Walking With Jesus

No Longer Alone

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23 NLT)

In the opening verses of the Bible, we see the process of creation. The pre-existent Jesus, long before He would allow Himself to become a baby in a manger, was Creator and Sustainer of all that is. Jesus spoke life into existence with the power of His Word. He conceived in His mind and brought to life on the earth He formed perfectly to accommodate mankind, a man, created in God’s own image. Genesis 2:7 says: Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

Then in Genesis 2:18 God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” God brought all the wild animals and livestock, and the birds of the air, for Adam to give them all names. But none were suitable companions for the man. So, God took a rib from Adam and formed a woman and brought her to him to give her a name.

It was a glorious day in Adam’s life as he embraced God’s gift of a woman. But, the next chapter describes their failure to abide by God’s directives and how they were banished from the Garden of Eden. The point is simply this: God’s plan has always been for us to live in harmony with each other and with God in complete openness and trust. When Adam and Eve failed, they became the parents of all humanity, who then would be born with Adam’s bent to sin.

For thousands of years mankind has sought to bridge the gap between man and God, created by our sin, but have never able to find a way. Solomon, among the most brilliant men who ever lived, said in Ecclesiastes 3:11: “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

God’s desire from the beginning was to have a relationship with mankind. He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening in the Garden, not because He was lonely or in any way needed them. He wanted a relationship with them for what He could contribute, to make their lives richer, fuller, and more meaningful.

That’s why Jesus chose to humble Himself and be born as a man, certainly not because He needed anything from us, but to be a bridge over which we could come to know God. To experience firsthand what it’s like to be loved unconditionally, not for anything we could ever do to earn it, but simply because that’s who God is. Jesus was born to give us a relationship with God; to be “God with us!”

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Mary?

“’Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God!’” (Luke 1:30 NLT)

Try to imagine being a young girl, likely not more than thirteen, engaged to be married to a man your parents have chosen for you, when an angel suddenly appears to you and announces you’re going to have a baby. It’s no wonder the angel was seeking to dispel her fear. But as the angel continued to explain the purpose of his visit, Mary joyfully responded: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1:38 NLT)

Only God could conceive such a plan. Identifying and selecting all the right people, at exactly the right time, in just the right way. Then engineering circumstances to put them in the right place at the right time to fulfill words describing their movements and events hundreds of years before the fact. It’s literally unbelievable. Yet, it happened. It’s true. It’s historically verifiable. So, the question remains – WHY?

Have you ever wondered why God chose Mary? Mary’s name in Greek is Maria (Mar-ee’-ah) and literally means “their rebellion.” Please don’t read too much into this, but in my mind, ANYONE who chooses to follow Jesus must be a bit of a “rebel.” How so? Think of all Mary stood to lose by submitting herself to the Lord. Had Joseph, to whom she was engaged, chosen to reveal her pregnancy was not by him, in the eyes of the law of Moses, Mary could have been charged with adultery and killed. Yet, she chose to risk everything to please and honor God, knowing in her spirit that God would protect her.

Mary was a peasant, with no social pedigree, but God saw within her, the heart of a warrior; someone He could trust to care for and love His Son. In her “Magnificat,” Mary’s song of Praise in Luke 1:46-55, we gain insight into why God chose her. “O, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Who at thirteen has that kind of spiritual depth and insight except one who has often been in God’s presence, seeking His holy will for her life.

Wait, there’s more. What if Jesus had been born of an influential, royal family? Might we have concluded: “God must be for the ‘haves,’ unlike most of us who have chosen to follow Jesus, who are the ‘have-nots.’” Had Jesus lived among and been born only for the “elite,” as He surely deserved to be, where would that have left the vast majority of humanity?

Aren’t you grateful Jesus loves and was born for everyone! Mary continued in verse 49: “For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear Him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.”

Does she realize the One whom she exalts and proclaims holy and powerful is the One who now resides in her womb? I suspect she does, but this one thing I know – she was God’s choice, because of her faithfulness and humility. God knew He could trust her with the most precious Gift God could ever give to mankind: HIMSELF.

