Walking With Jesus

What Will Hell Be Like?

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28 NLT)

Think of one of God’s characteristics that means the most to you. God is good, gracious, compassionate, loving, kind, forgiving, tender-hearted, merciful, just, faithful, caring, powerful, wise . . . and the list goes on. Think of all the reasons Jesus means everything to you, or nothing, depending on your frame of reference. Everything that God is, is revealed and reflected in the life of His Son, the Lord Jesus.

One of my favorite ways to think of God, and the Lord Jesus, is the metaphor of Light. What do you think of when you think of light? It illuminates, gives visibility, opens our minds to understanding, gives direction, guidance, insight, and wisdom. Think of a world void of light. That’s hell!

Think of love. When is the first time you experienced love? Hopefully, you experienced the effects of love long before you realized what it was, but, if you know Jesus, at some point in your life you realized the forgiveness, mercy, and selfless acceptance of the love of God through another person.

Who first comes to your mind when you think of selfless love? For me, I think of my grandmother – Mom Eley and her husband, whom I called Papa John. Or my Uncle Ed and Auntie Al, or Uncle Jack and Auntie Demetra. Gratefully, there were others, but these were the people through whom God first showed me His redemptive, kind, and compassionate love.

Now, in light of all the positive things you thought of in the context of light and love, try to imagine a place void of either. The closest I can come is remembering a time when my son and I visited a large cave. The guide took us through the damp, dark rocks until, at one point she asked us to stand completely still. Then she turned off her light. Complete and utter darkness. We couldn’t see our hand in front of our face.

Now think of being alone in that darkness, not just for a few seconds, but for all eternity. Hell is the absence of God, thus, the absence of love and light. But compound that with the agony and torment of physical pain that is relentless and never ending. Then the added torture of realizing that there’s no one with whom you can share your pain and suffering, and even if you could, they wouldn’t listen or care.

It’s not unusual in movies for someone to comment to another “macho” man – “See you in hell!” – as if there will be a camaraderie of evil people who can sit around drinking beer and exchanging stories. In hell the only thing you’ll hear besides your own groans of agony, are the pain-filled groans of others whom you can’t see, nor have any contact with them.

Studies reveal the worst punishment any one can receive is solitary confinement. Think of hell as solitary on steroids. All you’ll have is your own regrets and the realization that you missed thousands of opportunities to know and love Jesus, but you thought they were foolishness or that you had plenty of time for that later.

Those are lies from the pit of hell! The only moment in which you can make ANY decision about ANYTHING is in THIS MOMENT! Death is sudden – one breath you’re alive, the next second you’re not. One second your heart is beating, the next it stops. Please understand, I’m not trying to scare anyone, I just want to be an instrument of truth to help people awaken from their devilish slumber before it’s eternally too late.

And do you want to know the key weapon Satan uses to keep people distracted and deaf to the Holy Spirit – BUSYNESS! Slow down long enough to hear God’s voice and respond to Him while you can! Reach out to Jesus in your own words and with a heart that longs to be saved from what is surely coming to those who refuse to recognize their need of Him. He’s done everything to make it possible to be forgiven and have eternal life, but it’s time to get off the fence and yield your life and allegiance to Jesus.

Blessings, Ed

A Reason to Be Grateful

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

Today in America is Thanksgiving Day. As is the case every seven years, it’s also my birthday. I’m turning 75 today, so I have thousands of reasons to be grateful, but supreme in my mind and heart is my gratitude to God for His mercies and kindness in allowing me to be His child.

Notice the verse above instructs us to “Be thankful in ALL circumstances.” How can anyone do that, especially if they’re experiencing challenging circumstances? Many today will be gathering with family and close friends. Is this the first Thanksgiving someone is missing? Perhaps because of death or travel restrictions they won’t be joining you, so, there’s an emptiness because of their absence.

Perhaps your health is declining, making it difficult or impossible for you to be able to participate in your normal family festivities. Or your child is away because of work or school and unable to come home on this important family holiday. Maybe you’ve had a falling out with someone in your family, so even if you do get together, things will be strained.

