Walking With Jesus

Is Meekness Weakness?

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14 ESV)

Jesus illustrated meekness as no man before or since as He stood before Pilate and His accusers before His execution. He could have called 10,000 angels to come to His rescue and they would have intervened in a heartbeat; however, that would have thwarted God’s plan and destroyed any hope we might have had for a home in heaven. Without a Savior there can be not forgiveness and without forgiveness there can be no eternal life.

Was Jesus strong in the face of resistance because He was weak and defenseless or because He was strong beyond our ability to perceive or imagine? Meekness is power under control, energy harnessed by authority and discipline for a greater good and a higher purpose. The Lord’s design for us to be meek has nothing to do with being a doormat, it has everything to do with being bold in the face of opportunity to be more like Jesus in the face of opposition.

Jesus could be strong because He knew exactly who He was and from where He’d come. He said to Pilate, the Roman Governor: “’My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, My followers would fight to keep Me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But My Kingdom is not of this world.’ Pilate said, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus responded, ‘You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.’”

When we know Jesus we have a bearing to know what is true and what is not, but we also have a balance, a means of weighing what’s right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, what’s in our defense and what’s in defense of Truth. Meekness is the ministry of the Holy Spirit that keeps our emotions in check long enough to allow us to draw from the strength of the Spirit and not our own energy. Too often in difficult situations or circumstances we get angry and our undisciplined anger gives rise to behavior that is inappropriate for a Jesus follower.

We say and do things that project our need to defend ourselves or “our” position of things, nullifying our witness for the Lord and destroying our credibility as a believer. Jesus proved His position as Lord and God by allowing His accusers to accomplish what God had ordained before the beginning of time. Had Jesus not had the courage and strength to hold fast in the certainty of who He was and why He came, He could have interrupted the will of God.

Too often that’s what we do when we seek to take things into our own hands. We perceive our spiritual maturity, or position is being questioned or challenged, as if it’s a test of our spiritual strength or stamina, which in reality it is, but we too often fail the test because we confuse meekness with weakness. A. W. Tozer illuminates our thinking when he writes: “Jesus calls us to his rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.”

When being like Jesus is our goal, meekness is our method. We’re never weak when we’re meek in Him.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Living Without Discrimination

“What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them . And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. But anyone who denies Me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.” (Luke 12:6-9 NLT)

We tend to think of discrimination as a bad thing, and, admittedly, it can be, but to discriminate means essentially to favor one thing over another. As a Jesus follower I must discriminate between what is of the Lord and what is not, what is wholesome, pure, and good for me and what is not. However, when we discriminate among people, determining their value and worth based on our flawed standards, we can get in a lot of trouble with the Lord.

How do we view others, especially those who aren’t “like us”? If they don’t look like us, dress like us, smell like us, believe like us, drive like us, worship like us, aren’t as educated as we are, as socially elite, as spiritually in tune, speak like us, or a thousand other little ways we can differentiate or discriminate between ourselves and others.

Imagine for a moment the Lord came to us and began comparing us to Himself. Talk about embarrassing, humiliating, frustrating, scary! Yet, we have the audacity to pick another human being apart because there’s something about them we don’t like. Gratefully, the Lord chooses not to discriminate between us and chooses rather to love and accept us as His precious children. Would to God we could be more like Him.

Timothy Keller explains it this way: “Jesus loved without discrimination. He did not look at our worthiness or our unworthiness.” Isn’t that the bottom line? Who is worthy of heaven and who is not? And here’s the truth – NO ONE IS WORTHY EXCEPT JESUS! If God, the Father looked at us and said: “No one can enter heaven unless and until they look like My perfect Son!” where would that leave us? At the foot of the Cross and here’s why! That’s exactly what He DOES SAY!

John spells it out for us in 1 John 3:2 when he writes: “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.”

Living without discrimination focuses on the beauty and majesty of our Savior, not our distinctives. We are all flawed in some way and none worthy in comparison with our perfect Savior. I’m very grateful that when the Lord views those of us who are born again by His grace, He only sees the reflection of His perfect face. His scars cover our flaws, so the Father only sees the Lord’s perfect face when He views us.