God revealed to Isaiah the prophet hundreds of years before Jesus was born: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Birth of Jesus

“In the beginning the Word already existed.” (John 1:1a NLT)

Today, and for the next four days, I want to build on yesterday’s post by Chuck Colson, by continuing to explore the birth of Jesus. We’ll look at how the Gospels approach His birth and what His birth means to us, as inhabitants of planet earth. This is my 74^th Christmas, yet I approach it with more awe and wonder than perhaps any other Christmas of my life. But why? Walk with me through the miraculous wonder of our Savior’s birth. Who is this tiny infant whose name is Jesus?

John, one of Jesus’ twelve original disciples, describes Him this way: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:1-5 NLT)

“Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

Does this mean that the baby born in the manger in Bethlehem is God in human form? How can that be? That’s impossible! Yes, humanly speaking, it is. But nothing is impossible with God. The Bible is God’s absolute truth, delivered to us to give, not only an understanding of who He is, but who we are and what He desires to do and be in our lives today.

Just like their “Author,” the words of the Bible aren’t “ordinary,” as they record the words of God as He “spoke” them to forty authors over the span of about 1500 years. Yet they find fulfillment and explanation in the headlines of our daily news. Why is this important for us to understand? Because the baby born of a virgin in a dirty, smelly manger isn’t any “ordinary” baby. He is God’s one and only Son. How do I know that?

The miraculous birth of Jesus doesn’t make sense unless and until we understand that God did exactly what He said He would do hundreds of years before it came to fruition. The odds of the dozens of Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in one person in history are literally astronomical. Yet, every detail of Jesus’ birth is exactly what the prophets explained would happen hundreds of years in advance.

“But for a person to be born of a virgin is impossible!” Yes, it is. That’s why God chose that way to introduce us to Himself in the flesh. Even as I write these words, it’s difficult for me to conceive of why God would come to earth and experience the same joys and sorrows that we suffer in our lives. To me there’s only one explanation. Love!

For the most part, the world’s religions all seek to define a way for man to reach God, typically by seeking to be good enough through the works they perform. God knew the futility of that plan, that’s why He poured Himself into human flesh, was born in very humble surroundings, lived with us, not as a man of wealth, military might, or governmental clout, but as a Servant-King. He came not to be served, but to serve, heal, and ultimately lay down His life in our place, so that we might stop our futile efforts to reach Him and simply open our hearts to Him, who came to us!

Blessings, Ed 😊

*For a much more in-depth explanation of what the verses in John 1 mean, I invite and encourage you to listen to Pastor Vance Pitman’s message from 12-12-21. Just click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtaQ8Ht7D8A (This is the entire service, but you can move ahead to just the message if you like.)

It’s Not About the Manger

“She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (Luke 2:7 NLT)

*The following words are from the late Chuck Colson, more than a decade ago. Enjoy!

“The manger scene inspires a sense of awe and comfort to the hearts of Christians everywhere. But we often forget the staggering implications of Christmas. What image does the mention of Christmas typically conjure up? For most of us, it’s a babe lying in a manger while Mary and Joseph, angels, and assorted animals look on.

Heartwarming picture, but Christmas is about far more than a child’s birth – even the Savior’s birth. It’s about the Incarnation: God Himself, Creator of heaven and earth, invading planet Earth, becoming flesh and dwelling among us.

It’s a staggering thought. Think of it: The Word – that is, Logos in the Greek, which meant all knowledge that could be known, the plan of creation – that is, ultimate reality, becomes mere man? And that He was not born of an earthly king and queen, but of a virgin of a backwater village named Nazareth? Certainly, God delights in confounding worldly wisdom and human expectations.

Thirty years after His humble birth, Jesus increased the Jews’ befuddlement when He read from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…to proclaim release to the captives…to set free whose who are downtrodden…’ Jesus then turned the scroll back and announced, ‘Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

In effect, the carpenter’s son had just announced He was the King.

So yes, the birth of Jesus is a glorious moment, and the manger scene brings comfort and joy and Christmas cheer. But it should also inspire a holy terror in us – that this baby is God incarnate, the King who came to set captives free, through His violent, bloody death on the cross as atonement for us, His unworthy subjects.

It’s through the Incarnation God sets His grand plan in motion. He invades planet Earth, establishing His reign through Christ’s earthly ministry. And then Christ leaves behind an occupying force, His Church, which is to carry on the work of redemption until His return and the kingdom’s final triumph.

