Walking With Jesus

Was It Your Fault?

“Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.” (Romans 14:12-13 NLT)

If you’ve ever been in an auto accident, among the first things that the police and your insurance company want to establish is who was at fault. Unfortunately, we too often carry that mentality into our relational “accidents.” A spouse is unfaithful, a teen gets pregnant out of wedlock, an account is short at work, someone takes their own life – the list is virtually endless of ways that unfortunate things happen in our lives.

Paul reminds us in the verses above that we will all one day stand before the Lord to give an account of OUR lives, no one else’s! There will be no: “they made me…” or “I didn’t know…” or “You can’t blame ME for that…” The Lord has perfect insight and understanding of everything we do, say, or think. There’s no putting anything past Him, and, gratefully, He is a perfect Father who judges accurately, redemptively, compassionately, and fairly.

It’s interesting to me to notice that the preceding verse to the ones above is a quote from Isaiah 49:18 that says: “’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to Me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”

When we die we’ll all see as we’ve been seen. We’ll all understand perfectly what we did wrong and why. No one will argue with God that He’s unfair or “if you’d only been there…” He WAS there and He not only saw everything that happened, He understands without error exactly why you did what you did.

My mom was an alcoholic when I was a child. I can’t count the number of times I heard her say to me and others: “Well, if you’re going to accuse me of drinking, I might as well do it.” She needed no accusation, but in some twisted way, maybe she felt more justified in her addiction to believe someone else was “causing” it.

We all have an addiction to sin that only Jesus can cure, but healing can only come when we’re willing to face the fact that the only one driving that addiction is us – ME! No one is making anyone be unfaithful to what they know is true. Can someone else contribute to our decisions? Satan will certainly do his best to use anyone he can to tempt us to sin, but in the end, it’s nobody’s fault but our own.

It’s not unusual for us to blame someone else for things we do: “You MADE me drink, drug, look at porn, be unfaithful, nag, drive too fast, ___________ “ and you can fill in the blank. But the bottom line is we choose to do what we do. And I can almost hear someone saying: “Yeh, but I saw this episode of Blue Bloods and this guy was going to kill the guy’s family if he didn’t _________.”

Okay, but ultimately, it’s still the person’s decision what they’re going to do, and, fortunately, 99.9% of the time no one’s holding a gun to our head. It’s all me and I’m the one who will stand before God to give an account of it.

One more thing. I’ve made some very bad decisions that contributed to the bad decisions of others. Did I make them do what they did? Not literally, but if I hadn’t done what I did, they likely wouldn’t have done what they did. Will they give an account to God for their behavior? Yes, they will. But my point is, please consider the consequences of your choices for others before you do something you may regret.

Hopefully, someone will come to you when you get to heaven shouting “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” And with a hug and a huge smile say: “Because of you I gave my life to Jesus – and it’s all your fault!”

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Only Question You Need To Ask

“’To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?’ asks the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:25 NLT)

*The world in which we live can be confusing and discouraging. The essential element of maintaining peace and harmony in our own spirit is keeping our focus on the one true God of the Bible. Sylvia Gunter has given us a reminder of how we can do that. This is a “keeper” that I wanted to share. Enjoy! Blessings, Ed. 😊 (used with permission)

The daily news can sound rather hopeless. There are wars and rumors of wars, global warming, a failed economy, personal financial ruin, the pandemic, and the list could go on. For some it is not the big global issues that have struck your heart with fear. It is the family member facing a debilitating disease, the broken relationship that seems irreconcilable, or the problem that seems too big to handle.

Our circumstances can lead us to ask a lot of “Why?” “How?” and “What if?” questions. All of our questions are answered in the most important question, the “Who” question.

Who is a God like you, O sovereign Lord?

“You have begun to show to Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works You do?” (Deu 3:24)

There is none like the God of Israel.

“You ride on the heavens to help us and on the clouds in Your majesty. You are the eternal God, our refuge, and underneath are Your everlasting arms. You will drive out our enemy before us. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is Your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like You.” (Deu 33:26-27, Jer 10:6-7)

Who is a God like you?

