Walking With Jesus

The Narrow Way to Life

“But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:14 NLT)

Jesus IS the narrow way to life! Why? Because HE IS LIFE! In the writings of John in the New Testament, there are more than 75 references to the word “life,” most pointing to Jesus. For example, in 1 John 5:11-12 John writes: And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”

A case could be made that every living creature on the planet is alive because of Jesus. How do I know that? Again, John 1:4 says: “The Word (Jesus) gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.” We’ve done the Lord a disservice by believing and making others believe He needs us. He’s God. He needs nothing!

John Stonestreet wrote: “Christians often say, ‘I’ve invited Jesus into my life,’ but the reality is that Jesus invites us into His life. His purpose. His restoring work in the world He created. To this life, His Life, we are invited to join Him in the work of making all things new.”

Some believe we have to give up everything in order to follow Jesus. I choose to believe we only have to give up one thing – our life. Why would I believe that? What are you taking with you into eternity? The only thing we have to give to God is the only thing that will last forever – our soul, our eternal being. The rest is going to be burned up anyway.

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How silly we are to hold on to that which is material, forfeiting that which is eternal. The early disciples responded to God’s invitation to drop whatever they were doing and follow Him. They wandered from village to village listening to Jesus teach and watching Him transform people’s lives. There were days they didn’t have enough food and they rarely knew where Jesus would lead them. But they followed anyway, and you and I are the better for it.

A. W. Tozer wrote: “God’s plan will continue on God’s schedule.” It did when Jesus was walking this earth and it does now, in preparation for the Lord’s return. The only question we have to answer, as it relates to Jesus, is – do we want life or some imitation?

Satan’s lies have deceived many and will continue to deceive until Jesus’ return. We, as Christ’s “hands and feet,” must hold out Jesus’ invitation to life to anyone willing to listen.

It’s ironic that responding positively to Jesus’ invitation doesn’t really deprive us of anything we need, because He becomes our everything. Charles H. Spurgeon wrote: “How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people’s interests which He does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to Him.”

The closer I get to Jesus, the greater my love for my wife, family, neighbors, friends, and those with whom I have contact from day to day. The greater measure of gratitude I have for all the Lord gives me, the more He showers me with His loving presence. Every day I marvel at how generously He has provided for me, yet how little I care about in comparison to my desire for Him.

Perhaps Helen H. Lemmel said it best in her chorus: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

One of the reasons the narrow way is difficult to find is because the only signage is us. And we’re so often consumed with ourselves we forget to share with those who need to see His light and love through us. It’s not enough for us to be beacons of light if our light isn’t illuminating Jesus.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Following Jesus

“Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’” (Matthew 4:19 NLT)

The verse above gives us the words Jesus used to call His first disciples – Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, who were fishermen by trade. To some of His disciples, like Matthew, Jesus simply said “Follow Me.” What’s important for us to learn from this verse about following Jesus?

First, Jesus calls out to us. His Holy Spirit will create an unmistakable “tug” or “pull” on our heart. This could be at church or anyplace else. For several of the original twelve, they were working when Jesus called them. Others came through an invitation from a friend or relative. But please don’t misunderstand, an invitation to church doesn’t in and of itself comprise a call to follow Jesus. It took me a few months after I began to attend church before I became a Christ-follower, but some come to the Lord in another context, then find a church family with whom to worship and grow.

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Second, Jesus leads us, He doesn’t push us. To follow Jesus is a voluntary, volitional act of our will. Peter and Andrew, like every other Christ-follower since, recognized that Jesus was inviting them into a whole new way of life. Following Jesus isn’t something we add to our already busy life, it’s a decision to allow the Lord to reorient everything about our life. I’ve said before, it’s not necessarily WHAT we do – we can be a professional, blue collar, or homeless – unless it’s illegal and/or immoral, Jesus usually shifts our thinking about what we do and helps us understand who we’re really working for.

Notice Jesus said to fishermen, “I will make you fishers of people.” Why is that important? Becoming a follower of Christ may not mean you have to change careers or jobs like these fishermen did. The important thing is whatever kind of work you do, or did if you’re retired, the Lord will use the skills you have to equip you to be fruitful in reaching those in your spheres of influence, which will now become your new “mission field,” whether they are your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, or those with whom you enjoy recreation.

