Walking With Jesus

In What Is Your Faith Rooted?

“Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:8 NLT)

A few weeks ago, my wife and I took inventory of our plants, seeking to determine which ones survived the blazing summer heat, and which ones needed to be replaced. Having never worked with the Las Vegas soil, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it became glaringly apparent why the plants that died didn’t survive. They had no root systems.

In the parable referenced above, Jesus speaks of four types of ground or soil upon which the “seeds of faith” are planted. In the verses that follow the parable, Jesus gives explanation as to what it meant, with the bottom line being – without deep roots, made possible by fertile and healthy soil, not much, if any fruit will be produced.

How might that translate for us? Over the years, the Lord has given me a heart for those who are lost, those who have never heard or never believed and placed their trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. But recently the Lord is showing me how many who profess faith and fill the seats of our churches, are more lost than those who have never believed. How would I know that? It’s evident by the fruit, or lack thereof, their life bears.

In Luke 6:45 Jesus said: “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Another way to think about this is, the quality of our fruit depends on the quality of our “root system.” What does that mean? In what is our faith rooted?

For example, I mentioned in a previous article a person who was living in blatant rebellion against God, but believed he was still going to heaven because he was holding on to a doctrinal statement that says: “Once saved, always saved.” His spiritual “root system” isn’t grounded in faith in Jesus, it’s rooted in his faith in a doctrinal statement he’s grossly misunderstood and is misrepresenting.

Another common fallacy many hold onto is Baptism. Many who were baptized as infants believe that they are going to heaven because of that. Infant Baptism is not taught in the Bible. It was an effort on the part of churches to bring some measure of comfort to parents in the event of their child’s death, that the child would go to heaven. To my knowledge, it was never intended to give life-long assurance.

Baptism, according to Scripture, is an adult decision made after a person places their faith and trust in the completed work of Christ on the Cross. In Romans 6 Paul describes Baptism as an outward visible symbol of an inward and invisible act. Its purpose is to give someone who is already a believer, a public means of declaring their new faith in Christ.

Some, by misunderstanding 1 Peter 3:21, believe that their baptism saves them. This verse looks back to Noah and the flood and compares baptism to the flood waters of Noah’s day. But the context clearly shows that it was the Ark that saved them, not the water, and even the second part of the verse says: “It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.“

If you’re placing your hope of eternal life in anything other than faith in the completed work of Christ on Calvary, you need to rethink your position. We’ll look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Eternal Security

“But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name.” (John 20:31 NLT)

This blog was never intended to be a theological treatise, but a format through which I could share things the Lord has taught me across the years. The reality is, He’s continuing to teach me and open my heart and mind to new or different, understanding of His Word. I’m finding that things I “believed” when I first began my walk with Jesus aren’t an essential part of my theology in this season of my life.

For example, before I met any Pentecostal believers, I would have argued that speaking in tongues was simply another way of saying “speaking other known, historical languages,” as on the day of Pentecost. But 1 Corinthians 14 offers another view, as the word translated “tongues” is not the same word that’s used in other passages of the New Testament.

Similarly, the issue of “Eternal Security” has often confused me at the point of free will. We must exercise our free will in coming to Christ, but what happens to my free will once I’m in relationship with Him? In other words, I have to make the decision to come to Christ, but once I’m a believer do I no longer have free will to make the decision to walk away? Will He honor a person’s “rejection” of Him before they have a relationship with Him, but not after? When is a person truly saved, and when are they not? God alone knows with certainty.

Personally, I can’t conceive of any reason someone who genuinely knows the Lord would want to walk away. But there was obviously free will in the Garden of Eden, and when Adam and Eve exercised their will to disobey God, they were ejected from the Garden. Where does free will begin and end? What’s my point?

Eternal security, as I understand it, is a believer’s assurance that we have, and will always have, eternal life once we’ve repented of our sin and come to Christ by faith. However, the teaching of eternal security, again, as I understand it, was never intended to be, nor can it ever be, a license for an unbeliever to claim salvation in Christ yet continue to live like the devil.

