Walking With Jesus

Are You Listening?

“God’s promise of entering His rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news – that God has prepared this rest – has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter His rest.” (Hebrews 4:1-3a NLT)

Aren’t you grateful that God’s Word is rich with meaning and packed with practical guidance in how to see Him more clearly, follow Him more nearly, and love Him more dearly! The above verses beg our attention as they grab us by the shoulders and shout to us: “ARE YOU LISTENING?”

We tend to take so much for granted as believers in Jesus. We too often wrongly assume that our relationship with the Lord demands less attention and effort than any other meaningful and close relationship we have, when in fact it demands more. It’s as if we hear the words, but their meaning, power, and application escape us.

The words in the verse above: “they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.,” speak of those who heard the words, but didn’t make the connection to their faith. It’s like many who sit under the teaching of godly men and women who share truth and give sound wisdom, but only those who are listening with more than their ears will hear it.

“Listening” here implies pondering, considering, thinking through the implications of what’s being said, then making application to their life in ways that enable them to live out those implications. For example, recently our church offered a series of classes called “Spring Studies.” The three avenues of opportunity included: “How to Study the Bible,” “How to Share the Gospel,” and “How the Gospel does what religion cannot.”

My choice was “How to Study the Bible.” If you know me you may wonder, as my wife did, “Why that one?’ And my answer is simple, “If I can glean one insight or idea that can enable me to be a better student of God’s Word, it will be worth it.” Day one and God gave me an insight that helped me to see Him more clearly.

The Pastor leading our group said: “Everything Jesus desires to do through you, He will accomplish out of the overflow of His relationship with you.” BOOM! The light came on. Why? Because I heard something with my ears that resonated with my spirit. That made sense to me, and it helped me to see more clearly that I need to allow everything I’m reading, hearing, studying, thinking, and experiencing be a means of enabling me to deepen my relationship with my Savior.

Nothing happens in our life except it passes through the filter of God’s permission, so, it stands to reason if God allows it, He has intention, a reason; thus, a purpose for it’s use in our life. Of course, it can be a practical reason. We may be preparing to leave for an extended period and a pipe breaks. “Horrible timing!” is our first thought. But what if it had broken an hour after we’d left?

What is God saying to you today? He speaks EVERY DAY! But if we’re not listening we can easily miss it. Read His Word with your spirit, not just your eyes and/or ears. Let your spirit resonate with His voice, responding to His voice with more than affirmation, but with a desire for application.

He’s always speaking, are you listening? Please, for your sake and for the sake of those you’re seeking to influence for Him, please listen…carefully!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Who Can You Trust?

“Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20-21 NLT)

The Prophet Isaiah was painting a picture of how things would one day be for the children of Israel, a day that came when Jesus was born on earth, but also a day on which every born-again child of God will see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears the God of heaven.

In the meantime, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, many voices will invade our heart and mind, seeking prominence in our thoughts and consideration. How do we discern which is God’s? How do we make wise decisions, decisions that will please and honor the Lord?

Tim Keller challenges us when he writes: “Often what seem to be our deepest desires are just our loudest.” What’s he talking about? We have an uncanny way of allowing the enemy of our soul to play tricks with our mind. Satan will plant ideas in our mind that are confusing because he makes them seem legitimate and in line with what we think we want.

For example, let’s say you’ve always wanted to travel the world. You’ve dreamed of visiting tropical islands or hiking through the mountain ranges of other lands. You love the outdoors and would rather sleep in a tent in the rain than stay in a motel. One day you read an ad and someone is looking for someone to do what you’ve only dreamed about doing your whole life.

You’re sure it’s a message from the Lord, so, you tell your wife and expect her to jump with joy, but she looks at you like you’re crazy. You’re shouting: “It’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do my whole life! Aren’t you happy for me?” But she looks at you very seriously and says: “You’re 42 years old. You have me and three kids still at home. I don’t work and we have enough money in savings to last us about six months. Our monthly expenses are more than what they’re offering for a starting salary and you have more than 20 years on your current job. Go lay down. You’re get over this!”

