Walking With Jesus

The Gospel

“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’” (John 11:25-26 NLT)

These powerful words to Martha should resonate in our heart and life as we seek to honor the Lord with our whole beings.

Martha’s brother had died, and she was upset with Jesus because He didn’t come in time to heal him. Her faith was strong in Jesus’ ability to heal but was missing when it came to His power to resurrect. How about your faith and mine? We surely have less problems believing He can heal someone, but bring them back from the dead? But why would we doubt or question?

Isn’t the Gospel at its core the declaration that in Christ those who were dead in their sin can be resurrected to new life in Him? Isn’t that the picture painted in Baptism? We die to self and sin and are raised to new life in Jesus. Perhaps we’re not clear in our understanding of the Resurrection.

The Resurrection of Jesus was remarkable and an essential element in our salvation but simply believing that Jesus rose from the dead isn’t enough. How the power of God was illustrated in and through the resurrection of our Savior is only the beginning, not the end. Jesus’ resurrection is only the foretaste of what was to come.

Yes, of course, we’ll be resurrected in our new, glorious, heavenly bodies when He returns, but isn’t salvation, at its core, a resurrection from the death-grip of sin – not only for us as believers, but for those who are encapsulated in their “tomb” of unbelief? Is it any easier at times to see Martha in her inability to understand that the King of Creation could call her brother forth from the tomb, than it is to see ourselves as we struggle to see how our loved ones and friends will ever be “resurrected” from their sin?

Michael Ramsay was on to something when he wrote: “The Gospel without the Resurrection is not merely a Gospel without its final chapter; it is not a gospel at all.” Yes, of course, the Gospel is empty if Jesus hadn’t burst forth from the grave, but the Gospel is also empty if we don’t have full confidence that the Lord is able to break the bonds of sin and death in our own lives and the lives of those for whom we pray.

The Gospel is powerless without believing prayer and prayer is powerless unless and until we fill it with full confidence that the same God who rolled the stone from the entrance of Jesus’ tomb, who rolled the “stones” from the “tombs” of those of us who are redeemed, will also roll the stones away that entomb our loved ones and friends in their sin.

One day we will all literally die. Our bodies that today are filled with air and we can move and think and live as we please will one day breathe our last. If we aren’t delivered from our “tombs” of selfishness and sin we’ll simply be transferred from one state of misery to another.

In this life everyone, even unbelievers, is given access to God’s presence – His air, sunshine, nature, plus His people filled with His life, but when an unsaved sinner leaves this life they will be completely cut off from any hint of God’s holy presence.

God is light, so, apart from Him is darkness. He is love, compassion, care, forgiveness, and a thousand other things we take for granted, but they’ll all be gone forever once a person leaves this life without Him.

Please don’t let that happen to you or to someone you love. Please pray for yourself, if you don’t yet know Jesus as Lord of your life, and pray for others as though their lives depended upon your prayers.

Let’s believe the Gospel so fully that we will pray with confidence the Lord will hear and answer us as surely as He heard Jesus when He asked His Father to raise His friend Lazarus from the dead.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s Your Motive?

“The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.” (Proverbs 20:27 NLT)

What’s the driving force of your life? What gets you up in the morning and energizes your steps each day? Why are you taking up space on planet earth and enjoying the privileges of life? What are your goals, aspirations, desires, hopes, dreams as you draw your first breath each new day?

Why the questions? Because they help us see what drives us, what motivates us, not only to do what we do, but be what we are. If you had to boil it down to one thing that for you is THE key to who you are, what would it be? For me it’s childlike prayer.

Prayer is my link to the Father from whom ALL blessings flow. James 1:17 reminds us: “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” Apart from my connection with the Father through faith in His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, I would be lost and as alone as a person floating in space.

My motive for living is to please, honor, and glorify my Heavenly Father and to seek to live my life in conformity to His will. And there’s only one way that will ever happen – prayer. Whatever we think, say, or do must flow from time spent with the Father through Christ to His Son.

To believe we have the wherewithal to draw a breath without Him is to ignore the only power available to us to live in conformity to His will. He IS our life, so, to not allow prayer to be our highest goal and strongest motive to do ANYTHING is to misunderstand the nature of prayer. Prayer isn’t bowing our head and closing our eyes, that’s simply a posture of prayer.