Whatever the circumstances of your life today, you have many things for which you can joyfully give thanks. How can I say that? The verse above gives us two very important reasons to rejoice today. First, because it’s God’s will. And, secondly, because we “belong to Christ Jesus.”

Knowing and doing God’s will are sometimes two very different things. I’m reminded of the story Jesus told in Matthew 21:28-31, about a father with two sons. He told the older son to go and work in the vineyard, but the son said, “No, I won’t go.” But later he changed his mind and went. The father told his younger son the same thing, to which the younger son said, “Yes, I will,” but didn’t go. Then Jesus asked the question: “Which of the two obeyed his father?” Obviously, the one who went and worked in the vineyard.

What does this story have to do with gratitude? Often, our ability to be thankful is contingent upon our obedience. We reason that if we’ve been faithful and have done what our heavenly Father has asked of us, then we’re good to go, we can be grateful that we have, at least in our mind, a right standing with God, thus, grounds for gratitude and celebration.

What if we’ve been the proverbial “younger son,” and we’ve not been submissive to our Father’s authority? God’s love for us is never contingent upon our obedience. Nothing we do or don’t do can cause God to love us any differently. He IS love and His love for us never changes. That alone is always reason to be grateful.

Yet, the truth is, even when we obey to the best of our ability and our love for God never waivers, there are still times “bad things” happen that affect us. Can we still give thanks in those circumstances? Yes, but not necessarily for the circumstances themselves, but for the God who works through all circumstances to bring good to those who love Him.

Today, regardless of whether this, in your mind, is a great day or the worst day of your life – GIVE THANKS! Be thankful you have a Savior who is Christ the Lord! You have an eternal Friend who has overcome the world and has your back. He will never leave you or forsake you. Whether you’re sitting down to a feast or you’re so broke you can’t afford a candy bar – GIVE THANKS! God is with you and brighter days are ahead.

Sometime today, find a quiet spot and pray this simple prayer: “Father, regardless of the circumstances of my life today, I confess my love for You and my need of You. You are my everything and I trust You based on who You are, not on who I am or what I have. I love You and I want only and always what You want for me. Please accept my gratitude for who You are and who You’re allowing me to become. Whoever I am or whomever I may one day become is all because of You. If I’m alive You’re not finished with me. Allow me to honor You in my attitude and actions, not allowing my circumstances to dictate my emotions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

I’m praying you’re experiencing a joy-filled and thanks-filled day.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Whose Blood Was Shed for Your Sin?

“In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT)

When we’re speaking to someone about the Lord, we don’t always focus our conversation on His shed blood, but implicit in every person’s forgiveness is the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). It doesn’t matter who it is or whether or not they have a religious frame of reference, no one, Jew or Gentile, finds forgiveness of sin apart from Jesus. No Jesus = no forgiveness.

A dear Christian brother of mine was speaking with a friend of his who is Jewish. His friend was resistant to speaking with him about Jesus, believing His being a Jew was all that He needed to have forgiveness of sin and to go to heaven. So, my friend reminded him that according to the law of Moses, apart from the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Then he asked him, “What blood has been shed for your sin?” That’s a fair question for anyone. Why?

Jesus said, in Matthew 26:27-28: “And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them (the disciples) and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is My blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.’”

If the blood of Jesus is the only payment for the sin of mankind, how can anyone find forgiveness of their sin and have a place in heaven without Jesus? They can’t! Isn’t that very narrow to think that Jesus is the only way to heaven?

Actually, it’s very generous. You see, before Jesus there was no way to be forgiven except through the sacrifice of animals. But it didn’t last. It was like putting a Band-Aid on cancer. The sacrifices had to be made over and over and over again. Hebrews 10:10 says: “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

Imagine you’re hiking in a mountain area where you’ve never been before. It’s a beautiful day and you’re enjoying being in nature. Alone in the grandeur and beauty, then suddenly you take a step, but rather than solid ground, the path gives way, and you find yourself falling. You’re bouncing and rolling until you finally come to a stop. When you awaken it’s so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Your leg is broken and there’s blood coming from your head. What provisions you had were lost in the fall. You’re hopelessly trapped and unable to find a way out without assistance.