Who do you trust? Your “gut?” Or your wife? Do we understand that our “gut” lies to us? Satan can make an adulterous affair seem very enticing, very “needed,” but it’s not. It’s a trap! A net from which we can’t easily escape, with ramifications we can’t even imagine. Drugs and alcohol seem harmless enjoyment, until they’re not. When they destroy our health, mentally and physically, they’re very difficult, if not impossible to overcome.

We wrongly believe the first kiss, the first drink, the first high will send us to places we think we want to go, until we realize it’s a one-way door that can’t be reopened without a lot of heartache and agony of soul and body. What we feel sometimes contradicts what we know in our heart, especially if we’re a Jesus follower.

Please don’t allow Satan to masquerade as an angel of light and lie you into believing what the Bible says is wrong is really okay. It’s not. It never has been and never will be. Allow the clear instruction of the Scriptures to be your voice of conscience in leading you on the paths of righteousness. Determine by the grace of God you’re going to walk in faithful submission to the Lord’s directives.

You can ALWAYS TRUST HIM!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God’s Voice

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard You walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’” (Genesis 3:8-10 NLT)

When God speaks, we should listen, not run, even if we’ve sinned. We sometimes like to pretend God didn’t speak, when He clearly has, often because we know He won’t be happy with us. How do we know that? Because we’ve disobeyed a clear instruction from His Word.

There are some characteristics of God’s voice that help us identify that it’s Him and not indigestion, our conscience, or echoes from past experiences. In much the same way as I don’t have to ask if it’s my wife when she calls, and yes, I have caller ID, but that’s not the reason – I recognize her unique voice because I’ve heard it so often.

When my son was first diagnosed with leukemia, the only other person I’d known who had the same disease was a friend in 8^th grade, and he only lived about six months. In my mind the doctor had pronounced a death sentence over my son, but a few days later I got a call from an “angel.” It wasn’t an angel from heaven, she was an “angel” from the hospital, but her voice was that of an angel to me.

Clear, strong, compassionate, understanding, informative, hopeful. In my mind I was thinking: “You mean he has a chance to live?” The voice belongs to the love of my life, my wife of more than 30 years who was a Pediatric Oncology Nurse for many years. I have never forgotten that voice and it needs no introduction when she calls. What’s my point?

After more than 60 years I recognize the voice of God, and you can too. Let me share a few characteristics that I hope will be helpful for you to discern the voice of God apart from all the other “voices” that vie for your attention.

First, the voice of God is clear. Adam heard God’s voice, and it was unmistakable. God still has a unique and recognizable voice. While to me He speaks softly it’s always “loud” enough to arrest my spirit and get my attention. Honestly, it took a long time before I finally figured out it was God, but now that I’ve learned to listen, it’s crystal clear.

The Lord doesn’t speak randomly. It may seem random, but His voice always addresses something pertinent in our life. It may be a message for you or one He wants to deliver through you, but it will be clear and to the point.

Related to that, it will be timely. God’s messages are never early or late; they’re always right on time. Over the years I’ve learned to love writing but never thought of starting a blog, I didn’t even know what a blog was. But a friend made the suggestion, and the Lord confirmed that it was what He wanted. How am I certain?

There are times I sit down to write, and I don’t have a clue what to say. So, I sit, pray, think, and wait. If He speaks, I write, but if He doesn’t, I don’t try to force anything. His “voice,” while not audible, is clear to my spirit and informs my mind without question. It is certain, compassionate, and always consistent with His Word. If what I think I hear from God isn’t consistent with His Word, I can be certain it’s not from Him. That’s why it’s essential that we be students of His Word.

If you want to hear God’s voice, He’ll enable you. Just ask Him.

By the way, my son, who was 16 when he was diagnosed, and told he likely would never father a child, recently celebrated his 50th birthday and is the father of my only grandchild. God is awesome! Trust Him!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Knowing When to Be Quiet

“Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.” (James 3:2-5a NTL)

After more than sixty years walking with the Lord, the greatest battle I have is my tongue. I’m struggling to learn to be quiet when the Lord makes it clear I shouldn’t speak. It’s not that I use profanity or degrade someone, but I cut people off or try to interject humor that may be inappropriate for the situation or not clearly understood. My age and mental condition may contribute to it, but in my heart it’s inexcusable because, in my mind, it dishonors the Lord.

