Walking With Jesus

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 😊

A Suitable Response

“When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.” (Romans 7:5 NLT)

Our response to temptation, which, though it isn’t sin, can lead to sin, is telltale evidence of the condition of our heart. Paul stated in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” What are wages? Wages are what we expect from our employer at the end of every pay cycle. Wages are what I’ve earned; what I deserve.

If sin is our “employer,” the “evil one” for whom we’re working, death is our wage. Every human being has a sinful nature, except Jesus. That’s why He had to be born of a virgin, He couldn’t be infected by our sinful human nature; thus, the reason He was born of the Spirit, not of the seed of a human father. Our natural “bent” is to sin. Given the flow of our normal desires, we’ll choose sin every time.

It takes a supernatural encounter with the Son of God, activated by His Spirit, to free us from our bondage to sin. Sin demands a death penalty. Someone must die for our sin. Us or Jesus. That’s essentially what hell is – our eternal effort to pay the penalty for our own sin. The problem is, we can NEVER pay what’s owed, that’s why hell is never ending.

So, once I receive God’s Spirit, upon my decision to repent, confess my need of Jesus, and believe in Him by placing my full trust in His completed work on the Cross, does that mean I’ll never sin again? No, but what it does mean is that you have a choice. Sinners sin, that’s the nature of the beast; however, once we’re born again of the Spirit of God we don’t have to sin.

John wrote in 1 John 2:1: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin.” That’s God’s will and desire, that we put sin behind us and live in the light, love, and power of His indwelling Spirit. The longer we serve the Lord, ideally, we will choose more often not to yield to our sinful nature but allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen and deliver us, enabling us to sin less and less.

John Piper wrote: “Many people weep at the consequences of sin who still love the sin.” We’re going to obey the desires of our heart, so, if my sin is more satisfying than obedience to my Savior, I won’t see sin as a problem, unless and until I begin to suffer the consequences of my sin.

What we often want is to have the proverbial “cake” and eat it too. We want Jesus to not only forgive our sin but deliver us from sin’s consequences. We want to drink and drug, have indiscriminate sex, rob, steal, kill, live like the devil, but pretend we’re a saint, and never suffer any ill effects from our blatant disobedience. But that’s not how God works.

Yes, of course, He loves us no matter what we do, to Him or anyone else, no matter how destructive our behavior becomes, to ourselves or others. Love is what nailed Him to the Cross. Love opened a way for us to be saved and delivered from the penalty of our sin, but love alone will never deliver us from the consequences of our sin.

The only suitable response to our sin and their consequences is submission to the Lord’s authority, seeking not only His forgiveness, but deliverance that can only happen by the powerful presence of His Holy Spirit working in and through us as He wills.

Let’s look at this more closely tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Path of Blessing

“And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost.” (Luke 14:27-28a NLT)

The path of blessing at times may seem elusive, yet over and over in Scripture it is clearly outlined. For example, in His sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-11, Jesus outlines what is commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. At the beginning of each verse are the words: “God blesses…”

Pay special attention to the categories that lead to blessing: the poor, those who mourn, those who are humble, those who hunger and thirst for justice, the merciful, those whose hearts are pure, those who work for peace, those who are persecuted for doing right, and those who are mocked and persecuted for being a Jesus follower.

These aren’t typically the paths most people choose for themselves, but Jesus says in the verse above from Luke, that if we don’t choose to carry our own cross and follow Him, we can’t be His disciple. But He adds: “don’t begin until you count the cost.” “But,” you may ask, “how are ‘carrying your own cross’ and ‘blessing’ connected?”

Perhaps a reasonable question would be: “To whom is Jesus speaking in these passages?” The Beatitudes are directed to His disciples (see Matthew 5:1), but the passage in Luke is directed to those who are following Jesus but haven’t decided to commit to discipleship. So, that begs the question: “Where are you? Disciple? Or are you still kicking the proverbial tires of commitment?”

The Beatitudes essentially reveal Jesus’ heart, because everyone of them describe a characteristic of who He is. So, to become His disciple, or in other words, to pick up and carry our own cross, is to exhibit these characteristics in and through our own life. On some levels, these beatitudes are revealed in us the closer we walk with the Lord.

Yet, for those who aren’t yet following the Lord, they need to commit to Him their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. How so? By an act of their will. Carrying a cross implies picking it up and carrying it. So? So, that is an act of our will. Jesus doesn’t pick it up and set it on our shoulder. We choose to believe that He is the Christ, the Messiah of God, God in human flesh. And because of that choice, we pick up our cross, which essentially means, to place God’s will and preferences above our own.