As children of the Risen King our view of others must never be skewed by their differences from us, but only by this: are they walking with Jesus or are they lost? Saved people need to be loved and accepted as our dearly loved brothers and sisters and those who are lost need to be loved and guided to their only hope of heaven, the Lord Jesus.

We must be the Lord’s agents of kindness, goodness, and mercy, not judges that drive others away. May we treat our lost friends and saved loved ones without discrimination, loving them as we and they are loved by the Lord.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Perfectly Imperfect

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9a NLT)

No one is perfect except Jesus. Everyone of us as human beings is flawed and comes up short in some way. The issue is never whether, it’s only how. We all fall short of the glory of God because we’re all sinners, scarred by sin and damaged by disobedience to the clear commands of the Lord. We will all carry baggage into our new life in Christ and will wrestle with its implications for as long as we’re in these bodies of clay. But, like Paul, we must not allow our flaws, physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, or otherwise to prevent us from being everything the Lord has called us to be for Him.

The Lord Jesus will never call us to be or do anything He’s not willing to equip us to do. As much as I love the Lord, He never equipped me to be a great speaker. By His grace, I preached for nearly 30 years, but in small congregations who could tolerate my preaching because they didn’t have to pay me very much. My audience now, via this blog, is much larger than any congregation I ever Pastored. Lucky you, you don’t have to listen to me! 😊 Seriously, the Lord will use any of us if we’re willing to be used.

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

Are you willing? Are you open to looking beyond yourself to your God-given potential if you just put your “yes” on the table and tell the Lord: “Lord, whatever you have for me, I’m in!” As you may already know, I love Ray Majoran. His prayers and pictures are phenomenal, and he inspires me as a Spirit-filled man of God. Each Friday Ray invites someone he knows or has mentored to share a photo and a thought. This beautiful picture and the following thoughts are from one of those special people, Chris Reynolds.

Watching a Puffin come to a landing is a bit comical. Skellig Michael Island off the west coast of Ireland has a large colony of Atlantic Puffins. These cute birds are flying all around you as you hike up and down this magnificent island.

Their landing is one of the oddest things I have seen. They open up their wings so their bodies are vertical, splay their webbed feet wide, and with their feet flopping in the air, plop down on these small platforms and ledges.

When they start their landing, it looks like they are completely out of control, but every time they land perfectly and safely.

Reminds me a bit of the Christian walk. It isn’t always pretty, and can quite often look and feel out of control, but the truth is that as believers, we know that God is in control and has given us everything we need to help us land safely.

So thankful for God’s grace in our weakness!

As am I!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Desperate for An Answer

By: Ron Hutchcraft

*Having been on 3 Missions trips I relate to the heart of Ron’s message in this challenging article. Please read with more than a cursory glance, but with the possibility of you going on a trip if you never have. Missions’ trips are not just for teens. Definitely food for thought. Blessings, Ed 😊

Sometimes I wish it were in my power to get every church youth group in America to go on a missions trip. Something unusual happens when some all-American kids suddenly get plunged into another culture to do some work in Jesus’ name. It does something for the people they go to help, but I think it does more for the kids who are doing the helping. I heard a local youth group report on their trip to Mexico. Basically they had all of their support stripped away from them while they were there. It was a language they weren’t accustomed to, the money was different, they didn’t have the comforts they were used to, they had some spiders hanging over them as they slept at night which they for the most part don’t have at home. They had unfamiliar food. The customs were things they weren’t used to.

The result on these mission trips is pretty predictable. All of a sudden, kids who never have devotions are up early in the morning on a rock with a Bible somewhere. Kids who have always thought prayer was boring are saying, “Let’s pray!” What they learn several thousand miles from home is something you may need to learn right where you are today.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Desperate for An Answer.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 5:6. You might recognize this as being in what’s called The Beatitudes, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” I think Jesus is describing spiritual health here in terms similar to what we do when we talk about physical health – appetite. How’s your appetite? And He is talking about people who say, “I’m hungry for the Lord; I’m thirsty for the Lord. I need more of You, Lord. I need You!”