Do we get this? I’m afraid most of us are so preoccupied and distracted by last-minute Christmas shopping and consumerism, we fail to see God’s cosmic plan of redemption in which we, as fallen creatures, are directly involved.

Well, the average Christian may not ‘get’ this announcement, but those locked behind bars do. Whenever I preach in the prisons, and I read Christ’s inaugural sermon, Luke 4:18, and when I quote His promise of freedom for prisoners, they often raise their arms and cheer. The message of Jesus means freedom and victory for those who once had no hope. They’re not distracted by the encumbrance of wealth and comfort.

People in the developing world get it, too. Whenever I’ve shared this message with the poor and oppressed people overseas, I see eyes brightening. Stripped of all material blessings, exploited by earthly powers, they long for the bold new kingdom of Christ.

Go ahead, enjoy singing about and celebrating the birth of the Savior. Set up a manger scene in your home. But don’t forget this earth-shaking truth: The birth of the Baby in the manger was the thrilling signal that God had invaded the planet. And that gives us real reason to celebrate Christmas.

Hope you enjoyed Chuck Colson’s powerful message.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Finding an Outwardly-Focused Church Fellowship

“And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8b NLT)

Since I never know who will read these posts, I’m trying to cover a lot of bases, but with what I shared yesterday and what I’ll share today, I’m focusing on two groups of people. First: Those who have been hurt in some way by a church or by someone who professes faith in Jesus. Second: Those who are comfortably sitting in a seat at church biding their time until Jesus comes. While you may come at it from different angles, you both need essentially the same thing – a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church body that will challenge you to give whatever you have left of your life, “all in for Jesus.” With that in mind:

Find a church fellowship, whether it’s large or small, where you can get involved in 1. Ministry and 2. A Small Group. The Bible refers to whatever you do for the Lord as “Ministry.” It just means “service.” Find a place to serve. And notice I didn’t say “places.” Find “THE BEST” place to serve and give it all you’ve got. What might that look like? Find an area of service that enables you to maximize the use of your spiritual gifts and natural abilities. You may need to investigate a few options before you settle on what’s best for you, but find your place and serve to the glory of God. A small group can be age, gender, stage of life specific or center on something in which you have interest or need, but it should be an environment in which to find one or two people with whom you can grow a Christ-honoring, and close friendship. My closest friends are people with whom I’ve served the Lord. Interest may lead you to a small group that focuses on “Singles,” “Couples,” “Missions”, “Bible Study,” etc. Need may lead you to a “Grief Recovery” or “Divorce Recovery” or an AA type group that has a Christ-centered focus such as “Celebrate Recovery.” You’re looking for a few kindred spirits whose first love is Jesus.
Find a fellowship that is outwardly focused. Find out why the church exists. What are they doing with the money they ask you to give? As important as “loving Jesus” and “loving each other” is, it’s not enough. If my love of Jesus and the people with whom I’m worshipping and serving don’t push me beyond the walls of the church and the confines of my own comfort to reach and bless people of my community and beyond with the love of Jesus, it isn’t helping us accomplish Christ’s Great Commission.

I read a startling statistic that said nearly 90% of people who don’t know Jesus, don’t know anyone who does. What does that mean? It means we who profess faith in Christ need to find as many people as we can who don’t know Him. We need to let them know someone who DOES know Jesus. As the Body of Christ, we MUST be about our Father’s Business of reaching those who are without a meaningful, personal relationship with Jesus and those who are hurting or feel trapped in lifestyles that are literally killing them.

Find a fellowship of believers who are not all like you. My Pastor recently shared that we have more than 50 language groups represented in our church. My heart rejoiced! I thought I must be in heaven. What’s my point? Find a church where all the people aren’t like you. Share your story and let them share their story with you. God loves diversity. So should we. If you don’t like diversity, you’re probably not going to like heaven.

Our lives on earth are “practice” for our life in heaven. If you’ve been hurt by someone who professed to know Jesus, but wasn’t acting like it, or if you love Jesus, but are sitting idly watching opportunities to be useful pass you by, consider these words of Christine Caine: “Life is too short, the world is too big and God’s love is too great to live ordinary.” Or these words by Dr. David Jeremiah: “There is no restriction on race, age, class, or gender as to who can come to Christ. As the Holy Spirit said at the end of the book of Revelation, ‘Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.’”