In your desperation and despair, you see a light. You don’t know exactly where it’s coming from or who it might be, but all you can think to do is scream as loudly as you can and hope whoever it is hears you. Miraculously, they do hear you and with much effort, they lower themselves to where you are. The young man explains that there’s only one way out and it’s going to be painful.

But rather than exclaiming with gratitude your appreciation for him making his way to you and offering to get you out, you say: “Whoa, I don’t like the sounds of that. ‘Painful?’ And only ‘one way out?’ I think I’ll pass and just wait for someone else to find me. Surely, there’s got to be another, less painful way.”

As absurd as that sounds, that’s essentially what people are saying to Jesus every day. Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” How was that one way made possible? Through the shedding of His priceless blood! The miracle is that there IS now a way where before no way existed.

Let’s praise the Lord for sacrificing His blood on our behalf and share that Good News with anyone who will listen.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Choice Is Yours

“The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness . . . and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart” (Genesis 6:5-6 NLT)

What breaks your heart? There are lots of things that hurt me. I’ve battled with depression much of my adult life, so it sometimes doesn’t take much to cause me to “tip” into an emotional low. There have been times I’ve had to be on medication to help me deal with life – when my wife left, when my son had leukemia.

Those were hard and emotionally trying times, yes, heartbreaking times, but not so much, at least for me, as the thought of my kids, and others I love deeply, not being in heaven. But it’s also heartbreaking to see the darkness in my own life that hinders me from sharing my Savior with those in my spheres of influence. It breaks my heart to see my callousness when it comes to those in need of Jesus.

When I think of the sacrifice God the Father made to allow Jesus to voluntarily leave an environment of complete love, peace, contentment, light, and joy, to the darkness, sadness, debilitating hopelessness, sin, and shame of our world – with the express purpose of giving His life for us – I can’t keep from crying. Compounded by the stark reality that He didn’t come just for “them!” He came for me!

My sin, just as much as anyone else’s, nailed Jesus to the Cross. My disregard for His holiness, righteousness, sinless perfection, and matchless love broke His heart as much as those I tend to think of as much worse than me. Here’s the truth – I’m no better than anyone else who has ever lived or ever will live – and neither are you!

We’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious and holy standard – not by an inch, but by light years of miles! The gap from us to heaven is so great it’s literally impossible to bridge. Only a perfect man could ever attain the privilege of entrance into the presence of God’s holiness. And only One, God’s Son, the only One of His kind – that’s what “begotten” means – made the choice to pay the penalty for our sin. But why? What would motivate God to make such a sacrifice? Love!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18 NIV).

The heartbreaking truth is that once we find forgiveness and new life in Jesus, we too often turn so much of our time and attention to learning what it means to be “saved,” we nearly forget what it meant to be “lost.” But I believe there is a sense in which the closer we grow in our likeness of Jesus and the greater our desire to be tender to the heart of God, the more our heart breaks for those who don’t yet know Him.

I’m much closer to the end of my race than the beginning. Whatever time I have left I want it to be poured into helping those without a saving knowledge of Jesus to find their way home to Him. Like my beloved mentor often said: “I want to wear out, I don’t want to burn out!”

Folks, we’ve got to be bold, yet compassionate and caring, as we share what Jesus has done for us, before it’s eternally too late for those we love the most. As Pastor Rick Warren often says: “Hell is real. So is heaven. Choose Christ, and there is no condemnation. The choice is yours!”

Please don’t let anything stand in the way of your loving witness and words to those who haven’t yet met our Savior!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Worship (Part 2)

“For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24 NLT)

In yesterday’s post we began looking at worship as we gather with others, but I closed with a question I’d like for us to pursue today. I asked: “Does my life really ‘look’ any different than a person’s life who doesn’t know Jesus?”

I’m not sure if you noticed, but both Scriptures I used at the top of the page in yesterday’s post and in today’s, included the word “must.” More specifically, “must worship.” Why is worship so vital?

It’s ironic, but the worship God requires of us, the display of our love for and dependence upon Him, isn’t what we do, sing, or say in a corporate setting, it’s what our heart and mind are focused upon in the quiet moments of worship in our life when it’s just me and Jesus.

