Walking With Jesus

Who Are You Playing For?

“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.’” (Matthew 3:17 NLT)

In a recent devotional, Ron Hutchcraft told the story of a young man who was performing his first concert as a pianist. The auditorium was filled with an expectant audience, and at the end they all rose to their feet in exuberant applause. Backstage the young man’s manager was praising his magnificent performance, urging him to return to the stage for an encore, but he refused. Unable to understand his hesitation, his manager tried to explain, “But they’re all on their feet. You have to go back out and play another selection.” To which the young man responded, “They’re not all on their feet,” as he pulled back the curtain.

There in the balcony above the crowd was an old white-haired man still seated. “Who is he? Why does he matter so much to you?” To which the young man replied, “He’s, my teacher.”

For whom are you performing the “concert” of your life? Who is the one person or group of persons from whom you’re seeking approval or “applause?” Often, it’s from a parent (living or dead), a spouse or close friend. Sometimes it’s from a boss, co-workers, or clients. Or might it be your friends at church?

Whomever it is, if it’s not Jesus you’re wasting your time, talent, and energy. Why would I say that? Because ultimately, He’s the only one who’s opinion matters.

While researching a recent blog, it occurred to me that a decision I’d made many years ago was clearly wrong. I realize there’s nothing I can do to turn back time. There are no “do-overs” in life, yet it became crystal clear that if I was making that decision today, I would have chosen a different response.

You see, that one decision could have changed the trajectory of my whole life. Then it occurred to me, how many other decisions you and I make every day, often without thought, have the power to change the direction of our lives? It’s true that we can’t go back and make changes to the decisions we have made, but we certainly can take the time and make the effort to make good decisions today, in this moment.

John Stonestreet, of the Colson Center, often says: “Ideas matter. Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have victims.” What are decisions but the culmination of ideas. How often are we the victim of our own bad ideas?

As a result of what went through my mind and heart from the realization of the very wrong decision I made years ago, I could have gone in a lot of directions, from ignoring it, to obsessing over it. What compounded my anguish was reviewing the consequences that I have suffered because of it, foremost among them being, I realized the reason I made the wrong decision in the first place was because I made it without consulting the only One whose opinion really matters. I didn’t pray. I didn’t ask the Lord what He thought I should do. I made the decision based on external evidence and emotion – AND I KNEW BETTER!

How about you? Are you living with the consequences of earlier decisions? I believe the reality is – we all are to one extent or another. Yet, rather than letting them cloud our judgment and ruin the rest of our lives, let’s rejoice that we have a Savior who redeems the wrong decisions we have made. As we lay them at His feet He gives us insight and wisdom to make good decisions now and moving forward. As a result, we can live and “play” for the only One whose opinion matters. We can hear His comforting voice, in much the same way as He spoke when His Son was baptized: “I forgive you. I am with you and for you. I am proud of you, and I will lead you in the ways I have ordained for you to go. I will bless you with fruitfulness for My names sake.”

Blessings, Ed 😊

What A Beautiful Name!

“Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 NLT)

Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood wrote the words and music for the song “What a Beautiful Name.” I’ve put the link at the end of this post, so you can listen to it. The song chronicles who Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning, why He came to earth, what He accomplished through His death and how He now reigns with God in power, glory, and majesty.

I love the words in the song that say: “Death could not hold You; The Veil tore before You; You silence the boast of sin and grave; The heavens are roaring the praise of Your glory; For You are raised to life again; You have no rival; You have no equal; Now and forever God You reign; Yours is the Kingdom; Yours is the glory; Yours is the Name above all names.” Wow! What anointed and joy-filled words!

Will you worship with me for a few moments as we lift up the name of Jesus? As we think about and rejoice in all He is and what a powerful, loving, compassionate Savior He is.

The powerful name “Jesus” was the name the angel instructed Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, to name the Baby she was carrying. Why that name? Because it summarized His mission on earth: “for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) If you love Jesus, can you even begin to think of where your life would be without that powerful name? Helpless and hopeless to find a cure for the deadly disease of sin that ravaged your life. Doesn’t it bring joy and delight to your heart just to whisper His holy name?