Blessings, Ed😊

When You’re Seeking to Reconnect”

“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5 NLT)

By God’s grace my wife and I have found a church that, to me, is the closest to the Biblical standard as any church of which I’ve been a part. Ask the Lord to lead you to a fellowship of Jesus followers who love Him, love each other and are seeking daily to live out their faith in practical ways by loving the community in which God planted them. They exist. We found one.

Many churches of which I’ve been a part, had one thing in common. They all said: “We’re very loving here.” Momma bears love their cubs, but they’ll hurt anyone who messes with them. I’ve been hurt a few times by these “loving” churches, so be careful.

Finding a church family is sometimes difficult. Why is that? Because they’re comprised of imperfect human beings. I had to come to the realization, even if I found a perfect church, the moment they opened their arms to me, they’d cease to be perfect! Having said that, I do believe God specializes in reconciling human beings, not only to Himself, but to each other.

Not knowing your specific situation, I can’t address all of your personal concerns; however, I can share things that I’ve learned about churches and what I was looking for in a church family, as they come to my mind.

I was looking for a family to whom I could belong. If all I wanted to do was attend, I could watch services online. I wanted to know beyond a surface level, not only what the church believed, but what they “walked” in their daily lives. There’s only one way to know that – get involved.
Find a place of service right away. My wife is a retired nurse, so she volunteered for the Medical Team. My heart is to meet people, so I volunteered as a Greeter. Every church, regardless of size, needs volunteers. If they have a “Guest Services” area, or a card you can fill out, do whatever you can to get connected with someone. Everyone you meet will give you a “flavor” of what the church is like. If you attend more than three or four weeks and can’t find an avenue to help you get connected, move on.
The messages should be Bible-centered. The speaker may not explain the Bible “verse by verse,” but should focus on God’s Word, seeking to give you a better understanding of what the Bible says and what application(s) God has for us based on His Word.
Take notes of what happens during corporate worship. If you want to know what a church believes, listen to what they sing. When I came to the Lord it was in the 60’s, so we sang hymns and choruses. Where I worship now the songs are contemporary and I LOVE it! Our worship is joy-filled and Christ-centered, and I’ve made it a practice to carry tissues with me to church, because I rarely experience a time of corporate worship without crying. If you can’t sense God’s presence when you worship, first check your own heart, and if your spirit is in tune, ask the Lord to let you know what’s wrong.

There are a few more things on my heart I’ll share tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Body of Christ

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” (Romans 12:4-5 NLT)

As I tried to address in yesterday’s post, true belief in Jesus is nearly impossible to manifest as an active faith without fellowship with God’s children who together comprise the Body of Christ universal. The major ordinances of the Church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) are designed and intended to be carried out as an activity of the Body of Christ. True, biblically based faith cannot come to full fruition apart from the Body. If you cut off your finger – sever it from your body, how useful is it? When you deliberately separate yourself from the Body of Christ by refusing to fellowship regularly with other believers, your spirit will shrivel and become useless. You can still “talk the talk,” but it’s virtually impossible to “walk the walk” effectively alone.

Belief must have an outlet of expression that grows out of fellowship within the Body. What do you think would have happened to the early believers if they’d all gone their separate ways? The Lord specifically told them to stay together and wait for the coming Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1 Luke writes: “On the day of Pentecost all (how many?) the believers were meeting together in one place.” That set the pattern that was followed in the early church. Acts 2:42: “All (how many?) the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and prayer.”

“Fellowship” in the context of the early Church wasn’t simply the sharing of meals and time, it was the sharing of their lives with one another. “One another” is used more than 35 times in the New Testament to give expression to the ways the early believers related, served, sacrificed, and died for one another.

Yes, of course, as persecution began and the Body (the Church) was scattered, those courageous partners in ministry launched dozens, then hundreds and today millions of congregations of believers across the world who are all a part of the One Body of Christ. We can’t all literally meet in one place (until we get to heaven 😊), but each “cell” or congregation/gathering is to be a picture of what the early church looked like, in terms of how they functioned (i.e. how they loved each other and served together the needs, not only of those within the Body, but within their spheres of influence outside the congregations of God’s people).

