Walking With Jesus

Following Jesus’ Model Prayer

“Pray like this…” (Matthew 6:9a NLT)

Yesterday we looked at what I think of as the “heartbeat of prayer.” Today I’d like us to look at more of the “mechanics of prayer.”

In Matthew 6:5-8 Jesus outlines some things we shouldn’t do when we pray. When prayer becomes an end in itself, it isn’t conversation with God, it’s merely babble for the sake of man. In verses 9-13 Jesus offers us what we might term a “model prayer.” A model is a replica or example of the real thing. His intention wasn’t for us to simply repeat His words and call it a day. He was offering this “model” as a guide to help us in learning to pray with purpose. So, what might that look like?

The outline I’m using today is not original with me. I’m actually using a guide which was distributed at Hope Church (Las Vegas) and is based on the Lord’s Prayer. For an excellent message specifically on the Lord’s Prayer, click the link and listen to Pastor Edward Paz, Lead Pastor of Prayer & Teaching Ministries at Hope Church lv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqOeeLOJXdk

What grew out of that message is 5 R’s for praying in line with the Lord’s model prayer in Matthew 6.

RELATIONSHIP – “Our Father in heaven…”

“PERCEIVE yourself as a loved and cherished child of God.” Once you are born again into the family of God, God is your Father in ways you’ve never imagined possible. Regardless of what you’ve done or been, the blood of Jesus erases that from God’s memory. Our sin is cast into the sea of forgetfulness, never to be remembered against us again.

If you’re a parent, think of the first time your eyes beheld the glory of your first born. My “Widdy-Bit” will be 49 next month, but the memory of my first sight of her is burned indelibly into my brain. She was precious to me then, but even more precious to me now. How much greater is your Heavenly Father’s inexhaustible and immeasurable love for you.

REVERENCE – “Hallowed be Your Name…”

“PRAISE God for His character and attributes and thank Him for the blessings that flow from His character.” God is Holy in ways we can never be. He is Omnipresent (ever-present – in the sense He can see the day of our death as clearly as the day of our birth and every day in between); Omnipotent (All-powerful – NOTHING is impossible for God); Omniscient (All-Knowing) There is nothing that can be known that He doesn’t already know. These are just a few of His attributes for which we can offer Him praise, adoration and thanksgiving.

RESPONSE – “…Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

“POSTURE yourself in humility before God by surrendering your will and your ways to Him.” This has reference to far more than the literal posturing of your body. Many people kneel when praying, closing their eyes and bowing their head. But a “posture of humility before God” has more to do with our surrendered will that desires God’s will to be accomplished here on earth in and through our individual lives, as well as the lives of others in the Body of Christ worldwide.

REQUESTS – “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

“PETITION God for both your physical needs and your relational (with God and others) needs.” Pastor Rick Warren wrote in a recent devotional: “There’s nothing you need that God can’t provide.” “Our daily bread” includes far more than food. God includes the grace He knows we’ll need to forgive and to be forgiven. Receive with gratitude the bountiful gifts God gives you, for most of which we don’t even think to ask Him.

READINESS – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

“PREPARE yourself for the spiritual warfare that awaits you!” Yes, you can be assured you will be tempted; however, the source of that temptation will NEVER come from God (see James 1:13). Additionally, remember that, while God will never tempt you, neither will He ever leave you when you are being tempted. He will ALWAYS show you a way out (see 1 Corinthians 10:13), but it’s up to you to take it. One last note – temptation is not sin. Remember Jesus was tempted beyond anything we can imagine, yet never yielded and was without sin.

That’s a lot to chew on today. We’ll look at an acrostic tomorrow that has been a helpful tool for me when I pray.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Praying In Line With God’s Purposes

“Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1a NLT)

This is the last “P” we’ll look at related to what “Seeking God’s Kingdom First” might look like (see last three Posts). We’ve looked at PURSUE knowing, loving, and serving the Lord Jesus with intentionality and consistency. PRIORITIZE your schedule to reflect the priority of His Kingdom, then yesterday we looked at establishing life-PATTERNS (habits) that will enable us to grow in our likeness of Jesus.

Today we’re looking at PRAYER as the primary means of making the other avenues possible. We can’t pursue God, prioritize our schedules, or effectively develop consistent and effective life-patterns without first getting direction and instruction from the Lord.