And as you run your race of faith, how pointless it would be without that powerful name to declare victory over Satan, sin, and death. What point would there be if this life is all there was? Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:19: “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” Why? Because this life is war! This world is the battlefield on which we fight against the forces of evil that are alive and active in the world. The war extends even to our hearts and minds as we seek His strength to win each day’s battles. To struggle every day without the hope of heaven would be utter futility.

Jesus has no rival! He has no equal! At the name of Jesus demons flee, raging storms grow still, disease takes flight, families are healed, addictions cease, peace reigns, and death holds no fear! Hope in the name above every name fills us with courage to pray boldly, live generously, and fight the enemy of our soul relentlessly! Why? Because this world is not our home. We’re strangers and pilgrims passing through this life on our way home to Jesus!

Sometimes, especially in worship, I so long to be with Jesus. I so long to leave this world behind and see Jesus face to face. Yet, there is a part of me that wants to stay here as long as possible. As long as there’s one more soul who hasn’t yet heard His wonderful name. As long as there’s one more loved one who has yet to yield their life and allegiance to Jesus. As long as there’s one more neighbor who walks in darkness. As long as there’s one more young man who needs a mentor. As long as there’s one more prayer of praise, adoration, honor, and thanksgiving to be raised to my Father in that powerful, wonderful, majestic, holy, and beautiful Name, the Name above all names, I want to stay right here, loving and serving Jesus.

Whatever may be standing against you, declare victory in the powerful, wonderful, beautiful name of Jesus. He IS your victory! Seek Him! Love Him! Serve Him! Worship Him!

Hallelujah! What a beautiful Name! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWFzMvCfLE

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Do We Have Communion and Baptism?

“This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me.” (Luke 22:19b NLT)

Today’s post began as a letter to an inmate who was wrestling with why Jesus would introduce Communion (The Lord’s Supper) and Baptism. He seemed to think Jesus’ whole point was to do away with the law and its many rules and regulations. Shouldn’t the emphasis be on grace and not ritual? With some revision, this is my response.

One of the primary reasons Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is so that we never forget the price that was paid for our redemption (see yesterday’s post). As human beings we’re so prone to forget things that are important. That’s why we exchange wedding rings when we get married, get birth certificates, titles for cars, deeds for homes, and so forth. These serve as reminders of important milestones in our lives. Communion and Baptism give us points of reference, something we can always look to for affirmation that the faith we have is real and is anchored in something tangible (The sacrifice of Jesus’ life and the shedding of His priceless blood).

Communion reminds us that apart from Jesus we’re nothing. Every time we participate, we’re reminded of the price that God was willing to pay for our forgiveness and new life in Jesus. It’s easy for us, as we grow in the Lord, to forget how far we’ve come, and to begin to take credit for things we learn, and habits we’re able to put behind us, by God’s grace alone. We can get arrogant when we see others who aren’t as far along as we are, and rather than extend a helping hand, we can become critical of their lack of progress.

Communion reminds us that the precious, priceless blood of Jesus, while of incalculable worth, was a price Jesus was willing to pay to purchase the privilege for us to be God’s child. It’s not a worthless ritual, it’s a much needed reminder to me and every Christ-follower, to hold on tightly to the only lifeline we have to God and any hope of eternal life. It reminds us that we’re all sinners saved by grace, and we need each other. That’s one of the many reasons we receive Communion together, as one Body.

Similarly, Baptism by immersion is an outward, visible symbol of an inward and invisible transaction that occurred between us and God the moment we received Jesus as our Savior and began our walk of faith with Him. In Romans 6 Paul paints for us a picture. He speaks of the fact that spiritually, we died to sin when we invited Jesus to become the Lord of our life. We traded our sin for His righteousness, were cleansed of our sin, and we’re raised to new life in Christ alone.

When we’re lowered into the water, by faith it becomes a watery grave, giving visibility to what happened in us through the power of God’s Spirit. We die to self, then are raised from the water to give visibility to our determination to live a new life in Christ. It’s a public and visible illustration of a private and invisible transaction that took place between us and Jesus the moment our new birth began.