Those kids on that missionary trip are learning a valuable lesson. With all of their usual dependencies stripped away, they find out that you know the Lord when you need the Lord. Maybe that’s why third-world Christians have so much more power in their lives, and have so much more revival in their experience than we do. They don’t have all of the props we do, and it seems that those who know the Lord the best are those who need Him the most.

We dig deeply into the Lord when the bottom drops out. I’m sure you have. I have. And then, once things have stabilized, we tend to return to our old props. We tend to return to a casual Christianity instead of this desperately dependent but very rich faith. The fact is we desperately need the Lord every day, not just when the bottom drops out. We’re as needy as the people in the third world. We shouldn’t be confused because we’ve got internet, and movies, and concerts, and church services, and homes and all these other support structures. We just don’t cling to Him because we’re surrounded by so many other resources.

Do we have to wait for all our resources to be stripped away before we learn how much we need our Lord? Do we have to be starving to death before we get to be hungry for more of Him? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They will be filled.” See what we’re missing because we haven’t acknowledged how much we need Him?

Even now, why don’t you ask the Lord (it’s kind of a strange prayer), “Lord, make me desperate for You.” He’d rather do it without trauma and without tragedy. Ask Him to give you a new hour-by-hour sense of your desperate need for Him; an hour-by-hour dependency; the child on his Heavenly Father. And then live today as if God is your only hope, not just one of your many resources. When you need the Lord desperately, you get to know Him deeply.

What If?

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

In my city we have approximately 3 million people and a conservative estimate of lost people would be about 75 – 80% or roughly 2.3 million. Let’s say the evangelical churches of my city band together and invited an Evangelist to hold a meeting here every 6 months, resulting in 100,000 people coming to Christ each time they came. Given a small measure of growth in the population, it would take roughly 25 years to win my city.

On the other hand, what if 2 people purposed in their heart to win 2 more people and disciple them to win 2 of their friends or loved ones to the Lord over the next 6 months. Then those 4 won 4 more, then 8, then 16 and on and on until more than 2 million people had come to Christ in less than 20 years. Imagine a whole city of people transformed by the grace of God if only 2 people got serious about seeing their friends and loved ones come to Jesus.

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

“Yeh, but it would never work like that. Someone would fail and not win 2 people in 6 months.” Okay, but what if some of them won 6 instead of 2. I visited a family of 6 when I was in ministry and gave them a simple Gospel presentation. 2 parents, 4 children. When I asked the parents, one by one, if they’d like to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, each said “Yes.” So, I asked each child, the oldest was a late teen, and he said “yes.” On and on until each one had said “yes.” If God is in it anything is possible to those who believe. That family served faithfully in the church for many years.

Lost people who come to understand the Gospel WILL respond if they know their presenter and trust them. Dick Eastman wrote many years ago that behind the saving grace of every lost person is someone praying. While that sentence isn’t in the Bible, I believe the truth of its message is. No prayer, no salvation. When I was in college the Lord laid on my heart a young man whose nickname was “Garb.” I figured he must have an odd name, so I didn’t question it for the longest time.

Finally, I asked a mutual friend why that nickname, to which they responded: “It’s short for garbage mouth.” I learned that Garb grew up in a rough environment and basically learned the vocabulary of the people around him. One day he gave me a ride to my dorm from work, and I asked him if I could share with Him a few minutes about my friend Jesus. He said “yes,” so I shared a brief Gospel message and asked him what he thought. He had an almost shocked look on his face and said: “Why hasn’t anyone ever shared this with me before?”

We can’t be turned off by the rough exterior of lost people. Of course they’re not always kind, clean or polished in their vocabulary, but they have a heart that needs Jesus and if the Lord lays them on our heart to share with them through prayer, we’re sinning not to share with them.