It’s always been interesting to me that the original Disciples of Jesus, at least according to what is recorded in Scripture, never asked Him to teach them to preach or perform miracles. Only to pray! There are more than fifty references to prayer in the Gospels alone, and the context of Luke 11:1 finds Jesus praying. It was when Jesus completed His prayer that one of the disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1a NLT)

Prayer, as I understand it, is not reciting certain words, in certain ways, but literally, humbling ourselves before God, and speaking with Him with open hands and heart. When I placed my trust in Jesus and yielded my life and allegiance to Him, I was 15. I don’t remember praying much before then, except the time I “borrowed” the car in a rainstorm and smashed in the passenger door on a post. My prayer was essentially begging God to not let my dad get too angry, and promising Him if He got me through it, I’d never drive again.

I didn’t understand at the time, but God did “get me through it,” it just didn’t turn out as I’d expected. My dad didn’t get angry, instead he was disappointed, which hurt more than if he’d disciplined me more harshly. So, my commitment to my dad and God, was that I would make every effort to drive responsibly and legally (😊) in the future.

What is prayer like for you? Once I began my walk with Jesus, I would put an empty chair in front of me and pretend Jesus was sitting in it. I’d just talk to Him like I talk with anyone else. I’d tell Him about my day (as if He didn’t already know, right!) and I’d listen to see if He’d speak to me. As I look back on those times, after having walked with Him for almost sixty years, those were good times, not because I heard His audible voice, but because He always enabled me to sense His presence.

Today, that’s the most important part of our relationship. Not the “feelings” of His presence, though His presence with me is very emotional at times, but the sometimes-profound “certainty” of His presence.

When God met with Moses in Exodus 33, God instructed Moses to “Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Exodus 33:1 NLT), but God told Moses He wouldn’t go with the rescued Egyptian slaves, because they were “stubborn and rebellious.” God promised to send an angel to guide them, but Moses basically told the Lord, “You can count me out unless You go with us.” In Exodus 33:16, as Moses was “building his case” for God to go with them, he told the Lord, “For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

Prayer confirms, that that is still true today. In my often moment by moment conversations with the Lord, He reminds me of things He’s said to me in His Word. But He will also give me “impressions,” for lack of a better word. He’ll let me know if I need to speak with someone, and about what. He’ll ask me to write them an email, or handwritten note, take them to lunch, send them a card – whatever is appropriate, based on my level of relationship with the person. He’s instructing me as I write these Posts.

Mine and God’s relationship isn’t Master to slave, although it well could be, it’s Friend to friend, but more importantly, it’s Father to son.

You may be wondering – “But you haven’t said anything about how to pray!” Yes, and no. Prayer isn’t simply the speaking of words, it’s the attitude, and often, the singular focus, of your heart before your Sovereign Creator. It’s the soul’s pausing at the well of God’s love, for a deep and much needed refreshing. It’s our spirit connecting with the Spirit of God in ways that human words can never explain or express. It’s basking in the presence of His holiness, seeking cleansing and infilling that will not only satisfy every dimension of our being, but remind us, we’re most effective FOR God, when we’re most dependent UPON God.

That’s prayer at its richest and most rewarding, but you’re right, so we’ll look at prayer from some other angles over the next few days.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Following Healthy Life-Patterns

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

If you’re serious about following the narrow road that leads to an eternity with Jesus, you’ll PURSUE Him with intentionality, you’ll PRIORITIZE your schedule to make time to grow in your understanding of who He is and what He desires for you, and you’ll develop healthy life-PATTERNS, that when followed will lead you closer to Jesus. What might that look like?

God has purpose in everything He does. He’s following a “blueprint” that He established before the beginning of time that takes into account the lives of everyone who has lived, is living, or who will ever live. It only makes sense to me that we, as His children, should follow His Word, the Bible, in establishing life-patterns (habits) that would guide us on our faith journey of becoming more like Jesus.