Ideally, we should be baptized when we first receive Christ, to enable us to give witness to friends and loved ones that have known the kind of life we once lived, and to give us support and encouragement as we learn to walk in new ways by faith in Jesus.

I hope that’s helpful. If anything isn’t clear or you have other questions or things about which I can pray for you, please let me know. You can reach me at: walkingwithjesus09@gmail.com.

Below is a link to a song by Hillsong that was recommended by a dear friend, and one I found very worshipful. Just click the link to listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDtT3UMHYBg (Hillsong “Remembrance”)

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does Redeemed/Redemption Mean?

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.” (1 Peter 1:18a NLT)

When I was in high school, I worked in a stamp redemption center. What’s that you may wonder? Years ago, it was common when you made a purchase, to receive stamps. They had catalogs and each item had an equivalent number of stamps you’d need to redeem (trade for) the item of your choosing. The stamps themselves were of little or no value. What was of value was the item you received when you redeemed or traded them in.

That’s essentially the picture Peter is painting in the verse above. Because of the effects of sin on our lives, we were worthless, since we had no value that could be accounted for righteousness in the sight of God. The Bible says in Isaiah 64:6: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.”

It grieves God’s heart to see what we do to ourselves and to each other and it hurts Him to see how we ignore and mistreat the glorious masterpiece we were created to become. Yet, in much the same way that people would see things they desired in the stamp catalog, God sees value in each of us. He knew there was no possible way we could ever be good enough to deserve the life He had in mind for us to live. So, what was the answer?

The only possibility was for His perfect, sinless Son to take our place. That’s the price Peter refers to in the rest of verse 18, into verse 19: “And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

The Greek word translated “precious” literally means “of inestimable value.” The value is so great it’s incapable of being computed. The value of global real estate in 2020 was $326.5 trillion. That’s the equivalent of less than a penny compared to one drop of our Savior’s blood. Yet that’s how much God was willing to pay to free us from the stranglehold sin had on us.

We sail through life in much the same way as the son in Jesus’ story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. We discern no need of the Father and all we can think about is being free of Him, His rules and restrictions. We think we get what we want, and our intention is to never return home. But when our resources run out, as they always do, then all that fills our mind is thoughts of home. One of the most telling phrases in the Bible to me is found in Luke 15:17: “When he finally came to his senses…”

Sin robs us of our senses, but by the grace of God, when we come to our senses, we can finally see that the price God was willing to pay for us has nothing to do with us. We’re just a worthless “stamp.” It has everything to do with Him. He is the One from which our worth is derived. He is the One that gives our life value, meaning and significance.

Jesus said it well in John 5:5-6: “Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch.” Pride keeps my focus on me. Humility helps me see who I am in light of the price that was paid for my redemption. Without Jesus I’m a useless branch, but when I abide in Him nothing is impossible.

When I ponder where I was before I met Jesus and where I am now in my walk with Him, my heart is filled and rejoices in what God was willing to do on my behalf. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Does God Allow His Children to Suffer? (Part 2)

“I cry to You, O God, but You don’t answer. I stand before You, but You don’t even look.” (Job 30:20 NLT)

The second reason God tests us is to see how genuine our commitment to Him is.

But, you may ask, doesn’t God already know how genuine our commitment is? Why would He need to test it? Two reasons come to mind. First, for the benefit of those in our spheres of influence. It’s not hard for us to follow the Lord in good times. When our health, income, relationships, jobs and so forth are all going well, we can “coast.” We can get comfortable in our complacency. Walking with Jesus becomes “business as usual,” so much so, our love for Him can grow stale.

Further, there are those in our spheres of influence who don’t yet know the Lord, as well as those who do, who are always watching our lives. Some want to know if our love for Jesus is genuine/real. Others want us to mess up so they can compare their lives with ours and feel better about themselves. Regardless of their reason, we must stay fully engaged in our walk with God so that our heart keeps in step with the Spirit, but also that our witness to others is impactful and God honoring.