That’s why in a group setting I’m often quiet and purposely choose not to speak. Often, it’s because my memory sometimes fails and I forget words or Scriptures that I’d hoped to use, but the other piece of it is I see how so many speak without having anything of substance to say. They just like to hear themselves talk and it seems one random comment leads to many more.

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But here’s the point, every time Jesus spoke, He had something of vital importance to say. His words were meaningful, pertinent, and purposeful. I believe that’s why people listened, hanging on His every word, stunned by the simplicity, yet the profound nature of His words. Would to God that our words, as His children, would catch the attention of those who need to know Him.

The Lord has recently prompted me to be more vocal in settings where it would be very easy for me to stay quiet. I enjoy quietness and I’m typically not very quick to engage a stranger or speak into a situation where I see something that I could just as easily pass by. But the Lord has made it clear that He is in it and I should take the time and make the effort to engage someone if He prompts me.

While on vacation in Tennessee, my wife and I were walking down the sidewalk in a little shopping area, and I noticed a man with a sign sitting on a bench. It’s common where I live so I often don’t pay very much attention, but this time the Lord told me to speak with him. His name was Kevin and he was a Veteran who had several physical issues that were hindering him from full time work.

He had a job but couldn’t work enough hours to enable him to pay his room rent, so he was asking for help. Having pastored in a low-income area in Florida, I’ve heard a lot of stories, many lies and attempts to get in my pocket, but Kevin seemed genuine, and I believe He sincerely loved the Lord and needed help.

We stopped and I sat beside him and put my hand on his shoulder. I asked if it would be okay if I prayed for him, and he said “yes.” So, I prayed, committed him into the Lord’s care and gave him some money. It was one of those moments when the Lord showed up and I sensed it had been a sacred moment. The glory of God shines in the darkness when the Holy Spirit speaks in the quietness.

Perhaps, like me, you struggle with knowing when to be quiet and when to speak. The words of Job from Job 6:24 come to mind when he said to the Lord: “Teach me, and I will keep quiet.” But I would add to that: “Lord, teach me, and I will speak.” May the Lord govern our tongue and guide our hearts and minds so that in everything we do, say, or think we will glorify and honor Him.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Demons

“As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet Him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.” (Luke 8:27 NLT)

Demon possession isn’t a preferred topic for most preachers today, but I’m of the opinion it shouldn’t be left unaddressed. My sense is it’s far more prevalent than we’d like to imagine. It’s most commonly “disguised” as “mental or emotional illness,” but, at least in Scripture, characterized by self-destructive tendencies. The other frightening piece to me is demons can also control people who otherwise seem relatively normal.

They’re not necessarily self-destructive but advocate for Satan’s agenda through whatever means or channels made available to them. Men like Hitler were evil beyond the range of normal people and, while intelligent, his intelligence was driven by evil and selfish intents that involved horrific suffering for others.

It’s not my intention to name “names,” but to caution us to be aware that Satan is alive and well and is an enemy with which we must reckon. God’s intention is to open hearts and to liberate people to be loved and cherished, while Satan’s goal is to close hearts to God and enslave people to follow the dictates of their own selfish lusts, usually, to harm themselves and/or others. I think of the demonic decisions to murder millions of unborn babies. And no, I’m not suggesting that every woman who opts to have an abortion is demon possessed, but I am suggesting that a “law” that allows abortion is driven by evil.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan has no authority, and demons cannot possess a child of God. A person filled with God’s Spirit need never fear possession by an evil spirit; however, we are subject to demonic oppression. Satan is no respecter of persons and will go anyplace he sees an opening. Even as a believer, when we start flirting with the occult, witches, palm reading, and the like, we’re opening ourselves to the devil’s playground.

Jon Bloom wisely declares: “The devil has no authority over any Christian, except the authority we grant him by believing him.” How do we believe him? Most commonly by believing his lies. Like the devil in the garden, Satan is always whispering things contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. Among the most common “lies” he’s spreading in our culture today is that there’s nothing wrong with homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10).