Prayer is like breathing, it’s the natural flow of our spirit living in harmony with our Father’s heart. Yes, of course, there are times we pause and find a quiet place to share specific concerns with the Lord, but as we go through our day, we should treat prayer as we would a conversation with a friend as we walk in a park. Eugene Peterson nails it when he writes: “Prayer is the way we work our way out of the comfortable but cramped world of self and into the spacious world of God.”

Our motive to pray isn’t to get something, but to learn better how to listen to the Spirit’s voice and to honor and glorify our Savior. I’m reminded of Dr. Billy Graham’s words: “Be sure that your motive in praying is to glorify God.” Too often our only desire in prayer is to persuade God to do what we ask, rarely, if ever stopping to consider He gives better gifts to those with whom He walks the closest (think of Jesus, the Prophets and Disciples).

The best gift He can or will ever give is the gift of Himself. If all we want from Him is answers, we’ve completely missed the point of prayer. No one heard God, the Father, more clearly or obeyed Him more fully than the Lord Jesus, in whose steps we are seeking to follow as God’s children. Please don’t let your relationship with the Lord Jesus be at its core a religious exercise or routine void of emotion, enthusiasm, and energy. Love the Lord with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength (body).

Put your heart into your prayers, believing He hears and longs to respond in meaningful and helpful ways. In my experience, He doesn’t always answer immediately, exactly as I’ve prayed, but He gives me clues that He’s working, asking me to maintain faith and patience as He works in the life of each one for whom I’ve prayed.

When my motive in prayer is His glory, honor, and praise, sin loses it’s grip on me and it’s easier to resist the enemy’s advances.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Blessed Are Those Who Love The Irritating

“If someone claims, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar. Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen.” (1 John 4:20-21).

*Please read carefully and prayerfully these timely words from our dear sister Sylvia Gunter.

When tests come through those who irritate me, I have to ask myself, “Am I loving God by loving them?” If I am not loving them, I am not loving God. John’s repeated admonitions in 1 John about personal relationships convicts me every time. For example, “If someone claims, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar. Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen.” He gave us a clear command, that all who love God must also love other Christians (1 John 4:20-21). Oh me.

Offense is the act of provoking, annoying, irritating, or causing pain or injury. It is also the reaction the offense produces, like indignation, resentment, or anger, which can lead to breach in a relationship. When someone sins against us, our flesh rises up and demands retribution. But the way of grace must watch over our hearts, guard our mouths, and release the offender.

The writer of Proverbs urges us to respond to offenses by giving evidence of the grace of God. Read these statements and ask God to reveal how you responded the last time you were offended.

A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11). Patience is wisdom, and wisdom lets an offense pass without responding sinfully. Love keeps no record of wrongs suffered.

Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city (Proverbs 16:32). It is better to be patient. A Spirit-controlled response wins battles.

An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel (Proverbs 18:19). A hostile relationship is hard to win back. Contention separates people into opposing sides. Jesus died to break down the dividing walls.

Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, Do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared (Proverbs 22:24-25). Don’t take personally the anger of angry people, or you will find yourself reacting to them in the same destructive way.

Calmness can lay to rest great errors [offenses] (Ecclesiastes 10:4). A quiet spirit will overcome anger and turn aside the hurtful actions of others. Identify the great forgiveness of Jesus in each situation and relationship.

“He was delivered over to death for our sins (offenses)” (Romans 4:25). We overlook offenses because Jesus took our offenses and bore them to His cross. Those who have been forgiven much will forgive much.

Jesus is the standard and He is the means, the power, and the grace for any person or situation. He never leaves us without the power to obey His commands, because He is living in us to obey. “I have told them about Your nature; and I will continue to speak of Your name in order that Your love, which was poured out on Me, will be in them. And I will also be in them” (John 17:26). He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (Proverbs 21:23). When our unguarded mouth gives vent to our unhealed heart, we unleash words that hurt deeply.

Based on Overlooking an Offense, Living In His Presence Volume 1,

For archive of past devotionals:www.thefathersbusiness.com

What Lies Ahead?

“While He was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over His head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. ’What a waste!’ they said. ‘It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’” (Matthew 26:7-8 NLT)

Waste is relative. What to many who have plenty is “scraps for the dogs” or “garbage,” is a tasty and satisfying meal for someone who is hungry. There are life lessons in the teachings of Jesus that are missed if we’re not attentive. To “waste” an expensive jar of perfume by pouring it over the head of the Savior was incomprehensible to the disciples’, not to mention what the others in that room were thinking. But to Jesus it was a sacrifice worthy of note, a sacred act of worship, an act He appreciated and valued.