Many churches of today, large and small, have lost their understanding of what it means to be part of the Body of Christ, and thus, have lost their connection with their biblical roots. Having served small churches most of my ministry, I understand how discouraging it can be and how unfocused carnal leaders can become in their lust to have things done the way they want them done. I grieve with those who have been scarred by so-called “believers” who were wolves in sheep’s clothing. I have often said, “some of the best and some of the worst people I’ve ever met, I met at church.”

But hear me child of God! Don’t throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water. Don’t separate yourself from the Body because of a bad experience with believers who weren’t “walking the walk.” I get it. Honestly, I do. But what saved me for the church and kept my faith strong in my determination to walk with my brothers and sisters in Christ, were fellow Pastors who had been tried by fire, but kept their spirit sweet and their love strong for Jesus and those in the Body. They are my Mentors! They are the ones whose “walk” I seek to emulate in my own life.

At God’s leading, I’d like to share tomorrow some things to look for in a prospective church fellowship, if you’ve been burned and haven’t yet reconnected.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Faith/Faithful

“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!” (James 1:19 NLT)

Yesterday, we looked at the word “Belief/Believe,” and talked about how vital it is to have solid, biblically based beliefs as it relates to Jesus.

Faith is the application to my life what I believe in my heart and profess with my mouth. Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church in California says: “First, you believe. Then you get baptized. And it’s important that you choose a church family and participate in large group worship and small group fellowship.” Faith enables you to formulate disciplines like reading and studying the Bible, praying, giving a portion of your income to your local church and attending corporate worship faithfully.

Pastor Warren continues: “God doesn’t want you to remain a spiritual baby. He wants you to become like Christ. He wants you to grow. But here’s the catch: You can’t do it on your own. Babies don’t just grow up on their own. They need a family of some kind. And you need a spiritual family, just like you needed someone to help you grow up when you were young physically. The Bible says, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT).

Believing is a great first step, it’s just not enough. James writes: “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! How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” (James 2:19-20 NLT)

Think of a house. Belief is the firm, rock solid, foundation upon which faith is built. If I have nothing solid on which to build my house/life, it may look impressive for a while, but when the hard winds of difficulties and troubles come, the house will fall. Jesus said in John 16:33: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows,” but for those who are anchored to the rock of Jesus, their faith will not be overcome.

Perhaps the easiest way to think of it is, “actions speak louder than words.” When it comes to the Christian faith, a person can learn to “talk the talk” in a short time. Think of that as what you believe. We can formulate a system of belief relatively quickly. But it takes a lifetime to learn to “walk the walk;” to put our words into action through the way we love God by loving others. That’s where faith kicks in. How do we do that?

Begin with your family – parents, spouse, children, and extended family; then spread the love to neighbors, co-workers, classmates, friends, acquaintances, anyone with whom you have contact from day to day. But among the most important people in your sphere of influence are those with whom you worship and share your beliefs.

Jesus, in His final hours with His disciples said in John 15:17: “This is My commandment: Love each other.” Belief that isn’t motivated by love is valueless. To say I love Jesus but have no use for the Church is like telling my best friend, “I love you and I want us to be close, I just can’t allow you to bring your kids when whenever we get together.” I realize that probably happens, but the point is, the Church is comprised of the children of God. When Jesus returns, He’s coming for His children, the Church. To believe we can be saved, but not be an active part of God’s family – His corporate/visible Body on earth, His children, is a huge misunderstanding of what the Body of Christ is and how God designed us to function.

Tomorrow we’ll look at how mature faith can’t develop in isolation, without active participation with a thriving fellowship of God’s people.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Belief/Believe

“For it is My Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life.” (John 6:40 NLT)

A few days ago, we looked at the connection between the words: “love” and “relationship.” Today and tomorrow, we’ll look at two more words found in the Bible that are very interrelated and can often cause confusion: “faith/faithful” and “belief/believe.” Some of the confusion stems from the fact that both words are derived from the same Greek root word. So, how can we tell the difference?

Fortunately, Biblical scholars have done much of the work for us, but in practical terms, I think of “belief/believe” and “faith/faithful” as two sides of the same coin. We often use them interchangeably, thinking of them as having the same meaning; however, depending on the context, their meanings can have shades of difference that can determine where we’ll spend eternity. Today we’ll look at what “belief/believe” means and tomorrow we’ll look at “faith.”