We couch it in more favorable terms like “gay” or “sexual preference,” but the Bible is clear that it’s wrong and not a lifestyle acceptable to a child of God. Does that mean we can’t love gay people or seek to invite them into a relationship with the Lord? Of course we love them, but there’s no reconciliation between homosexuality and Christlikeness, any more than between adultery and Christlikeness.

At some point a decision has to be made. Either obedience to Christ and submission to His authority or obedience to the cravings of our flesh. Like the rich young man in Luke 18:18-29. Jesus offered him an opportunity to follow Him by giving up his “idol,” his fortune, but he chose instead to keep his money.

It’s the same decision those “possessed” by evil must make: to turn from their “captor” and be freed to follow Jesus, or to maintain their course and suffer for all eternity. We continue to love them and pray for their deliverance, but must maintain our distance, in terms of our involvement in their sin of choice. We hate their sin, as we hate our own sin, but love them as a sinner, which, of course, we all are in our essence, but not in our lifestyles as a Jesus follower.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Doing Everything With Love

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others. and you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NLT)

Love isn’t simply an emotion, a certain way we feel about something or someone, it is an attitude of the heart that informs, motivates, and is the basis for everything we think or do. Paul wrote at the end of the “love” chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:11ff: “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

Love for Jesus expands our horizons, grows our heart and mind, gives substance to our existence, and a sound basis for our life. Jesus isn’t “part” of our life, an add on to help us out or a crutch upon which we can lean, He IS our life and every detail of our being should flow through the reality of that relationship.

Why does He allow our eyes to open each new day? So, we can go to work? Raise a family? Pursue the pleasures of our own measly existence? If that’s all there is let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die! What’s the point? But there’s more! So much more! And it all grows out of love.

“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Everything we’ll ever need to know about what love is and how to do it is found in intimacy with Jesus. He IS love, the embodiment of what love is and what love does. That’s why Paul said we must imitate Christ. But how? What might that look like?

His whole life’s orientation was devotion to His heavenly Father. Everything He thought, did, or said flowed out of a heart fully committed to carrying out His Father’s will. That begins with a decision to trust that who Jesus is and what He said was and is true. That should lead to entrusting your heart and life to Him without reservation.

The truth is, when we yield our life and allegiance to Jesus our life is no longer our own. It’s His to do with as He pleases. When He fills us with His Spirit (His presence) He empowers us to live life in accordance with His will and desire. It takes time and determination to learn how to do that, but He will guide us every step.

It begins with our desire, from the moment we awaken to the last second before we go back to sleep, to consciously be aware that I am not my own, I was bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20)! Love His Word, saturate your soul with His words from Scripture; let your heart and mind be attentive and alert to His voice, His instructions, His warnings, His whispers of encouragement.

Yes, of course, our lives are filled with busyness and work and responsibilities, but if any of that is done without the voice of Jesus guiding us, it’s all for naught. It’s pointless and powerless without the underlying and undergirding love of God motivating, guiding, empowering, and enabling us to do it all to His glory, honor, and fame. He IS our life, so, if it’s not done with and for Him, why do it?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is Spiritual Health?

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth.” (3 John 2-3 NLT)

It’s sad on many levels that too often we don’t get serious about our physical health until our body gives us evidence we’ve waited too long. We smoke until we can hardly breathe or drink and drug ourselves until our body is all but done, but still fight the inevitable because we’re just not willing to change, even if it’s killing us.

Unfortunately, we do the same thing spiritually. We wrongly believe cleaning the outside of the “cup” is enough, when inside our soul is rotting. We attend worship, trainings, and retreats, but rarely open the Bible except at the Pastor’s prompting or at a small group meeting. Our idea of “witnessing” is paying our bills on time and keeping our yard looking nice.

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We rarely connect the dots between spiritual health and closeness to God. We wonder why our prayers aren’t answered or why God seems so far away when we can’t even remember the last time we said more than a few second “prayer.” As John suggests in the verse above, spiritual health requires faithfulness and living according to the truth. What does that mean?

Faithfulness involves consistent effort and, especially in the context of spiritual growth and development, effort to deepen our understanding of and intimacy with our Savior. To treat Jesus as a religious word devoid of flesh and blood robs Him of His power and us of His friendship. The Bible isn’t an ancient rule book it’s our lifeline to our Father. It’s His love letter to us from which we derive His words of life, health, and sustenance.