The second reason He tests how genuine our commitment is, is for us. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test Yourselves.” The Lord will sometimes allow things to enter our lives to prompt us to examine ourselves or allow us to suffer because we’re not willing to examine ourselves. In 1 Corinthians 11:28 Paul urges the first century believers, and us, to do self-examination in the context of sharing the Lord’s Supper.

Communion is a sacrament that was, and should be today, taken very seriously. For people to participate who were living with unconfessed sin or with an unrepentant heart, was dishonoring to the Lord. That’s why in verse 30 he writes: “That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.” That leads to the third reason.

God allows His children to be tested in order to teach us a valuable truth.

C.S. Lewis, among others, noted that there are lessons we learn through pain and suffering that we can learn in no other way. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”

Paul had a physical issue he referred to in the Bible as his “thorn in the flesh.“ He asked the Lord three times to take it away, but God said “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:8) There are times God tests us to see if we love Him more than we love the comfort of our own lifestyle. He takes something away from us, or gives us something (an illness, a trying time, etc.) to see if we’re willing to walk with Him through it, rather than demand our own way.

The lessons we learn in those times are the ones on which our faith is built. Don’t shun the hard times. Embrace them with gratitude. Through them the Lord will give you treasures of wisdom on which you can build the solid foundation of your walk with Him.

I have a chronic illness that can be debilitating. Initially I begged God to take it away, but ultimately, I surrendered my will to His. God has taught me that He can be trusted without reservation, so I was able to say to Him: “Lord, I want what you want in my life. If lying in this bed is where I can serve you most effectively and fruitfully, this is where I want to be. Whatever You want, I want. I trust You.”

I’m grateful that most days He enables me to live without a lot of physical issues, but even if He doesn’t, my goal is to walk closely with the Lord throughout my day. My conviction is stronger than ever that I want what God wants for me – nothing more, nothing less.

If you are experiencing illness or suffering in some way, surrender yourself to the Lord and determine that you want the Healer more than the healing. That if your circumstances never change, you will trust Him to work in and through you in ways He never could before. Confess that you want to “See the kingdom of God forwarded in and through your life above all else, and you want to live righteously, trusting Him to give you everything you need.” (an adaptation of Matthew 6:33)

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Does God Allow His Children to Suffer?

“If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children.” (Hebrews 12:8 NLT)

Today and tomorrow, I’d like for us to look at three reasons why God allows His children to suffer. But before we do, I’m compelled to address another related concern. There are many more reasons people suffer, even believers, than the three I’m addressing. The scope of these posts is to stimulate thought that will, ideally, move us closer to the Lord.

I’m not qualified to address the vile and evil things that people endure in our world, things I can’t even imagine. Hunger, hardship, slavery, poverty, and on and on. These are not caused by God, but they grieve His heart. His original intention was to let us walk in perfect harmony with Him and one another. There was no injustice or suffering of any kind in the Garden of God’s original design.

Then sin entered the picture, and because God gave us free will, He limits His own control over us and will not demand we obey Him. The abominations that we human beings commit against one another will one day end. The perpetrators will face an eternity in hell, but those who place their hope and trust in Jesus will be returned to the environment of perfect peace and harmony that existed in the beginning. Until then, our only hope is Jesus. He not only gives us peace and grace to deal with the things we must face from day to day, but He also gives us His heart to collectively address the needs of the world.

What I’m talking about in the posts today and tomorrow is for individual believers who are struggling to understand why things happen in their lives that disrupt the flow of their “happiness,” or their plans for themselves. Jesus doesn’t redeem us so we can continue to live self-focused lives. He saves us to become His own, so the focus of our lives will shift from us to Him. But because we’re stubborn and self-willed, sometimes He has to allow sickness or pain to redirect our focus. That’s what I want to address in these posts.

When I think of suffering, my mind immediately turns to Job. Job was fully committed to God in every avenue of his life, yet God gave Satan permission to test him.