What if even today you took a piece of paper and a pen and knelt before the Lord and asked Him: “Lord, who in my spheres of influence would you be pleased to allow me to share your love and life with this week?” I promise you, on the authority of God’s Word, He’ll respond. Will you?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Second Chances

“Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time. ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.’ This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.” (Jonah 3:1-3 NLT)

Most church goers are familiar with the story of Jonah, the man who was swallowed by a large fish for disobeying God. Having read Jonah dozens of times I’ve mostly been tempted to think he got what he deserved, yet, upon closer investigation, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the same thing. The Ninevites were wicked and violent people who had a reputation for torturing and killing God’s Prophets. Who in their right mind would jump at a chance to go to a place like that? On many levels it’s no wonder Jonah went the opposite direction.

On the other hand, Pastor David Wilkerson went against the weight of common sense and obeyed the Lord as he reached out to gang members and drug addicts in New York City in the 50’s and 60’s. He took risks and exposed himself to personal harm for the glory of God and the Lord honored his faith and blessed his ministry.

Perhaps while Pastor Wilkerson’s decision to make that commitment didn’t seem as dramatic as Jonah’s, Jonah ultimately took advantage of his second chance, preached to the Ninevites and it resulted in one of the greatest revivals to that point in history. Yes, of course, the Lord had moved in significant ways before, but you’d have thought that Jonah would have been ecstatic by the outcome, but instead he pouted and got mad at the Lord for not destroying them.

How like us when the Lord moves on our behalf, but rather than rejoice we pout because the Lord didn’t punish our enemies. Yes, the Ninevites great revival was short lived, but Jonah had no way of knowing that when he was preaching. He may have expected at any second to be taken out by a sniper, but he wasn’t and the Lord proved faithful once again in his life, yet he continued in his disappointment in God’s decision.

Perhaps you’ve disagreed with some of what you perceived as “God’s” decisions. Do you need a second chance today? Or maybe a 1,246^th second chance? Gratefully, the Lord is merciful and will forgive, but no joy will come unless and until we repent, turn from our sin and seek, not only forgiveness, but new life in Jesus.

I’m reminded of some of the many famous people who had a very rocky start. For example, Albert Einstein struggled in school, was expelled, and was rejected by a prestigious university. Yet he persisted, eventually revolutionizing physics with his theory of relativity and winning the Nobel Prize.

Thomas Edison was fired from multiple jobs and told he was “too stupid to learn,” yet he turned rejection into fuel, inventing the light bulb after over 1,000 failed attempts. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, Jordan missed thousands of shots and lost hundreds of games, but his relentless work ethic led to a legendary career. Oprah Winfrey overcame poverty, abuse, and early career setbacks, ultimately building a media empire that made her one of the most influential figures in the world.

While these are examples of human effort, nothing in this world is ever accomplished aside from the Lord’s approval. My sense is it saddens the Lord to see the gifts He gives to His people squandered on their own fame, but it also shows us He will help us if we’re willing to put forth some effort. What might He do with and for you if you gave yourself to Him, then gave your all to a vision He has given you? Nothing is impossible for those who believe.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

An Open Letter to My Neighbors

*I’m sharing this for two reasons. First, to give you ideas of ways you may reach out to your neighbors, but secondly to remind you of how important it is to know we’re right with the Lord. Blessings, Ed 😊

People boarding the “unsinkable” Titanic in April 1912 on its Maiden Voyage from Southampton, England to New York City, America

Dear Neighbor,

Do you think anyone boarding the Titanic had a clue it would sink, that it would be the last day of more than half their lives? The ship had only 20 lifeboats with a capacity of 1,178 people for the more than 2,200 on board. At the time the ship sank, they had only lowered 18 of the 20 lifeboats, many of which weren’t even filled to capacity. We’re saddened that so many had to lose their lives in such a senseless way, yet every day we leave our houses to go who knows where, without a thought that it could well be our last day on earth.

Our sadness is compounded by the fact they didn’t need to die! On the night before the Titanic sailed, the SS Mesaba radioed the Titanic describing “much heavy pack ice and great number large icebergs also field ice” directly in Titanic’s path. The message was confirmed received by wireless operator Jack Phillips, but he was too busy with other things to pass it on to the officers on the bridge. How like us to busy ourselves with trivial things and ignore eternity.

