reminder of our need to be ever aware of the disciplines and attitudes that emanate from within. Most of our obedient walk with Jesus begins with a decision, not made once for all time, but renewed day after day as we continually remind ourselves of whose we are and why we entered this fight of faith in the first place.

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Faith is the foundation of our journey with Jesus. In Hebrews 11:6 we read: “And it is impossible to please God without faith.” Faith is the fundamental conviction upon which the structure of our commitment to Christ is built. But as vitally important as faith is, it’s valueless unless and until it’s given visibility through our persistent efforts to make much of Jesus, while making less and less of ourselves.

Rick Warren made an interesting observation when he wrote: “Moses realized this important truth: You can only accomplish the impossible when you see the invisible.” Jesus reinforced this idea in Matthew 19:25-26 where we read: “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 with God everything is possible.’”

We’ll struggle understanding salvation and how to walk faithfully in it unless and until we understand that humanly speaking it is impossible. That’s why it’s so critical that we walk by faith and not by sight. Until by faith we see that Jesus is God in human flesh who laid down His life for our sin, rose from the dead, and ascended back to the Father to continually bear intercession for us, His followers, we’ll wrongly believe we’re responsible to walk in our own strength.

Yes, of course, faith must be matched by persistence and perseverance, but again, those efforts aren’t our attempts to take things into our own hands and live out our faith in the flesh. We persistently seek to magnify Jesus in the energy of the Spirit who resides in us. We persevere in exalting Jesus in everything we think, say, or do through the power of the Spirit as we yield more and more of who we are to the Spirit of Christ who indwells us.

Rick Warren said it this way: “God will give you strength to persevere. He’ll give you the power to keep working on the marriage that seems hopeless. He will give you the power to pick yourself up when you’ve fallen. He can give you the power to keep going when you’re on the edge of bankruptcy. He’ll give you the power to keep your convictions when all the pressure around you says to give in. The key to faith is to be persistent. Keep your eyes on God, not on your problem. God’s power to keep going is always there for you. You just need to ask him for it.”

Our part is faith. His part is to fill and empower us to persist in that faith until He calls us home.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Your Days Are Written In God’s Book

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God, how vast is the sum of them.” (Psalm 139:16-17)

*As we begin this new year I thought it would be helpful to get a renewed view of how God sees you. Read slowly and deliberately these words by Sylvia Gunter, letting them sink deep into your heart and mind. May 2023 be your best year ever in your walk with Jesus. Blessings, Ed (this article is used with permission)

God nurtured you in the womb, and since your conception He has watched over you. Your days were not written haphazardly. Your life is not a random thing. His thoughts of you are precious and too vast to count. He thinks of you continuously and of new ways that He can bless you, just because you are His special child. He has written the script of your life. He chose every part of it. He is looking forward to reveal the chapters to the story He has already written.

God thought through all the details – your siblings, your birth order, large family or small family, city family or rural. He foresaw your pain, too. He knew that out of that brokenness comes a larger story, just like when Jesus took the loaves, and He blessed them, then He broke them, then He multiplied them to feed many. Because of His love, His power, and His blessing on you, He causes all the pain and negative things to be transformed into good things in His story for your life. So take courage. God has given you everything you need to be an overcomer, to have victory over the negative parts of your heritage, and to live in the beauty of all that He placed within you.

In God’s master plan and design He chose and designed every part of your spiritual heritage. He reached back into generations past and chose different parts of your heritage. Your generational blessings go back a thousand generations (Deut 7:9). He chose the spiritual treasure chest of generational blessings that is set aside with your name on it. You are blessed to be an heir to this spiritual treasure. Seek God for it and ask Him to release it at His appointed appropriate time.

Love is who God is and what He does. He says of you, “You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” That’s what He said of Jesus, and you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you. You are beloved. That is your incarnate identity. He pours out His loving kindness on you every day in big ways and little ways. Be blessed to receive your belonging and worth in His love. Be blessed as God’s love validates and affirms that you are special, His covenant child. God thinks you are the best. Be blessed to celebrate your identity and legitimacy. Today be aware of your belonging, inclusion, significance, and worth in Him.