One thing before we go any further. As a child of God (see yesterday’s post), NOTHING can enter our lives except it first passes through the filter of God’s permission. What does that mean? It means God has purpose in every detail of our life. If He tests us, He has a reason for it. Also, God never tempts us, but He does test us.

The first reason God tests us is to discipline us.

Hebrews 12 speaks about God’s discipline and in verse 7 says: “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?”

In verse 6 the writer quotes from Proverbs 11-12 There are two words used in these verses, both of which are means of correction. One is translated “discipline,” the other is translated “punishment.” Check out my post “Jesus, Our Disciplinarian” for more on this subject. We’ll move on to the second and third reasons God test’s us in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does It Mean to Be Lost?

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10 NLT)

It can be very disturbing to be lost. The only thing worse than being lost, is being lost, but not realizing it. Ironically, being lost doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t know where you are. It can also mean you don’t know how to get to where you’re going relative to where you are. What does that mean? It means you can think you know the way when in fact you do not.

Long before cell phones or GPS, when I was in college, I had a date with a girl I’d just met. She gave me her address and we set a time for me to pick her up. I left with what I thought would be plenty of time for me to get to her house, but after several minutes I realized I was on the right road but was going in the wrong direction. I believed I was going the right way, but obviously was not. I was lost.

That’s a predicament in which a lot of people find themselves today in a spiritual sense. They’re lost, but they don’t yet realize it. In Proverbs 14:12 Solomon writes: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

Everyday people get up, go through their daily routine, and go to bed without giving God a thought. Self-reliance is all they know. Then one day the test results are positive. The news comes of a loved one who was seriously injured or killed. Or the boss calls you in to let you know you no longer have a job. The scenarios vary, but, while God doesn’t cause them, He will often use something very negative in our lives to point us to Himself.

The word translated “lost” in the Bible paints the picture of someone who is self-willed, who is on a road that leads to destruction, but they can’t see where it’s leading until it’s eternally too late.

Tim Keller said: “Every religion has a prophet who is pointing people to God. Jesus is the only one who says, ‘I am God, and I am coming to find you.’”

What brings me to tears (literally) is the vast number of families who are dysfunctional, suffering from addictions, workaholics, pursuing everything material and nothing spiritual. That was my family growing up. Our next-door neighbors were believers, but rather than invite us to church, they just wanted me to stay away from their son. Mom was an alcoholic and it wasn’t unusual for shouting and worse to be heard from our house.

The miracle of God’s grace is, we didn’t have to go looking for Him, He found us! But how? Through faithful grandparents, uncles and aunts who prayed for us every day.

May I ask you, believing friend, are you praying for your neighbors by name? Are you lifting the ones that bully your child, to the Lord? Are you praying for that homeless person who smells bad and is always looking for a handout? How about the young lady who serves you at the coffee shop? The young man at the carwash? The one who cuts your hair? The wild driver who cut you off? The list is endless, but so are the needs.

The irony of “lostness” is, being “lost” spiritually is invisible. We tend to judge those who aren’t like “us,” assuming they wouldn’t have interest in knowing Jesus, but are equally oblivious to the ones who sit beside us in church, whom we think are just fine, when their world is falling apart behind their dutiful smile.

Being “lost” means not being “saved,” which we looked at in a post a few days ago. The good news is, the Good Shepherd never stops looking for His lost sheep. Aren’t you grateful He’s relentless? Aren’t you thankful He’ll use whatever means possible, including asking me or YOU to be His agent of light in the darkness of someone’s lostness?

Do you want to know what breaks God’s heart? People who are lost! We must be relentless in our praying for those who are lost, beginning, perhaps, with the one staring back at us from the mirror!

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does It Mean to Trust God?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

Trust is a very sacred and fragile thing. Though it can take years to earn, it can be lost in a heartbeat. While it can’t be seen, it can be evidenced in many ways. Like faith, it can guide our decisions, but when violated can cause an irreparable break in a relationship. We’re so reluctant to put our trust in God, who has never failed, yet blindly trust others whom we barely know.