At some point the Lord may lead you in a new direction, but initially what He most often does is change your attitude regarding your work. You no longer work for XYZ company, you work for Jesus. Your check may say “XYZ Company,” but Jesus is just using them to pay you. Jesus is your provider.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:5: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.” In our context it’s more appropriate to think of employer/employee relationships; however, if the concept of slavery in the context of following Jesus is offensive, you need to get over it. Three of the most prominent leaders in the early Church – Peter, James, and John – each of them began their letters in the Bible by identifying themselves as “a slave of Jesus Christ.”

Thirdly, He will “show us” (teach us) how to reach people in our spheres of influence. So many today believe going to church, serving, giving money, and living a respectable life is the sum total of what it means to follow Jesus. While those things are important, they were never intended to take the place of reaching our family and friends with the Good News of why Jesus came and what He accomplished on our behalf.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20: “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’”

Here’s the truth: we tell people about what’s important to us. Who has a child and doesn’t tell anyone? Who gets a new job, new house, new car, etc. and doesn’t want to share the “good news?” There is no better news than to share “I once was blind, but now I see! I was headed to a Christless eternity, but now heaven will be my home when I leave this earth!”

Following Jesus is THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE AFFORDED MANKIND! There’s literally NOTHING that can compare with knowing, loving, and following Jesus!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Victory In Jesus

A Prayer by Sylvia Gunter

*NOTE: Though I’ve never used another person’s material for one of my posts, I’ve enjoyed reading Sylvia’s devotionals for years, and just thought this was too rich not to share. See below to access other devotionals by Sylvia. Used with permission.

You are the Name above all names, the Lord of heaven and earth, King of all kings, El Elyon-Most High God, Mighty Warrior, Captain of the Lord’s hosts. You are the Commander of the armies of heaven who has no equal, who cannot lose, and You are by our side.

All power is Yours, Sovereign God my Father. I confess Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I am in Christ, redeemed by His sacrifice on the cross, cleansed and clothed in His righteousness. I do not presume my safety. I step intentionally into the protection of the blood of the worthy Lamb of God. I plead the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ over all of my life, all my family, all possessions, my job or business, my ministry, and the people in my personal and spiritual jurisdiction. The blood of the spotless Lamb of God is my Shield of protection from the destructive intent of the enemy. Jesus has given me legitimate authority to tread on all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure me (Luke 10:19).

Because of the cross of Jesus, the devil has no place in me, no power, dominion, or authority over me. I overcome him by the victory of the blood of Jesus. He has no unsettled claims nor effectual assignments against me. I stand against every lie the deceiver ever told me. I take back all ground I ever gave him and close every door I ever opened to him, intentionally or in ignorance. I refuse his accusations and condemnation, because all my sins and guilt are nailed to the cross.

I refuse the enemy’s tactics of fear and intimidation. My weapons through God are mighty to pull down enemy strongholds. In the name of Jesus, in His authority, by His blood, according to His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit, I pull down every stronghold of the enemy in my life. I resist everything that exalts itself against knowing God and obeying His will.

We overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. I claim the perfect freedom of Jesus. I receive all the fullness of the Holy Spirit living in me. I yield all of myself to all of God. I plead, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in my life as it is in heaven this day. I stand in all the victory that is in Christ Jesus, in whose precious name I pray.

Amen.

Taken from For The Family © 1995 by Sylvia Gunter .
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An archive of past devotionals is available on the website.

Do You Love the Bible?

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey Your righteous regulations.” (Psalm 119:105-106 NLT)

If you don’t yet love the Bible, God’s written word, you likely don’t yet love its Author.

When I was in college, the only way to communicate with my girl friend who was five hours away, was pay telephone or snail mail. Stamps were cheaper than the telephone, so I wrote a lot of letters. But the joy and delight of my life; what I longed for more than almost anything else, was a letter from my girlfriend. I loved reading her letters.

Dr. David Jeremiah wrote recently in his devotional Turning Point (06-01-22): “The Bible, in a sense, is such a love letter—from God to us. Take the words of the psalmist: ‘The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.’ When children are born, they are ‘simple,’ or naïve, about life. Every parent’s goal is that their children transition from ‘simple’ to ‘wise’ through years of teaching by words and examples. The apostle Paul expands on this idea in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 where he says the ‘Scriptures…are able to make you wise for salvation.’ But it’s broader than just salvation. He says the Bible is for doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Everything a godly parent wants for their child, God wants for us. The Bible is His love letter to us, a letter to be treasured.”

The Bible, in many ways and on many levels, is God’s love letter to His children. To not love “hearing” from our Father, to me, is a clear indication that we aren’t interested in what our Father has to say. That’s scary!