Romans 8:29a says: “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son” (NLT) In Philippians 3 Paul writes about the priceless value of knowing Christ. He essentially walks us through the pattern of his life and in verse 17 says: “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” (NLT)

With no claim to this being an exhaustive list, based on Paul’s writings, let me suggest the following:

As Jesus followers, we are citizens of heaven and should reflect that status in and through the way we conduct ourselves here on earth. How so? In what we allow our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our mouths to speak. Is what we’re watching on the internet, our phones, TV, or from whatever source, going to build our faith and our dependence upon God or tear it down? Is what we listen to, whether in personal conversation or otherwise, edifying and honoring to our Savior? Is what we speak, the whole truth, shared in love and humility? Does it build up or tear down? Does it exalt Jesus or demean His life in you and/or in others?
Godly habits lead to godly character. Paul told Timothy: “Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me – a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13 NLT) How do YOU best learn? Whatever way works best for you, find ways to learn what the Bible teaches, for yourself, not just learning someone else’s ideas about the Bible. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you, not only facts about the Bible, but promises and truths that will enable you to build a strong, vibrant faith. At Hope Church we are blessed to have great men of God who study well and teach well, but you can’t be dependent on the words of a human being alone, even a godly Pastor. YOU MUST allow the Holy Spirit to bear witness with your spirit that what you’re hearing is the truth, then dig into that truth and let it become your own. A Study Bible with a Concordance and notes can go a long way in helping you learn basic truths. The highlighted link below will lead you to a very unique study Bible that I highly recommend. Dr. Gene Getz has compiled more than 1500 teachings, that by scanning QR Codes throughout the Bible, can become teaching sessions on whatever device you’re using. Dr. Getz is someone in whom I have great confidence: https://bibleprinciples.org/the-life-essentials-study-bible/
The nearer you grow to Jesus, the more Christ-honoring fruit your life will bear. Jesus said: Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NLT) Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:22 (NLT: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” The Holy Spirit is the Author of this fruit, not me or you. The greater the measure of submission to the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life, the greater the measure of fruit He will bear in and through you. Grow in your dependence upon God and He will reward you with godly character and a winsome, wholesome witness for Him.
One last thought. Jesus said: “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Do the ways you spend your money reflect where your “heart” is? Absolutely! Did you notice Jesus didn’t say: “Wherever your heart is, there your treasure will also be?” What’s the implication? Your heart follows the money, which illuminates what your heart believes to be your “treasure.” If you’re not as close to Jesus as you want to be, look at your checkbook or credit card statements. Where your money goes, so goes your heart.

There’s one more “P” I’d like to share with you tomorrow. Thank you for reading these articles.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Is Seeking God’s Kingdom Your Top Priority?

“Set your heart first on His Kingdom and His goodness…” (Matthew 6:33a – Phillips)

In yesterday’s Post we looked at what it means to “Seek” God’s Kingdom, by earnestly and consistently PURSUING God through thorough and persistent study and investigation. Desiring Him above all else, in a similar way as you would desire someone with whom you were interested in having a long-term relationship.

Today we’re going to look at what it means to seek God’s Kingdom FIRST, by making our relationship with Jesus our top PRIORITY. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, priority means “taking precedence logically or in importance.” How might our life look if we allowed our relationship with Jesus to take “precedence logically or in importance?”

Someone rightly observed that they could tell in a moment the priority Jesus took in a person’s life by looking at their calendar and their checkbook. What does that mean? It simply means, how you spend your time, and your money reflects what you value the most.

There are 96 15-minute segments in each day. If you gave the Lord only 1 of those, or 15 minutes per day, that would be the equivalent of just over 1% of your day. Yet, how many professing believers commit even a measly 15 minutes a day to read/study the Bible and pray? What’s my point? If Jesus is the priority we desire Him to be, why doesn’t He hold a more prominent place in the activities of our day?

We’re living in the most wicked and perverse period of time in human existence. We need Jesus every second of every day. May I challenge you to make Jesus a higher priority in your time by making Him a higher priority in your thoughts?

As a new believer I would put Bible verses I wanted to memorize on a 3 X 5 card. On one side I would write the verse, then put the reference on the other side. At any one time I would have about 10-12 cards that I would carry with me. Like many who are reading this, I worked two jobs for many years and time was of the essence. So, when I went to the restroom (I know 😊) I would either read my Bible and/or go over my memory cards. On breaks at work or at a stop light, whenever I could grab an extra minute, I sought to fill my mind with words about God.