For example, have you ever picked up a hitchhiker? Bought something from someone at a yard sale? Taken a prescription medication? Eaten a meal in a restaurant? Hired someone to work at your house? Bought a used car? Driven on a highway? The list is virtually endless. Nearly everything we do from day to day demands some measure of trust, yet, when it comes to God, it seems we must have every “i” dotted and every “t” crossed. Why do you think that is?

In your remembrance, has God ever let you down? Have you ever begged Him for something you really wanted, but He didn’t give it to you? I have. When my wife filed for divorce, I begged God to save our marriage, but He didn’t. I’ve asked Him to heal someone I loved, but they died. I’ve prayed many prayers for many reasons, believing they were being prayed in line with God’s will and purposes, but heaven was silent. Yet, today, I have greater confidence and trust in God than ever before. How can that be? I know Him better now.

When my kids were small, they would ask for things that I could have given them, but it would have endangered them or in some way not been good for them. One time they didn’t like something we were having for dinner, so I asked them what they would like instead. They both, without hesitation, said: “ICE CREAM!” So, I asked them: “How often would you like to have ice cream?” To which they replied: “Every meal!” And much to their surprise, I said: “Okay!” Do you know how long that lasted? One meal. Why? Because they had no idea what they were really asking for.

We’re like that with God. We want what we want when we want it and expect God to give it to us on a silver platter. He sees the end of our life as clearly as He sees the beginning, and every second in between, and knows what we need, and understands it’s often not the thing for which we’re asking. But there are times He gives us what we think we want. That house, that car, that relationship, that _________, and you can fill in the blank, but it rarely, if ever, turns out as we expected. Trusting God requires discipline and faith.

What is it that you want most? A new job? A new house? A new relationship? To be married? To be single? To be forgiven? To be whole? To have purpose? Meaning? I found the answers to everything I thought I’d ever want, and more, in Jesus.

Now, I can say with the Apostle Paul, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Philippians 3:10-11 NLT) When Paul uses the word “know,” in verse 10, it’s the same word that’s used in Genesis 4 when Adam “knew” Eve and they had a child. It’s a term of intimacy, where two become one. Where one’s hopes, dreams, and ambitions are lost in the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of the One you love more than you love your own life.

That’s when you know who you can trust and why. That’s when you can look back on those “unanswered” prayers, sigh and think: “Now I understand! Thank You, Lord.”

These two things I know with certainty. You can trust God. You can’t trust your heart.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does It Mean to Be Saved?

“We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.” (Hebrews 10:39b NLT)

Today we’ll look at two more words that those who follow Jesus often use, but can easily be misunderstood. They are “faithful” and “saved/salvation.”

In Matthew 24:45 Jesus says: “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.” The context of Jesus’ words is a warning that He will one day return without announcement, and only those who are “faithful” will be ready to receive Him. He uses this common illustration because it would have been familiar to His audience.

As we read this story today it might be better understood if it said something like this: “A trustworthy and reliable employee is one to whom the owner of the company gives responsibility to manage his other employees and give them supervision in his absence.” That can be a picture of the mindset of a person who is serving Jesus. Our faithfulness is illustrated and demonstrated as we follow the directives of our Owner, Jesus, until He returns or calls us home in death.

“Faithful” here carries the same meaning as you might expect – trustworthiness, dependability, honesty, and reliability, and those certainly carry over into our walk with Jesus. But there is some uniqueness to the term “faithful” when used in reference to a follower of Jesus.

In the New Testament “faithful” identifies one who is not only trustworthy but trusts in God’s promises; one who is not only compliant with the Lord’s directives, but is convinced that Jesus has been raised from the dead, that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the only begotten of God, and the sole Author of salvation.

Being “saved” or having “salvation” as it relates to our walk with God can be thought of in the context of a rescue from certain death. Imagine, for example, you are stranded in the ocean. There’s no land in sight in any direction, you have no resources by which you can save yourself. Your only hope is for someone to find you before you die. Suddenly, you hear a helicopter, and with what little strength you have left, you wave and shout. The helicopter hovers over you and a rope is thrown down and soon you see a man climbing down to pull you from the water and take you to safety.

