Walking With Jesus

When Satan Attacks

“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:16 NLT)

Recently I had the privilege and honor of being among the ones who spoke at my mentor’s Celebration of Life. While the message the Lord gave me came quickly, I struggled for weeks to pray through my inadequacies and feelings of inferiority and just plain fear. Jim (my mentor) was a giant man of God in my mind and the hearts and minds of many others. He was among the most powerful orators I’ve ever heard. He was known nationwide and traveled abroad to teach and preach.

As the day approached, I became physically ill and wasn’t sure if I would be able to attend. But the Lord was merciful and enabled me to make the trip. When it came my turn to speak, I nearly fell on the couple of steps up to the platform. My hands seemed useless in separating the few pages of notes that I had, and when I began to speak it was as if I had cotton in my mouth.

It was like I was in middle school again trying to give a book report on a book I hadn’t read when the girl I had a crush on was sitting in the front row. I literally felt like running away. Then I saw someone walking down the aisle towards me with a bottle of water in his hand. Immediately, the verse came to mind about God giving a reward to anyone who would give a drink to the least of these.

Ironically, I didn’t even connect the proverbial “dots” until after the service, but I believe Satan’s emissaries were doing their best to distract me, for fear the message the Lord had given me would be a usable tool in the Spirit’s capable hands.

As a result of this experience, I would like to make a few observations. First, obey the Lord to the letter! What do I mean by that? Early in my preparation the Lord laid on my heart to open the message with prayer. I even wrote it on my notes and highlighted it. But instead of doing that, because there had already been five other speakers and I was trying to save time, I decided I would pray silently before getting up to speak. Big mistake!

Please don’t misunderstand. It’s not that the Lord was disciplining me for disobeying. Without thinking, which is often the way we get in trouble, I had let down my guard and given Satan the opportunity he needed to attack. It was embarrassing and humiliating, but the Lord enabled me to share His message and I believe He was honored and some of those present were blessed.

Another observation is, we don’t always know how important the message is that God has given us. For example, He may prompt us to make a call, send a text, email, or post on social media, but we don’t think there’s any urgency and/or we may not see the relevance of what He’s leading us to share. But we never know who will see it and how the Lord is stirring in their heart at the moment they receive our message or read the words the Lord has given us.

Faith is built in the details. Never question or disregard (like I did) the things that might seem optional to us but are vital in the accomplishment of God’s purpose in using us. By the way, He had also prompted me to pray at the end of my message, which I DID! 😊

Remember to always put on the armor God provides, because we have to be constantly aware that Satan is no respecter of persons and can attack when we least expect it.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Declaration Of Release

“It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippian 1:6, 2:13)

*Please read carefully and be attentive to the Holy Spirit as you read this devotional by Sylvia Gunter. This was just too good not to share. Blessings, Ed 😊 Used with permission.

We are selfish by nature. Nobody had to teach us to want things our way. When someone doesn’t do things our way, we try to change them, to make them conform to what we believe is right and best. We may feel that someone is heading in the wrong direction, and we want to get him or her on the track we believe to be right.

We may call it concern, but it really may be selfishness and control. No matter how right we may be, we are wrong to try to control others and make them conform to our desires, even our godly desires. It is God’s job to change people, not ours. Be careful of trying to control others. Give them to God so He can accomplish His perfect will in their lives.

Make this declaration of release as often as necessary.

Because Jesus Christ is my Lord, I free you from my anxiety, fears, and control.

I trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and show you the way that is right for you, the way of love, joy, and peace and all that salvation includes.

I place you at God’s throne of grace. I cannot force my will on you.

I cannot live your life for you. I give you to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are a very special person. As much as I love you, God loves you more.

Your life today is totally in His hands, and I trust Him with it.

In Jesus’ name…

I release you from my expectations,

I place you on open palms to the Lord. I give you my blessings.

I let you go.

It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phi 2:13, 1:6).

A Healthy Look at Healing

“News about Him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to Him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed – He healed them all.” (Matthew 4:24 NLT)

Do you believe God cares about your physical, emotional, and mental health? Did Jesus care about those who were brought to Him or who came themselves for healing? What do you think are the biggest differences between those who needed healing in Jesus’ day, and today?

When you have symptoms that lead you to believe you might have a medical problem, what is your first course of action? Does it depend on how severe the symptoms are? Why? What difference should severity make? Where am I going with these questions?