1 John 2:4 says: “If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.” Further, in 2:9: “If anyone claims, ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.” Light and darkness are opposites and often in Scripture represent those who are walking with Christ and those who are not.

My earnest plea is for anyone who claims to know the Lord Jesus, but who is continuing to walk in habitual sin, to decide whom you will serve. Jesus was clear that you can’t serve two masters. Time is short, and you don’t want to risk having the Lord say to you: “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”

Please check out this brief video by Ron Hutchcraft and yield your life and allegiance to Jesus while you still can. https://hutchcraft.com/the-bridge-to-god

Blessings, Ed

Do You Need to Get Rid of Your “Mistresses?”

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14 NLT)

Many in our churches across America have been deceived by the lying spirit of Satan, into believing they’re saved and on their way to heaven, when in fact they’re on a course that is leading them straight to hell.

If someone believes they’re going to heaven because they said a “prayer,” or parroted words that someone led them to say, and by those things alone believe they’re going to heaven, they may need to reconsider. If they’re not certain of their connection with the Lord, they need to seek God’s forgiveness in their own words, and ask for the Lord’s strength and help in guiding them into a whole new godly direction for their life.

Then, they need to find someone they trust, who by the quality of their life, demonstrates what following Jesus should look like. It can be very helpful if they can ask that person to walk with them in their faith journey. They need to get connected to a church fellowship that honors Christ and teaches the Bible accurately, and learn how to walk with Jesus in submission to His authority.

There’s a brief video that was shown at the men’s conference I mentioned yesterday, entitled Justin and Angela. If you’d like to check it out, just go to youtube.com and type in “Justin and Angela.” It’s about a husband and wife who go out to dinner, but, as it turns out, the wife has also invited a few of her boyfriends. It’s funny on some levels, but it’s also heartbreaking, because it illustrates how we treat the Lord when we’re not fully committed to Him.

In the video Angela tries to explain to Justin, her husband, that she “loves him most,” that he’s “her favorite.” This illustrates our fickle heart when we desire to keep things from our old life, and just add Jesus to the mix. “He loves us no matter what, right? So, surely, He won’t mind.” There’s just one tiny problem – IT’S BLASPHEMOUS!

Exodus 20:3 records God’s words in His first Commandment: “You must not have any other god but Me.” And some would say or think ”I don’t have another god, I just love my job, hobby, family, possessions _______________ (you can fill in the blank). Anything that takes the place of our whole-hearted love for the one true God can become a god! Verse 5 says: “…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”

God’s “jealousy” isn’t like ours. His jealousy is based on our need, not His. He’s God, He has no needs. He wants us to love only Him because only He can help us understand and experience what true, selfless love looks and feels like. He alone can give us what our heart longs to have – full acceptance; unwavering, everlasting love; complete satisfaction and wholeness we can’t even begin to imagine; deep devotion that no human relationship can match; forgiveness and a fresh start; healing that enables us to see life with new eyes and to experience life with new emotions and expectations, not only on planet earth, but forever with the Lord on the new earth and the new heaven.

My purpose isn’t to be the proverbial “judge.” I’m not judging anyone except myself. I’m no better than anyone else. All I’m trying to do is hold up the “mirror” of God’s Word and let us see ourselves as God sees us.

Please listen to the Holy Spirit as He draws you to Himself and allows you to either know for sure that you belong to Him (see Romans 8:16) or give you a clear understanding that you don’t. You can’t risk trusting your feelings or “what you’ve always believed.”

You must forsake your “mistresses” before it’s eternally too late.

Blessings, Ed

Are You Saved?