“My whole being exclaims, “Who is like You, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” (Ps 35:10)

There is none other like you,

“…O Lord, God of lsrael, in heaven above or on earth below. You keep Your covenant of love with Your servants who continue wholeheartedly in Your way. You have kept Your promise. With Your mouth You have promised and with Your hand You have fulfilled it.” (1 Kings 8:23-24)

Who, O God, is like you?

“Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?” (Ps 71:19, 77:13)

There is none like you, O Lord.

“No deeds can compare with Yours. For You are great and do marvelous deeds, You alone are God. You put to death and You bring to life, You have wounded and You will heal, and no one can deliver from Your hand.” (Psa 86:8,10; Deu 32:39)

As the swirl of your life feels like it is going to overcome you, take a moment to gaze into the night sky and enjoy the stars in their full splendor. God is so mighty that He spoke this vast universe into existence. At the same time He is so intimate that He calls each star by name and not one of them is missing. How much more so does He care about us and what concerns us today?

Hear Him speak tenderly to your heart.

Who is a God like me? says the Holy One.

“To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal? Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? I bring out the starry host one by one and call them each by name. Because of My great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isa 40:25-26)

I AM God and there is no other.

“I AM God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isa 46:9-10)

The Brightness of Your Shining Life

“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)

In a recent Ron Hutchcraft devotion, he wrote: “You now can tour the retired Lightship Nantucket. But before the development of modern navigational technology, the work of that ship actually saved a lot of lives. See, there are deadly shoals that extend south of Nantucket, and the main shipping lanes to New York City run right along the outer edge in what’s called the Ambrose Channel. Now, for many decades, the Lightship Nantucket was stationed at the eastern approach to the channel – at what was called the ‘Times Square of the Atlantic.’ Well, she dared not leave her position there – because all ship navigation was fixed on that lightship. If the lightship moved, every ship would follow her – possibly to disaster.”

Do you realize there are “deadly shoals” in your neighborhood, your workplace, your church, yes, even in your home. Satan is no respecter of anything but himself and he will create obstacles to anyone he can, anyplace he possibly can, especially in your own heart and life. Think of those shoals as temptations that lure you, hoping to cause you to crash on the rocks beneath the current that aren’t even visible to the untrained eye.

Notice a couple of things about the words of Jesus in the above verses. He begins with broad strokes, covering the city in which we live, work, worship, shop, etc. Then He gets more personal and speaks of the lamp that brightens and illuminates our house. Lastly, He moves to everyone in our spheres of influence.

A couple of things are assumed here. First, your life has a much greater audience than you realize. You never really know who might be watching your life. I was shooting some hoops at a local recreation area near where I lived when I was in high school. I noticed a guy standing at the fence surrounding the courts watching me. I hadn’t been a believer very long, but our school was relatively small, so at some point he must have heard that I had become a Jesus follower.

As I left the court and passed where he was standing he said to me: “I’m watching you.” He wasn’t threatening me or trying to hassle me, he was simply making an observation, which I took to mean, he was watching to see if anything was really going to change in my life.

People whose names you don’t even know, as well as many whose names you do know, are watching you. A part of them wants you to fall, to fail, to give them an excuse to fail. But many more are watching, rooting for you, praying for you, asking the Lord to steady your feet and keep you on course.

Too often we forget how much influence we have on another person, especially someone who knows us well. They may not say anything, they may not give you any indication that they’re watching your life or even care that you stay strong for Jesus, but they are and they do.

Like the Lightship Nantucket whose Captain dared not let it drift, knowing even drifting a little could risk the lives of many, please don’t allow your life to drift. Please don’t allow Satan to fool you into believing you can relax your morals, risk your purity, ignore your disciplines. The light of your life is guiding others, illuminating the face of Jesus, guiding them on their path to learn who He is and why it’s so important to stay close to Him.

You may be the only person someone knows who is following Jesus. Stay anchored in Him and never stop allowing the Holy Spirit to use the brightness of your life to point others to Him!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Whose Voice Is the Loudest?