Someone said, “What you think about, comes about.” I believe if I can fill my mind with what is true and relevant to my life as a believer; what can help to mold my thoughts so the Holy Spirit can train me to think about Jesus and His Word, over time I/we can actually begin to think like Him, which will, in ever increasing measure, allow us to begin to “look” like Him in and through the way we live.

God is ever-present. He’s with us in every second. The issue in making Him a priority then becomes, are we with Him? “Yeh, but I have to work!” “I have small kids!” “I don’t like to read!” Listen, my friend, excuses are like armpits. We’ve all got ‘em, and they all stink!

Commit today to give minimally 15-30 minutes a day to read/study your Bible. Begin to train your mind to think God’s thoughts by committing minimally 1-2 verses a week to memory. Make Church attendance a MUST and if at all possible, find a Small Group – a Men’s/Women’s Group if you’re single, a Couple’s Group if you’re married. You simply cannot make Jesus a priority in your heart if He’s not a priority in your thoughts and on your calendar.

I’ll speak more to this point tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed😊

Seeking FIRST God’s Kingdom

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else…” (Matthew 6:33a NLT)

In 2 Chronicles 34:3 (NLT) the Bible says: “During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David.”

Josiah was only eight years old when he became King of Judah, so in his eighth year as king he was still only sixteen. That’s when he began to do an earnest and extensive investigation of the God of his ancestor David. “Seek” in this context means “to ask for, require, demand.” This wasn’t a casual glance at the past, it was a serious digging into how king David followed God. It means “to practice, study, follow, seek with application, care and care for.”

Jesus used a similar word in Matthew 6:33 (NLT): “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” What does it mean to “Seek the Kingdom of God?”

In the Amplified Translation it says: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

Photo by Matthias Groeneveld on Pexels.com

Have you ever lost something that, to you, was really valuable? How did you feel? How earnestly did you “seek” to find it? Did it suddenly move to the top of your priority list? Strong’s Concordance defines “seek” as: “(seek) by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into, to crave, demand something from someone.” So, what can we conclude?

Over the next few days, we’ll look more closely at what Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 mean for us. We’ll do that by looking at four “P’s.”

PURSUE

It intrigues me the way Detectives research all avenues of information related to whatever crime they’re seeking to solve. They leave no stone unturned in their efforts to identify and arrest the person who has committed a crime. In a similar way, we should investigate and use every available tool to research what Jesus means when He says to SEEK His Kingdom.

Realizing we’re not pursuing an ethereal idea, but a Person – “HIS Kingdom and HIS righteousness,” – heightens the urgency to make a serious pursuit of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. Perhaps an example would help.

When I first met my wife, I pursued her passionately! She was all I could think about. I wanted to spend every waking moment with her. I loved everything about her (still do 😊). The first several dates I literally couldn’t stop shaking. It was embarrassing, but I simply couldn’t stop. Why? Because she was wayyyyyy out of my league. I was amazed that she would speak to me, let alone go on a date with me. Now, after nearly thirty years of being together, she’s even more amazing than I’d originally believed.

What if, when we got married, I’d said to her, this woman I loved with my whole being: “Listen, honey, this is how it’s going to be. I’ll come by once a week for an hour, maybe an hour and a half. We can talk occasionally during the week, but if something really important comes up, you’ll be my first call.” How long do you think the marriage would last? Yet, don’t we too often tend to “seek” God like that?

We’ll pick this up in tomorrow’s Post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Living Like Jesus Matters

“In this new life…Christ is all that matters…” (Colossians 3:11 NLT)

The title of one of the books I’m currently reading is Person of Interest, Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible. It’s written by J. Warner Wallace “America’s foremost cold case Detective.”

In Warner’s words: “God didn’t matter to me because I didn’t think He existed, and the Bible didn’t matter to me because I didn’t think it reported anything true.” What changed his mind? He reluctantly attended church with his wife and some friends and heard a Pastor speak about Jesus as though He mattered. That set him on a course to investigate “the claims of the Gospels using every tool I possessed as a detective.” His investigation led him to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

It caused me to search my own heart and ask myself: “Am I living like Jesus matters? In my encounters with neighbors, people at the grocery, how I drive, in my home, in my relationship with my kids, am I living like Jesus matters?” It’s a scary thought to realize how closely people watch our lives.