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins.” (Matthew 3:8 NLT)

In a message I heard while attending a recent men’s conference, the speaker explained how vital it is that we understand what “repentance” is. While there, in a conversation, someone spoke of a man he knows who is living in open rebellion against God yet clings to his confidence that he’s going to heaven because he believes “once saved, always saved.” Are your “ears” perked up yet? 😊

The lie that Satan promotes through that widely taught doctrine is that God will overlook all future sin, so it really doesn’t matter how we live. The problem with that conclusion is, saying a prayer doesn’t save us, a broken, contrite heart, evidenced by a changed mind and life does. Am I suggesting grace saves us but works keep us saved? Absolutely not!

The same grace that saves us sustains us. The works that God planned for us to carry out before the foundation of the world aren’t what maintains our relationship with God. Our “works” are what identifies us as God’s child. They’re offered to God out of a grateful heart as an offering to Him for what He did, is doing, and will one day complete for us in glory. Salvation is never dependent upon us. It’s always and only a gift given to us by Christ alone, by faith alone.

So, what is “repentance?” In the original language it means: “a change of mind.” But implied in that change of mind is a change in direction. It’s a military term that speaks of “an about face.” The course of our lives is heading in one direction, but when we meet Jesus, our mind and heart are changed, so much so, it requires a brand-new direction in which our lives must now walk.

To believe mumbling a few words as a result of an emotional experience is going to lock in our eternal destiny is a lie from the depths of hell. Faith in Christ’s completed work on the Cross, illustrated by a changed life – new desires, new direction, new habits, new thoughts, new dependence upon the Holy Spirit to live in and through us, is clear evidence that we’re saved. Jesus becomes our Savior, yes, of course, but He also becomes our Lord, Master, Leader, Teacher, in short, our Life!

One evidence that Christ is our life is wanting what He wants more than what we want for ourselves. What might that look like? If we’re living in disregard to the clear instructions of God’s Word, we need a heart check.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter.” The logical question then becomes – “What does it mean to do the will of God?” While it might look a little different for each believer, the premise is the same for all of us. Obedience to the Lord’s directives in our lives.

Paul wrote in Romans 6:16: “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” To live in open rebellion against the clear instructions of God’s Word should be a wake-up call. Saved people are constantly seeking to obey God’s Word as a rule of life, not looking for more ways to sin.

Can we still sin? Of course, but that should be the exception, not the rule (see 1 John 2). John wrote in 1 John 5:1: “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” And please don’t misunderstand. To “believe” here means “to commit one’s trust to.” It means to place the weight of faith on the truth of who Jesus is and what He did on our behalf. It’s not merely an intellectual assent. James 2:19 reminds us: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

We’ll look at this more closely tomorrow, Lord willing.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Do People Say About You?

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.” (Matthew 5:11 NLT)

When my then 16-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, I got several cards and notes letting me know that people were praying for us. That was a blessing as we were struggling to make sense of what was happening and how to navigate through something neither of us had faced before. But I also received a letter that was not signed that essentially said: “You’re the reason your son is sick.” That was NOT helpful, especially considering my recent divorce from my son’s mom, that I didn’t want.

Guilt and shame filled my heart and mind and I wondered if it was true. Thankfully, God had placed in my life godly men and women with whom I could share freely about the letter and how I felt. They prayed for me and counseled me to trust God and not allow Satan to bind my spirit through one of his lies.

It doesn’t help me when someone tells me what I did or am doing wrong, especially if their motive is wrong. If a trusted brother comes to me and points out something that is offensive to him or others, while it might sting a bit, I will listen out of my respect for them. God sometimes uses others to correct or guide us in the paths of righteousness. But most of the time, no one knows better than me what I’m doing wrong. The Holy Spirit is very good and kind in pointing out the things in my heart and life that are displeasing to the Lord.

Photo by u041cu0430u0440u0438u044f on Pexels.com

When I was a small boy my Uncle Ed would pull me up on his lap and tell me and everyone within earshot, what a good boy I was. I knew, and I suspect he knew too, that I wasn’t a good boy. When my mom wasn’t happy with me, she would sometimes refer to me (in the most affectionate way 😊) “You little hellion!” But when others would brag on me, even if I didn’t feel I deserved it, there was a part of me that was drawn to wanting to be “that” person. It inspired and encouraged me to become more than I might believe I could become.

