Walking With Jesus

Praying Like We Expect an Answer!

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 NLT)

There are numbers of stories in the Bible that inspire and challenge me, but none more than when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11. I’ve often wondered why He postponed going to see His friend Lazarus when he was dying, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clearer. What can we learn? How might it teach, inspire, and encourage us to pray with more confidence and conviction?

Listen to what Jesus said when He got the news of Lazarus’s illness: “Lazarus’s sickness WILL NOT END IN DEATH.” How did Jesus know that? Because He’s God and He knows everything. We will do well to remember who we’re praying to. It may actually be a catalyst for bolder, more faith-filled prayers.

After Jesus arrived at Mary and Martha’s house, who were sisters of Lazarus, Martha ran to meet Jesus and immediately said: “Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever You ask.” Another valuable insight! The God to whom we pray can do anything we ask. He has no limitations; He’s all-powerful; all-knowing; ever present. But, like Martha, we say the words, but we don’t believe He’s really able to address OUR need in THIS moment.

Jesus even told Martha what He was going to do. “Your brother will rise again.” But she filtered that information through what SHE knew, not what Jesus knew. So, she responded: “’Yes,’ Martha said, ‘he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.’”

In the next verses Martha verifies her theology is right, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who was sent from God, but she still doesn’t have a clue as to what Jesus is about to do. There are even those present who blamed Jesus for Lazarus’s death, but they didn’t make the connection, as we most often do not, that the power that could have healed Lazarus and kept him from dying, is the same power that can raise him from the dead.

“’Roll the stone aside,’ Jesus told them.” This is where the proverbial “rubber meets the road.” We can talk all day about what we believe about Jesus. How much power He has and that “nothing is impossible for God!” But we’re rarely, if ever, willing to roll the “stone from the tomb,” for fear it will cause a stink.

Martha, the one who just moments before said all the right things about Jesus, now says: “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” Duh! Like Jesus didn’t know how long he’d been dead! How like Martha we are, yet we wonder why we never pray bold and “impossible” prayers. Jesus won’t raise our “dead” prayers unless and until we allow Him to roll the “stones” of our doubt away.

Jesus responded: “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So, they rolled the stone away and Jesus did something that, hopefully, will give us insight into how we need to pray with expectation. He said: “Father, thank You for hearing Me. You ALWAYS hear Me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here (or reading these words), so that they WILL BELIEVE YOU SENT ME.’ Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And the dead man came out…”

Our Heavenly Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus. He listens to us as if He were listening to Jesus. He gives us the authority to do whatever He asks us to do, not for our recognition or glory, but for His. For God’s glory, let’s pray like we believe our own theology. Let’s boldly ask God to do things that will bring Him honor and fame. Let’s pray like we really expect an answer!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Praying With Intentionality!

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 NLT)

What is the Lord teaching you in this season of your life? Regardless of your age or station in life, if you love Jesus, His Spirit will continue to fill your heart and mind with truth.

While at a Spiritual Retreat, sponsored by our church, the Lord opened my spirit to some things about prayer that I’ve known in my head, but hadn’t connected to my heart. I “believed” them, but my faith hadn’t activated them as a regular part of my prayer time.

The first thing the Lord is seeking to teach me is to listen more attentively to His “voice,” whether through His written Word, other people, or directly from His Spirit. Then I need to live more intentionally, being guided by His Spirit, based on what He’s teaching me, especially in the arena of prayer.

The Power of God “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

Have you ever googled “Promises of God,” or looked in a Bible Concordance to begin to see how many times God has made promises to His children? Some calculations estimate there are more than 7,000 promises in the Bible.

During the retreat we reviewed about 40 promises, and I was amazed at how many times I read the words “I will!” For example: In Isaiah 40:31 – “the Lord WILL renew their (our) strength…” Or Isaiah 43:2 – “When you pass through the waters, I WILL be with you…”

Then I zeroed in on promises related to answering prayer. Verses like James 1:5 regarding God’s promise to give us wisdom when we ask. Or Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and IT WILL be yours.” Or Jesus’ words in John 14:13: “And I WILL do whatever you ask in My name…You may ask Me for anything in My name and I WILL do it.” There are others, but that’s enough to make my point.