The primary way many believers “hear” from God is to listen to sermons or teachings. That can be dangerous. Sermons are interpretations of God’s infallible Word, by very fallible human beings. Essentially what is happening is we’re hearing what God said to them, not us. And please understand, I was a pastor for many years, and I did my best to be true to the Scriptures. I continually told my listeners to not take my word for how I was understanding what the Bible was saying but to check it out themselves. I believe the same applies to what I write in these posts.

In some ways, listening to what God said to someone else is like reading my friends “love letter” from his girlfriend. It may say some wonderful things, but I’m not the intended audience, so it leaves me wanting.

So, if you find yourself skipping reading the Bible on a regular basis, what should you do? Matthew Henry wrote: “The Bible is a letter God has sent to us; prayer is a letter we send to him.” Communication in the best sense, is a two-way process. Begin the process of speaking with God through prayer. Ask Him to give you a hunger for His Word.

Jesus is the key figure throughout the Bible, so if you love Him and are grateful for what He has done and is doing in your life, partner with someone you know and trust and who also loves Jesus, and read the Bible together. Start in the Gospel of John, and when finished with John, go back to Matthew, and read straight through the New Testament, including reading John again.

Read with pen and paper available and make note of words, phrases, or concepts that aren’t clear. Speak with your pastor or trusted Christian friend who is further along in their faith journey, about questions you have. But I have learned that the best interpreter of Scripture is Scripture. If you’re troubled by something you’ve read, make note of what and where it is, then keep reading. Many of my questions have been answered by other texts within the Bible.

Over time, buy a Concordance and some Bible software that will help you do word studies and enable you to cross reference verses quickly. I’ve used the Online Bible software for many years. It’s reasonably priced and is filled with helpful resources.

As always, if I can be of further help, email me at walkingwithjesus09@gmail.com.

The bottom line is – if you’re not hungering for what can only be found in the Bible, you’re likely not yet hungering to walk more closely with Jesus, the Bible’s Author. That, my friend, is a major “red flag.”

Blessings, Ed 😊

Understanding the Nature of Sin

“Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.” (Romans 3:9 NLT)

The only appropriate response to the glory of God is worship. Anything less is blasphemy!

That’s why Ray Comfort wrote: “Once we catch a glimpse of the holiness of God, the existence of hell becomes a most necessary conclusion. If God is good, He must be angry at evil and He must have a place of punishment for those who do evil.”

For years I have wrongly believed that the unsaved people with whom I’ve shared the Gospel understood what sin is and that they are sinners. But the Apostle Paul in Romans 3 explains that “No one is truly wise (no one understands the position sin has put them in); no one is seeking God.”

John writes in chapter 3:18: “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” Then in the next verse John explains the basis for God’s judgment: “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

To try to explain holiness and heaven to a sinner is like trying to explain to a four-year-old why green beans are better for them than candy bars. They want what they like, they don’t have the wisdom to understand the long-term effects of unhealthy eating. Neither do people who are walking in darkness have the capacity to understand the long-term effects of “ungodly” living.

So, how do we help people to desire the light? How can we explain what sin is to someone who doesn’t really care? We start with the 10 Commandments.

Paul wrote in Romans 7:7: “I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, ‘You must not covet.’” And in Romans 3:20 Paul wrote: “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”

Sin literally means “to miss the mark.” But what’s the “mark?” Think of a bullseye on a target. God’s law is boiled down into two commandments: Love God and love others. But without any knowledge of what love is, we can draw many wrong conclusions. It’s like saying to your seven-year-old son, “You’re a good basketball player” because he made a layup. He may be showing promise, but he’s not “good” yet.

Unless lost people understand that they have broken God’s laws, they can’t understand why He would punish them. It’s great news for us as believers to understand that we had a penalty for our sin-debt that we couldn’t pay, but Jesus paid it for us. He took our place and assumed the punishment we deserved.

But if someone doesn’t understand they have a sin-debt they can’t pay; it won’t make any sense that Jesus, or anyone else, has paid it. They must understand the wrath that awaits them is because they have broken God’s laws, and there’s a “wage” to be earned. “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23)

We so water down sin as believers, how can we expect unbelievers to understand or even care that they’re sin is separating them from God. But if we help them to see that they’ve lied, stolen, taken God’s holy name in vain, have lusted and committed adultery in their heart, and the penalty for those, and many other sins, is death, then we have a framework within which they can understand why their sin is subject to judgment. Then the fact someone has paid their “debt” begins to resonate and their heart can open to the truth of who Jesus is and what He’s done for them.