Understanding that I can’t speak for you or anyone else, the Lord is stirring in my heart to take another look at health and healing in the Bible. Obviously, many things were different when Jesus was walking the pathways of this earth. There were doctors, but their capabilities and resources were very limited. But truth be told, many things were exactly the same.

Much of what we do related to our health is driven by the same types of things that drives every other area of our lives. How so? We’re creatures of habit. If I have a cold, I check the medicine cabinet. If I cut my finger, I look for a Band-Aid. If I have a kidney stone, I get to the ER as soon as humanly possible. What’s my point?

Photo by izzet u00e7akallu0131 on Pexels.com

Our reflex action is human intervention, not prayer. And again, I’m not speaking for you, I’m giving you insight into how I think, but my guess is, I’m not alone. It’s as if we think the Lord only cares about the “big” health issues, but even then, doctors and medicine are generally our first lines of defense. And please don’t misunderstand, doctors and medicine can and often are miraculous “tools” in God’s capable hands, but our first thoughts, regardless of how large or small the issue, should be prayer.

What if the same faith that drives our spiritual health, would drive every other aspect of our lives, including our physical health? And the scary part of that is – what if it already does?

Think about the people who came to Christ for healing – for themselves or their loved ones or friends. Why did they come to Jesus? They believed – they had faith – that He could heal. Do we not share that same faith? I believe we do, or at least we want to.

At one point during my son’s battle with leukemia, it became apparent to me that he was no longer taking his medication. In retrospect I’m ashamed to tell you I was a pastor then, but I panicked and confronted him. He simply said: “I believe God has healed me, that’s why I stopped taking my medication.”

Being the pillar of faith that I was, how do you think I responded? Not well. My initial response was to ignore his faith and encourage him to continue taking his medication. Why? Because I didn’t trust God! I didn’t have enough faith to support my son’s decision. Why not? I loved God and I prayed for my son’s healing, which He ultimately granted, but where was my faith in that moment? It was more in medicine than in God.

I realize this is a multifaceted consideration, but at some point, we have to decide where to place our faith. I can’t lose sight of how Jesus dealt with disease in the Bible. Nothing was too hard for Him, and He turned no one away. Anyone who came to Him for healing, walked away healed. And in every case the common denominator was faith. They believed they would be healed if they even touched the hem of His robe. His presence WAS their medicine.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Whom Will You Choose?

“Choose today whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15a NLT)

Joshua is one of the men I’m looking forward to meeting in heaven. In my mind’s eye I see him as a weathered, rugged looking man who shows his battle scars, not with pride in himself, but as trophies he’s earned in service to his Master. He knew what was right and sought with everything within him to do it. He was highly opinionated, but always came down on the side of the Lord.

He was one of only two of the ten men sent to check out the Promised Land and returned with bold confidence that the nations who then possessed the land were “ripe” for the pickin’. When he saw the size of the men they would have to fight, he didn’t see giant men, he chose rather to see how powerful his God was.

What do you see when you face the “giants” in your life? Perhaps your “giant” is financial, relational, physical, mental, emotional – whatever it is, God is bigger, stronger, and more than able to help you defeat your “foe.”

What’s interesting in the above verse is that’s what people most often quote, but that’s only part of the verse. The previous verse ends with the words: “Serve the Lord alone.” Then the opening words of verse 15 are: “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.”

As Jesus followers you’d think our minds would already be made up, in terms of whom we’ve chosen to serve, yet, like the Israelites, we’re often very fickle in our service to Christ. Chapter 24 is essentially a history lesson where Joshua outlines many of the things the Lord accomplished on their behalf and warns them to serve Him faithfully.

He asks them: “Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live?”

Intellectually, we respond with the Israelites: “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods.” But, as you know, if you’ve served the Lord any length of time, following Jesus isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. We have the best of intentions, but too often we fall prey to the “daily grind.”

Of course, we read our Bibles and “say our prayers,” but if we’re not attentive to the Spirit’s directives, Satan will lull us into a deep, spiritual sleep, opening our hearts to his relentless tactics. We don’t mean to fall away, it just happens. At first, our friends at church may not even notice, but over time we lose our first love and if we’re not diligent to listen to the Spirit’s voice, our hearts harden over time.