And, yes, I understand that implicit in these promises is the understanding that we ask in line with God’s will. But here’s the kicker, we don’t always know if something is in line with God’s will until we ask in faith. For example, as I’m writing this article, at least two people that I know, and love are on the threshold of death. Both, to my knowledge, are believers, and both are in their 70’s or beyond. How do I pray for them?

To me, death is the ultimate healing for a believer. To be in God’s presence whole for all eternity! It doesn’t get any better than that. BUT! What if God has other plans? What if God knows, for whatever reason, they need to live longer, that’s between them and God. Of course, it’s always our option to pray for God’s will to be accomplished, but on some levels, that’s a cop out.

Here’s the bottom line for me. This is what the Lord is teaching me regarding how and why I pray. He told me I need to pray with CONFIDENCE that He hears me. Why is that important? Because what’s the point of prayer if no one’s listening?

Secondly, He told me to pray with CONVICTION that His Words are true. Again, why is that important? Because if God’s Words aren’t true, we’re living a lie and we might as well just be speaking to the mirror. If we REALLY believe God is alive and what He tells us in His Word is true, then let’s pray like we believe it!

Thirdly, I need to pray with CERTAINTY that my Father will answer me. When I boil all of this down this is what I come up with: I need to pray in such a way that I’ll look foolish if God doesn’t answer. I must pray specifically and with intentionality, or why bother?

I may expand on this tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The End of Our Life

“End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For You look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.” (Psalm 7:9 NLT)

The time I spent with my mentor and friend was so rich and there were so many “nuggets” of wisdom he shared, I must let you “hear” what the Lord was saying through him. You also need to know that he gave me liberty to “develop” his “gems” as the Lord directed me. May I remind you that Jim is suffering from dementia that has taken its toll on a once eloquent and powerful preacher and teacher. I marveled as I sat with him for more than four hours as God poured out these “words of wisdom.”

He said: “The end of your life is not ‘where,’ it’s more ‘what!’” How does that speak to you? For me, it speaks to God’s desire to have us so focus on Him and how He’s wired us to live and serve Him that heaven or hell is not our foremost concern.

Early on as a believer my efforts to please God weren’t so much for Him, but for me. On some levels I wanted to “deserve” heaven. I wanted it to be an easy choice for God to let me in. This is embarrassing to admit, but it took me a while to figure out our good works don’t “buy” us favor with God, they simply give expression to our gratitude for what God’s already done for us and given us by grace.

As God’s child I have a home in heaven He’s been preparing for me for a couple thousand years, so the “where” is no longer a concern. But what about the “what?” That’s an ongoing saga. As I see it unfolding in my life, I understand the “what” to be significant for a number of reasons.

I’m much closer to the end of my life than I am the beginning. So, as I look back on the portion of my life I’ve already lived, I must ask: “what have I accomplished for Christ to date?” As I understand my relationship with the Lord, I’m not the best judge of that, He is. It’s a “heart” issue more than a “performance” issue. It’s not so much about how much I accomplished, as it is how well did I love, serve, and obey?

Ultimately, it’s about how I fulfilled my role as God’s child. Was I the rebellious son who took what was his and headed to a faraway land? Or was I the pious, but very lost, son who stayed at home, hating every minute of it? Truthfully, probably a combination of both – until I came to my senses!

Sonship comprises the “what” as I understand it. Not so much “what did I do with my life?” as “what, by God’s grace, am I becoming as a man of God?” The “what” determines the “where.”

God gives each of us, as His children, gifts to be used specifically for our service in cooperation and coordination with the other members of the Body of Christ. That’s what makes the Church, the Family of God, so magnetic. We’re not brothers torn apart by the pull of the world, we’re brothers and sisters banded together by our love for the Father. It’s no longer “what do I want to do with my life?” It’s “what will most please my Father who loves me and always has my best interests at heart?”