C.S. Lewis’ words move my heart when he wrote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.” We can’t see ourselves and others from a proper perspective unless and until we see ourselves in need of a Savior. To believe we can do life without God is like a fish trying to survive out of water.

Health is derived from the proper care of something, whether it’s a plant, animal, or a human being, but there is no “proper care” in the best sense of the terms without the nurturing of our inner person, our soul, our spirit, that part of us that was given to enable us to grow in our understanding of and love for our Creator.

Health demands attention to detail. Plants give evidence they need water; animals give evidence they’re not feeling well, and human beings give evidence something is severely wrong in and through the way they think and act. To profess faith in Jesus and not long for intimacy with Him is to misunderstand the reason for the relationship. And like with any other meaningful relationship, intimacy grows out of time spent together pursuing mutually desirable ends.

Again, C. S. Lewis guides us when he wrote: “God cannot give us happiness apart from Himself, because there is no such thing.” We desire the benefits of being a Jesus follower – peace, happiness, heaven – without the commitment to know Him fully and love Him without measure. He IS the Treasure, He IS Truth, He IS the goal and fruit of our faithfulness. If we’re not pursuing Him, what’s the point?

The closer we are to Jesus the healthier our soul will be.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Pray for America!

“Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NLT)

The solution for the need of a changed life and a changed nation are both simple and straightforward, but at the same time, very difficult for selfish, self-focused people. It may surprise you to know that the words for the title of this article weren’t taken from the home of an American, but of a family in China. It was a magnet on their refrigerator reminding them to pray for their brothers and sisters in America.

That moves my heart as I realize the sacrifices the godly people of China make to uphold the holy name of Jesus. They literally give their lives for their faith, yet, in all their suffering and hardships, they take the time and make the effort to pray for us. Perhaps that’s so meaningful to me because every morning I pray for them, and our brothers and sisters in places like Russia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Myanmar, Nigeria, and many other nations where our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. Please pray for them!

Yes, of course, pray for America. I pray for America, but I mostly focus on my “corner” of America, the men and women, boys and girls whom I know personally or whose lives I can personally influence. But the Lord is seeking to stretch my vision to include my brothers and sisters who live in cities and states where living for Jesus is not embraced or appreciated.

How should we pray? My sense is, nothing will change in government policies until those of us who love Jesus refuse to tolerate the lies we’re having forced down our throats by the puppets in the media. But how? By humbling ourselves before the Lord, inviting His discipline of us as we seek to straddle the proverbial “fence” between our comfort and our “faith.”

Our tolerance seems to expand as long as it’s not personally costing us anything. Yes, we complain about the high prices of groceries, gasoline, and other things we need, but as long as we can still afford them, we only scream a little. But are we looking out for our faith brothers and sisters who CAN’T afford them? Those who are losing their places of residence because they can no longer keep up?

Humbling ourselves involves raising our eyes above our own nose and seeing clearly the needs of others. Turning from our wicked ways must involve turning from the selfishness that locks our eyes on our needs, not the needs of others. Seeking forgiveness and healing of our land has to reach beyond the boundaries of our own front yards.

Will you, with me, humble yourself and seek God with a pure heart and open spirit? Can we, together, beg Him to change us from the inside out, allowing us to see what He sees, hear what He hears, and hurt for what breaks His heart? The masses didn’t make America or any other nation great. Greatness is built on the backs of those willing to sacrifice for the good of others and for the honor of our Savior.

Yes, please pray for America, but pray for other nations as well. Do some research and choose 8-10 nations where people of God are struggling, asking God to show you how you can make a difference, perhaps in the lives of one family for whom God can make a difference through you.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Imitation or Original?

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy:3-1-5 NLT)

Let me be clear. In this passage Paul is describing people who align themselves with godly people. They knowingly and willingly seek to counterfeit a life they have no intention of really living but want others to see them as something they’re clearly not, at least in God’s eyes. They put on their “holy face” at church, but at other times live like the devil. That’s why Paul says to stay away from them. Don’t encourage an imitation, a fraud, a phony.