Why do you think Jesus’ ministry was so effective? Yes, of course, He was God’s only Son, but He, as a human being, had a choice that He confirmed when He was being tempted by the devil. Remember Matthew 4:8-10? “Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, ‘I will give it all to you,’ he said, ‘if you will kneel down and worship me.’ ‘Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him, ’For the Scriptures say, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”’”

Worship is the distinguishing characteristic of every human being. What we worship is what we serve, and who or what we serve is what we worship. It’s the focal point of our lives. It’s the clarion call of our life that announces to the world and to God what is first in our life. That’s why worship is so vital.

Corporate worship is inviting and enjoyable, but it’s not what set’s us apart as believers. Anybody can come to a corporate worship gathering and sing and shout and dance and cry – and it’s all good! But it’s the person on their face before God, alone, in private, that steadies our heart and steers our life.

Worship isn’t always visible, except as it becomes visible through the “fruit” of our life. If we want to know what we truly “worship,” we must allow the Lord to sit us on the precipice of our life and reveal to us all the kingdoms to which we bow from day to day.

What is the “fruit” which reveals my worship? And here again, it’s not only and always the material things we desire or the attention from others we crave or the prestigious position to which we aspire. The “fruit” which sets us apart and defines the object of our affection (worship) is how invested we are, not in the religious aspects of our “commitment,” but in the devotion we show to Jesus when no one is watching.

Is private and continual communion with our Savior what we long to have in the course of our day? Do we crave His closeness? Do we desire above all things to sense His heart and to hear His voice? When no one sees us but Him, are we dodging His glances, or embracing His invitation to sit with Him in quietness and stillness?

Why do you think Jesus made it a habit of spending time alone with His Father? It wasn’t to impress anyone. It was to prepare His heart and mind for battle with the enemy of His soul. After hearing Jesus preach and after watching Him heal and deliver multiple people, why did His disciples ask Him: “Lord, teach us to pray?” They understood, as we must understand, that activity for Jesus, if it’s going to be effective and meaningful from an eternal perspective, must be derived from time alone with Him.

C. T. Studd, the British Missionary wrote: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” If you’re selling your soul for anything but Jesus, you’re worshipping at the altar of the wrong god.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Worship

“Jesus replied, ‘The Scriptures say, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”’” (Luke 4:8 NLT)

Having pastored for many years, I love listening to a good sermon. Yep, you heard correctly, I don’t enjoy listening to a bad sermon. What do I consider a “bad” sermon? Primarily, a sermon not based on Scripture or given in the spirit and light of the Holy Spirit’s presence. It has more to do with being true to the Bible than it does delivery. While delivery may entertain, solid, Biblical instruction feeds my soul. That’s one of the main reasons I love my church, because whomever speaks in any given service or on any given day, I can know with certainty I’m going to hear from the Lord.

But preaching is only part of what I love about public or corporate worship. I’m not sure how this will come across, but I love watching others worship. I sit in the same spot every week, and apparently many others do as well, because I see the same people every week. I know the ones who raise their hands and sing enthusiastically.

We have more than 50 language groups represented in our church, so different cultures bring their own “style” to worship, and I love it! One of our black Pastors dances and sways and exudes energy I only wish I still had – and I love to watch him. Others are quiet and still, but I can “see” that they’re fully engaged. Some shout and clap, while others stand quietly weeping with the joy of God’s holy presence. Some, of course, could care less what is happening, they’re just counting the minutes until it’s over.

I’ll be turning 75 this month, so I’ve been in thousands of gatherings and have experienced worship in many ways and on many levels. I still love the old hymns like this one written by Robert Grant:

O worship the King, all glorious above, And gratefully sing His wonderful love; Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavillioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Then the chorus that says:

Frail children of dust and feeble as frail, to Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail: Thy mercies, firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. Amen.

Corporate worship is truly a joy for me. But I also love the “sermons” and songs of praise I hear every morning on my walk. I watch the sun rise and listen to the beautiful choruses sung by the birds and even the cars whizzing by on their way to who knows where. The sounds of morning in the city remind me that life is unpredictable, and on many levels, inexpressible.

God is so multi-dimensional, as evidenced in the manifold ways He gives expression to His creativity. Through nature and, of course, through human beings. Life is an act of worship. If you want to discover what someone believes, discover what they worship.