Actually, in this season of my life I’m not focusing on the “where” or the “what,” I’m focusing on the “Who?” My daily goal is to keep my eyes on Jesus, seeking to walk as closely to Him as I possibly can. The person I most want to please is my Savior. He gave His all for me, can I give less than my all for Him?

Blessings, Ed 😊

Be Courageous!

“’Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged.’ Joshua told his men. ‘Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.’” (Joshua 10:25 NLT)

Have you ever asked yourself or someone else: “Where did courage originate?” On some levels it’s an easy question to answer. Where did any human emotion come from? Where did anything find its origin? “In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1)

Is courage like character? Can anyone have it or is it just for special people?

The story in Joshua 10 that precedes the above quote may be enough to give anyone courage. Five Amorite kings combined forces to battle against the city of Gibeon, an ally of Joshua. So the king of Gibeon sent for Joshua and his army to come and help. As he was leaving his camp the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” (vs 8) The Lord threw the enemy army into a panic and the Israelite army slaughtered many.

But the day was passing quickly and there were still many enemy soldiers to pursue, so Joshua prayed this prayer in front of all the people of Israel: “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” Then the next verse says: “So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.”

Courage isn’t built on strong prayers. Strong prayers are prayed by people of courage. Why did Joshua have such courage? Because he trusted God to do what only He could do.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

What “mighty army” are you facing today? A health issue? A financial problem? A relational challenge? An addiction? A law suit? Divorce? Whatever it is BE COURAGEOUS! You and God are a majority! Albert Mohler said: “Instead of praying for comfort, we should pray that the Lord would get us into the right kind of trouble.”

We don’t grow unless we have a challenge. When everything is going well, we rarely if ever pray as sincerely and as earnestly as when our back is against the wall. The great evangelist, D. L. Moody said: “Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The only way to trouble God is not to come at all.”

God’s not going to equip us with courage to stand on the sidelines and watch others go to battle. He only gives courage to warriors who are willing to risk everything for His honor and fame. God chose Joshua to take Moses’ place at the helm of the Israelite people. He was God’s choice to lead them into their promised land. He was to lead men who were the children of slaves and who had never been in battle, against seasoned warriors who were much bigger and stronger.

We don’t pick our battles, God does, and He knows what He’s doing. Whatever you’re facing, put your trust in God, not in yourself. God’s Word, the Bible, is His battle plan. Read it. Learn it. With the Spirit’s help, apply it to your life.

We’re not courageous because we’re comparing ourselves with the enemy. No wonder we’re afraid. Vance Havner wrote: “When a man (person) makes alliance with the Almighty, giants look like grasshoppers.” Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and our hearts aligned with His will and leave everything else to Him. The battle is the Lord’s. Therein lies our courage.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A Few Hours with My Mentor (Part 2)

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 14:12 NLT)

By God’s grace I was able to spend about four and a half hours with my mentor last week. Yesterday I shared some of his thoughts that spoke to me, and today I’d like to share a few more.

He said: “Don’t get on the wrong horse, you don’t know where it might lead you.” In this world, it’s ironic, but we often “mount horses” or follow “paths” that to us “seem” right but end up leading us into heartbreak and tragedy. Jesus said, “follow Me!” He will never lead you astray. He is always a pathway to life.

Closely related to what he said above: “Not every conductor is God’s. Make sure you’re on the right train.” Couple that with: “You can’t go wrong as long as you’re listening to His voice.”

Jim asked a question: “What is all you sold your soul to obtain worth on the day you stand before Jesus?” That’s a question that has staggering implications for many people in America today. We sell ourselves for what will perish, while ignoring our only opportunity to build treasure in heaven. It’s mind-boggling, but we “buy” Satan’s lies hook, line, and sinker. God’s Spirit alone can draw us away from the temptations of this world into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus.

Then we spent several minutes considering something that the Lord whispered: “Take a pause.” Traffic in my city is scary. A couple of guys were traveling over 100 mph on a city street when they plowed into a minivan, killing a family of six. Everyone’s in a hurry, but why? The mind-numbing reality is – that used to be me!