For those waiting to know if their loved ones lived or died, there were only two categories of people: LOST and FOUND! Not rich or poor, nice or mean, woman or man, boy or girl, crew or passenger. None of that mattered. All that mattered was they were either alive or dead. One day that’s all that’s going to matter for me and you!

We’re all going to stand before a holy God who will judge us, not based on whether we’re good or bad, nice or unkind, male for female, rich or poor, religious or non-religious, irrespective of our nationality, race, color, or creed, we’ll be judged based on only one thing: What did we do with Jesus, who is God’s only provision for overcoming sin, death, hell, and the grave and giving us a home in heaven? Did we receive Him or ignore His grace? That’s the issue.

Pastor Rick Warren wrote: “You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.” You may not believe in God, or think He’s a tyrant and out to get you, or any range of notions, but here’s the truth: Jesus is a real person whose identity can be verified through non-Biblical sources, who lived and died a tortuous death at the hands of the Romans who thought they were doing the world a favor by killing Him, but they were actually helping to fulfill one of many Biblical prophecies that outlined all that happened on that fateful day hundreds of years before it occurred. His death on the Cross paid the penalty for sin and allows for our forgiveness.

The Romans, and many today, misjudged who Jesus was…AND IS! He’s the Lord of Creation who didn’t succumb to death but rose from the dead on the third day to overcome sin, death and the grave for us. He was seen after His Resurrection by more than 500 people and His resurrected life is the only answer for us to be able to survive life on this planet and live forever in heaven with Him. He paid the penalty for our sin, standing ready to forgive us if we ask.

Imagine you were one of those floating in that freezing water on that fateful night in April 1912 and someone reached out a hand and said: “Grab hold!” Would you question their integrity, nationality, motive, or anything else! Of course not, you’d grab that hand like your life depended on it, because it would, and you’d fight for all you’re worth to get safely out of that water. It’s not our religion or our good behavior that saves us, only the blood of Jesus shed for us.

Jesus is extending to you His hand and inviting you into eternal life with Him in heaven that you or I don’t deserve or have the capacity to understand how good it is. You can question His motives, why He’d even offer you a place in heaven after how you’ve lived your life, but here’s the truth – His only motive is love! He created you, has known you since before you were a twinkle in your daddy’s eye, and He has plans for you that are good, enjoyable, and satisfying beyond the world’s ability to explain or understand, but you need to place your trust in Him and believe Him.

All you have to do is say “yes”, grab His hand by faith and allow Him to walk with you through the rest of your life and into the next. My name is Ed, I’m your neighbor and I’ve walked with the Lord for more than 60 years. I will guide you based on the authority of the Bible, God’s Word, and will seek to answer your questions as best I can. Faith isn’t “blind”, quite to the contrary, it’s informed, intelligent and very credible when we understand the predicament we’re in and what’s going to happen when we die. Our choice is simple: our way or His; life or death. Please choose life!

Please don’t blindly walk to your death like those folks who boarded the Titanic, believing they would safely arrive at their port. For human beings, because we’re eternal beings, we have a choice of destinations – heaven or hell, but the choice must be made before our eyes close in death. Please let me help you know for sure your sins are forgiven and your eternal home is heaven. You’ll be eternally grateful you did. I have no agenda but to see you in heaven with me.

Blessings, Ed (I included my phone number) Text or call me today and let’s get this settled while there’s still time.

Are You Spiritually Dehydrated?

*Every 15^th of the Month I feature a devotional from Sylvia Gunter. Her heart for the Lord and for prayer is contagious, so, I’m always glad to share a fresh word from Sylvia. Enjoy! Blessings, Ed 😊

For many of us, the summer heat has settled in with a vengeance, and we are constantly being reminded to drink more water. Take a bottle with you. Refill your glass. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Stay hydrated.

We know how quickly the heat can pull moisture from our bodies, sometimes before we even realize what is happening. By the time we feel intensely thirsty, our bodies may already be telling us that something is depleted.

The same can be true spiritually.