“Look at My Servant, whom I have chosen. He is My Beloved, who pleases Me. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally, He will cause justice to be victorious. And His name will be the hope of all the world.” (Matthew 12:18-21 NLT)

The above verses are the words of God spoken to Isaiah (42:1-4) regarding His Son, the Lord Jesus, hundreds of years before Jesus was born on earth. Why are they so important? For many reasons, not the least of which was Jesus wasn’t coming to roll over people and demand His own way. Quite to the contrary, He was coming quietly and would live a very unassuming life.

Jesus was a carpenter, likely a trade His earthly father taught Him, but even when He began His public ministry, He went about it in a way that wouldn’t draw a lot of attention to Himself. Yes, of course, once He began to heal and help people, He struggled to find a private spot to go when He wanted to be alone. But His plan wasn’t to make much of Himself, but of His heavenly Father.

Jesus wasn’t a loud boisterous person who demanded people’s attention. He said of Himself in Matthew 29:11: “Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” When speaking to large crowds, I suspect they had to be quiet and very attentive to be able to hear His words. That hasn’t changed for us today.

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com

Every day in numerous ways, voices cry out to us. It may be the literal cry of our infant child, or our heartbroken teen, or an angry boss, of a needy neighbor or friend. It may be the noise of traffic or the sounds of workers in our neighborhood. These “voices” can come from many sources, but Satan’s design for all of them is the same – to drown out the still, quiet voice of God.

A good friend, who happens to be one of my Pastors, said in a gathering I attended: “Remove the noise so God’s voice is the loudest.” Think about that for a minute. What is implicit in that directive? First, we have to desire to hear God’s voice; otherwise, why make the effort.

But isn’t that the point? We want to make the effort to hear God’s voice, but why? Because we believe whatever God has to say is worth hearing. Additionally, God’s voice won’t usually be the loudest, so it’s easy to miss what He’s saying if we’re not attentive. So, how do we quiet the voices vying for our attention?

We do what Jesus did, we separate ourselves to a quiet place. Finding that place may be a chore for you, especially if you have small children, but I will guarantee you it will be worth the effort. The reality is, we likely won’t be nearly as in demand as Jesus in the prime of His ministry, but He found a way to spend time with His Father, and so can we.

Every day each of us has 96 15-minute segments of time. Surely we can squeeze 15 minutes a day – only 1 of those 96 segments of time – to read God’s Word and listen to His voice! It’s less than 2% of your day. Yes, of course, Satan is going to battle you for every second you spend with God, but over time, it will get easier and the dividends you’re paid for your effort will increase.

I’m learning to listen to His voice and share my thoughts with Him in almost any environment. In a doctor’s waiting room, while driving (I don’t bow my head and close my eyes 😊), as I walk my pups, between people coming to church as I greet, while I’m eating (if I’m eating alone), showering, shaving, the list is almost endless of ways you can carve out time to speak to and listen to the Lord.

You just have to want His voice to be the loudest.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Most Loving Thing We Can Ever Do

“Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT)

One of the most frightening, yet, most satisfying things I’ve done and do, is to share my faith with someone I don’t know well or may have just met. It’s frightening because a person’s soul may be on the proverbial line, and it’s satisfying when they open their heart and mind to Jesus. In the churches I served, one vital component of my tenure as pastor was pouring what I know about sharing my faith into others who were hungry to learn.

In a recent Turning Point devotional David Jeremiah shared these statistics: “According to a Lifeway Research survey, 66 percent of Christians ‘are not familiar with any “methods for telling others about Jesus.”’ Additionally, 70 percent of the Christians interviewed ‘have not shared with a stranger how to become a Christian in the past six months.’ John Sorensen, president of Evangelism Explosion, said, ‘Now, perhaps more than ever, people are open to conversations about faith, yet this study reveals few Christians actually take the opportunity to engage in personal evangelism.’”