Jesus bore the cross upon which He died by an act of His will. He wrestled with that mission in the garden of Gethsemane, but ultimately chose to obey God. That’s basically the decision we make every morning, every second of the day. We choose God’s way – the way of spiritual poverty; to mourn the lostness of those around us who don’t yet know Jesus; to humbly choose submission to His authority over our lives in place of our own; to hunger and thirst for more of Him; to be merciful; to allow Him to cleanse and purify our heart; to work for His peace, not only in our lives, but in the lives of those who are lost; and to choose persecution and mocking for His name’s sake rather than walk in the ways of the world.

There’s a sense in which if we counted the cost of following Jesus and measured it against our own strength and willpower, we’d never muster the courage to take the first step. However, Jesus isn’t calling us to be the proverbial “lone Ranger,” making our way in our own power. That’s why it’s so critical that we respond to His invitation to be yoked with Him (see Matthew 11:29-30).

Being a disciple of Christ is a partnership that leads to unimaginable blessing, not only in heaven when this life is over, but every second of every day as we listen to His voice and rejoice in His loving friendship. The path of blessing is the path on which He leads us as His children every day.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Our Long-Awaited Messiah

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)

As 2022 draws to a close, regardless of what kind of year you’re having, let it be an encouragement to you that the above words were written more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus. It boggles my mind that God spoke with such precision to the Prophet of old yet is willing to speak with us today with just as much clarity and certainty.

Can you imagine being a Jew living when Jesus was born? Few, if any of even the most devout Jews expected the Messiah to come as an infant. They were looking for a great warrior or statesman who would lead a revolution that would free them from their enemies. Most Jewish people are still looking for their Messiah to come. What a shame.

Aren’t you glad you’ve been given insight into God’s Word that has led you to an understanding that Jesus was and is the long-awaited Messiah who came to rescue us from our sin? If this sacred season is anything it’s a season of HOPE! Think of the descriptive words Isaiah used to describe the child who would be born: “Wonderful!” “Counsellor!” “The mighty God!” “The everlasting Father!” “The Prince of Peace!”

Everything we could ever need, in this life and the next, was and is embodied in the Lord Jesus, the Christ! Having walked with the Lord for nearly 60 years, I’m so grateful that He’s more real to me today than ever before. His love is warmer, His voice clearer, His presence closer than they’ve ever been.

My prayer for you this Christmas is, if you’re not where you know you should be with the Lord, that you’ll turn from your worthless trinkets and invest your life in the Treasure, who is Christ, the Lord! Literally nothing this world offers can compare with intimacy with Jesus, walking faithfully and obediently in the light of His love and grace.

Paul wrote in Romans 3:24-25: “Out of sheer generosity He put us in right standing with Himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where He always wanted us to be. And He did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin.”

C. S. Lewis wrote in his book The Problem of Pain: “The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be well with it. Now error and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are the less their victim suspects their existence; they are masked evil. Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt.” I can’t presume to know all that Lewis crammed into these few words, but I know this.

One of the most common errors we make in this life is believing God allows us to be sick or in pain because He’s upset with us or punishing us. Quite to the contrary, sickness and pain are allowed to draw us to Himself, because we’re too often deaf to Him until we’re hurting. They’re designed to draw us to Him, not push us away.

God experienced the excruciating pain of the death of His only Son to open the door of opportunity for us to be saved from sin and given new life in Jesus our risen Savior. As the new year dawns, let it be a new beginning of devotion to and life lived in honor of the only One whose opinion of us matters. Trust Him! Love Him! Find hope in Him for the life you’ve only dreamed of having. Everything you’ve ever hoped you’d be can only be found in a personal, love relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords made possible by the sacrifice of His sinless life in your place, and mine.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Do You Expect Great Things?

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (Matthew 6:22-23 NLT)

Two things come to mind as I think about the above title. First, what governs our expectations? And second, how do we define “great?” It’s uncanny on some levels the effect our life stories have on our behavior. How we view things often governs how we do things. But what if our view is skewed?

Jesus said in the verse above that if our “eye” is bad it can distort not only what we see, but how we see it. “Light” infers a correct or accurate appraisal of what we’re looking at, while “darkness” implies an inaccurate understanding. Which begs the question: “What if what we think we believe is based on a misunderstanding of what we think we know?”

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Expectations are based on what we believe. If I believe the mechanic I have working on my car is honest and well trained, I will likely expect my car to work well when I pick it up, and that I will be charged a reasonable price. But if my expectation is that all people are out to get me, dishonest, and greedy, I will likely expect the mechanic to cheat me, either by charging me too much and/or not correctly addressing the issue with my car.