Worship is the language of heaven and until we learn to speak it, we’ll never understand what honors our Savior. The earth is tuned to the frequency of heaven and is at the Master’s beck and call. We wonder why a storm “suddenly” arises or a volcano after centuries “suddenly” decides to erupt. What if we thought of storms or displays of earth’s power as “acts of worship” to their Creator.

Photo by Sanej Prasad Suwal on Pexels.com

What if rather than sudden occurrences they were right on God’s schedule for sinful, disobedient earth residents? What if the things we view as “catastrophes,” are God’s efforts to warn us of what’s to come, not just on earth, but beyond. When we read the Old Testament accounts of battles and the destruction of whole cities, wiped out never to be rebuilt, we wonder why God would allow that, in some instances even promote that.

Could it be God has a different view of what’s of value and what isn’t? Could it be that what we deem valuable isn’t worth much in God’s sight? Often after a disaster, survivors will say things like: “I hate that I lost everything, but I’m just glad to be alive.” Am I saying that everyone who is killed in a natural disaster is being judged by God?

Not at all. I’m simply saying one day the end will come and the earth will be no more and, in that moment, the ONLY thing that will matter is: “Do I know Jesus!” We often kid about not being able to take material things with us when we die, but in the meantime, we sell our soul to accumulate more. One day the whole earth will lie in ruins. Billions of people will lose their lives in a single day, never again given an opportunity to yield their lives and allegiance to the Lord. And the fact is, that could be today!

Are you ready for that day? And please don’t insult me by saying I’m trying to scare you. If it were only that easy. The truth is, I’m trying to awaken you to reality! God has given us picture after picture of what’s coming, but rather than wake up, we simply feel sorry for those who are affected by that “tragedy,” and go on about our day with our lives unchanged.

One day the Lord is going to paint our face into that picture; one day every man, woman, and child on earth will be swept away in a heavenly “tsunami” that will end life on this planet. We, each one, will stand before a holy God to give an account of our life. There will be no opportunity for “do-overs,” however we’ve lived our life, we will face eternity on that basis.

“God should warn us!” is the cry of many, but that’s what He’s been doing for centuries. When will we realize each “natural disaster” is God’s call to repentance, to turn from our sin, selfishness, and stubbornness and find wholeness, peace, and forgiveness in the extravagance of His costly love.

What lies ahead? That depends…on you!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Can We Learn from “Natural” Disasters?

“So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking.” (Genesis 19:14 NLT)

Recently my wife and I watched a series called “Earthstorm” that gave insightful information about Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes. It’s not for the faint of heart, so, it may not be suitable for children, but it’s very enlightening when it comes to the power God has built into nature.

Understanding there are varying views on “Global warming,” my goal today isn’t to get on my soapbox and promote one view or another, my point is simply that God has set in motion “natural” means to bring catastrophe to the world. But why?

The Biblical book of Revelation gives us insight. In Revelation 18:9-10 for example, the Bible says: “And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, ‘How terrible, how terrible. O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God’s judgment came on you.’”

What can we learn from knowing that God has built into the world He created, fault lines with the potential of causing worldwide, catastrophic disaster? Natural storm systems with the power to wipe out cities in a few moments? Volcanoes governed by His Holy Voice? Should that frighten, alarm, encourage, awaken us? Why even bring it up?

As Jesus followers we understand that life, our physical life and the life of our planet, all of life is in God’s hands. He alone governs when we’re born and when we’ll die. He has that same control over the earth on which we live. He decides when it floods, when fire falls from heaven, when earthquakes move and when volcanoes erupt. Nothing escapes His notice, and nothing happens without His consent.

Even as the words flow onto the page, I realize that non-believers and even some who do believe may really wrestle with why a God of love could allow so much loss of human life. While we also wrestle with war, hunger, poverty and other global tragedies, it’s easier, at least in my mind, to understand man’s inhumanity to man than to grasp why God seems to select certain areas of the world to allow more death and destruction.

May I be honest? I don’t have an answer for all of that; however, my sense is we must start with what we know, not what we don’t know. We must start with who God is, but, here again, the most brilliant mind of man can only grasp a fraction of the mind of God. Granted, I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box, but I have to believe the Lord is guiding my mind and heart as I write.