What’s my point? It’s easy to see the things that are wrong in someone else. Why do you think that is? It’s called “projection.” We often project onto others the wrong we can’t face in ourselves. So, we quickly point out in others the very things with which we wrestle in our own lives but can’t muster the faith and/or courage to do anything about them.

As hard as it might be at times, make it a habit to call out the good things that you see in others. A brother in the Lord called me the other day. Someone had told him he shouldn’t be leading a group, that he didn’t know enough of the Bible. The “truth” is, he does need to dig into the Bible more intentionally, but it’s also true that he’s a born leader. He can motivate and draw men to the Lord and to his group like I was never able to do. And that’s what I told him. I also was able to give him some guidance in the importance of reading and studying the Bible, and praying (which he asked me about).

We don’t need to hear what we aren’t or can’t do. We need to be reminded that we’re God’s child and nothing is impossible for us. And there’s no better environment for this to happen than in our families. Yes, of course, if I wanted to get really picky, I could probably find one or two things I could nitpick my wife about. But I’d much rather brag about the hundreds of godly qualities she has. I’d rather tell her how beautiful she is; how smart she is; how powerfully God is using her in so many ways to bless others and honor Him.

Life is too short to waste our breath speaking words that aren’t uplifting, encouraging, reinforcing what God is doing in and through those we love the most. Brag on those you love. Let God’s love so flow in and through you that others are called to love and honor the Lord you love and serve.

Blessings, Ed 😊

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!

“He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen.” (Matthew 28:6a NLT)

We hope for a lot of things, don’t we? We hope it doesn’t rain on our picnic. We hope our children don’t get sick or we don’t get stuck in traffic. But you know what? That’s little more than wishful thinking.

Robert C. Crosby wrote: “Life is full of dyings of all sorts and of new awakenings, of chapters closing and new ones opening. There is almost a rhythm to the process. Dark Fridays and bright Sundays. Shattered dreams and hopes fulfilled. Things dying and others coming to life.”

While in that maddening period between when my wife announced she was leaving and the court appearance when the final nail would be pounded into the coffin of our once vibrant marriage, my wife called and asked if we could meet for lunch.

Over lunch she explained that the relationship between her and the man for whom she left me was now over. My heart was thrilled, so I asked: “Does that mean there’s a chance we can still work things out?” To which she responded rather matter-of-factly: “No! What gave you that idea?” Hope anticipated became hope shattered in a heartbeat. For what are you hoping on this Resurrection Sunday?

Hope, at its core, is a Person. Jesus is the Hope, the only Hope of this fallen world, but He’s so much more. To know Jesus is to live with confidence that whatever life throws at us, we have someone strong and capable to help us deal with it. He loves us so much He gave His life to prove it and He overcame death and the grave through the power of the same Holy Spirit who empowers us to live boldly and triumphantly from day to day.

My divorce crippled me on many levels for a while. It took time to heal and to learn to risk loving someone again. Each of us, if we’ve lived any length of time, has been hurt, disappointed, crushed by the circumstances of life.

Though this is a joy-filled day for those of us who know, love, and are following the risen King, some reading these words, and millions across our broken world, are dying inside, praying for a resurrection of new life. Why is Jesus’ triumph over darkness and the grave so important for you to grasp? Because the hope He gives is not only for a new life here on earth, but a new, joy-filled eternity with Him in heaven.

There’s at least one thing I know about you, even if we’ve never met. What’s that, you may wonder? I know with certainty that what has you bound can and one day will be a distant memory if you’ll place your faith and trust in the only One who has power to release you.