When I was pastoring a small church in Kentucky, I went door to door in my neighborhood to meet my neighbors and to invite them to church. One man who lived right behind the church said: “I’ve noticed there have been more cars in the parking lot lately.” Just a seeming small observation, but it caused me to wonder – how many more neighbors are “watching” us and what conclusions are they drawing from what they see?

Do you understand that if you claim to know Jesus, people are watching you? They want to know if this Jesus of the Bible is real and if He is, how can they get to know Him? You may want to ask yourself some of the questions I’ve been asking myself.

Is the quality of my loving and living consistent regardless of where I am or who I’m with?
Am I hesitant to bring up Jesus for fear the person with whom I’m speaking has seen me doing or saying something I shouldn’t have been doing or saying?
Can the people closest to me – my wife, kids, people with whom I work, serve or worship, my neighbors – attest to my consistent walk with Jesus?
Is my heart in tune with my conviction that Jesus is ALL THAT MATTERS?

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:11: In this new life (as a believer in Jesus), it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile (non-Jew), circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us (as believers in Him).” (NLT)

In the busy, hurried pace of our lives, Jesus matters! When our kids are off the wall and our spouse comes home upset, Jesus matters! When the money runs out and there’s still a lot of month left, Jesus matters! When the doctor’s report isn’t what you expected, Jesus matters! When you get let go from your job, Jesus matters! When your “walk” isn’t matching your “talk,” Jesus matters! When you have all that money can buy, yet you still feel empty, Jesus matters! When your heart aches for the souls of your family and friends, Jesus matters! When you stand before the Judge of all the earth, at the end of your life, Jesus is ALL that will matter!

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” If Jesus truly is all that matters to you, then His Kingdom has to be paramount in your life. We’ll begin to look at what that means tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is Generosity?

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)

Everything we have has been given to us as a grace-gift. “But wait a minute,” you may be thinking. “Didn’t I sacrifice and invest years of my life for my education, which ultimately led to the career to which I now give many hours of my day, which supplies the income I now enjoy, which affords me the nice house, nice ride, beautiful vacations and all the other wonderful benefits of my hard work?” Good point. But who gave you the mental and physical abilities that enabled you to get that education? That led to the career? That affords you all the other things of which you speak?

And do I dare believe for a millionth of a second, out of the billions of people on this planet, I just happened to meet the one person of my dreams? That I just happen to have the children for whom I’d give everything, including my life in a heartbeat? Do I live in the neighborhood I live in by accident? Do I attend the church I love just on a whim? Am I alive in this moment by any effort of my own? Do I not yet understand that I exist as a grace-gift from God and that everything I have or am or ever will be, is a gift from God, apart from whom, according to Jesus, I am nothing and can do nothing (John 15:5)?

I love the expression I’ve heard numbers of times: “We don’t give because we HAVE to. We give because we GET to!” That speaks to the root of generosity. How can I NOT give generously, of my time, my energy/efforts, my finances, my talents/abilities to forward God’s eternal purposes? If everything I have is a gift from God, it’s not mine to do with as I please anyway. I’m not an owner, I’m a steward, a manager of the resources, including my relationships, my money, my mind, my abilities, EVERYTHING to the honor, glory and fame of Jesus.

Generosity is simply allowing our lives to become a channel of blessing to others through the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (NLT) By generously exhibiting these characteristics of Christ’s love of us in our love of others, the greatest benefit to us is that we get to experience the blessing of God’s closeness.

We are introduced to the life God has desired for us since the Garden of Eden. It’s the blessed (“makarios”) life about which Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. It’s a life of fulfillment of which Jesus spoke in John 10:10, a life of purpose and meaning; a life of satisfaction and peace; a life designed and equipped by the fullness of God’s presence living in and through us each second our heart beats and far beyond. It’s the treasure we seek as we pursue the trinkets of this world, but never find except in surrender to the One who gave His life for us.

Luke records in Acts 20:35 the words of Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, as he quoted the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (NLT) The word “blessed” in this verse is the same word Jesus used in His sermon in Matthew 5. It can be translated many ways, but in essence refers to the life we’re afforded in following Christ that can be offered us in no other way; a life of complete surrender to the will of God that results in unimaginable joy, peace, freedom and yes, happiness.