Jesus warned the church in Ephesus: “Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5 NLT) What did they do at first? They repented. They turned from their old ways and sought with all their hearts to walk closely with the Lord.

We tend to believe repentance is a one-time process. Yes, depending on what kind of lifestyle we followed before coming to the Lord, our initial change of direction in our lives can be dramatic. But the heart and mind change that enabled us to begin our walk with Jesus, is an ongoing process that will continue as long as we’re on this planet.

There’s a sense in which, in an effort to be healthy and continually walk as close to the Lord as possible, we, like King David, ask the Lord to search our heart often, desiring the Spirit to point out anything in us that’s unlike Jesus. Any wicked ways that may be seeking to infiltrate our heart or mind.

Perhaps we should more frequently begin our day with a declaration made with our whole heart and mind: “Today I choose to follow You, Lord Jesus. You’re my life and my heart’s desire. Spirit cleanse me of anything that’s not of You and fill me with Your Holy Presence. May I, this day, walk faithfully and wholeheartedly to Your honor and fame.”

Blessings, Ed 😊

What “Good Work” Are You Becoming?

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

One of the beauties of the Bible is that the Holy Spirit can use the same verse to speak in different ways. I’ve read this verse many times, yet the Lord spoke to me in a different way today. Let’s walk slowly through this important message from the heart of God.

First, notice that the Author and Finisher of any good work in us is God. He’s the One who starts, continues, and finishes any good work within us. Why is that important? Largely because if we aren’t consciously aware of the good that is derived from our lives coming from God, we’ll be tempted to take credit for it ourselves. We want to think more highly of ourselves than we should. Or we’ll discount it, not realizing how much God is doing in us.

Notice, too, Paul says: “good work,” not “good works.” Remember, one of the products (fruit) of our lives that God is developing in us is goodness. “Good works” should emanate naturally and with more frequency the longer we walk with Jesus. His Holy Spirit indwells us, and, ideally, is living His life out though us in constant and sometimes unexpected ways.

We’re designed to be a funnel through whom God can work, giving expression to HIS goodness in and through us. As the Fruit of the Spirit takes root and begins to “sprout” in our life, good words, good deeds, good attitudes, good expressions of love, kindness, etc. will naturally flow from us as evidence of God’s work in us.

Notice, too, that the good work that God has started will continue long after we’re gone. How can that be? The exponential effect of God’s ministry in us will not be complete until Jesus returns. That’s what Paul says in this verse: “God…will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

One of the beautiful things about our life in Christ is that it will never die. Yes, of course, spiritually we live forever, but that’s not what Paul is saying here. He’s confirming something that is so encouraging I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I’m serious. Even as I’m typing these words my emotions are moving me to tears.

To think that God loves us and is so invested in us that the life He is living in us continues long after we’re gone is a tribute to His grace, mercy, and kindness. You see, it’s not only the good work that we do, but also the good work – GOD’S good work – that we ARE!

The opening words of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life are: “It’s not about you.” God has far greater plans for the good work that you are becoming than this world can contain. Satan wants us to believe that our impact in and on this world is minimal, but God uses every act of kindness, every thoughtful word, every unselfish expression of love, to every person whose lives our life touches, in ways that we can’t begin to comprehend and won’t fully know until we get to heaven.

In Hebrews 12:1 the writer refers to a “huge crowd of witnesses” that I envision crowding the balconies of heaven waiting to greet us when we arrive. But what if these “witnesses” are the people whom God used us to bless in ways we weren’t even aware. What if the exponential effect of our efforts to bless one person, led to the blessing of hundreds or thousands or millions of people who will one day be in heaven because of the powerful way God is working in and through your life.

Never underestimate the “Good Work” you are.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Can Your Life Make a Difference?

“Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b NLT)

A man was walking on the beach when he saw in the distance someone who seemed to be throwing something into the ocean. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young boy throwing starfish back into the water that had washed up on the beach. The man said to the boy – “There are thousands of these starfish that have washed up on the beach as far as the eye can see. What possible difference do you think you can make?”

Without slowing down, he said to the man after tossing each one back into the water – “I made a difference to that one. I made a difference to that one.”

Our world is filled with evil people bent on having their own way, without caring who pays the price for their wickedness. But gratefully, there are still those who, like Mordecai, believe a difference can be made if we’re willing to do what we can, where we are.

