“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time – to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”  (2 Timothy 1:9 NLT)

When I was fifteen, I responded to a public invitation by my pastor to commit my life to the Lord Jesus. I knelt at an altar in the front of our church sanctuary and as I did, I began to cry, almost uncontrollably. Though I didn’t understand at the time why I was so emotional or even what this all meant, when I rose from the altar I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I couldn’t have explained it then, but I’d been forgiven and the weight of sin I bore had been lifted.

What I didn’t comprehend fully then (and very likely still don’t) was that God had called me to be His child and, as such, to follow His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe we often complicate this whole issue of “calling,” and thereby miss its simplicity. Calling is simply an invitation to follow Jesus (as complicated as that can sometimes seem). And though in many respects, as Christ-followers, our callings have many similarities, our specific calling can manifest itself in very different ways. That’s where purpose comes in.

Two of the Apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy, who was like a son to him, are recorded in the New Testament. In his second letter, chapter 1, verse 9, Paul writes: “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan (purpose) from before the beginning of time – to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.” (NLT)   

In this verse we catch a glimpse of the relationship between calling and purpose, both of which are invitations from God. Though this verse is packed with significance and truth on many levels, for purposes of clarity and simplicity, I’m going to focus on the relationship between calling and purpose.

In many respects the relationship between calling and purpose is like two sides of the same coin, similar to belief and faith. One is not complete without the other. Belief is an intellectual acknowledgment that something is true. For example, I can say, “I believe the medicine the doctor has prescribed will help cure my illness.” But unless I exercise faith by actually taking the medication, my belief is of no value. In other words, unless I act on my belief it will have no benefit. That’s true in our relationship with Jesus as well.

Similarly, understanding that I am being called (invited) by God to enter into a relationship with Him through belief in Christ has no real bearing on my life until I exercise faith and say “yes” to God’s invitation to be saved and become His child, which then opens the door of opportunity for me to discover my purpose for being on this planet.

At its core, calling is an invitation to partner with God in the fulfillment of His purpose on earth. And what is that? “… His plan (purpose) from before the beginning of time – to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.” (NLT)   So how do we do partner with God?

Good question! I’m so glad you asked 😊. We’ll look more closely at this tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

“Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24-25 NLT)

So, by reading the above verses I’m suddenly now all better? Yes, and no. Yes, from the standpoint that the Bible, God’s Word, points me to Jesus, in whom every promise of God is “yes and amen!” (2 Corinthians 1:20) What does that mean? To me it means there’s nothing Satan can throw at me that Jesus and I can’t overcome, BUT (and that’s a very big “BUT” :)) He often chooses to use others to walk with me into my victory.

Growing up, my mom was an alcoholic and both parents were unfaithful to one another. Though I felt loved, there was a lot of chaos and instability, which led my two older sisters to marry right after high school, leaving me to fend for myself. To say my family was dysfunctional is an understatement, but it was all I knew. I didn’t realize then how I was being shaped by my environment.

Through God-guided circumstances, I came to the Lord at age fifteen and soon after met my high school sweetheart at church. We dated for four years, but our relationship ended after she met someone at the University she was attending. My heart was broken, but I understood and couldn’t blame her. Our relationship had been plagued with jealousy and possessiveness, but I didn’t understand why it was so uncontrollable. As I grew in the Lord, I sensed His call to ministry and attended a Christian college and then Seminary. I married, at twenty-one, a girl I’d met at college.

As the years passed, we had two children, and ministry opportunities directed our path, but the tentacles of underlying anger, common in adult children of alcoholics, and lust filled my heart and, too often, my mind. The demands of ministry, family and other distractions, resulted in my lack of attention to my wife. We sought counseling and I thought it was helping, but ultimately my wife left me for another man. After more than twenty years of marriage I was alone and felt lost.

Fast forward to a few years ago. I was in a Small Group at the church I was attending, with my “new” wife (we’ll soon celebrate twenty-eight years of marriage). Reluctantly, I began to share some of what I’ve written above, but by God’s leading I shared in more detail about my sin and shame. Ironically, what had held me back from sharing for almost thirty years, was fear that if someone really knew me, they would reject me. But after I shared my story, I shed tears of relief, and joy filled my heart as the men and women in the room affirmed and loved me in spite of what I’d done.