If you want to learn more about this vital topic and how to more effectively share the Gospel with those you love, please check out this free book by Ray Comfort, below: Free Wonderful Book

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Glory of God

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT)

Human beings fail to recognize the glory of God in direct proportion to their unwillingness to see themselves as filled with iniquity. The higher the esteem with which we see ourselves, the more difficult it is to see the beauty and majesty of God.

In Exodus 33 when Moses asked to see God’s glorious presence, God told Him: “You may not look directly at My face, for no one may see Me and live.” Yet, Paul writes in Colossians 1:19: “For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ.”

Think of the brilliance of the sun. During the noontime brightness, to look at the sun for more than a few seconds can be literally blinding. Yet, the Bible declares that on the mount of transfiguration: “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light.” (Matthew 17:2) It was in this context that God spoke again saying: “’This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him.’ The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.”

One day every person, living and dead, will come into God’s Holy presence. But on that day, there won’t be any semblance of self-sufficiency. No one will be pushing to the proverbial front of the line. On that day every knee will bow involuntarily. It will be reflex – BOOM – our knees will hit the ground and our faces will be hidden in shame and terror to be in the awesome presence of Holiness and Perfection.

On that day we’ll see as we’ve been seen. With no pretense of goodness, every eye will be opened, and every heart will be illuminated with the Truth of who Jesus is and has always been. There will be no misunderstanding that we are sinners in the hands of an angry God. Why anger?

Because finally, justice will be served! Satan and his devilish emissaries will be sentenced to their eternal home in the lake of fire and misery. Those who rejected their only Hope, the Lord Jesus, will be separated for all eternity from those whose faith and trust has been placed in the only One whose Name is above every name. The slain Lamb of God who is now present as the roaring Lion of Judah will take His place on the throne of honor at the right hand of the Father.

John records in Revelation 5:11-12: “Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered – to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’”

We can’t possibly begin to understand what a gift we have in Jesus, the holy, spotless, perfect Lamb of God, who is Himself the embodiment of the glory of the Father, until we can finally see ourselves as the filthy, wretched, shame-filled, peons of Satan that we are apart from His mercy and grace. To dare believe there resides in us a microscopic speck of goodness apart from Jesus is to spit in His beautiful face and to spurn His sacrifice.

Kneel before Him in humble recognition that apart from Him you are nothing and apart from Him you can do nothing! Let your heart fill with worship, adoration, and praise as you realize your sin nailed Him to the Cross. But realize too, that if you’d been the only person on earth who needed a Savior, Jesus would have died for you! Let your life become a vessel of honor, pure and wholly devoted to exalting the King of kings and Lord of lords with however much life you have left. He alone is worthy!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You a Good Person?

“Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7 NLT)

Imagine you’re on vacation. You’re driving with your family to a beautiful destination. The surrounding area is already “teasing” you with it’s unique and inviting majesty, so much so you didn’t notice that you went from a speed zone that was 75 mph to 55 mph. You’re awakened from the charm of the landscape when you hear the siren and glance in the mirror to see the lights on the Police cruiser, and the officer signaling you to pull over. You get a ticket, but since you were going 20 over the limit, you have to go to court.

The judge is responsible to uphold the law, one of which you have broken. So, when you stand before him, does he care that you were on vacation? That you’re a doctor, lawyer, or candlestick maker doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have a bearing on the fact that you have broken the law. Does the judge care if you love your wife and kids? That you haven’t missed a day of work in 13 years? That you tithe your income and volunteer faithfully at your church?

While all of that is commendable, none of it changes the fact that you have broken the law and there’s justice to be served. What’s my point?

When we share the Gospel of Christ, we too often get sidetracked by people who want to change the focus of our conversation with them from fact to feelings, from conscience to emotion. It’s no longer about the fact they’ve broken God’s laws, it’s about “I’m a good person, and God loves me too much to condemn me.”

We misunderstand the nature of sin. Sin is a violation of the laws of a Holy God who is not only loving, He’s just. We want to believe He’s too good to allow anyone to go to hell. The fact is, He’s too good NOT to allow people to go to hell.

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You be the judge. A young girl is kidnapped. She’s drugged and forced to do unspeakable things, that not only violate her body, but her soul. Ultimately, she’s murdered for trying to escape. The perpetrator is arrested and comes to trial. You hear testimonies and watch video evidence that is irrefutable. There’s no question of his guilt. What would you do? To let him go free would be a travesty. Justice demands a guilty verdict! What would you think of a judge who would let a guilty person walk?