The demands of life, prolonged stress, disappointment, busyness, caregiving, ministry, and simply carrying the weight of our days can slowly drain our spiritual reserves. We keep moving, keep serving, keep handling what is in front of us, and may not recognize how thirsty our spirits have become.

But spiritual thirst is not merely a warning that something is wrong. It can also be an invitation. The longing within us can turn us toward the One who is living water, the One who does not simply give us enough strength to keep going but gives us Himself.

Listen with your spirit to the Word of God and be blessed with the passionate cry of the psalmist in Psalm 63:1. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.” And in Psalm 42:1: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”

Spirit, be blessed to live from that deep cry of seeking God in your innermost being, longing for more of Him, digging in to know Him more intimately. Your Father desires constant communion with you spirit to Spirit. Be blessed with directing the thirst of your soul to communion with Him. Be blessed with getting out of your head and into your spirit, meeting God personally and profoundly.

Be blessed to know that God is who He says He is, and He can and will do what He says He can and will do. He is the I Am to do it in you today. He is personal and powerful, and He alone satisfies. Jesus is standing and knocking, waiting for you to open up to Him for satisfying fellowship (Revelation 3:20). Jesus invites you to a table set for two. He wants your love, and He will be satisfied when you fulfill His heart by opening up to Him.

Spirit, be blessed with knowing your covenant-keeping God of promise as you seek Him and keep company with Him in Spirit and in truth. Be blessed to discover Him more as His Spirit lives in you to fulfill your deepest cries. Be blessed to encounter Him in such dimensions that you feel as if you have never breathed spiritually before. Be blessed in His name: Rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

In these hot summer days, we are learning again to pay attention to our physical thirst. Perhaps we need the same attentiveness to our spirits.

Where are you dry? Where have the demands of life depleted you? Where is your spirit longing for more of God? Do not ignore the thirst. Let it draw you toward Him.

Come thirsty. Come weary. Come aware of your need. You do not have to manufacture spiritual strength or replenish yourself from your own reserves. Jesus is still the living water. Your Father is still inviting you into communion with Him. His Spirit is still present within you, ready to meet the deepest cries of your spirit.

Drink deeply of His presence today. May you discover again that His presence is not merely where you are refreshed. His presence is where you were created to live.

New Podcast Episode Prayer Unfiltered: Honest Questions about Talking with God Prayer can feel simple until you try to do it out loud, in a group, or from a place of disappointment. We’re not claiming to have all the answers, but we believe exploring the ideas and questions about prayer together is worth it. Listen Now

How Does the Lord Feel?

“In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, He has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent Him. I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

We’re so prone in many of our judgments to lean on how we feel. Our emotions override our intellect in many ways and at many times. We say things like: “What are you liking for… a movie, food, vacation, a class, a date, even a church.” We allow our heart to overpower our head in making decisions that too often lead to misfortunate results, especially as it pertains to our spiritual development.

Someone will ask us: “You going to church?” and our response is: “I’m just not feeling it!” “Have you been reading the Bible?” And our lame excuse is: “I’m just not getting anything out of it.” Or “How’s your prayer life going? Have you been building your life in the Lord through regular times of prayer?” And we blame our negligence on the Lord: “He just seems so far away.” Remember: excuses are like armpits; we all have them and they all stink!

As a result, it becomes very natural for us to project our negative feelings onto the Lord – “The Lord must think I’m such a slacker. Will I ever measure up?” When in reality the Lord knows exactly who we are, what we think, how we act, and why we do everything we do, say or think. He understands our “slackness” in not attending church, reading God’s Word, or reluctance to pray has more to do with our spiritual immaturity than our emotions.

Yes, of course, emotions rule in an immature believer, but at some point, we must, by God’s grace and the empowerment of the Spirit move beyond our feelings to taking the necessary steps to walk with the Lord. “But what if I can’t?” Therein lies the critical question! “Can’t” is a human response governed and defended by human feelings disguised as excuses. The bottom line for a believer is: “I can do all things through Christ who is my strength!”