Evangelism Explosion is the training I took and used to train people in my church. During the training we would split up and go into neighborhoods, knocking on doors, and sharing with anyone who would listen. In one training event I attended we were sent into a neighborhood where there’d been a number of break-ins and robberies, so we thought we’d be wasting our time. But I was amazed at the number of people who not only opened their doors but invited us in to hear the Good News we were eager to share.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It can be intimidating to share when you don’t feel confident in what to share, but another common fear is that someone will ask you a question to which you’re not trained to answer, or they’ll become confrontational or argumentative. In more than 50 years of sharing my faith, I’ve never had either of those things happen, and it’s not because I’m so smart or well versed. It’s simply because God has chosen the person with whom we share before He chose us to share with them.

Yes, of course, people ask questions, we want them to; otherwise, we can’t tailor our presentation to their need. And yes, I’ve been asked questions I didn’t have an answer for, but I felt quite comfortable saying to them: “That’s a great question, one for which I don’t have an adequate answer. So, how about you do some research, and I’ll do some research and let’s meet in a week to share what we find out.”

Something else we too often allow Satan to magnify in our mind is that it’s about what we know, but that’s focusing on the wrong thing. Yes, we should have a track to run on, but sometimes our “track” is interrupted, and we have to be flexible. In those times it’s critical that we realize the bottom line isn’t “what” we know, it’s “Who” we know. I’ve grown quite confident that whenever I’m led in a direction that causes me to shift my planned outline, the Holy Spirit will guide me in how I need to respond.

The most comforting and encouraging aspects of sharing our faith with someone is realizing that God is using us to help someone understand, not only how to prepare for heaven, but how to have a growing, intimate relationship with the King of the universe. Explaining to someone the great news of who Jesus is and what He accomplished on our behalf, isn’t about “hell insurance.” It’s about knowing, loving, serving, and walking faithfully with the One who literally sacrificed His life in our place. Why did He make such a sacrifice? To open to us the opportunity to walk with Him in life’s pathways, assuring us that we’ll never walk alone.

That’s the most loving thing we can ever do for anyone. Please don’t deprive yourself of any opportunity He gives you to offer that tremendous gift to someone who needs to hear it.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Thirst Only Jesus Can Satisfy

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.” (Psalm 114:7-8 ESV)

Thirst is a fickle friend who offers us periods of desperate longing, but at other times is pretty much MIA. Think of the person lost in the desert with an empty canteen who is literally dying of thirst. Or the marathon runner whose body is in near constant need of refreshing. Or the poolside sun bather whose ice in their nearby drink is melting as it sits without notice.

Which “picture” is representative of your “thirst” for Jesus. Do you find yourself continually longing to “drink” of His holy presence? Or are you among those who claim to be following Jesus, yet can cruise through life for days with hardly a thought of Him? Then the screeching of tires and the breaking of glass suddenly opens the heart and mind to His much longed for and needed presence. Or the doctor’s report is bad, so, once again we become very “thirsty” for His nearness.

Jesus said, in a conversation with a Samaritan woman who had come to draw water from Jacob’s well: “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Jesus is the living water, apart from whom we will never enjoy His refreshing, life-giving presence, in this life or the life to come.

“Tremble O Earth” “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

As human beings we have many allures, in terms of the numbers of things that create in us a “thirst.” The woman at the well had an obvious thirst for love, acceptance, affirmation, and a sense of belonging, that led her in and out of many relationships with men, but resulted in her continued thirst. For many today it’s sex, drugs, alcohol, money, success, acceptance, companionship, love, and many more things for which we “thirst,” believing in that person or thing we’ll find the satisfaction that will last, but it never does. Why?

Because we’re eternal beings, created by God to thirst for Him. He alone is the One who can ultimately satisfy the longings of our heart, the “thirsts” of our soul. We search in vain to find an eternal answer in temporal things. Nothing this world could ever offer can compare with knowing, loving, serving, and enjoying Jesus as Savior, Lord, and eternal Friend.