It’s ironic that when something negative happens our first word is “great.” We’re running late for work, but when we jump in the car it doesn’t start – “Great!” We’re geared to see the proverbial glass as half full or half empty. We either gear our expectations to expect good or bad, and for the most part, we’re not disappointed.

So, what if our “eye” is bad? What if we’re a pessimist? I read about a young woman who was excited because her mom had had eye surgery and her vision was much improved. She had her mom over and was excited to see her improved vision for herself. She purposely left the curtains open to reveal the beautiful view of her back yard, so she asked: “Mom, what do you see?” as she pointed to the window. Her mom was quiet for a moment, then said: “Don’t you ever clean your windows?”

Unfortunately, that’s too often how we approach prayer. Our expectations of God are so focused on ourselves, we forfeit the view of the beautiful world around us and all the ways God is blessing and working.

Andrew Murray wrote: “In your prayers, above everything else, beware of limiting God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking you know exactly what He can do. Learn to expect the unexpected, beyond all that you ask or think. So each time you intercede through prayer, first be quiet and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, how He delights in Christ His Son, and of your place in Him – then expect great things.”

In this season, as we celebrate the coming of our Creator King as an infant in a manger bed, think of all those who crowded into Bethlehem, so many there was no room in the Inn, yet how few took the time and made the effort to come to see the Lord. May we be like the Shepherds to whom the angels spoke, eager to “go and see.” I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, but this much I know – whatever God’s up to, it’s going to be great for those of us who are sensitive to His voice and have eyes to see His majesty and splendor.

Our expectations should be high, as we focus our eyes on the Eastern sky, anticipating our Savior’s soon return. Optimist or pessimist, one day we’re all going to see as we’ve been seen and for those of us who know and love Jesus, it’s going to be a great day!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Through a Child’s Eyes (Author Unknown)

*May you be blessed, as I was, as I read this story of 3-year-old Bailey’s encounter with Jesus. I pray this story will give you a new appreciation, not only of the Christmas story, but of the Savior who was born that day and now lives in our hearts and lives.

God recently allowed me to see Jesus through the eyes of someone seeing Him for the first time. Having the advantage of knowing how the story ends, we can easily forget the cost of our redemption and the love of our Savior.

Every year we attend a local church pageant at Christmas time, which tells the story of Jesus from His birth through His resurrection. It is a spectacular event, with live animals and hundreds of cast members in realistic costumes. The magi enter the huge auditorium on llamas from the rear, descending the steps in pomp and majesty. Roman soldiers look huge and menacing in their costumes and makeup.

Of all the years we have attended, one stands out indelibly in my heart.

It was the year we took our then three-year-old granddaughter, Bailey, who loves Jesus. She was mesmerized throughout the entire play, not just watching, but involved as if she were a player. She watches as Joseph and Mary travel to the Inn and is thrilled when she sees the baby Jesus in His mother’s arms.

When Jesus, on a young donkey, descends the steps from the back of the auditorium, depicting His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Bailey was ecstatic. As he neared our aisle, Bailey began jumping up and down, screaming, “Jesus, Jesus! There’s Jesus!” Not just saying the words but exclaiming them with every fiber of her being. She alternated between screaming his name and hugging us. “It’s Jesus. Look!” I thought she might actually pass out. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Jesus through the eyes of a child in love with Him, seeing Him for the first time. How like the blind beggar screaming out in reckless abandon, “Jesus, Jesus!”, afraid he might miss Him, not caring what others thought. (Mark 10:46-52)

This was so much fun.

Then came the arrest scene. On stage, the soldiers shoved and slapped Jesus as they moved Him from the Garden of Gethsemane to Pilate. Bailey responded as if she were in the crowd of women, with terror and anger. “Stop it!” she screamed. “Bad soldiers, stop it!” As I watched her reaction, I wished we had talked to her before the play. “Bailey it’s OK. They are just pretending.”

“They are hurting Jesus! Stop it!” She stood in her seat reacting to each and every move. People around us at first smiled at her reaction, thinking “How cute!”. Then they quit smiling and began watching her watch Him. In a most powerful scene, the soldiers lead Jesus carrying the cross down the steps of the auditorium from the back. They were yelling, whipping, and cursing at Jesus, who was bloodied and beaten.

Bailey was now hysterical. “Stop it! Soldiers! Stop it,” she screamed.

She must have been wondering why all these people did nothing. She then began to cry instead of scream. “Jesus, Oh, Jesus!” People all around us began to weep as we all watched this devoted little disciple see her Jesus beaten and killed as those first century disciples had.