While our hope in Jesus can, and for many of us does, satisfy our every need in this life, there are still things that we will carry with us to the grave. Heartache, pain, physical, emotional, mental, financial, and relational issues with which we’ve wrestled for years. Though we’ve begged God to heal and/or remove them, they persist. Why?

Because our final triumph as believers will never be fully realized until we see Jesus face to face. Then we’ll lie prostrate at His feet in worship and honor and thanksgiving. Why? Because in that moment we’ll be perfect in every way and, for the very first time we’ll realize our Risen Lord is the reason we’ll never have to deal with any of those issues again for all eternity.

HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Darkness of That Saturday!

“But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.” (Luke 23:56b NLT)

We, as followers of Jesus, celebrate Good Friday, commemorating the day Jesus died for our sin. And we joyfully worship on Resurrection Sunday, acknowledging Jesus’ victory over death and the grave. But seldom do we hear a message regarding the Saturday in between.

Luke 23:49 references “Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, (who) stood at a distance watching.” What were they watching? When Jesus was being removed from the Cross, they wanted to see where His body would be buried.

They loved Him and followed Him in His life and ministry, and they wanted to honor Him in His death, even amid their heartache and sorrow. They needed to know where to go on Sunday morning, following the Sabbath restrictions, so they could prepare His body for a proper burial. Little did they know on Friday what they would find when they went to His tomb on Sunday.

As the sun set on that horrific day, many of those who loved and followed Jesus thought all hope was lost. They hadn’t been privy to what Jesus had told His disciples about His resurrection, and even those who heard, including the disciples, didn’t understand. How could they?

Though they’d seen Jesus raise the dead during His life, they hadn’t yet connected the proverbial “dots” that by the same power that raised Lazarus and others, that same Spirit would enable Jesus to walk out of His grave under His own power.

The darkness of that Saturday couldn’t have been blacker or more foreboding as those who loved Jesus anticipated the beginning of another chapter of their lives, without Jesus. Think of their grief. They’d believed Jesus was their answer to the hope they’d held for liberation, peace, contentment, happiness, life itself, but now He was dead. How could life go on? How could they face another day without Him?

Have you ever lost someone who, to you, represented everything good in your life? In your mind, it was as if life without “them” was like life without love, without meaning, without purpose, without hope. Multiply that by a thousand and you’ll get a sense of what those “friends” of Jesus were experiencing.

Like the men on the road to Emmaus, many were struggling to discover how they would – how they could – go back to life without Jesus. All their hopes were centered on Him. Their futures were envisioned with Jesus as their primary point of reference. Every thought, every decision, and every relationship was filled with Jesus and living out the plans He had for them.

What do you do when you lose hope? When sadness envelopes you and seems to swallow you into a deep, dark hole? Where do you turn? My first thought is Jesus! But what if, like those early followers who had seen Jesus die on a Cross, Jesus was removed from the equation? What if you had to face life without Jesus?

My heart can’t conceive of not having life and hope in Jesus. So, as you consider how it might have felt without having Him as your life and hope, think, too, of the elation, the absolute triumph of your Spirit when you learn on Sunday morning – “HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!”

Blessings, Ed 😊

God Is Able – To Do Infinitely More! (Part 2)

“By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News.” (Ephesians 3:7 NLT)

Yesterday I shared with you about my experience during worship. Today I’d like to tell you about another way God showed me a few things that I understood intellectually but needed to experience personally.

In Exodus 16 we’re told about the manna from heaven that God provided for all of Israel. Manna literally means “what is it?” Moses explained that it was their food supply, but they were to take each day only what they needed for their family, thus, everyone had exactly enough – no more, no less.

The Lord laid on my heart to give an invitation card to Easter services at our church to everyone in my neighborhood. At one point I had counted the number of houses, but on Sunday, when I picked up the cards, I couldn’t remember how many to get, so I just grabbed a few hands full. When I finished with the last house, I searched all my pockets, but there were none left. I had exactly the number I needed.