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more thirsty I become for His satisfying presence. A person who professes faith in Jesus but has no longing for His closeness is a contradiction. To love Him is to desire to know Him. Paul said it well in Philippians 3:7-9a: “I once thought these things (the things the world offers) were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him.”

What is that for which you most “thirst?” If it’s anything but Jesus it will never satisfy long-term. I pray your heart, mind, soul, and body longs for intimacy with Jesus. That’s what it means to “know” Him. When Paul says in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ…” it’s the same word that is used in Genesis 4:1 when it says: “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain…”

It depicts the closeness, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually that nothing but God through Christ can satisfy. It’s a deep longing that doesn’t waver or evaporate when Satan parades the trinkets of this world. Why? Because we have the Treasure of infinite worth when we drink from the fountain of eternal life only Jesus can give.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Glory of Garbage

“For the Lord is high above the nations; His glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of His own people! (Psalm 113:3-8 NLT)

Have you ever felt like rotting garbage? Has the stench of your sin ever made you want to literally throw up? Mine has, and I’m grateful the Lord allowed me to experience that miserable feeling. Why? Because, ironically, it “cleared the air” of my heart and mind to enable me to see Him and understand my need of Him more clearly.

The old adage is usually true: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” One of the major ministries of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate our sin. Why? Because if we don’t know it’s an issue, we’ll make no effort to deal with it, or, more to the point, allow the Lord to work in and through us to deal with it.

Ron Hutchcraft wrote, in reference to King David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered: “He said, ‘As a result of that, God is going to make the garbage of my life into a ministry.’ Because he said, ‘I will teach transgressors Your ways and sinners will turn back to You.’ Now, there’s a pretty exciting concept to recognize that God can take the garbage of a sin-scarred life and convert it into credentials of His grace.”

Often, we think our sin signals our demise, and it certainly does without Jesus, but when we bring the “garbage” of our sin and place it at the feet of our all-powerful Savior, something miraculous takes place that only God can do – He redeems our life! In much the same way as Hosea bought back his harlot wife, Jesus “buys us back” from the clutches of the evil one, giving us opportunity to be better than we ever dared dream possible.

Have you sinned in ways you never thought you would? Have you hurt the ones you love the most, and now fear they won’t forgive you? Are you wanting to find a hole to hide your shame, guilt, and misery? Are you begging God just to take you home to Him so you don’t have to face the consequences of your horrible failure? Been there!

Guilt and shame are powerful tools in the hands of the enemy of our soul, but they’re the blocks upon which Jesus builds our new life of hope and promise if we’ll let Him. No, of course, He’s not just going to wave His proverbial “wand” and make it all go away. Sin has consequences and though we’re forgiven and given opportunity to walk in new ways, God rarely delivers us from sin’s hard consequences.

What does that mean? It means not everyone is just going to ignore your betrayal. It means it may cost you your family or job or both. It means you don’t crawl from the garbage dump without the stench of its effects. Yes, of course, Jesus forgives and forgets, but the people you hurt aren’t always going to do that, at least not very quickly.

My wife left and took our kids. I lost my source of income, my house, car, and many of the material possessions I had. In my mind I had nothing left, but the Lord informed me in no uncertain terms, I may have felt like I lost everything, but I hadn’t, because I hadn’t lost Him, and He was all I needed!

Regardless of how bleak things look in your world today, I assure you on the authority of God’s Word and on the basis of my own experience, it’s not the end unless you make it so. God’s open arms of love are waiting to receive you, forgive you, and walk with you into a new, bright, hope-filled future so good you’ll sometimes pinch yourself because you’ll think you’re dreaming.

Let the Lord take the garbage of your life and turn it into His glory – forgiving, restoring, equipping, and commissioning you to become more than you ever dared dream you could be. He did it for me and He’ll do it for you.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Joy of Cross-Bearing

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrew 12:2 NLT)

Have you ever done something you don’t like to do for the anticipated joy you’ll have when it’s completed? The first thing that came to my mind was running the sweeper and swiffering the floors. It takes me about two hours, and I’m beat by the time I’m done, but I love the big smile on my bride’s face and the warm hug she gives me when I’m done. Pleasing her brings me great joy.