In the providence of our Sovereign God there is no such thing as an accident. While He doesn’t cause evil, He does allow it for a season. “Why?” is the resounding cry of those who are suffering because of the sin rampant in our world. It’s a legitimate question.

None of us, as smart as we might think we are, have insight into the mind of God. Sin and evil were not God’s plan for us when He created man, yet, because mankind had a will to seek their own way, we now have to deal with the consequences, not only of our own sin, but the sin of all mankind across the ages.

But God in He wisdom, mercy, kindness, and goodness, sent His Son to make a difference in our plight. By faith in Jesus, we now can make a difference as we join the hearts of Jesus followers worldwide to spread the word that there is still hope, and His name is Jesus!

We may not individually be able to influence thousands of people, but, by God’s grace and under the leadership of His Holy Spirit, we can make a difference to that ONE! “Which one?” you may wonder.

We have no way of knowing with certainty how many of the thousands of people to whom Jesus ministered during His time on earth were genuinely seeking Him. However, the Bible gives us insight into many whom Jesus healed and helped individually whose lives were impacted for eternity. What’s my point?

There are those like the great evangelists across the years, who have been used powerfully by God to reach the thousands, but they’re the exception. Most of us don’t have the giftedness or ability to reach the multitudes. However, the Lord has gifted and equipped each of His children to reach someone.

Do you remember the chorus by Dr. Leon Tucker that says: “Lord lay some soul upon my heart, And love that soul through me; And may I nobly do my part, To win that soul for Thee.”

Esther may have thought she was Queen because of her beauty, but learned that God had made her beautiful so that He could strategically place her in a position of influence to save His people. God has uniquely placed you and me in the circumstances we’re in, in order to reach someone in our spheres of influence. He is preparing their heart to meet us and be open to the words He’s giving us to share.

Let’s be open to the plans of God who is equipping us to reach that one He’s putting in our path. We CAN make a difference . . . to THAT ONE!

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Wisdom of Worship

“You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you.” (Exodus 34:14 NLT)

Moses was a man of God who had a unique relationship with the Lord. Moses understood the indispensable value of worship, and he was driven to his knees on numbers of occasions. His dependence upon God was enviable as was his ability to cut to the chase when it came to his need of God.

Why do you suppose God was so adamant about worshipping only Him? Yes, of course, He’s a jealous God, but what does that mean? As with many other characteristics and attributes of God, we tend to “humanize” them in an effort to understand them. But to do so in this instance would be a grave error, not from the standpoint of definition, but of application.

Jealousy is defined as: “demanding complete devotion,” and that’s exactly what God requires of us. But why? From a human perspective, jealousy arises because we fear the person we love and from whom we demand devotion will tire of us or find someone who will better fulfill their needs. God has no such concern.

His jealously arises from the fact that He knows with absolute certainty that no other “god” can love us or offer us anything close to the measure of devotion, care, and love that He gives us. He’s never jealous “of” another, He’s only jealous “for” us, because He knows how fickle we are, and He understands the hurt and heartache we’ll experience if we don’t find in Him everything we think we need.

So, what does this have to do with the wisdom of worship? Worship comes from a couple of old English words that mean “worth-ship.” And the picture they paint is of a dog licking his master’s hand. It speaks of devotion, love, honor, respect, and reverence for a divine being, which is a posture only the true and living God of the Bible deserves.

Yet, humans are famous for trivializing worship by exalting created things above their Creator. God knows and understands that what we worship defines us. That to which we give our devotion will rule us. That’s the wisdom of worship.

We can say we love and worship God all day, but whatever defines us is our god. It can be another person, possessions, money, a job, a child – the list is virtually endless of what we can so easily substitute for the position only God deserves. Why is this so vital to understand?

We’re put on this earth for essentially one reason. Jesus summed it up in Matthew 6:33 when He said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Notice He didn’t say “in place of all else.” We have other relationships and responsibilities that demand our time and energy. But God’s intention is for us to allow Him to live in and through us in whatever activities in which we’re involved.

Our priority is Jesus “above all else!” Virtually every circumstance of our lives is designed to give illustration to Whom or what we worship. Worship speaks to priority, that’s why Jesus demands we seek Him above all others. It’s not that He’s insecure and jealous we’ll find greater satisfaction in someone or something else. He understands that if we do, it will be a far inferior substitute that will ultimately disappoint and leave us wanting.