So, what’s the big deal about that? I had enough! It was as if the Lord was saying to me: “Every person in this neighborhood, that you’ve been lifting to Me every morning for months, is vitally important to Me. I want every single one of them to receive an invitation, because for those who accept, it will be life changing. I’m working in ways no one has ever seen before, but what I’m doing in Las Vegas is unique. I’m going to start a worldwide revival, giving people of the world one last chance to see Me and come to Me before I call a halt to life on this planet.

My love for the lost is beyond human understanding, but if you’ll obey Me in the seeming small things, like passing out these invitations, I will work in unbelievable ways. I will draw your neighbors to Me and show them things that they’ve never dared dream possible. I’m going to show up in Resurrection Sunday services all over the world in unprecedented ways.

I’m going to work powerfully, healing marriages, freeing addicts, delivering those with demons, and transforming the lives of those who will place their trust in Me. My Spirit will bring such conviction to those who are lost that they literally won’t know what’s happening to them. I’m going to send people who love Me and trust Me to let them know what they need to do to find forgiveness and wholeness the likes of which they couldn’t have imagined. I am coming soon for My Bride, and I want the banquet hall of heaven to be filled with those who are willing to put their hope of eternal life in Me alone.

I’m not looking for ‘miracle workers.’ I’m the only miracle Worker you need. I’m looking for vessels through whom My Spirit can flow without restriction. People who will obey me in the small details of their lives, so that I might work in unimaginable ways in saving, healing, restoring, and investing them in My Kingdom while there’s still time.”

What is the Lord prompting you to do? I’ve got to tell you; the devil was trying his best to discourage me. Everything from: “Your neighbors don’t care about Jesus; they’re going to run you off their property. You’re going to be the laughingstock of the neighborhood. You’re just going to make a fool of yourself” and on and on he went, until the last card was handed out. Then I saw a big smile on God’s face, and it was like He said: “You’ve done your part, now let Me do Mine!”

Whoever you are. Wherever you live. However long you’ve been walking with Jesus. I have a word from the Lord for you – “You’re enough!” I’m just an old man who loves Jesus, but God made it clear to me that I’m enough, when I’m empowered by His Spirit. And so are you, my friend, so are you!

Whatever you’re led to do that is in line with His will and Word, just do it! Don’t second guess and don’t question, just do it and leave the results to Him.

Wow! I can’t wait to see what’s coming. God is up to something really good and I’m grateful that He’s letting us be a part of it. It’s going to be “infinitely more than we can think or imagine!” Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Blessings, Ed 😊

God Is Able – To Do Infinitely More!

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

It’s nearly impossible for us to comprehend what God is seeking to say to us through this verse. Let’s look at Ephesians 3:20-21 in the Amplified Bible: “Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare} ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams] – To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).”

One of the sweetest times I spent with my daughter when she was just a small child was the first and only time, I spanked her. She was misbehaving in church, and I asked her to stop, but she ignored me. I warned her a few times, then when she persisted, I took her to another room of the church. I explained to her why I was spanking her, then swatted her a few times on her bottom. She began to cry, not so much because it hurt her physically, but because she had disappointed me.

Seeing her cry, I began to cry, so I just held her and told her how much I loved her. In my mind, I’d pretty much decided from that experience I would never spank her again, but, honestly, she never gave me reason. In my heart, then and now, nearly fifty years later, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her if it was within my power to do it.

On a very much larger scale, I believe that’s what our Heavenly Father is seeking to convey to us through the words of Paul. The Lord Jesus is my life. There’s nothing I want to say, do, or think except it pleases and honors Him. Because of that, I sometimes try to imagine these grandiose ways that I can serve and honor Him with my life. But what I’m discovering is, that’s not typically how He works.

Yes, of course, there are men and women of God who are like shining stars to us, who speak well, write well, and live well, and it sometimes causes us to wish we could be more like them. But that’s not always God’s desire for us. He wants us to be more like Him, not in a “superstar” role, but as the best man, woman, or child that we can be, where we are, in our family and in our other spheres of influence.