While no illustration is perfect, that essentially describes what Jesus has done for us and what being saved or having salvation looks like.

As human beings, we are born with a sin nature, inherited by our earthly ancestor, Adam. That nature gives us inclinations that make it easy for us to desire to be self-sufficient, self-seeking, self-dependent, in short, to love ourselves and sinning more than we love God. We like to believe we don’t have any need we can’t satisfy ourselves. Then death enters the picture. Human beings die!

Because Adam chose to sin, to follow the dictates of his own desire and ignore God’s instruction, he lost the privilege of eternal life and received instead the penalty for his sin, which is death (separation from God).

In a sense, we are all “afloat” in a massive sea of darkness and hopelessness, destined to be forever separated from the Lover of our soul, but in His great love, God sent a Rescuer to save us from sin and certain death.

In 1 John 5:11-12 it says: “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” God opened a way to be saved (to have salvation) through His Son, Jesus. In a similar way as a person being rescued from the sea entrusts their life to their rescuer, all we need to do is, by faith, place our full trust in our only hope of eternal life. Please don’t believe you can ever be good enough to earn your way to heaven. That’s a little bit like believing you can swim the ocean to save yourself from drowning.

Click on the link below to learn what it means to allow Jesus to rescue you and to receive His free gift of eternal life.

https://hutchcraft.com/the-bridge-to-god

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does “Christian” Mean?

“It was in Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:26b NLT)

Over the next few days, I’d like to look more closely at some of the words that are used by those of us affiliated with the church, primarily in the U.S., because that’s my frame of reference.

People tend to use the words “Christian” and ”Christians” with the assumption that everyone who hears them knows what they mean, yet, it has become increasingly clear through the years, that that’s not always the case. It’s a little bit like asking someone: “Do you love Mac N Cheese!” There are dozens of ways to make it, so asking that question can raise a lot of different responses in people’s minds. They’re all hearing the same terms, but “Mac N Cheese,” can be made in many different ways.

The terms “Christian” and “Christians,” are only used three times in the King James Version of the Bible, but more than thirty times in other translations. Originally, the word was used derogatorily in reference to those who professed faith in Jesus, the Christ. It was used much like people today use terms to ridicule or demean those of another race or ethnicity. It was not complimentary.

Because we see “Jesus Christ” used in the Bible or hear so many people refer to Him in that manner, there are those who assume “Christ” must be Jesus’ last name; however, “Christ” is a title that identifies Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Thus, for those who knew and followed Jesus it was a title of honor and reverence, thus to be referred to as a “Christian” was a privilege, one for which many sacrificed their lives.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

So, how does that translate into 21^st century America? If you do a Google search of the word “Christian” you’ll get more than 5½ billion “hits,” many of which draw you in directions that have nothing to do with Jesus. One thing you’ll find is a very generic definition of who Christians are: “Christians are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words Christ and Christian derive from the Koine Greek title Christós (Χριστός), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ).” (Wikipedia)

The frightening piece of this, and the reason I felt compelled to write about it, is many who believe they are Christian, may in fact not be. How can I make such a statement? Because being born in America, which was once referred to as a “Christian” nation, does not make anyone a “Christian.” Because growing up in a “Christian” home or environment, attending church faithfully, being involved in “Christian” activities/organizations/causes does not make someone a “Christian,” based on what the Bible teaches.

The ONLY reason anyone is a “Christian” is because they yield their life and allegiance to Jesus; they choose to trade their life for His; to receive forgiveness and new life in and through Him alone, by faith alone.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25: “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.” Couple that with Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Does that mean being a Jesus follower makes us perfect? Certainly not in this life, but it does make us whole, fulfilled, complete, filled with purpose, and citizens of heaven. Being a “Christian” in the Biblical sense isn’t simply a title, it’s intended to be a description of someone who is fully committed to Jesus and who orders their life after His will and desires. If you have any question as to whether you’ve committed your life completely to Jesus, please click on the link below.

https://hutchcraft.com/the-bridge-to-god

Blessings, Ed