Walking With Jesus

Doctrine Without Duty

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with real authority – quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” (Matthew 7:28 NLT)

Jesus’ teaching was so powerful because what He taught was being lived out and demonstrated in human life with His every breath. He called people to action with His teaching – to see things differently, to understand them with their heart and mind, leading them to change, not only their mind, but their behavior. How we live is the best illustration of what we believe.

If our walk doesn’t match our talk, for all intent and purpose, our talk is valueless. Talbot W. Chambers wrote: “Doctrine without duty is a tree without fruits; duty without doctrine is a tree without roots.” That sounds all well and good, but what does it mean? How do we apply our faith in practical ways.

Be a Light “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

There are lots of ways, but ultimately if our faith isn’t reflected in how we treat others, it doesn’t have its roots in the Christian Faith and doesn’t reflect the teachings of Jesus. One of the most descriptive passages to me in regard to Jesus’ heart is found in Mark 7:24-30. A Gentile woman comes to Jesus because her daughter is demon possessed, but Jesus pretends to push her away.

He first says to her: “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” But it doesn’t deter her, as He knew it wouldn’t. Their brief dialog soon results in Jesus healing her daughter, thus, in many ways, laying the foundation for the grace extended to me and you today. The Jews were the “children”, and we are the “dogs” in this story.

There’s a sense in which this healing illustrates Jesus’ “doctrine” in very specific terms. How so? This Gentile woman wouldn’t have been on any of the Jewish teachers’ radar. They wouldn’t have even given her the benefit of a conversation, but Jesus engaged her, I think more for His disciples and others in His audience in that setting, than for the woman herself. He knew what He was going to do and how it would change her life forever.

Nothing Jesus said or did was by accident. Every detail of every conversation and instruction had purpose and “fit” into His overall plan of conveying His heart and His plan for mankind. He came to earth with a purpose to fulfill and every word added to the full picture of what that would look like. This story of the Gentile woman basically showed His willingness to be open to anyone, at any stage of life, with any problem and He would listen and offer His help.

We can spout off how good God is all day long, but until we illustrate it through our own efforts as we seek to ease the pain of the hurting in our own spheres of influence, they’re just words. And it must begin in our own homes and families. It’s noble to help a brother or sister we don’t know well, but there seems to be no other illustration of the life of Christ in us than to walk with our spouse and family in a time of crisis.

We’d think that would be the easiest, but for me, it’s often the hardest. I don’t know why, but I seem to be least sensitive to my wife and kids when it comes to being Jesus, than anyone else. Perhaps because they know me best, I’m afraid it will seem less genuine, like I’m doing it out of obligation rather than the joy of Jesus’ love for me being offered to them.

Regardless of how I think it feels or looks, by His grace I/we must continue to try in every season and circumstance to illustrate to my/our family the love of my/our Savior living in and working through me/us. Why is that so important?

Because if the validity of our “doctrine” isn’t proven in our own homes, it really doesn’t matter where else we carry out our “duty” for the Savior.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A Prayer For The New Year

*The 15th of each month gives me the pleasure and opportunity to offer another helpful message of loving wisdom from Sylvia Gunter. Please read thoughtfully and prayerfully and let her words bless and guide you in this new year. Blessings, Ed 😊

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” (Colossians 1:9)

Something about the start of the New Year makes us all want to live this year better than the last. We make resolutions. We start new disciplines. It feels like striving to do more and be better. Honestly, all of that sounds exhausting.

What if instead of trying to improve, this year we turned our hearts toward God and allowed God to do what only God can do: transform us to be more like Him? It won’t be a perfect or quick process. There will be ups and downs. But what a year it would be if our focus wasn’t on doing more but on receiving more.

These are personalized, paraphrased scripture prayers from Colossians 1:9-14. As you pray, notice God’s part is to fill, strengthen, qualify, redeem, and forgive. Our part is to respond to Him.

Father, This year continually fill me with the knowledge of Your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that I may live a life worthy of the Lord and please You in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

Strengthen me with all power according to Your glorious might so I may have great endurance and patience. I will give thanks to You, Father. You have qualified me to share in the inheritance of Your holy people in the kingdom of light.

You have rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Today, by Your Spirit, I choose to receive everything You have for me and be transformed by it. I want to strive less and rest in the fullness of my inheritance in Christ more.

Believing or Belonging?

“He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:11-13 NLT)

There’s a huge difference between believing in Jesus and belonging to Him. The Apostle James reminds us that even the demons believe in Jesus, and they have eternal life, but not in heaven. Eternal life is a gift for every human being, but don’t be confused, just because we’re all going to live forever doesn’t mean we’re all going to heaven.