Yet, we violate the laws of God without remorse and expect Him to ignore our sin because He’s a God of love. It’s a violation of God’s holiness to ignore our unrepented sin.

Paul wrote in Romans 1:18: “But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Then in verse 21: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

Ray Comfort wrote in his book “Faith Is For Weak People” (page 52): “Sinners bring God down and lift man up. They give praise to nature rather than the Creator, and then they imagine that He doesn’t think sin is serious. The Scriptures, however, warn that in His holy eyes, lying, stealing, lust, hatred, blasphemy, adultery, fornication, greed, rebellion, and a thousand other sins are extremely serious. Divine justice cries out for retribution, and hell makes perfect sense. It is frighteningly reasonable.”

Are you a good person? Paul records the words of the Psalmist in Romans 3:12b: “No one does good, not a single one.” To rely on our own goodness to get us to heaven is eternal suicide.

Blessings, Ed

What Are You Cultivating?

“My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same.” (Job 4:8 NLT)

As I write today, I’m basking in the joy of corporate worship. My soul is refreshed as I ponder the privilege of being with my brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing in the singing of songs of praise and honor to our Savior, and listening to a message from God’s Word.

Why do I value worshipping with others so highly? The same reason I value my individual times of worship and prayer. I’m cultivating the soil of my heart, seeking to water and nourish the presence of God in me.

May I make an observation? I listen to a lot of Christian music, mostly when I’m driving, but I hear a big difference in what’s on the radio and what I hear when I’m at church. “Yeh,” you might think, “because the songs on the radio are professionally produced and are much better.” Quite to the contrary, for the most part the songs on the radio, as good as they are, are performances, but what I experience at the church I attend is worshipful. The men and women who sing at church aren’t seeking to draw attention to themselves, but to direct our attention, praise, and glory to Jesus.

In my desktop devotional calendar today, the quote was: “The reality of knowing Jesus comes as a result of hidden prayer, and personal Bible study that is devotional and consistent in nature. Christ becomes more real to those who persist in cultivating His presence.”

“Cultivate” is an interesting word. According to Webster’s Dictionary it means: “to prepare and use soil or land for growing crops, till, to break up the surface soil around plants in order to destroy weeds, prevent crusting, and preserve moisture.” There’s more, but you get the idea.

So, what can we learn? Preparing the “soil” of our hearts takes time and effort. What happens in your garden if you don’t pay attention to the soil? Weeds grow! Plants die! What happens in your heart if you don’t pay attention to what your “soil” is seeing? Hearing? Being exposed to?

At best, we get distracted. At worst, we lose our way. What measure of faith we have gets choked out by the draw of the world. What we think about comes about! What we feed our mind and heart produces a “crop.” The produce of our life will either be honoring to God, or it won’t, there’s no in between.

Cultivation is intentional. Paul writes in Galatians 6:7-9: “Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

We can’t grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus by constantly feeding on the “crumbs” of another’s efforts (i.e. a book we’re reading or a sermon from our favorite Pastor). The roots of our faith only deepen when we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us from God’s Word – who is Jesus – through prayerful reading and studying the Bible, His written Word, as well as individual, and corporate worship.

If you desire a “harvest” of fruitfulness for the Lord, cultivate the “soil” of your heart and grow seeds of faith that will honor and glorify Jesus.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Understanding the Word of God

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

One of the most common errors we make when thinking about God’s Word is focusing exclusively on the written words of God, the Bible. The Word of God is Jesus, who is the central figure throughout the whole Bible. And understand, I’m not being critical. I often refer to the Bible as God’s Word, because it certainly is a summation of God’s interactions with man from the beginning of time.

However, in the context of how God speaks, we can’t lose sight of the fact that Jesus is THE Truth. There is no truth apart from what is consistent with who Jesus is and what He proclaimed in His life on earth. Yes, of course, the Spirit speaks through His written word, the Bible, but nothing in the Bible will ever contradict the Truth of who Jesus is.

It’s not uncommon to believe that if we understand the written word, we’ll see the living Word more clearly. And that is true. But we must also understand the reason for reading and studying the Bible in the first place. Our goal isn’t simply to gain more knowledge or to gather information, it’s to apply what we’re learning with the end goal of personal transformation. We can memorize the Bible from cover to cover, but if it doesn’t enable us to look and live more like Jesus, we’ve wasted our time.