Over the weeks as we shared our stories, our hearts were opened to one another in healing ways. The members of our Small Group are now among my dearest friends. That’s the power of sharing your story.

Blessings, Ed 😊

“Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24 NLT)

Each of us has a story, an unraveling history, which, though often spotted with shame, regret and disappointment, when shared with another person is an invitation to allow them to know us more intimately, to understand us with more clarity and to liberate us on levels we never imagined possible.

When I was first in ministry, I was privileged to serve with a man I respected and admired. We served together for about four years, so I believed I knew him well. Most Sunday evenings found my wife and I, with our two small children, gathered around his family’s table, eating hamburgers and waiting, rather impatiently, for a piece of his wife’s red velvet cake.

It surprised me one day when my friend, whose life was lived impeccably, in strict adherence to God’s Word, made the comment, almost in passing, that he didn’t let many people close to him for fear if they really knew him, they wouldn’t like him.

Being young at the time, it didn’t register why he would say such a thing. He was well known, serving in prominent positions on the state and national level in our church organization, loved by the people with whom he worked and served at the local church. But now, nearly fifty years later, I understand more clearly what he meant.

The shame, regret, fear and, at times, deep despair I face in my walk with the Lord, are battles I fight on the barren plains of my mind. Of course, I know intellectually, and even in my spirit, that my battles have all been won on the Cross, but random thoughts, desires and pride all point to the depravity of the man I used to be and could be again, save the protective presence of God’s Spirit in my life.

What does all of this have to do with our stories? Quite a lot, actually. Because as hard as it is to grasp, though we all wrestle with these “demons,” we seem blinded to the fact that there’s another human being who could possibly understand what we’re experiencing. It’s as if I think I’m the only person on the planet who has died a thousand deaths on the battlefields of sin; I’m alone in my guilt and shame because of my failures; and so I wrongly assume I’m alone in dealing with the unrelenting tension between what I want to do and be and what I too often choose to do and be.

Then I read a verse like Romans 7:24 which says: “Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Then verse 25: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (NLT)

We’ll continue this theme tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

“Why do you call me good?…Only God is truly good.” (Mark 10:18 NLT)

One of the most helpful insights the Lord has given me is the realization that I’m capable of anything – ANYTHING – given the right set of circumstances. The murderer, rapist, human trafficker, child molester, you name whatever is the vilest “crime” you can conceive, and I’m capable of that if I allow my mind and heart to be subtly led away from the mission of loving God and loving others. And before you judge me too harshly, so are you, my friend, so are you.

John MacArthur wrote: “The Cross is proof of both the immense love of God and the profound wickedness of sin.”

So, what do we do? What’s the answer? Space doesn’t permit me to print the verses, but 2 Peter chapter 1 outlines many ways that, if followed, will help keep us on track. The short answer is, love God and love others as you love yourself.

Jen Wilkin wrote: “We must love God with our minds, allowing our intellect to inform our emotions, rather than the other way around.” Couple that with what Bob Goff said: “We make loving people a lot more complicated than Jesus did.”

Our communications with others often carry some agenda, which essentially translates – we want to promote our preferences. If, by God’s grace, we set aside our agendas and simply love others for who they are, not who we’d like them to be, it will have a profound effect, not only on them, but on us, for Christ’s sake.

When it comes to sin’s subtle inroads into my life, my biggest battle is setting aside my personal preferences in favor of the directives of my Savior, found in His Holy Word, the Bible. I must stay close to Jesus by faithfully reading His Word, worshipping, spending time with His people and serving the needs of those in my sphere of influence.

I learned something at the church I attended in Texas that really resonates with my spirit. It said: “We do life together in groups, we serve together in teams and we do outreach through community partnerships.” My quote may not be exact, but the heart of the message to me is – we’re in this faith journey together and the goal of sin’s subtle pull is to keep us apart. We must not let that happen to us as His people, His Body, His family. We cannot allow sin’s subtlety to allow us to contribute to the disunity of God’s people, His picture of love and acceptance to the world, by shifting our focus from Jesus and what He did for us.