Please don’t be confused. Obviously, many unsaved people live a similar lifestyle and carry similar beliefs, but they’re not masquerading, pretending to be anything but what they are. Embrace those who are far from God and know it, don’t run from them or shun them. Help them see the truth through your loving kindness and willingness to allow them into your life.

By all means, don’t seek to imitate their lifestyle or behavior, or even of one who knows and loves the Lord. Brian Houston helps us see this when he writes: “God has not called you to be anyone else’s imitation.” Hopefully, the obvious implication is: EXCEPT JESUS! John confirms this when he writes in 1 John 3:2-3: “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.”

If we desire it and open our heart to it, the Spirit will show us glimpses of the Risen Christ. We “see” Him with our eye of faith, in His purity, kindness, holiness, and power when we want nothing but Him. We “see” Him in the faith of a saint of God who just lost a loved one but perseveres without blaming God or accusing Him of wrongdoing.

We see it in the eyes of one rising from the waters of baptism, alive with hope and confidence that Jesus is really who He claimed to be! Loving! Forgiving! Powerful! Or in the stride of the elderly one who with pain and much effort, finds their way to the house of God, knowing there will be a Savior who will meet them there with a warm embrace.

Imitations are empty, lifeless, valueless, and void of meaning and hope; but the Original, the Christ of the Bible, is authentic, full of life, love, power, authority, wisdom, kindness, patience, healing, and virtue we must pursue and seek to emulate in our own lives as His followers. Yes, of course, we fail, we fall short of His excellence and beauty but let our mind long for His likeness; let our heart rejoice in His loving presence that never leaves or forsakes us.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Burden Bearers Beware!

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” (Galatians 6:2-3 NLT)

Do the burdens of others burden you? The word Paul uses in the above verse that is translated “burden” pictures the weighty burden of a ship filled with the cargo of others. It isn’t the ship’s cargo but becomes such when it is loaded on board.

We’re designed to only carry the burdens of others by choice, not by obligation, and then, ideally, only at the impulse of the Spirit’s direction. What am I saying? Sometimes there are those who take it upon themselves to carry the burdens of everyone else when the Lord has not equipped or called them to do so.

My “burden” in this post is to speak to each of us as the burden bearers of Jesus. The specific “burden” referenced in the above passage paints the picture of someone who isn’t deliberately looking for ways to sin and disobey God, but “slips,” as on the ice, with the result they do something that is wrong and are deeply burdened as a result.

Tim Keller gives us clarity when dealing with a situation like this when he writes: “You cannot help with a burden unless you come close to burdened people.” Often, we’re drawn to someone who sinned in a way we ourselves have sinned, but this can be a two-edged sword, thus the reason Paul warns to be careful you don’t succumb to the same sin, perhaps, again.

We have two temptations: first, to sympathize too much. We treat their sin as though they should have no guilt or remorse, though, they clearly do, and rightly so. EVERY sin is an afront to God’s holiness and needs to be taken to the Lord for forgiveness and avoided in the future. Ideally, we learn from our mistakes, but must also understand, one unintentional “slip up” can often clear the way for more intentional “slip ups.”

Satan seeks to introduce us to sins we may never have considered, by “accident” or with no forethought, but once enticed, it can become a stronger measure of temptation for us. When I was selling cars, I was invited to another salesman’s house. I don’t remember the reason, but while there I walked into his living room and playing on the TV was an erotic video of a man and woman having sex.

Knowing I was a believer, he laughed, as though to say, “I got ‘ya!” But in fact, it put me on higher alert to never allow that to happen again, and it hasn’t. Gratefully, the Lord has helped me set boundaries I will not cross that help me keep my mind and heart pure. However, had that happened to a younger brother, he may have responded in a different way and really wrestled with the lingering images.

The point is this: any of us, at any stage of our spiritual development, can see something or experience something we never planned, but nonetheless has impacted us negatively and led to sin. We don’t need a judge, we need a burden-bearer who understands, sympathizes, forgives, and walks with us into healing and wholeness in Jesus. Bearing another’s burden is a privilege the Lord gives us and for which He rewards us, when handled properly.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