God’s message to my mentor spoke to me, not only in terms of my driving, but my living. It caused me to think of the many times when Jesus was “interrupted” in the course of His day by people who needed Him for an emergency in their lives. And you know what? He always had time! Maybe it’s time we “took a pause!” Slowed down and paid attention to who and what is going on around us.

Some of Jim’s words were “musings” as he pondered the fact that his life was nearing completion. He said, for example: “The love of God is greater than all the things of the world.” If we know Jesus, the closer we get to heaven, the less appealing are the things of this world.

He said: “‘God so loved the world’ is just as powerful today to the one who is listening as it’s ever been.” Couple that with: “The things we want to hide are often the very things God can use most powerfully if we’ll let Him.” I thought of how ashamed and broken I was because of my divorce, which caused me to have to resign my position as Associate Pastor with Brother Jim. Yet, there have been multiple times God has used my failure to bless and help others.

He said: “Stay with Christ.” He said this in the context of our conversation regarding how many people leave the church, and stray from the Lord, because of the teaching of wrong doctrine. He said: “We’re letting the tail wag the dog when we put doctrines ahead of Christ.” When people get red faced, with the veins in their neck bulging, trying to win an argument about a doctrine, that’s not honoring to Christ, and it’s certainly not going to win anyone to Jesus.

One more: “Sin is sin – there aren’t big sins and little sins – and sin separates us from God.” We want to tell a little “white” lie, whatever that is. A lie is a lie. Lust is lust. Gossip is gossip, etc. Let’s call sin what it is and forsake it for Christ’s sake – and ours!

Blessings, Ed 😊

A Few Hours with My Mentor

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you.’” (Matthew 8:4 NLT)

Last week I was privileged to spend a few hours with my mentor and friend who recently turned 90 years old. His dementia is worsening, but while we were together, he seemed very in tune with what the Lord was saying to him. Today I’d like to share a few things he said that struck responsive chords in my heart. I hope they do for you as well.

Jim, my mentor, said: “Jesus went to where the people were. He didn’t seek the crowds but was ever searching for those individuals He knew needed Him.” The above verse is an example. Though a large crowd was following Him, He stopped when a man with leprosy approached Him. That’s still true today. You may feel as alienated as a person with leprosy, but Jesus is seeking you, desiring to draw you to Himself. He wants to heal and give you wholeness and completeness in Him that you’ve never dreamed possible.

Then Jim said: “Don’t dwell on the pots and pans, focus on what’s cooking.” Jesus lived a focused life. He was on mission to seek and to save the lost. He wasn’t bothered by the “pot or pan” that housed the soul He so desperately desired to bring to Him, He zeroed in on the heart that needed to be redeemed and brought home to the Father. He is always drawn to the need that is “cooking” in a person’s heart.

Another gem: “What would you say if you didn’t care what anyone thought except Jesus?” How often we skirt the proverbial issue when speaking with someone, fearing we’ll offend or be turned away. Why does that matter? It’s never about us. When speaking to someone about Jesus, He’s the point, not our feelings. So what if someone gets upset with us? If we can plant a seed in a Christ-honoring way, and someone gets upset in the process, that’s their issue, not ours.

And another: “Satan knows what appeals to us. Why can’t we learn from him and exalt Jesus in such a way that people are drawn to Him?” What do you think that might look like? Satan appeals to our pride, our lustful flesh, our desire for “things,” none of which satisfies long term. What we’re all looking for is something that will last; something that will satisfy our soul; something that won’t disappoint. Jesus is the perfect answer to all those needs.

You may not like or understand this, but Jim said: “God never blesses stupidity.” Honestly, I believe he was saying that out of a lifetime of experiences that included some profound “stupidity.” Stupid means to be dull in mind. I’m not sure I know anyone who hasn’t had moments or seasons when they were dull in mind. I know I have. The Lord will save us from ourselves, including some very embarrassing and “dull” moments, if we’ll let Him.

I’ll share one more, then pick up with a few more tomorrow.