Is it their body? Their home and possessions? Their family? Their job? Their money? Whatever their “god” is, it will reveal itself through how they live, how they spend their time and money. Which causes me to wonder – do people in my spheres of influence concur with me that I worship the only True and Living God? Does Jesus “seep” out of my pores as I love my wife and serve my community? Does my life really “look” any different than a person’s life who doesn’t know Jesus? I want it to, but how will I know for sure?

Let’s pick this up in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Is It All Just Emotion?

“But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. (Hebrews 12:35b-36 NLT)

A common lie that some believe is that Christianity is just emotion and it’s just for the weak. “A crutch for those who can’t handle the pressures of life.” There are few times I worship, individually or corporately, that I don’t express emotion. Sometimes I laugh out loud when I see how well the Lord is caring for me, providing for me, loving me. At times I cry, especially when I think of the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made to make my redemption a reality, and when I think of those I love who have yet to see the light of His love.

Emotion is a very real and impactful piece of my walk with Jesus, but it’s not the reason or foundation. If you think about it, how boring and lifeless would any relationship be without emotion? I love my wife and children with my mind, but I also love them with my heart. I love to laugh with them and celebrate their victories. But I also cry with them when their hearts are heavy or they’re in a dark place.

To view a life in Christ as simply based on emotion is to look at the parade of life through a keyhole. To believe that people who would rather die than violate their trust in Jesus is based on shallow emotionalism, is to fail to understand the rich and powerful dynamic of faith and belief. Yes, of course, love, which some think of as an emotion, is at the core of our confidence in Christ, but love isn’t simply how I feel about something or someone, it’s a decision I make based on intelligent and prolonged investigation.

For someone to make a cursory observation and conclude the only reason someone would desire to walk with God is to satisfy our emotional needs or because we are intellectually “crippled,” is to fail to understand the brokenness of mankind and our need of community. We need each other as human beings, but our far greater need is for forgiveness, healing, and wholeness that can only be found in a relationship with God through Christ.

And, yes, I readily admit, there are people who have found purpose, fulfillment, contentment, and in some measure, “wholeness” apart from Christ. But the wholeness of which I speak supersedes our need to muster the wherewithal to make it through this life. The wholeness that Jesus offers gives us the matchless gift of His presence with us, not only in the blip on the proverbial screen we call life on this planet, but for all eternity.

What Jesus died to give is literally unattainable in any other way than a genuine, life-transforming relationship with God, made possible by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and the only pathway to eternal joy and bliss, the likes of which this world cannot even conceive.

How can I have the audacity to believe such a far-fetched, “pie in the sky” tale? Because I know and love the Author of that “tale.” He confirms it’s Truth everyday in a thousand ways as we walk life’s pathways together. Am I weak, broken, and in need of a “crutch” to get me through life? Yes, I am and yes, I do! And I will as long as this old body has life.

The revealing truth is, we’re all in the same boat. This life will one day end and when it does everything will become crystal clear. What we “know” by faith now will become sight, even for those who don’t now believe. But with one HUGE difference. For those of us who know, love, and are currently serving the Savior, it will be a time of celebration, joy, and revelation. But for those who have failed to place their trust for eternal life in Jesus, it will be the beginning of an eternity of misery I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

I implore you, even if you think I’m absolutely bonkers – PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG! Do your own investigation, not simply by reading all the books and articles of the ones you know agree with you but read and investigate the books of men like C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, J. Warner Wallace, John Piper, Timothy Keller, Chuck Colson – the list is virtually endless of men and women who have been intrenched in non-Christian lifestyles who have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. And yes, of course, I’ve read books by those who have varying opinions, but they’ve served only to heighten my confidence in the God who never lies.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Is Jesus God?

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 NLT)

The lie that cripples a lot of people, whether they’re trying to make sense of why they should come to Christ, or that can prevent them from developing what faith they desire to have in Him, is the whole issue surrounding the God-Man, Jesus.