On a much larger scale, I believe the joy submitting to the Cross brought to Jesus, was the anticipated smile on His Father’s face and the joy His Father would express to Jesus for a job well done. It wasn’t simply Jesus’ joy alone, but that of another who was more important to Him than His own life – His Father.

John Stonestreet wrote: “This is not unlike something Jesus alluded to when He said, in one breath, that we should ‘take up our cross’ to follow Him, and in the very next breath that He came to give us ‘complete joy.’ At first glance, these promises seem contradictory. They aren’t.’”

What brings you the greatest measure of joy? And please don’t misunderstand, joy is a lot different than happiness or pleasure. There are multiple ways to feel good or find satisfaction, even for a job well done. For some, doing their best and seeing the results of their completed work is joy in and of itself, and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not enough. It’s setting the bar far too low.

For those of us who have invested our lives in the work of the Kingdom of God, our greatest joy isn’t found in anything we do, except it’s done to the glory of the One we love more than we love our own life. That’s essentially what “Cross-bearing” is and means. Taking up our cross basically means to trade our will for God’s; to trade our life or His; to live for His honor and fame, not our own.

The greatest joy for a Jesus follower is never found in the work of our hands, except to the extent it’s done in the name of and for the glory of our Savior. Submission to the will of our heavenly Father is the means to a much greater end than mere personal satisfaction. It’s the gratitude we feel and the complete joy that floods our heart knowing that our lives have value and meaning that far outweigh the meager contribution we can make to life on this planet.

We have the privilege and opportunity to invest our whole being – heart, mind, soul, and body – in the eternal end of helping people find hope and life in Jesus – who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life!” (John 14:6). To live simply for wealth, prestige, position, power, or acclaim on the earth is like filling a huge swimming pool and calling it the ocean. If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny.

Perhaps John Piper said it best when he wrote: “The domestication of cross-bearing into coughs and cranky spouses takes the radical thrust out of Christ’s call. He is calling every believer to ‘renounce all that he has,’ to ‘hate his own life’ (Luke 14:33, 26), and to take the road of obedience joyfully, no matter the loss on this earth. Following Jesus means that wherever obedience requires it, we will accept betrayal and rejection and beating and mockery and crucifixion and death. Jesus gives us the assurance that if we will follow Him to Golgotha during all the Good Fridays of this life, we will also rise with Him on the last Easter Day of the resurrection. ‘Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35). ‘Whovever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life’ (John 12:25).”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When I Realized How Rich I Am

“The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” (Mark 4:18-19 NLT)

God’s plan and desire is that we live fruitful and productive lives to His honor and fame, not to ours. Yet, we live in a world whose bent is to desire more, whether we need it or not. Jim Daly (Focus on the Family) wrote: “Have you ever noticed that the more you have, the more you want – and that the never-ending grasp for things beyond your reach is not only making you miserable, but also hurting your relationships with the people closest to you?”

That was me for more years than I care to remember. Chasing the proverbial “American dream,” to get rich and live without care. It saddens me to think of all the people I neglected, especially in my own family, because of my insatiable appetite for “more.” But why? My rationale was “to give my family a better life” or “so that I might help more people.” But I believe the truth is, I just wanted to feel better about myself.

It took losing everything that mattered to me for me to realize how “rich” I already was. When my wife left and took the kids, I didn’t think about the nice house, new cars, or any other material possession. What haunted me were the walks we took together, tossing ball with my son, worshipping together and sharing meals – all the things that families do when they love Jesus and each other. How did I so easily lose sight of those important things?

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

It’s the same battle we all face, it just affects us in different ways. It’s called sin, and it rears it’s ugly head in all of us. So, what do we do about it? The answer that’s helped me is to cling to Jesus like a dying man clings to breath. Give Him the priority He deserves in our life. Allow His Spirit to enable us to discern the difference between what is transient and what really matters.