So, think about the characteristics or attributes of God: He’s all loving, He can’t do anything unless it’s motivated by love; He’s all-knowing, He knows absolutely everything there is to know about everything. He cannot make a decision without all the facts. He’s ever-present. He’s present in every place at every moment from the beginning of time until this moment. Nothing escapes His notice, and He never forgets a single detail. He’s all powerful. An atom bomb to God is like striking a match for us. Volcanoes have the potential to produce power that is many times the power of an atom bomb.

Here’s the bottom line for me: I trust the Lord and, as I leave decisions regarding my own life in His capable hands, I leave His decisions about the world in His hands, but there’s another aspect of this subject I’d like to explore in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Ordinary?

“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12:14-16 NLT)

Are you an ordinary person? My tendency is to see myself as very ordinary, but when I look at Jesus, while He was in every way a man and, I believe, a “man’s” man, He was in no way ordinary. By “man’s” man I mean He was a man any man can relate to. He wasn’t effeminate or a sissy. Even before His grueling ministry began, He was a carpenter who got His hands dirty and knew what it was like to put in a long day’s work.

My sense is we too often “spiritualize” Jesus, refusing to see Him as just like us, yet, that’s exactly what the Scriptures teach. He had a sin nature and the capacity to sin, just like we do, but He proved that He could live without sin, setting for us an example to help us understand we, too, can choose not to sin. It’s not a requirement of our nature, but in our “ordinariness,” we too often sin without giving it a thought.

But beyond that, when we choose to be ordinary, we can very easily default to believing we have no urgency to be like Jesus because we already are like Him – we’re humans! But when we do that, we miss the point of who Jesus is and why He came. He didn’t come simply to put His stamp of approval on our humanness, but to show us in and through the way He lived His life that there’s a life that is beyond our normal, ordinary expectations – a holy, set apart, God-oriented life that can not only be more satisfying and enjoyable, but much more fruitful to His honor and fame.

Christine Caine challenged me when she wrote: “Life is too short, the world is too big, and God’s love is too great to live ordinary.” What’s the first thing that strikes you about that quote? Perhaps because I’m old, the “Life is too short” part nailed me. Why did it take me a lifetime to learn what I now know and understand when it was all available to be known and understood when I was 20?

It’s encouraging that there are young people who ARE focusing their attention and efforts on learning about and knowing intimately the Savior. They’re avoiding “ordinary” and they want nothing to do with mediocrity. Rather than fear or avoid them, can we please applaud, encourage, and pray regularly for them!

My prayer is that they will become a new breed of believers who will not only challenge the world but ultimately win the world for Jesus. I’m asking the Lord to lead today’s younger generations to humble themselves to the point the Lord will exalt them to leadership positions all over the world, using their God-centered focus to change the world, not only for good, but for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What about those of us who are older? Ordinary isn’t for us either! We may not have a lot of energy, but we have the most important element of a powerful, effective life – JESUS! Let’s live like He’s alive, not only in general, but IN US! Let’s parade His beauty, majesty, glory, honor, and praise everywhere we go and in any circumstance we possibly can. He’s too good not to share.

In the days I have left I pray it will never be said of me (or YOU) that we lived ordinary lives or died an ordinary death. Let’s live to His glory and die in His holy service begging anyone who will listen to love and serve Him, avoiding ordinary like the plague!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Love or Hate?

“’You have heard that it was said.’ “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,” But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.’” (Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV)

What is the difference between love and hate in practical terms? Think about it – hate pushes away, despises, is repulsed by whatever or whoever it hates. Hate is filled with contempt that isn’t satisfied to let it lie but must embrace and act on our strong dislike or aversion. It’s to bear malice that wants to do someone else harm, to see them suffer for what we perceive as an injustice against us or someone else. We look down with disgust and loathe it/them with utter abhorrence. (Merriam-Websters)

Think of men like Hitler, those who orchestrate and/or participate in mass shootings, bombings, or other attempts to take the lives of people who have done nothing to provoke anyone. Every day in our world people are mercilessly murdered for being the “wrong” _______, and you can fill in the blank. Are we to hate them? “No!” Some would protest, but we’re to hate what they do.

While there’s merit in that, it’s not enough. Hate for hate isn’t a solution, regardless of its focus. The only antidote for hatred is love, but how? It’s easy to love our loving neighbor, but it’s a different story if our neighbor is an antichrist. Unfortunately, too often our “solution” is to simply avoid them, but, again, that’s not a Christ-acceptable answer. So, what do we do?

We love them! But how? Remember, love isn’t an emotion, it’s a decision. Emotion fuels hatred but right-thinking fuels love. Jesus didn’t go to the Cross because He was feeling warm and fuzzy, He made a decision to go because it needed to be done, and He was the only One who could do it.