The Pharisees, who were largely responsible for the death of Jesus, had memorized the writings of Moses, consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch. Yet, they completely missed the key Figure in those writings, and rather than worshipping and honoring Him, they had Him crucified.

Understanding that Jesus is the Word of God, the living, breathing, active Son of God, is critical in understanding the written words of God, the Bible. The issue is never “does God speak?” Of course, He does, it’s just a matter of tuning in to His frequency. How do we do that? How do we hear and process what He’s saying?

Pastor Pete Greig said: Trying to understand the Bible “without a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus leads to all kinds of issues. Jesus reframes the Scriptures to show how they’re all pointing to Himself.” To read the Bible and not see the fingerprints of Jesus throughout is to misunderstand why it was written.

My time in reading and studying the Scriptures isn’t simply to know more, it’s to see Jesus more clearly so that I might become more like Him. To the extent I reflect the life and character of Jesus in the way I live and love, to that extent I’ve understood what the Bible teaches, and I’ve heard Him speak clearly.

It breaks my heart to realize how few people who profess to know and love Jesus actually spend time daily reading and studying the Scriptures and spending time, specifically set aside, for conversation with the Lord in prayer. Yes, of course, we can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons and it’s not going to lead to Christlikeness, but we can’t assume to know, love, and serve Someone with whom we spend no time.

Greater understanding of the Bible results from greater time spent with it’s Author.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Serving the God Who Strikes!

“God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” (Matthew 26:31 NLT)

Though I’ve read the above verse dozens of times, I “saw” it for the first time this morning. Jesus is quoting this verse from Zechariah 13:7 in the context of telling His disciples that they will all desert Him when He’s arrested. They all swear their allegiance, but when push came to shove, they all tucked tail and ran. But what jumped off the page today was the first word – “GOD!”

It’s just so unexpected, so unlike the character of God to strike His own Son. Yet, the word used here has more than one meaning. In the context of the above verse “strike” means to “strike gently: as a part or a member of the body.” Almost like shooing a fly away that lands on your arm.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry God’s desire was to draw people to Jesus, not chase them away. But in that circumstance, it was necessary to push them away. But why?

First, for their own safety. The crowd that arrested Jesus had “swords and clubs.” Who would have spread the “Good News” if the 11 had been killed? Jesus had just invested three years of His life training them, what a waste to have them eliminated even before Jesus’ sacrificial death. But the more obvious reason is – they had to see for themselves (a) what cowards they were, and (b) how utterly dependent upon Jesus they were and must remain if they were to ever accomplish His mission.

Another factor to consider is that Zechariah is estimated to have been written nearly 600 years before Jesus was born. This was another Messianic prophecy verifying Jesus’ identity as the Christ. But “strike” can also be translated “to smite down, cut down, to kill, slay.” It’s as if this is God’s way of releasing Jesus into His inevitable path to death on the Cross.

To me, the unavoidable conclusion is that God the Father is clearly identifying with every step His beloved Son must take to pay the penalty for our sin. He’s involved and invested, regardless of the pain He suffers in the process. Why would He do that?

Only those selflessly and unconditionally drawn by their love for Jesus are willing to agonize with Him in His final act of suffering. Because only they held strongly to their hope that His death wasn’t leading to defeat, but final victory. He wasn’t dying for His sin, He had none. He was the vicarious sacrifice for our sin; the only suitable sacrifice to free us from the bondage of sin, death, and the grave.

Of all the thousands who followed Him in His life, there were only a handful at the Cross. They were there, as tortuous as it was, for Him.

Amid the mocking of those passing by, and even by those with whom He was crucified, God the Father once again showed up in power. After life was drained from His Holy Son’s body, the Father struck terror in the hearts and minds of the soldiers by the massive earthquake. And the Pharisees and religious leaders were dumbfounded by the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple being torn in two, thus opening access for anyone to come freely into God’s Holy presence.

But God the Father isn’t finished “striking!” Soon Jesus will return in a majestic and terrifying display of power and authority. So much so that God has said: “every knee will bend to Me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.” (Romans 14:11)

Each of us will one day stand in God’s awesome presence to give account of our lives. It will be too late to beg for forgiveness, though I’m quite sure there will be massive and heartfelt sorrow. We’ll finally see as we’ve been seen. We’ll finally understand why God struck His Son and what horrific implications that has for those who across the centuries have ignored Him.

Please don’t ignore Him today. Come to Jesus while there’s still time.

Blessings, Ed