Two things happened last Sunday that helped me to see this more clearly. We were having Communion at the end of the service and my wife and I were sitting in the first row of a series of seats, and in front of us was an aisleway. A young woman and her small son came up and sat on the floor right in front of us, so the Lord prompted me to ask her if she’d been served the elements for Communion, but she had not. Without giving it a thought, I gave her mine.

They were packaged together and mine was unopened, so she took it. When I sat back down by my wife, we decided we’d just share hers, but when she opened it, two little crackers dropped out, not one, as was the way they’re packaged. So, we each had the “bread” and shared the juice, which is what they did in the Bible anyway. What’s my point?

It would have been okay with me to miss that one time of sharing the Lord’s Supper so that someone else could participate, but that’s not God’s plan. He doesn’t “take from us to share with another,” He gives us in abundance so that we never lack. There’s never a shortage when we obey the Lord.

I’ll share the other “sign” God gave me tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God Is Able – To Establish You!

“Now all glory to God, who is able to make your strong, just as my Good News says.” (Romans 16:25a NLT)

There have been times in my life as a believer that I was so burdened by my inability to be strong enough, in the sense of being able to keep my focus on Jesus, and my thoughts and motives pure, that I literally didn’t know what to do. I’ve begged God to help me but was still unable to see any significant change.

The word that Paul uses in the above verse that is translated “make you strong” is from the Greek word “sterizo.” I don’t know with certainty, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it’s the word from which comes our word for “steroids.” I’ve taken prescribed steroids, and I can’t be sure I got stronger, except for my appetite.

The Holy Spirit has many roles in our lives as Jesus followers, one of which is to give us strength/power. I do know that the word in the above verse that is translated “able” is the Greek word “dunamai,” from which comes our English word “dynamite.” What’s my point? God is very capable of making us stronger.

It’s like Paul is reinforcing the fact that God has all power to do whatever He chooses to do, whenever He chooses to do it. Of course, the kicker for us is – “then why doesn’t He do something more quickly when I pray?” That’s a good and legitimate question. Thanks for asking 😊.

In John 11 we find the story of a man named Lazarus. He’s the brother of Mary and Martha who were Jesus’ close friends. You’d think when Jesus got word that His good friend Lazarus was sick, He’d go right away to check on him. But John 11:5 says: “So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He stayed where He was for the next two days.”

Of course, Jesus later raised Lazarus from the dead, and He will do the same for those of us who love and trust Him. But in our journey to strength and endurance as God’s child, there are some things we need to understand. First, God is not our spiritual “Genie.” We don’t “rub” the proverbial “prayer lamp” and expect God to come immediately to do our bidding. He works on His time, which is always perfect, not on ours.

Additionally, as Pastor Rick Warren is fond of saying: “God never wastes a problem.” Strength and spiritual power come incrementally, not all at once. In much the same way as we build muscle in our body over time, God grows our heart muscles as we learn to trust Him. And when do we tend to need Him most? In difficult seasons! So, that’s when our strength and power are developed most effectively.

We may not always realize it, but God is developing and building our strong foundation in Him. The word translated “make you strong,” implies a period of time, not unlike the time it takes to pour the foundation of a large building. It means “to make stable, to place firmly, to set fast, to make firm, to render constant.”

It takes time to lay a foundation and it takes time for the concrete to dry before it’s fully useable. While God is our firm foundation, we come to Him as spiritual “infants” when we’re born again. It takes time for us to grow and develop our spiritual “muscles,” but once we begin to form godly habits like reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word; when prayer becomes our constant companion; when worship, gratitude, and praise become our reflex actions in and through our daily activities; we’re going to see in increasing measure, our hearts, minds, spirits, and body, fall in step with the activity of God’s Spirit in and on our behalf.

My sense is, you’re probably a lot stronger than you realize.

Blessings, Ed 😊