If there’s someone in your life you’re being tempted to hate, make the decision today to love them instead. But how? Intelligent good will! That’s essentially what love is. It’s a decision, not only NOT to do them harm or foster ill-will towards them, but to actually initiate loving ways to reach them for the Lord.

That’s IMPOSSIBLE! It may seem to be, but please listen, not to your heart, but to your mind as the Words of God resonate Truth. God NEVER tells us to do something He doesn’t equip us to do. If He tells us to love our enemies, He’ll give us the means. Jesus said in Luke 18:27: “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”

While the context was a little different, the principle is exactly the same. God can equip and enable us to be and do things that are otherwise humanly impossible. It may seem impossible to do something kind and right for a person whose presence disgusts us but think of how God viewed us before we were cleansed by His priceless blood. Until we get a grasp on how disgusting, vile, and ugly we were as we wallowed in our sin, we’ll never understand how we can love someone else who in our eyes is disgusting, vile, and ugly. Jesus isn’t asking us to hug and kiss them, just not to actively and overtly seek them harm.

So, what CAN we do? We can pray for them. And, no, not: “Jesus, bless them!” That’s a cop-out. Pray for them with thoughtful, meaningful words that convey to the Lord genuine empathy and concern. In short, pray like someone prayed for you before you knew Jesus.

Please remember: Hate debilitates. Love liberates.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When It’s Time to Die

“For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose – to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.” (Romans 14:7-9 NLT)

Please don’t miss the context and intent of what Paul is saying. To “live” as Paul is using it here isn’t simply to have breath in our lungs, to be a functioning human being, it’s to be born-again of the Spirit of God. It’s to have the life of God inside us, active in our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

Notice Paul said: “we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves.“ Is it safe to say “self-centeredness” and “self-focus” aren’t Christian virtues? What’s my point? Simply this – we too often want to coast through life like it’s all about us. In some ways it’s like very little, if anything, even enters our mind except it pertains to us personally or, at least, something to which we can personally relate.

This morning, I had an automated call for my “Cognitive stimulation.” Because of my Alzheimer’s, I’m part of an ongoing program to stimulate my brain and increase my cognitive function. I receive 4-5 calls a week with different exercises designed to awaken parts of my brain that aren’t working very well. This morning the questions must have bombarded the sleeping part of my brain, because it was like someone was speaking a foreign language.

The automated voice told me a story about Elvis, then asked me questions about what they’d told me, and I could remember very little about what was said. Then they did the same thing with a story about the Golden Gate bridge, with the same result. I remembered almost nothing. What’s my point? We tend to do the same thing with the Bible and spiritual truth. We listen, but we don’t hear.

There’s no cognitive investment, no memory of it because we don’t see the point; we don’t make the connection between our life and that to which we’re reading or hearing. Here’s where the proverbial “rubber meets the road!” Unless the Lord returns, we’re all going to die. I believe that’s why Paul said, “if we die,” but either way, whether we live or die we don’t do those things for ourselves.

Okay, then for whom DO we do them? For the Lord, certainly, but also for those in our spheres of influence. Here’s the crux of the whole situation: while we’re breathing, we owe our life and allegiance to the Lord Jesus – to represent Him well so that He is honored and glorified in and through our life. But that only happens if we’re paying attention! If we’re intentionally and purposely wanting that to happen.

And it won’t happen unless and until we’re giving the Lord our full attention and focus. We can’t be focused on us and Jesus at the same time. It’s like me thinking of what I want to write in an article and listening to things about Elvis or the Golden Gate Bridge.

Jim Elliot said: “When it comes time to die, make sure that’s all you have to do is die.” That’s packed with so much, but suffice it to say, we won’t be ready to die, to leave this earth and part from this life, until we settle things with the Lord Jesus. What do I mean?

We’re going to meet Him one way or another, prepared or unprepared, but to be unprepared means hell and an eternity apart from Him. Some give that no thought and think it’s no big deal, but they only reveal their ignorance of eternal things when they think that way.

Who will help them see more clearly if not us? And how can we be ready to share with them when we’re not even sure we’re ready to die ourselves?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed

Suddenly!

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NLT)

Do you ever think of death or dying? How does it make you feel? Are you filled with joy and excitement or paralyzed with fear and foreboding? It’s ironic to me that when I’m inviting someone to come to Jesus, to have their sins forgiven and to receive new life in Him, that split second of hesitancy could be the last second of their life.