We have to remember that this is only one of many descriptions of what it means to come to Christ, to belong to Him. Jesus spoke of coming to Him in the Gospels of Luke and John, but the point here is simply this: Belonging to Jesus is an act of the will that is illustrated and demonstrated in and through every avenue of our being.

To say we belong to Jesus, yet still live like the devil is to fool ourselves and to live a lie. Does that mean once we come to Jesus we’ll never sin again? No, of course not, but it does mean that we won’t live in habitual sin.

Paul was clear when he wrote in Romans 6:12-14: “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give into sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”

This process must begin with our spiritual “birth.” Words don’t change us, action motivated by the Holy Spirit does. It begins with an act of God as He regenerates our spirit, giving us a new heart, then filling us with His Spirit, giving us a new Owner and Guide. To belong to Jesus means we no longer belong to ourselves, which means we stop listening to our “heart” and start listening to God.

Jesus said in John 8:47a: “Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God.” But we can’t “hear” what He’s saying without the Spirit to give us understanding. Without new birth in Jesus there’s no foundation upon which a relationship can be built. Birth equals relationship. As a believer in Jesus, we are born into the family of God, His Church, but the irony becomes, many who are part of the many different groups of God’s people in what is commonly called a “church” building or gathering, may be believers, but are not necessarily “belongers.”

We can be surrounded by Christianity and still miss Christ. We can believe in Him with all our heart, but if we’re still trying to run our own lives and ignoring Christ’s leadership by His Spirit, we may believe all we want, but we won’t belong until we lay our lives at the foot of the Cross and cry out for what Christ alone can give us – forgiveness and new life in Him.

That’s the difference between belief and faith. Belief is an intellectual assent, but faith is the step from our head to our heart where we stop trying to save ourselves by believing we’re good enough as we are, and start realizing there’s nothing good about us without Jesus. Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father without Him. No one belongs until Jesus’ Father becomes our Father.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Working Fruitfully

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Ephesians 6:5-7 NLT)

There are at least three critical points in the above verses that we need to “get” if we’re going to be effective for our Savior in and through the work we do, whether we’re “self-employed” or work for someone else.

First, because we are, before all else, Christ’s slaves, we approach our work, regardless of how menial we may think it is, with “deep respect and fear.” The King James Version of the Bible translates these words as “fear and trembling,” and they convey the idea of “the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty.” (Strong’s)

The minute we approach something with the attitude “I’ve got this,” we’ve displaced Christ’s authority with our own and put ourselves on a pedestal in the Lord’s place. To the extent we understand that “apart from the Lord Jesus we are nothing,” to that extent we’ll be prepared to tackle any assignment the Lord gives us with the right attitude.

One other consideration that is critical: regardless of where or what kind of job/work you do, you’re not there because of your own doing. Even if you “own” the business or “built this company from scratch,” if you’re a child of God, the gifts and abilities you used to do what you did were a gift from God and must be treated as such. We are nothing and can do nothing without dependence upon the Lord.

Second, we serve as unto Christ with the goal of pleasing Him as we please those with authority over us. God has equipped us to do the job He’s given us, otherwise, we wouldn’t have the job. If you feel ill-prepared or inadequate, good, that just means you’ll need to lean more fully on the Lord. The other aspect of this is, our primary aim is to do the best job we can possibly do, not for personal gain or recognition, but to point all honor to Jesus.

Third, since doing the will of God is our highest priority, we work with the same enthusiasm as we would if He were our literal “boss.” We accomplish every assignment with the ultimate goal of putting a smile on our Savior’s face. Regardless of what anyone else thinks, our end purpose is to please the Lord.

With these priorities the fruit of our labor, ideally, will be to find security and pleasure in our work, with the very important by-product being, a healthy relationship with our superiors and co-workers. In nearly every company there will be “slackers” who will want you to not work as efficiently because it makes them look bad, but your positive work ethic and attitude are the very things that will give credence to your witness for Christ.

When someone criticizes you for working too hard, for wanting to “show off” or get “brownie points” with the boss, you simply respond something like: “I’m sorry you feel that way, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to please Jesus, He’s my ‘real’ Boss.” They’ll look at you like you’re weird, but you’ll lay the groundwork as being God’s child with the underlying “truth” that God’s children are different, hopefully and ideally, in good and positive ways.

Our primary “witness” for Christ at work isn’t running our mouth with our co-workers about Jesus when we should be working, it’s establishing a positive work ethic that lays the groundwork for conversations during breaks, lunch, or after work opportunities on OUR time, not the company’s.