To allow the enemy to stagger our growth and development in the Lord is to illustrate we may never have begun the relationship in the first place. Does that mean new believers never struggle? Of course they do, but struggling and refusing to begin your journey are two different things. We all doubt ourselves and it takes time to recognize how the Holy Spirit is going to work in and through us effectively, but ultimately, we must determine we’re going to try new things, even if we fail, and I assure you, we will, especially at first.

We shift our eyes from our failures to the Lord’s victories in and on our behalf. He’s NEVER failed, His power is limitless, His patience is beyond measure, His grace is sufficient, and His forgiveness is unbelievable. When He forgives, He forgets and He promises our transgressions and sins will never be remembered against us again. Because our sins have been washed in His blood, a redeemed, born-again believer in Jesus has nothing to fear or dread. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

Does that mean we can just “coast” into heaven? Of course not, it means we work like mad, not to earn what Jesus has already done for us, but to express our gratitude for who He is and to express our worship and honor for being given the privilege of being His slave, a child of the living God. Only in heaven will we fully understand and be able to adequately express our thanksgiving to and praise of our risen Savior, but in the meantime, with all that is within us we live with praise, gratitude, and honor on our heart, mind, and lips as the motivating forces of our life because we know how much the Lord cares about us!

How does He feel about us – YOU? He allowed His only, sinless Son to take our place on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sin and offers us forgiveness and a place in heaven on the basis of His grace alone, by faith alone. It just doesn’t get any better than that! NO love is greater than God’s love for us – for YOU and for ME! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God’s Plan

“Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until He reveals His plans to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7 NLT)

All we need to do if we want to know what the Lord is up to is read His Word. He never acts contrary to what He’s explained in Scripture. Amos’ words outline God’s plan for judgment, not simply for the children of Israel in that season of time, but for their future when the Lord would restore their land and draw them to Himself once again.

Much of the writings of the Old Testament Prophets dealt with how the Lord would deal with His people, Israel, but in and through them He would also make a way of restoration and salvation for those of us who are non-Jewish. God’s redemptive hand is upon all creation and includes much more than the restoration of the Nation of Israel.

Because the blood of Jesus atoned for the sins of all those who would place their faith in Him, Jew and non-Jew, every born-again believer in Jesus is part of God’s redemptive work on earth. What does that entail? The Gospel is Good News for everyone, which means everyone who bears our Savior’s name and has His holy blood flowing through our veins is invested and involved in the restorative workings of God’s Spirit on earth, but especially in and through His people to reach those who have yet to yield their life to Him.

Too often we’re content to “coast” in our faith, wrongly believing because our sins are forgiven and the Spirit indwells us, we’re good to go, our work on earth is done, all we have to do is sit back and wait for heaven, but to do so is to slap our Lord in the face and spurn His grace. He gives us power to carry out HIS plans and purposes, not ours. What does that mean? What plans?

Plans to prosper and bless us, but to what end? That we might invest ourselves in His eternal Kingdom by sharing His life and love with others. Pastor Corky Calhoun reminds us: “God has a bigger plan for your life than just picking your retirement home after death.” Knowing we have a home in heaven should motivate us to be more on fire for the Lord than anything else. Helping in every conceivable way to share His love with others.

It’s interesting to me that the Lord always shared His plans with His Prophets, but more encouraging is that He still shares His plans with us individually. He has plans for the world, but He also has plans for you and me. Why would He desire for us to “listen to His voice” if He didn’t have specific instructions for each of us? The word “hear” is used 130 times in the King James Version of the Bible and most often has reference to our need to be aware and attentive to that which is spoken, especially by the Lord.

God’s plans for us are always for good, but most times involve not just our good, but the good of others, especially those with whom we’re seeking to share His love and goodness. How does that relate to how we order our lives? What plans does the Lord have for us that invest us more fully in the fulfillment of His eternal purposes? How are we serving in and through our local church? What efforts are we involved in to reach our lost loved ones, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, and others?

My sense is, even in heaven, we’ll be invested in working for the Lord in some capacity. Adam and Eve had responsibilities and we’re accountable to the Lord before the Fall. How much more will we be involved in the pursuing of His eternal purposes and carrying out His plans in heaven!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