Think of the difference between “foundation” and “application.” In Matthew 7:24 Jesus says: “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” “Belief” is the foundation upon which our “faith” in Christ, who is the Rock, is built. What we believe about Jesus will be verified by the “application” of our belief in our day to day lives, but especially when the storms of life come. Jesus said in verse 25: “Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

Photo by Alexandre Bringer on Pexels.com

I know people who profess belief in Jesus, but whose lives aren’t giving evidence of the application of that belief, especially when they run into hard times. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said: “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.” Belief is static, in the sense it is something that is hidden in our heart and mind, not visible, unless and until we activate it by applying it to our daily lives. It then becomes visible to the extent we openly live in such a way as to give evidence of what we believe. If I believe in Jesus, my faith will be evidenced in my obedience to His directives in my life.

Some get confused because they think what they believe about God and Jesus should be “personal,” and it is, but it was never intended to be private. Quite to the contrary, Jesus said in John 9:5b: “I am the light of the world.” As Jesus-followers, we’re to let the light of our belief in Him shine out for all to see. How? Through our faith and our faithfulness, which is what makes our belief visible. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:9: “For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

Believing in Jesus means to center my trust in Him. I can believe what the Bible says about Jesus is true. I can believe what He did on the Cross, He did for me. I can confess my sins and believe Jesus will forgive me. I can invite the Lord to cleanse the temple of my life and fill me with His Spirit and I can believe He will. All those things focus on what God does for me that I could never in eternity do for myself. But all of these good and right beliefs have little value until they are activated by allowing the Holy Spirit to apply them to my life.

What we believe is critical, but unless and until we activate or apply our belief, it’s no more useful to us than prescription medication that sits on the counter and is never taken. We’ll dig into this a little deeper tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

My Contract with God (Part 2)

“For Abraham is the father of all who believe.” (Romans 4”16b NLT)

In yesterday’s post I wrote about my decision to create a contract with God. Today I’d like to share some ways I am able to verify what I’m discerning is from God.

Prayer is the context in which I speak with God and share ideas and thoughts with Him. While I’ve never “heard” His audible voice, except as He speaks to me through another person, He speaks clearly through what I would describe as “impressions.” In Romans 8:15-16 Paul writes: “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him ‘Abba, Father.’ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” I believe the “affirmation” the Spirit gives us not only provides assurance that we’re God’s children, but also enables us to recognize God’s voice when He speaks to us. The Holy Spirit gives me confidence that what I’m discerning or “sensing” in my spirit is of God. Perhaps I’ll do another post on this subject, but you must be VERY CAREFUL when trusting your feelings as it relates to determining God’s will. Making decisions based on how we feel in any given moment can be disastrous.
God will never direct me (or you) to do, say or think anything that isn’t in harmony with His written Word, the Bible. I have absolute confidence that the Bible is true and can be trusted. So, I test my thoughts, feelings, directives that I’m sensing from God with what the Bible says. This, too, can be a sensitive issue, because, as one of my Seminary Professors was fond of saying: “A text taken out of context becomes a pretext.” What does that mean? It essentially means you can make the Bible say almost anything you want it to say if you take the meaning of the verse(s) out of its (their) original context.
Once I’m confident that what God is saying to me is Biblically sound, I have trusted brothers and sisters in Christ, beginning with my wife, with whom I can share what I believe the Lord is saying. I’ve given her/them permission to speak truth to me as they understand it. I sincerely want to know what God is saying, even if it contradicts what I’m thinking. I’ve walked with the Lord for many years, but I can still “miss” things that God makes crystal clear to someone without my emotional investment.

Perhaps a brief example will help. I’ve believed for many years God has enabled me to give expression to my thoughts much more effectively through writing than speaking, but I received no clear direction in finding an outlet or avenue to accomplish that end.

I sought the Lord for months, then, as a result of His clear leading, my wife and I moved to Las Vegas. Shortly after moving, the Lord led us to a church we both love and it was at that church I met a godly man who guided me in starting this blog. God’s clock keeps perfect time, so when it’s in His time, He’ll clearly give you the direction you need.

My contract with God is signed and ready to be activated by the Lord at any point He wishes. Have you signed your “Contract with God?”

Blessings, Ed 😊