His desire is to give us a fullness of life that will satisfy in ways that human relationships and material things never can. For nearly 60 years I’ve found my wholeness and hope in Jesus. He’s always been more than enough!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Can We Trust the Bible?

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)

In light of my last few posts, I thought the question might arise: “If we can’t place our full trust in any man’s understanding of Scripture, can we even trust the men who wrote the Bible?” And the short answer is – with unlimited confidence. How can I be so certain?

The NIV translates the first part of the verse above “God-breathed.” What’s my point? The easiest way for me to think of this is that the Spirit of God “dictated” what He ultimately wanted us to read. Yes, of course He used human instruments, but He gave them words upon which we could build a faith that was based on truth. Yes, I realize that some of the New Testament books hadn’t yet been written, but the same principle applies to both Old and New Testaments. Let’s look more closely at the verse above.

Why did God give us His written Word? First, to use it as the basis of sound teaching. Teaching to what end? So that we would “do what is right.” The purpose of the Bible isn’t simply information, it’s transformation. We can memorize the entire Bible, but if that knowledge doesn’t lead to God’s Spirit having full access to our lives, it’s for all intent and purpose, useless. We have to know what is true, not only in a general sense, but what is true about us.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5::17: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Learning requires more than knowledge. Wisdom is the application of knowledge to how we think and live. Truth defines how we should think and live.

Part of that process is not only understanding what the right way is to live but understanding what needs to be corrected. We must gain insight into what changes need to be made in our conduct, especially as it relates to how we love God and each other.

Why is it so vital that we learn truth and apply that truth to how we live? Because the ultimate purpose is to equip us to carry out God’s mission on this earth – to point people to Him! To help others to understand the basis of our faith, so they can have faith of their own, not based simply on our ideas, but foundationally on what the Bible teaches.

This is scary on some levels because Scripture taken out of context can easily become a pretext. What does that mean? It means we can essentially use the Bible to “prove” almost anything. So, what do we do?

Paul wrote in Romans 8:16: “For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” I know that God’s Spirit indwells me because He bears witness with my spirit that I’m His. I believe the same principle can be applied to what is true – i.e. what is of God. How so?

When I’m reading a book or listening to someone teach/preach, I have at least two avenues to follow to understand whether what I’m reading, or hearing is of God. The first is the Bible. Is what the person is saying consistent with the whole of Scripture? The second is the Spirit’s confirmation. Am I sensing in my spirit affirmation from God or is He raising the proverbial “red flag.”

Ultimately, you must decide whether you want to believe the Bible or not. If you don’t, that will be to your peril. But if you do want to learn and follow the dictates of Scripture, you’ll have to put in the effort to learn what it says by reading and studying it for yourself. To entrust your eternal destiny to someone who seems to know the Bible is very dangerous.

As for me, I trust the Bible without reservation, because I have an intimate and personal love relationship with its Author.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Does Truth Divide?

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me.” (John 14:1 NLT)

Trusting in the words of God alone can heal, help, and unify. Trusting in the words of men alone can hurt, damage, and divide. How do you know what to believe? It must be measured by what is true.

Chuck Colson wrote: “The task of this generation—as it will be in every generation—is to understand Christianity as a complete view of the world and humankind’s place in it, that is, as the truth. If Christianity is not the truth, it is nothing, and our faith mere sentimentality.”

What’s prompting all this concern to seek out and know the truth? Because in these last days there are numerous people who profess to speak truth, which in fact, is their understanding of truth at best. At worst, it’s the enemy in disguise deliberately seeking to get you to believe a lie.

It doesn’t matter if something sounds good. That’s not the point. Is it true? Does it line up with what the Bible teaches? And yes, of course, that’s subject to opinion, and you ultimately have to decide whose opinion you’re going to trust. But do your own research. Find tools that will enable you to understand what the Bible is saying.

In Matthew 7:22-23 are some of the most frightening words in the Bible. Jesus said: “On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied (preached) in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’”

To which “laws” is He referring? Jesus said in Mark 12:29-30: “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all you mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

My goal as a believer in Jesus is to fulfill these commands to the best of my ability and understanding. The plot thickens when God’s heart is for His family, the Body of Christ, the Church, to dwell in unity and love, but when we love our beliefs, our doctrines more than we love our brothers and sisters, there’s a problem. What do I mean?