Jim said “lament,” then asked the question: “where did that come from?” Jim was a pastor for many years. He’s traveled all over the country and in different parts of the world preaching and teaching. His life has been full and fruitful, so to hear him say, as he reflected upon his 50+ years of ministry, that he had lament, set us on a course of asking some hard questions.

We served together in two churches over the years, so I knew what kind of man he was. He loved and served well, not only in the church, but in his family. Each of his four children and some of their children and their children attended his birthday celebration. He is a man who loved deeply and who was loved deeply. So, to hear him say he had lament seemed very strange.

My takeaway was, each of us, regardless of how well we live and serve, can always see areas where we failed to be all we believed God wanted us to be. That’s why grace is so vitally important in our lives, not only between us and God, but between us and others.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Marvel and Majesty of God’s Love

“No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39 NLT)

If you’re a believer in and follower of the Lord Jesus, you have personally experienced the marvel and majesty of God’s love. Volumes have been written in an effort to describe God’s love. Countless songs have been sung seeking to give expression to its effects on those who have received it.

The reality is, God IS love and anyone who knows God becomes a vessel through whom His love can flow. John was clear when he wrote: “Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7b-8 NLT)

John isn’t speaking about an emotion, a good feeling that comes and goes. The love of which he speaks in the above verse becomes a way of life. It’s a uniquely spiritual affection, not only for God, but for others, especially in the family of God. It’s not behavior as much as an attitude that fuels a lifestyle devoted to not simply acting in loving ways but being a loving person.

In 1 John 4:20 John writes: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?”

Honestly, understanding God’s love can be confusing on some levels. For example, because love originates with God, ANY expression of love comes from God, even if the person who acts in a loving way isn’t a born again believer. Being loving isn’t what saves us, it’s the fruit of God’s love given full expression in Jesus when He died in our place on the Cross.

There’s nothing we can do to make God love us more and there’s nothing we can do to make God love us less. He loves us period! But it’s critical to understand that God’s love for us doesn’t determine our fate as humans. Some believe that since God will love them whether or not they choose a life of sin and disobedience, that it really doesn’t matter how they live. But love and relationship are two very different issues.

Because God is love His heart desires a relationship with us, but if we refuse, He will love us even if we choose to continue in our sins. Peter reminds us that God doesn’t want anyone to be lost (2 Peter 3:9), but He will not force anyone to be saved. God’s love has done everything possible to make a way for people to be saved, but ultimately, it’s up to us. We choose heaven or hell, not God. We alone choose to allow His Spirit to fill and enable us to grow in His love and live meaningful and purposeful lives.

God is a gentleman and will not violate our free will and force us to do anything, even love Him. The Bible is clear that God is patient, giving as many as possible the opportunity to be saved, but one day it will be eternally too late. Please don’t wait. Please don’t believe your goodness is going to be enough to merit entrance into heaven.

God’s word says in Isaiah 64:6: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous (good) deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” Our only hope is to be forgiven and wrapped in the righteous and spotless robes of our Savior Jesus. To trust in your own goodness is to believe you can swim the ocean under water in a single breath. Salvation from sin is a gift of God, available to all who will receive it.

God loves you more than you can possibly imagine, and He will forgive and give you a new life in Him regardless of what you’ve done or been, if you’re willing to seek His forgiveness. There is nothing that can separate you from His love and nothing He won’t forgive if you’re willing to ask.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Can God Trust You?

“And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:11 NLT)

The Bible has many references to the necessity of trusting God, but have you ever thought about how important it is that God can trust us? God doesn’t use us based on our goodness – we have none apart from Him – He uses us based on our faithfulness. He uses those He can trust.

Though we’ve looked at faith and faithfulness in previous posts, if God’s trust in us is based on our faithfulness, it may be important to take another look. “Faith – ful – ness” implies an ever increasing growth of our faith in God. Faith grows out of dependence, so, to the extent our daily lives depend on God’s presence and power at work in and through us, to that extent we will become more trustworthy in God’s sight. Why is that so vital?