Generosity includes, but certainly isn’t limited to the giving of money. Though I never earned very much, I can’t use that as an excuse for not living a generous life. My treasure isn’t the measure of wealth used by this world. My treasure is Jesus. And for the rest of my life, I’m His, to be used by Him in any way He would choose. I don’t want to burn out in my service to my Savior, I want to wear out. When my eyes close for the last time I want to have given everything I could possibly give to His honor and to the furtherance of His eternal Kingdom.

The greatest benefit of generosity to me is to be able to say with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” (NLT)

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Currency of Heaven

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” (Ephesians 2:8 NLT)

If you read yesterday’s Post, you may still be asking, “What does this have to do with the benefits of longing for Jesus, of being generous?” And my answer would have to be – it doesn’t, unless and until we understand that nothing we can experience with our five physical senses; nothing we can see, feel, taste, touch or hear is eternal. It simply won’t last. So, what? If it doesn’t last it has little or no eternal value, except to the extent it’s used for eternal purpose. What does that mean? It means selling myself to gain the pleasures of this world will end in death, eternal separation from the only Person who can satisfy the longings of my heart.

It means, as Jesus followers, when our hearts are tuned to the heartbeat of God, we want what He wants. We long for everyone we love to share the joy of our much anticipated eternal home in heaven. It means nothing on this earth has value to us unless it contributes to the mission of taking as many people to heaven with us as possible. So, we learn to use the “currency” of heaven. What’s that? Generosity, prompted and motivated by our love for and devotion to our Savior.

There are three “G” words that are inextricably interwoven, that when understood lead to the virtually unlimited benefits of living a life devoted to giving of ourselves and of our resources. Those words are GRACE, GRATITUDE and GENEROSITY.

Grace is the free, undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor of God. God’s love is a grace-gift. 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. Then why do we serve, give, submit to His authority and obey His commandments? Shouldn’t we be trying to earn His love? No. No can do! He loves us, period. Then why? Gratitude!

Our lives, as followers of the Lord Jesus, should be living testaments of what gratitude looks like. Consider this:

The sum total of all this world has to offer doesn’t compare to the value of my soul
Jesus willingly laid down His life in my place to pay the penalty for my sin
Jesus’ sacrifice opens the door to the deliverance of my soul from Satan’s captivity
Which results in my eternal freedom to begin my journey of becoming all God created me to become in Him – a life of meaning, fulfillment and purpose
In light of the above, how can I possibly live my life without being grateful to God?

So, what might living a life of grace-filled gratitude look like? GENEROSITY!

We’ll look at that more closely tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Longing for What Doesn’t Last?

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Mark 8:36-37 NLT)

In Mark chapter 8 Jesus is telling His disciples about His impending suffering, death and resurrection. Peter, unable to even begin to comprehend something so terrible, takes Jesus aside, seeking to correct His “misunderstanding” of future events. But to Peter’s surprise, Jesus tells Peter he’s taking his cues from Satan and “seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (NLT)

At that point Jesus calls the crowd to join Him and His disciples and begins to explain to them what following Him should look like. It was in this context Jesus asked a couple very pointed and penetrating questions in verses 36-37: “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT)

Photo by Download a pic Donate a buck! ^ on Pexels.com

This may seem an odd way to open a blog on understanding our longings, but the reality is, the greatest enemy of longing for the things of God, is our incessant longing for the things of this world – “seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” And the irony is, generosity, which grows out of our longing for God, at its core isn’t even a matter of finances or possessions, it’s a matter of the heart. Generosity doesn’t originate in what we do, (i.e. how much of ourselves/our “stuff” we give away) but from who we are (i.e. our character, illustrated by how much of ourselves/”what’s ours” we seek to keep).

As always, Jesus is painting a picture that burns an indelible image on our heart and mind. When He speaks of gaining “the whole world,” He’s essentially saying, “and all that entails – every advantage socially, politically, economically, educationally, relationally – EVERY conceivable advantage this world could possibly offer – WITHOUT RESERVATION!” But the nagging question still remains: “Is all the world has to offer worth as much as my soul?” with the clear implication – NO WAY! But why not?