I believe Craig Groeschel was right when he said: “God is not calling us to (just) go to church; He is calling us to be His Church.”

Blessings, Ed 😊

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.” (1 Peter 5:8a NLT)

One of the definitions of “subtle” in Webster’s dictionary is: “working insidiously; not easily detected.”  Sounds like satan to me. The Apostle Peter warns: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT)

What is the greatest enemy of our soul? What nailed our Savior to the Cross? What is it that if not dealt with through the forgiveness of the Lord will not only separate us from Him, but from one another? Sin! And through what avenue will sin rear its ugly head more often than any other? Through our preferences! We like what we like, we want what we want, and we don’t like it if we don’t get our way.

But aren’t we delivered from all of that when we’re saved? The Lord Jesus paid the full penalty for our sin on the Cross, but the appropriation of that saving grace isn’t a one-prayer-for-life proposition. Jesus gave us everything we’ll ever need (His Spirit) to defeat the enemy, but as long as we’re in this body of flesh we’re susceptible to sin. What’s the answer?

Who is the roaring lion most often looking for? That straggler, the stray, the one who has wandered away from the “flock.” Church attendance isn’t simply a privilege we too often take for granted, it’s a lifeline of defense against the enemy. Small Groups aren’t simply a good idea, they’re my fellow soldiers with whom I prepare for battle. They’re the ones with whom I plan my strategy and build my defense, not just against satan, but against the sinful subtleties that lurk in my own soul, that I may never recognize unless and until someone I love and trust points them out to me.

Perhaps the most subtle threat to our walk with the Lord is when the devil has us believing we’re a good person. In Matthew 19 and Mark 10 there is a story of a rich man who comes to Jesus and he says: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus responds, “Why do you call my good?…Only God is truly good.”

That troubled me for some time because I thought, if anyone has the right to accept someone’s evaluation of Him as good, it was Jesus. But I believe what the Lord was emphasizing was, no one is good apart from the presence of the goodness of the Father in them. Thus, the goodness displayed through our lives isn’t an expression of our goodness, but the goodness of the Father, for which none of us can take credit.

We’ll look at this further tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one…” (John 17:21a NLT)

Perhaps you’ve heard the expression: “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” My wife “shines” on many fronts. She’s beautiful, smart, deeply loves her family and is committed to the Lord and His Church. But, to me, one of my wife’s most distinguishing and endearing qualities is – she’s an awesome cook. We sometimes eat out, but I rarely eat a meal that is as good as what I get at home. I believe it’s safe to say, I prefer my wife’s cooking. The fact is, I prefer my wife.

Life is filled with preferences, not only in what we eat, but in virtually every area of our lives. We have automobile preferences, political, clothing, housing, animal, people as well as religious preferences. The list is virtually endless. But at the end of the day our preferences are just that – preferences. What’s my point?

If we’re not extremely careful, we’ll slowly allow our preferences to become “law” and expect others to conform to what we believe to be “the best.” So, what began as a simple preference now becomes an expectation of others. We see this in government, in schools, businesses, families and in the Church. What’s the end result? Division! The devil’s playground.

In John 17 we see Jesus’ final prayer before He’s betrayed, tortured and murdered. I believe the theme of His prayer is reflected in verses 21-23: “I pray that they (us) will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (NLT)

What did Jesus mean when He said “I have given them the glory you gave Me?” Psalm 19:1 (NLT) says: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.” This same theme is echoed in Psalm 97:6 (NLT): “The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory.” What’s my point? Jesus gave US His glory, the glory the Father had given Him. WE (every Christ-follower worldwide) are the outward, physical display of Christ’s presence on earth, in much the same way as Jesus was the embodiment of the Father in human flesh while He was on earth.

If those apart from the saving knowledge of Jesus are ever going to find Him, they must see His “glory” revealed and evidenced in the individual and corporate lives of those of us who profess His holy name. Unity, our oneness with God, and the oneness of God’s people, is a picture of the Father’s love for His Son when we yield our preferences to God and let Jesus shine through our love and devotion to Him and to one another, not simply in OUR church preference, but in the corporate family of God worldwide.

Blessings, Ed 😊