In Psalm 139 the Psalmist asked the Lord to search him, to test his thoughts and see if there was anything offensive in him. It’s not an accident the Psalmist asked those things of God. When we ignore issues in our life that are offensive to God, they separate us from Him and the key ingredient in that process is our thought life.

Sin begins in our mind, in our thoughts. Our behavior is always guided by what we ponder in our mind. What we think about comes about! If we focus on things of this world, we become more “worldly,” but if we concentrate our thoughts on that which honors and draws us more closely to our Savior, we become in ever increasing measure, like Jesus.

And please don’t miss this – focusing our thoughts on the things of this world is not, in and of itself, sinful or displeasing to the Lord. Being concerned about being a good husband or wife; loving our children well; doing our best in our job; or being intentional about loving our neighbors – those things can honor and please the Lord. But on whom are we depending to enable us to be and do those things?

Dependence grows out of humility. We must recognize that we are nothing and can do nothing apart from the Holy Spirit’s strength and guidance. The moment we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, that’s the moment we begin to pull away from the security of the Lord’s presence. Someone said: “Humility isn’t thinking less of ourselves, it’s thinking of ourselves less.” The longer I live and serve the Lord, the more fully His thoughts fill my mind.

Think about the person(s) you most trust. What are the characteristics that allow you to trust them? Honesty? Dependability? Reliability? Closeness? Love? There are others, but think about how those qualities are reflected in your relationship with Jesus. Obviously, we can’t hide anything from the Lord, but why would we want to unless whatever it is draws us away from Him.

Why is God’s ability to trust us so important? How can He accomplish anything significant in and through us without trusting that we’ll give Him full credit? How can we make His name great and spread His love and glorious goodness if the underlying reason we’re doing it is to point people to us and how great we are?

Just as God loves a cheerful giver, He loves a cheerful server. When we grow in our dependence upon Him and serve out of the overflow of His goodness, our heart rejoices in all that He does in and through us, not for our honor or fame, but His. That’s when God can trust us with more opportunities to point people to Him.

Blessings, Ed

How Does Our Faith Grow?

“Turning to those who were following Him, He said, ‘I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’” (Matthew 8:10b NLT)

Hebrews 11 is filled with faith “heroes,” but Jesus says of a Roman Officer in the verse above that He’d not seen faith like what was exhibited in this Gentile (non-Jewish) soldier. What was so unique about this man’s faith? What can we learn that will help our faith increase?

This Roman Officer had obviously heard of Jesus, so he came to Him. That’s the first and most significant step of faith anyone can take. If our goal is eternal life, that begins the moment we meet Jesus and lasts throughout eternity, we must come to Jesus. Why? Because ONLY JESUS bears the name above all names. The name at which every knee will one day bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Peter in his message given in Acts 4:12 says: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Obviously, we can’t literally come into the physical presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords, but we, nonetheless, can come to Him confidently with the help of His Spirit who illuminates His presence in our heart and mind. Meeting Jesus and bowing at His feet in submission to His authority and majesty begins our faith walk, but once we’ve placed our full trust in Jesus, how does our faith grow?

The primary way our faith grows is through feeding upon His holy Word, the Bible. Systematically, habitually, and with intentionality read God’s words. If you’re new to the faith, begin in the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Why? Because foundationally, the most important lesson you need to learn is that Jesus is God poured into human flesh. That’s how John begins his Gospel. There are uniqueness’s in John’s account that identify and confirm Jesus’ divinity. Why is that so important?

Because if Jesus isn’t God, as He claimed to be, then we can’t believe anything else He said or claimed. Our theology must be grounded and rooted in Jesus – who He is, why He came to earth, and what His expectations of us are. After you finish John, go back to Matthew, the first book in the New Testament, and read straight through the New Testament to Revelation, including reading John again.

You want to get grounded in what the New Testament says before you dive into the Old Testament. Jesus is the “thread” that weaves the whole Bible together. The Old Testament won’t make much sense until you understand who the main “Character” is.

The second key ingredient to growing strong faith is seeing the necessity of the tests God puts you through. God put a severe test in the Roman Officer’s life, which is what led him to Jesus in the first place. Tests are designed to keep us close to Jesus.