Most human beings, including many believers, because of their longings for the temporal things of this world, are choosing every day to trade their soul for the trinkets of this world, resulting in a stingy heart and a troubled, empty soul. We’re always looking for more. But more of what? Of what this world offers or more of Jesus? And to what end?

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells a story about a man who finds a treasure in a field, and in his excitement, he sells everything he owned to get enough to buy that field. What was the treasure? Jesus! What’s the implication? Nothing, no amount of this world’s goods and services, can compare with the joy of knowing, loving, serving, sacrificing everything we own and everything we are for His honor and fame.

We’ll look at this more closely tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

*In yesterday’s article I mentioned that if you wanted to send me a message you could do so by going to the “Contact” page. That’s true if you’re on my Blog website; however, if you’re receiving my Blog via your email, the best way to contact me is to send an email to walkingwithjesus09@gmail.com I’m sorry for the mixup. 😦

Holding Life with Open Hands

“The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21b NLT)

Suffering loss can be debilitating, and it can take many shapes. If you’re a pet lover, you’ll understand how heartbreaking losing a pet can be.

Lola was only five pounds when she entered my life, but that five pounds was all she needed to win her place in my heart. Almost from the moment I saw her, I loved her. I’d had other dogs I loved, but there was something special about Lola. She was a Puggle, part Beagle, but mostly Pug, and man, did she love to eat.

When my mother-in-law first saw Lola, she looked at her little underbite and said: “She’s so ugly, she’s cute!” I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, because all I saw was a little girl who needed a daddy to love her well. From the beginning, we were inseparable. When I was home, she was on my lap or laying her little head on my chest.

I would sometimes quip, “If Lola ever loses her interest in food, I’ll know something is really wrong.” The years passed so quickly, and one day Lola kept going to the door, telling me she wanted to go outside. The first few times I thought she was just “milking” me for treats, but she wouldn’t take the treats when I tried to give them to her. Then I noticed blood on the carpet. We tried to get her into the Vet, but couldn’t find anyone to see her. Finally, in desperation, we took her to the VET Emergency Clinic.

Thinking we’d get some medication and take her home, our hearts broke when the Doctor told us she had a tumor on her spleen and there was nothing they could do. It was among the hardest things I’ve ever done, to say goodbye to my Lola. Even as I’m typing these words, I can’t hold back the tears. She was only 10.

Pastor Rick Warren says, “God never wastes a problem,” and that proved true in the devastating loss of our Lola. I love Jesus and I know He loves me and would NEVER allow anything to enter my life that He didn’t intend to use for my good and His glory. It took a while, but what the Lord taught me is that I must hold my life with open hands. What does that mean?

Holding our hands in front of us, palms up is a way of saying to the Lord: “The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21b NLT)

Open hands is a way to physically show our absolute dependence upon and trust in God. In my heart, it says: “Father, everything I have or will ever have comes from You. So, I want to position my life, through the way I live and love, to receive anything You can trust me to receive. But I also realize that there are things in my life I have needed to give up to You and things that will bring me to my knees when You take them – like when my wife left, when my dad, then my mom died and, yes, when my precious Lola died. But I trust You and You have always been faithful to heal me and bless me in ways I never imagined possible. Here’s my life, Father, use it, shape it, add to it or take whatever You want away from it, but in the end, Lord, be glorified in me. May my lips never fail to give You praise, not simply for what you give, or even for what You take away, but simply and forever, for who You are!”

Perhaps it’s time for you to pray a prayer like that in your own life. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus, you may wonder how or why I would ever pray like that. It’s because Jesus is my life. Without Him I am nothing and apart from Him I can do nothing of eternal value.

He wants to give you a life of fulfillment, meaning and purpose like you’ve never imagined possible. Place your trust in Him today. Please don’t wait. Click on the link and watch a brief video by Ron Hutchcraft that will help you understand what it means to follow Jesus. https://hutchcraft.com/the-bridge-to-god

If you’d like to reach out to me, send me a message at walkingwithjesus09@gmail.com. If there is any way I can help you see Jesus more clearly, I want to. That’s why I write these articles. My love and prayers are with you, especially if you’re in a season of loss. You are not alone! Please reach out to someone who knows and loves Jesus. I would welcome your email.

Blessings, Ed 😊