In less time than it takes to blink our life could end and we could be in the presence or out of the presence of the Lord forever. We must be about our Father’s business! Time is wasting, people are dying, souls are perishing while we ponder what game we’ll play or whether or not we’re up for reading a chapter of the Bible.

C. S. Lewis wrote:“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.”

There are people who clearly want to go to hell. They have no concept of what that means or they’d quickly change their mind, but that’s their heart’s desire and God won’t force them to go to heaven. Does that mean we stop trying to change their mind? As long as there is conscious breath, there’s hope; if a person can nod their head or blink their eyes as an indication that, “yes,” I need Jesus, there’s hope.

Some bemoan the fact they’ve made such a mess of their life they can’t believe God would give them a second chance, but that’s the miraculous nature of grace. Again, C. S. Lewis sheds light when he writes:“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Sadly, many lost people look at our lives and see no difference between us and them. That grieves me. If the light of Jesus in my life is so dim they can see no difference, that’s on me, not them. But how can we allow the light of Jesus to shine in and through us? How do the lights in your car work? You turn the key or flip the switch! You activate them with an outside source of power!

We don’t reveal the light of Christ; we allow Him to shine when we activate our connection with Him. We can’t force Him to shine, but we can open our heart and mind when we have constant communion with Him. And, no, I’m not suggesting we walk around on our knees praying all day. What I am saying is our sense of God’s presence regardless of where we are or what we’re doing should give those near us the opportunity to experience His presence as well.

If Jesus is living in us, it’s very difficult to hide Him. When our thoughts are constantly drawn to Him, our instinct will be to cry out to Him in our times of need. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, my heart is tuned to the voice of God. We must allow the Lord’s “voice” to be steady and strong when helping others to know and understand the brevity of life and the severe consequences of ignoring His gentle voice.

We must speak and give them the opportunity to respond while there’s still time!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Distractions

“I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.” (1 Corinthians 7:35 NLT)

What distracts you? When you’re trying to focus on reading or studying God’s Word what is the “something else” that begs you to give it your attention? When you’re trying to focus on prayer, where do your thoughts want to take you?

Life is filled with distractions, but that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. The context of Paul’s writing above is whether we should marry or remain single. Paul was single and was seeking to give his rationale for why others should consider singleness rather than to be married, but he wasn’t saying it was a sin to marry. He was simply saying when we join our lives with another person, whether in marriage, business, friendship, or otherwise, we run the risk of creating a serious distraction to our devotion to the Lord.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “distract” means: “to draw (the attention or mind) to a different object; to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives; harass.” How does that apply? Jon Bloom wrote: “Distractions frequently tell us what we love and trust and fear.”

What do you love? I love Jesus, but I also love my wife, my kids, my dogs, sleep, video games, and pinto beans and cornbread. So, what does that have to do with distractions? It depends. I think of the disciples asleep in the Garden when Jesus was agonizing over what He was about to do in obedience to His Father. Is sleep a sin? Of course not, but in that context, it was a major distraction to what the Lord was asking them to do.

Discipline in submitting our will to God’s, our desires to His, our preferences to His, is the battle all believers face, but it’s not one where a single solution fits every scenario. What’s appropriate for someone in a single scenario may be completely inappropriate in another.

For example, let’s say you’re sitting comfortably doing something that you enjoy when your wife comes to you and says: “I had a really lousy day today. Could we go out or get carry-out instead of me cooking this evening?” It would be rude and inappropriate to say, “Sorry, honey, love of my life, I’d swim the broadest ocean or climb the highest mountain to prove my love for you, but I’m really interested in what I’m doing. You can get takeout if you want, but don’t bother me right now.” How do you spell: “frying pan over the head?”

Most husbands wouldn’t dare do that, but, ironically, we do that to Jesus all the time. We rudely ignore His invitations to spend time with Him, opting instead to do something trivial that we like to do. I get it. I do, but that’s why disciplines are formed in the Christian Faith, to help prevent us from robbing God of His rightful time with us. And what time is that? Every second of every day!

“Whoa! I can’t do that!” Jesus did, and so can we with some discipline. “But how?” By learning to give more attention to the Holy Spirit than our own inclinations, desires, and cravings. “But that sounds hard!” Not as hard as hanging on a Cross for ungrateful and undisciplined people like me and you!

When are we going to understand that until our relationship with Jesus costs us something it’s not going to mean anything – to us or to anyone else?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