When I was pastoring in Ohio, there was a woman who was very faithful in attending services, but whenever the subject of Jesus’ divinity came up, she always had questions. Often, I would point out Scriptures that affirmed Jesus as the Son of God, God poured into human flesh, but there was something that was preventing her from believing. Actually, it was “someone,” but human arguments couldn’t persuade her.

That’s not uncommon. If you think about it “logically,” as a believer, it makes perfect sense, but for a person who isn’t filled and enabled by God’s Spirit to “see” God’s Truth, it’s going to seem like nonsense. Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 2:1: “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.”

Satan can couch “lies” in such believable terms that unsuspecting people will “swallow” them hook, line, and sinker. A popular argument that especially younger people continually hold to is “proof!” Show me proof! Yet, when proof is presented to them mathematically in the astronomical odds of any one person in history fulfilling the Messianic prophecies, they just shrug.

If you follow the flow of history, from the Garden to today, given all the advances of modern science, medicine, the arts, technology, and many other areas, where has it gotten us? Is the world better today than when God destroyed the earth with a flood? Sin may be more sophisticated and attractive, but it’s no less deadly. Fear is rampant and nearly every day there’s someone blowing something up or shooting people, young and old, for no other reason than the depravity of man.

We are sinners in need of a Savior, and no man this earth could ever produce could qualify. Only a God-man – God poured into human flesh in the womb of a virgin, unstained by human involvement, perfect man, and perfect God sent to us in the form of an infant. Only God could perfectly fulfill the demands of a holy and righteous God; only God could defeat the temptations of evil; only God could be a suitable sacrifice for the sins of all of mankind; only God could be so loving and so selfless as to lay down His sinless life for the benefit of others; only God!

Even as I write, my mind goes to thoughts of the senseless murder of the only perfect Person to ever live. How could “they” have done such a horrific thing? But here’s the truth. Had you and I been living then, we’d have likely been just as blinded to His perfection as the religious people who engineered His demise. Our sin put Him on the Cross as surely as the sins of the Pharisees and their Roman cohorts.

Today, by the grace of God and the illumination of His Spirit, we see Jesus for who He is – God in human flesh – who lived and died to do for us what we could never in eternity ever have done for ourselves. We’re His holy “hands and feet” to together embody His presence and influence those in our spheres of influence.

By God’s grace and with the Holy Spirit’s help, let’s become such advocates for our living Savior that our family and friends can see how believable the divinity of Jesus is by the way we live, and move, and have our being in Him.

Let’s be, individually and collectively, the evidence that Jesus is God through the way we love and live to His honor and fame.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Is God Angry With You?

“Then the Lord became angry with Moses. ‘All right,’ He Said. ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you…’” (Exodus 4:14 NLT)

This is a rather delicate subject, and I don’t want to imply anything that isn’t Biblically accurate, so I will tread lightly. The Lord’s “anger” can look quite different depending on the context of His anger, but my point in this post is that, yes, God does get angry with us, but no, it will never keep us from coming to Him.

Remember, over the last few days we’ve been looking at lies that are behind our unbelief, whether as a believer in Christ, or an unbeliever. Some lies so impact and persuade us that they prevent us from coming to the Lord at all, while the same lie may not keep us from coming to the Lord but can impede our growth and progress in our faith.

One lie that fits in that category is believing God is angry with us, so much so, He would never forgive us. The only sin for which we can’t be forgiven is the sin that prevents us from asking Him for forgiveness. When we allow our sin to be so magnified in our sight that it minimizes Christ and doesn’t allow us to see Him as the God-Man who came to free us from our sin and shame, it disables us from asking for His forgiveness.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

In the verse above, the word translated “anger” can actually mean a change of expression, or a difference in the look of your face. Moses is trying with everything within him to weasel out of the job God was calling him to do – lead the children of Israel out of captivity to Egypt – but Moses is so focused on what it might cost him that he can’t conceive of how it would ever work.

We do a similar thing when the Holy Spirit is dealing with us, either when He’s drawing us into a relationship with Jesus or when He’s positioning us to move in a new direction in our life in Christ. Often the issue with us, as it was with Moses, is that we project our anger or regret from past sins, onto God, blaming Him for the feelings we have against ourselves.