A good rule of thumb is – people are more important than things. For me, when I realized how “rich” I am, I began to cherish my closeness with Jesus, who in turn enabled me to see how much loving my wife and children brought pleasure and joy to my life. Worship is the highlight of my day, leading to a greater appreciation of my church family, especially the men in my Men’s Group, those with whom I serve at the church, and others the Lord has put in my life to allow Him to love through me.

In the article I read by Jim Daly he mentioned a couple of people who had deep regrets: “As he lay dying, the late Bob Marley, the famous Jamaican singer, reportedly said, ‘Money can’t buy life.’ The first Queen Elizabeth reportedly remarked on her deathbed, ‘All my possessions for a moment of time.’ “

Don’t wait until you or someone you dearly love is on your or their deathbed to realize what a privilege life is. If you have a spouse, children, relatives, a church family, neighbors – love them well! Pray each day for them and listen to the Lord as He prompts you to reach out to them. Visit, call, write, FaceTime, do whatever you can to help everyone in your spheres of influence know you love them and are grateful for the important role they have in your life.

Casting Crowns sings a beautiful song entitled Scars in Heaven. Please listen and let the Lord help you to realize just how rich you are. As for me. I’m going to go hold my wife and cherish the moments I have with her.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Reaching for the Things Money Can’t Buy?

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13 NLT)

What if everything you’d worked your whole life to attain was suddenly taken away? What if everything of material value was stolen, burned up, or somehow destroyed? How would you feel? Think of people to whom that has happened – because of storms, floods, or other natural disasters. What’s the lesson?

Notice in the above verses, Paul says two times “I have learned.” In verse 11 the term used means “to learn as in the sense of increasing one’s knowledge of something.” But in verse 12 it’s a different Greek word which means: “to initiate into the mysteries; to accustom one to a thing; to give one an intimate acquaintance with a thing.” (Strong’s) What are the implications?

We can learn a lot of things by reading or studying books, articles, etc., but there are some things we can only learn through experience. When Paul says he’s “learned the secret of living in every situation,” he’s revealing his heart. He’s dipping into the vastness of lessons learned on the road some have called “hard knocks.”

These are lessons no one can teach you. They’re the gems of truth you glean through suffering and heartache – the kinds of lessons no one would request, but would take nothing for the value of them once they’re learned.

Obviously, as you may have guessed by now, these are the lessons money can’t buy. These lessons are the ones Paul credits Christ for giving him the strength to endure. We too often tend to believe that the things I can do in the strength of Christ are defeating the “giants” with which we deal or overcoming a difficult habit or addiction. But while the Lord certainly will give us strength in those circumstances, the ones of which Paul speaks are the daily battles for our physical sustenance.

Going through my divorce, being literally penniless, wondering from day to day if I would eat at all, these are the “instructors” who taught me humility, appreciation, generosity, kindness, gratitude, and many more “lessons” I thought I’d learned, but didn’t have a clue. I’d had life handed to me on the proverbial “silver platter,” but didn’t realize it until my folks were gone and it was too late to express to them how much their sacrifices meant to me.

When I was maybe 11 or so, my dad took me squirrel hunting. I use those terms very loosely, because neither of us even saw a squirrel while we were “hunting,” but after hanging out in the woods for a few hours we headed back to the park where we started. My dad had brought breakfast food to make on the grill – eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.

While my dad was getting things together and fixing the food, I’d found another kid about my age, who came back with me to where my dad was fixing breakfast. Being the man my dad was, he asked my friend if he’d like to join us for breakfast, which he did. Then, after we’d eaten everything on our plates, my dad asked if we’d like some more. Which, of course, we did.

It never dawned on me for years, until I was an adult, that the reason my dad didn’t join us for breakfast was because he’d given us his share. He’d gone hungry so we could have more than enough. These are the lessons of which Paul was speaking. These are the lessons money can’t buy. These are the lessons that exhibit the character of Christ in concrete ways, in ways that will illustrate most vividly the Christ who gives us strength.

Blessings, Ed 😊