Be blessed in the name of your Father who has carried you until you reached this place (Deut 1:31).

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

Are You Ready?

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His left…And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-33, 46)

I recently received a copy of the following poem by an unknown author. May it stir your heart as it did mine, to the reality of the brevity of life, and the finality of death apart from Jesus. Blessings, Ed

‘Twas the Night Before Jesus Came

‘Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house

Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care

In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,

Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.

And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap

Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I few like a flash

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.

With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray

I knew in a moment this must be The Day!

The light of His face made me cover my head

It was Jesus! Returning just like He had said.

And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth

I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand

Was written the name of every saved man.

He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;

When He said “It’s not here” my head hung in shame!

The people whose names had been written with love

He gathered to take to His Father above.

With those who were ready He rose without a sound

While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;

I had waited too long and this sealed my fate.

I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;

Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;

The coming of Jesus is drawing near.

There’s only one life and when comes the last call

We’ll find that the Bible was true after ALL!

A Suitable Response (Part 2)

“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6 NLT)

What you think about comes about! Sinfulness or holiness are attitudes of the heart developed over time as we learn to allow the Holy Spirit to harness our thought-life. Having walked with the Lord for many years, I’ve learned a few things that have helped me deal with my sin.

The closer I get to Jesus the more abhorrent my sin becomes. The more beautiful He becomes, the less attractive sin is. The closer I am to the Lord, the more natural it becomes to fill my mind with thoughts of Him.

On some levels it’s like falling in love. I’ve told you before that when my wife and I first met I literally couldn’t stop thinking about her. Over time that changed, but ironically, the longer we’re together, the more I think of her and love being with her.

It’s similar in our walk with Jesus. At first, He’s all we think about. We’re so hungry for the things of God we hardly give sin a thought. It’s like we’re walking a few inches off the ground. But over time Satan plants seeds of doubt, discouragement, and despair in our mind that trouble us and redirect our thoughts to worry and frustration. Before long we struggle to pray or read God’s Word at all.

Temptation becomes our constant companion, so we’re so busy fighting with the enemy we hardly have a thought of the Lord. It’s ironic that one of Satan’s tactics is to keep our minds so focused, either on our present problems or our past victories, we rarely allow our mind to think of future victories or successes. Why is that?

What we think about comes about! Satan knows if he can keep anything but God in your consciousness, that’s what will harness your life. If all we can think about is how bad things are, guess what, they’re only going to get worse. Faithfulness requires discipline. That’s why it’s so crucial to develop godly disciplines like reading the Bible, praying throughout the day, attending a Christ-centered, Bible-teaching church, being a part of a small group who loves Jesus and each other, and having a regular avenue of focused service for the Lord.

The only suitable response to Satan’s activity in and through temptation is complete dependence on the Holy Spirit to teach us how to respond, primarily by submitting ourselves to the Spirit’s control. If we understand our need for the armor of God, as outlined in Ephesians 6, and we faithfully wear the protection God has provided, we’ll begin to recognize and deflect the attacks of the devil.

As Pastor Tony Evans explains in his teaching on the Helmet of Salvation, sin has built-in consequences. We so often convince ourselves that what we’re doing or about to do isn’t really “sin,” that I’m really not hurting anyone but myself. Or we con ourselves into believing – “It won’t really matter because God will forgive me anyway.” When in fact the sin itself is laden with unavoidable consequences, that while, yes, God will forgive us if we sincerely repent and turn from our sin, the lingering effects of our sin can cripple our effectiveness and dull our senses to future attacks.

The fact is, the only suitable response to temptation, in whatever form, is to run! Run to Jesus in prayer! Run to a faithful brother/sister who loves Jesus and with whom you can share honestly. Run to a quiet place and pour out your heart to your heavenly Father, seeking His refuge and loving presence.

In this season of my life, I want nothing more or nothing less than everything God has for me. Like David in Psalm 34:8, I’ve tasted for myself and have seen that the Lord is good. He has everything we will ever need to satisfy every desire we will ever have. We just have to trust Him.

Blessings, Ed 😊