If I’m so busy seeking to “correct” my brother or sister because they don’t believe like me, I’m not going to embrace them, I’m going to push them away. Why? What are we making the basis of our unity? Our beliefs, not Jesus.

Photo by Rodolfo Quiru00f3s on Pexels.com

Friends, please hear my heart. We can’t build our oneness on doctrine – on the sinking sand of what we believe is true. We must build our unity on Truth alone – on JESUS, the Rock! How do we do that? By focusing on what we know to be true about Him. He is God! He came to live a perfect, sinless life on earth in order to be a suitable sacrifice for our sin, because sin demands a payment.

He died on the Cross, not because He deserved to be there, but because His love demanded a sacrifice for our sin to be paid. He arose from the tomb to give us victory over sin and death. We can have our sins forgiven and be given a new life in Him. We walk with Him by faith and grow in our faith as we invest ourselves in His eternal Kingdom. There are others, but hopefully you get the point.

There’s so much we have to agree on, we don’t have to argue and separate because we don’t agree on every single issue. I don’t expect everyone to believe like me. God gave me an insight a long time ago that has guided me as I’ve learned to walk more closely with my Savior. He told me that it’s no accident that there are people who are a lot smarter than me who believe differently than I do. He told me to listen to what they say, see if it is consistent with Scripture, then decide if I might need to shift what I believe about Him.

It’s not simply a matter of who’s right or who’s wrong. It’s more a matter of who’s understanding is most in line with what the Bible teaches. And, honestly, we won’t get that exactly right until Jesus returns or calls us home.

Here’s my takeaway. I’m going to love you as a brother or sister in Christ, not based on that upon which we disagree, but upon that about which we do agree – JESUS! He’s the focal point. If we miss Him, we’ve missed everything.

Does Truth divide? No. People do when we think what we believe is the only way to see the Truth.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Who Is Truth?

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NLT)

God’s heart is that we know Him. His love is so great that He devised a strategy to make Himself known to us that would be undeniable. God poured Himself into a human body in order that we might see a living, breathing example of what the embodiment of Truth would look like. Yet, we’re so divided, even in the Body of Christ, we struggle even to identify who Jesus is.

Today’s post is an effort to share my heart and thoughts regarding Truth. I capitalize that word because Truth is a Person. His name is Jesus. How do I know that? Because that’s what He said about Himself, and He doesn’t lie.

Tim Keller said of Jesus: “Jesus is one of the following: Lord, Lunatic, Liar, or a Legend. Only four possibilities.” What you decide about Jesus has enormous potential for good or bad, but that’s the topic of another post. Foundationally, I believe Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be – God in human flesh.

My point is two-fold. First, we can never, this side of eternity, know the whole Truth, in the sense that we can know everything there is to know about Jesus. John Wesley said: “Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and I will show you a man that can comprehend the Triune God.”

But secondly, we each formulate a flawed system of belief that will guide us through this life. No one, living or dead, can know everything about God, thus, to follow the findings of a mere man in our search for understanding God is going to lead to frustration and futility. So, am I apposed to studying the ideas of godly men across the years? No, of course not, but they are fallible men, just like me.

The Reason for My Hope “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

Where am I going with this. The term “Theology,” literally means “words about God.” The premier book that God has given us to help us in our understanding of who He is, is the Bible. Millions of books have been written across the centuries seeking to give expression to the understanding that men have as to what the Bible says and means. And that’s a wonderful thing.

Problems arise when we take the ideas of men and make them dogma, or a term we may better recognize – doctrine. Men have built their theology on a system of beliefs that made sense to them, and, unfortunately, to many others. Why is it unfortunate? Because rather than creating an avenue to more unity and harmony in the Church, it’s served as the basis of much division. We don’t simply follow Jesus, we follow the ideas of men about Jesus.

Our unity MUST be in Jesus, not in doctrine. My Mentor said: “We let the tail wag the dog when we put doctrine ahead of Christ.”

So, what is the alternative? Read, study, pray, meditate upon, contemplate, discuss with others, but draw your own conclusions, based on your own study. Don’t take what ANYONE says at face value, except Jesus.

Chuck Colson said: “Why does truth matter so much? Because the Church simply can’t be the Church without being on the side of truth. Jesus came as the champion of the truth and of those on the side of the truth. Without understanding this, the Church cannot even present the Gospel. Without truth, it resorts to therapy and has patients, not disciples.”

Let’s continue to look at this vital subject in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