Pastor Rick Warren writes: “Faith is like a muscle. You don’t grow muscle without some sort of resistance. The only way you grow a muscle is by stretching it, testing it, and putting weight on it. The same is true with faith. You don’t grow faith just by sitting around and saying, ‘Oh, I want more faith.’ Faith needs to be tested. So God allows circumstances in your life to build your faith muscle.”

Testing is different from temptation. Temptation is Satan’s attempt to get us to disobey and fail God. Testing is God’s way to help us grow strong spiritual muscles so we can learn to continually defeat Satan and His evil efforts to pull us away from God.

Tests come in many ways, but the goal is to trust God to walk with us through them. Faith increases as you learn to see the hand of God in every circumstance of your life, both good and what you often interpret as bad. Remember Paul’s words in Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Notice “everything.” That includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. God is great and good and loves you as if you were His only child. He’s got your back.

That’s how our faith grows!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Loving Like Jesus

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NLT)

Thinking about loving like Jesus is a little bit like wanting to take a train to the moon – It ain’t happenin’! At least not yet. One day, when we get to heaven, the Bible says we’ll see as we’ve been seen, and I don’t believe it’s a stretch to believe we’ll be able to love as we’ve been loved.

In the meantime, do we just discount efforts to love like Jesus because it’s humanly impossible? The reality is that even being a child of God is humanly impossible, but by God’s grace He allows us that wonderful privilege. How does He do that? By His Spirit living within us. That’s the same way He enables us to love like Jesus here on earth. So, what might that look like?

Susanna Wesley is known as the “Mother of Methodism” because she was the mother of John and Charles Wesley, but “Mother” Wesley gave birth to 19 children. Someone once asked her: “Of all your children, which one do you love the most?” She thought for a moment then responded: “I suppose the one who needs me most.”

Jesus loves us as if we were His only child. What can we learn from that? Loving like Jesus means we love:

WITH INTENTIONALITY – So often when I’m with someone my mind wanders but loving with intentionality means to focus on that person as if they were the only other person on earth, because in that moment they are.
WITH FOCUSED ATTENTION – When you think about Jesus’ interaction with people in the Bible He listened carefully and responded in ways that were specific to that person. Think of the woman at the well or blind Bartimaeus or Nicodemus or the woman caught in “the very act of adultery” or – and the list goes on and on. With the Spirit’s help we can learn to be more attentive to those we’re seeking to love like Jesus loved. I’ve often asked the Lord to love my precious wife through me as though she were His wife. You’ll have to ask her how that’s working out 😊.
WITH GENEROSITY – Jesus’ love always allowed people to leave His presence with more than when they came to Him. Think of the Disciples. Think of the ones He healed. Think even of the children whom He hugged and jostled their hair with His hand. May we contribute to the lives of those with whom we have contact in such a way they feel enriched when they leave us.
WITH KINDNESS – In Matthew 15 there is a story about a Gentile (non-Jewish) woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon. She came to Jesus seeking His help, but the disciples asked Jesus to send her away because of her persistent begging. Jesus spoke to her in a way that, at first, seemed to be condescending and unkind. But in my mind’s eye, His smile and countenance conveyed to her His love and acceptance, so much so the Bible says “she came and worshipped Him, pleading…” Her daughter was healed, and she left Jesus, I’m convinced, never to be the same again. May the people with whom we have contact, especially in our families, leave our presence knowing they are accepted and cherished.
SACRIFICIALLY – Jesus’ love cost Him His life. Love that costs us nothing is of little or no value. Our time is the most precious commodity we can give. We can earn more money, but when we give of our time it’s gone, never to be regained. My prayer is that the persons in whom I/we invest my/our time will sense how much we value them and what a blessing it is to have them in our life.

May God’s love flow in and through us in such powerful ways that the lives of the people whom we love will be forever blessed, strengthened, and motivated to know and love Jesus with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to His honor and eternal fame.

Blessings, Ed 😊