Our inability or unwillingness to forgive ourselves becomes, in our heart and mind, God’s anger or frustration with us. Satan uses what we believe we deserve – anger, punishment, unforgiveness – as an excuse for not allowing the Spirit to have His way in our lives. Our anger at ourselves blinds us to the very thing we most need from God.

Believing God is angry with us serves as the justification in our mind to keep pushing God away, when the exact opposite is actually true. God took out all His holy wrath on Jesus on the Cross in order that our sins can be cast into the sea of His forgetfulness, never to be remembered against us again. Yes, of course, God’s anger with sin and Satan were and are intense, so much so that the devil and his emissaries will be cast into the lake of fire to be punished for all eternity.

But Jesus’ willingness to die in our place diffused God’s wrath against us and opens a door of opportunity for us to be forgiven and free of guilt and shame for all we’ve done to violate God’s laws and to break His heart. I understand how deep regret for our sin can look like God’s anger. In our mind we reason: “How can God NOT be angry at me for what I’ve done?”

Yet, that’s when the richness of God’s love and grace shine forth, illuminating our spirit with Truth and opening our heart and mind to the fact that Jesus has taken upon Himself the punishment we deserved, turning God’s wrath into love for us and a willingness to forgive us that will take us all eternity to understand.

Whatever you’ve done. However angry you think God is at you for all the ways you’ve sinned against Him, understand this: He loves you! He’s for you! He’s with you! And His arms of love are open, waiting to receive you. His forgiveness is yours for the asking – no matter how far you’ve strayed or how intense your anger is with yourself.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Does God Keep His Promises?

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.” (Romans 4:20-23 NLT)

In yesterday’s post we began looking at lies that lurk in our heart or mind that either prevent us from coming to faith in Jesus or hinder us in our walk once we come to Him. Today I’d like to look at another lie that Satan plants with the intention of crippling our faith, and that is that God doesn’t keep His promises.

There are basically only two reasons we would believe that lie. First, we misunderstand the nature of His promise(s), or we create a promise we think He should keep, so, when in our mind He doesn’t keep it, we blame Him. God is Truth, thus, doesn’t have the capacity to lie. It would violate His character to say or do anything that was untruthful. It would be like God not loving or acting in an unloving way. It’s literally impossible.

Have you ever made a bargain with God? “Lord, if you’ll do ‘this,’ I’ll do ‘that’?” So, if “this” doesn’t happen, in my mind God hasn’t come through (i.e. keep His “promise”), so I feel justified in being unhappy with Him. Who is hurt in that scenario? Me, right? God is immutable, which means He is unchangeable. So, it’s a lose-lose for me.

When we “bargain” with God, seeking to manipulate or use God to get our way, it never works out very well for us. Yet, Satan will twist truth or deceive us into believing lies about God that will only serve to push us further from the Lord, making our lives more miserable.

It’s estimated that there are nearly 7,500 promises God makes to us in the Bible, yet it seems we don’t pay much attention to them until we get in a “hopeless” situation. When our back is against the proverbial “wall,” that’s when we’re combing the Bible looking for a “promise” from God to heal or help us.

I read an article by Rick Reed that included the backstory for the song “Standing on the Promises” by Robert Carter. Carter came to the Lord at age 15 and was a gifted man who became a coach, ordained minister, doctor, musician, and songwriter. At age 30 he was diagnosed with a heart issue that threatened his life, so, like any of us who know and love the Lord, he prayed. But how he prayed was unique and worthy of sharing.

“Connie Ruth Christiansen, a teacher of college academics, the Bible, drama and music wrote of Carter, ‘He knelt and made a promise that healing or not, his life was finally and forever, consecrated to the service of the Lord.’ She added that Scripture took on new life for Carter. He truly began to lean on the promises that he found in the Bible.”

He didn’t try to bargain with God, he essentially prayed like Jesus in the Garden, “not my will but Yours be done.” The Lord gave him 49 more years and, though he had other physical issues with which he had to deal in his life, he didn’t die of heart problems.

When we stop “bargaining” and start committing all we are to all God is; when the Word of God, including all of God’s promises, becomes our constant companion; then we learn very quickly that God has never made, and will never make, a promise He doesn’t keep.

Blessings, Ed 😊