Going back and forth between her mother’s lap and mine for comfort, she was distraught. I kept saying, “Bailey, it’s OK. Jesus is going to be OK. These are just people pretending to be soldiers.” She looked at me like I was crazy. In my lap, we talked through the cross and burial. “Watch, Bailey, watch for Jesus!”

The tomb began to tremble, and lightening flashed as the stone rolled away.

A Super Bowl touchdown cheer couldn’t come close to matching this little one’s reaction to the resurrection. “Jesus! He’s OK. Mommy, it’s Jesus!”

I prayed that she wasn’t going to be traumatized by this event, but that she would remember it. I shall never forget it. I shall never forget seeing Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection through the eyes of an innocent child.

Following the pageant, the actors all assembled in the foyer to be greeted by the audience. As we passed by some of the soldiers Bailey screamed out, “Bad soldier, don’t you hurt Jesus.” The actor who portrayed Jesus was some distance away surrounded by well-wishers and friends. Bailey broke away from us and ran toward him, wrapping herself around his legs, holding on for dear life. He hugged her and said, “Jesus loves you.” He patted her to go away.

She wouldn’t let go. She kept clinging to Him, laughing and calling His name. She wasn’t about to let go of her Jesus. I think God in heaven stopped whatever He was doing on that day and made all the angels watch Bailey. “Now, look there! You see what I meant when I said, ‘Of such is the kingdom of heaven?'”

Bailey’s reaction should be our reaction every day. When we think of Him, who He is, what He did for us, and what He offers us, we have to say, how can we do anything less than worship Him?

Why Christmas Matters

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NLT)

What if God had never sent Jesus to earth? In a recent devotional from Anticipating Christmas, a 5-day Advent Plan, on YouVersion I read: “Take a moment to imagine what your life would be like if God had never sent His Son to earth. Think about how it would feel to exist without the promise of eternal life, or a connection to God. Consider how it would affect your relationships, your sense of self, and your vision for the future.”

As I ponder those words it causes me to imagine how hard it must have been for the Jewish people to wrap their hearts and minds around the reality of, not a coming Messiah, but an ever-present Savior. On some levels it would have been like our anticipation as Jesus followers, of the second coming of our Risen Savior.

Christmas is a day to not only celebrate the fact of Jesus’ presence with us, but to ponder the implications it has on a world that has no understanding that God did indeed visit us on planet earth, or why He came. To me it’s not so much a matter of what difference did Jesus’ birth have, but what difference does it and should it have on the world today, but more to the point, on MY life and YOURS?

It’s incomprehensible to me to think of a world devoid of Jesus’ holy presence. Think of all He did in giving visibility and meaning to the life of the Father. It’s one thing to think of a God OUT THERE, it’s quite another to know you’re indwelt by a God IN HERE – in our own heart and life. All of a sudden, because of the first cries of an infant Son to a teenaged peasant girl, the whole world can have purpose, meaning, and eternal hope.

Notice I didn’t ask: Does Christmas Matter? Oh, my friend, it matters – more than anything else this world has to offer. Christmas matters because Jesus matters. Without Jesus there’s no forgiveness of sin. There’s no hope of eternal life or heaven or peace or security in knowing He is ours and we are His. There’s joy and celebration in realizing this life is not all there is. The futility of the proverbial “hamster wheel,” doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.

But all these things are simply words on a page unless and until you make them the guiding Light of your life. It’s so easy to be religious, doing things by rote, going through the motions of religiosity – decorating the tree, buying and wrapping presents, cooking, serving, eating, laughing, crying, even worshipping – but your heart can still be empty and distant from the One who came to fill you with Himself.

Please don’t miss the Christ of Christmas! Please don’t just go through the motions, filling a role, playing a part, smiling while inside you’re empty and crying out, hoping there really is something to all this “Good News” of Christmas. On the authority of God’s Word and nearly 60 years of walking with Jesus – I assure you there is something to all of this! His name is Jesus and He’s God in human flesh. He’s Immanuel – God with us!

Nothing, absolutely nothing, has so much meaning and potential to change your life in ways you never imagined possible like yielding your life and allegiance to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you and fill you with Himself. Lay your soul bare before Him confessing your need of His cleansing blood to flow through your veins, purifying your heart and making you into a new creation in Christ Jesus. Determine by His grace and with His help, to walk in newness of life, trusting Him to lead you every step of the way.

Boldly align yourself with a loving family of Christ followers who will walk with you and help you learn firsthand why Christmas matters! I pray this will be your best Christmas ever as you draw ever more closely to your living Savior.

Blessings, Ed 😊