One final thought. If the environment in which you find yourself forces you to do unethical or illegal things to keep your job, please quit. The Lord will provide for you.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Living Successfully

“’…For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

These verses have been used in a lot of ways and sought to be made to say a lot of things they were never meant to convey, but they are still very true for you and me. The original context involved the nation of Israel being exiled to the land of Babylon, but these words of hope from the Lord encouraged them to settle in and make the best of it.

Jeremiah told them their “prophets and fortune-tellers” were telling them lies that God was going to move on their behalf and immediately deliver them from the exiled land, but that wasn’t God’s plan. He told them they would be there for seventy years. In the earlier verses God told them to “build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.” What’s our takeaway?

The “gurus” of modern life are the idols of our culture. The multi-billionaires who seem to have it all are the envy of every person who believes if I just “do what they did” I’ll have all my heart can imagine and more. And the truth is, maybe they can – but at what cost.

Our modern culture is penny rich and dollar poor. We make a lot of money, but few know its value. We tend to believe that “he who has the most toys wins,” but that’s a lie. You may have a lot of things, but if your soul is empty, you have nothing. Jesus said in Mark 8:36: “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” With the clear implication: Absolutely not!

Remember in Matthew 4 when Jesus was being tempted, Satan took Him to “a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” Did you catch that? “and their glory.” We don’t just want the riches, we want the “glory,” the benefits of our riches – prestige, honor, recognition, fame with all its trimmings. That’s what Satan offered Jesus and what he’s still offering today.

You can have that, all of it, all you have to do is the same thing Satan was demanding of Jesus – to worship him. Gratefully, it was a price King Jesus wasn’t willing to pay and I’m begging you, please don’t pay the price of your soul to serve Satan. You may become a “star,” but you’ll lose your soul. So, what’s the big deal with that?

The moment we close our eyes in death everything will become crystal clear. The things of the world, which are now topsy-turvey, will be righted and we’ll finally see as Jesus has always seen. Money and material possessions were never meant to be our “lord,” but our servant. We sell our soul for the things of the world only to find in the end that we let Satan rob us of everything that really was intended to give our life meaning, value, and purpose.

Work is a gift through which we can exalt and honor the Lord and forward His eternal purposes, not simply a means of earning money so we can forward our own purposes. Work is to be an avenue of ministry through which we can give visibility to the presence of Christ and honor Him through our character, honesty, integrity, kindness, and the display of the fruit of the Spirit.

We don’t work, then do ministry for Christ, in the ideal setting work IS our ministry for Christ. We allow the Lord to work in and through us to enable us to be the best “worker” any company would ever have. We show the value of Jesus through exhibiting a work ethic that makes us invaluable to our employer. Earnings become a by-product of our efforts to make our Savior known.

This can be tricky, so let’s look at it more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s Your Version of Success?

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered.” (Psalm 139:16-17 NLT)

Ever wonder what thoughts the Lord has of you? Was He thinking of you the day you were late for class, hadn’t done your homework, and had a “pop” quiz? How about that day you did that “thing” of which you were and are so ashamed? You hoped no one would ever find out, but He knew about it before you were born; before Jesus was a babe in a manger; before He died on a cross in your place to save you from that and many other sins you’ve committed.

Yet, the Bible says His thoughts of you are “precious.” How much higher and greater are the thoughts of God than the thoughts of man. We think sin, filth, degradation, death, but He thinks health, wholeness, purity, and heaven. We’re focused on the here and now, He’s focused on the world to come.

Yes, of course, He’s still thinking of each of us 24/7, but He’s seeing us in ways we struggle to ever see ourselves. We see failure, inadequacy, lack, but He sees success, more than adequate, never lacking anything. We see ourselves working our way up the proverbial ladder, He sees us delighting in Him and enjoying an eternity of bliss. We are this world focused, while He’s other world focused.

What’s YOUR version of success? Where do you see yourself in 10, 20, 30, 40 years? How do you see your life, your marriage, your kids, grandkids, your ministry? Do all of your thoughts revolve around you? If so, I can promise you one thing with certainty. You’re not going to enjoy the outcome. A self-centered life is on a dead-end road to nowhere.

Janel Breitenstein wrote: “Whatever ‘process’ you’re muscling through, sweating and bleeding—there’s One who has His own skin in your game. Whose version of success isn’t just for now, but forever.” It saddens me in some ways to have worked so hard for so little – so little “return” on my “investment” of ministry. On many levels I didn’t even know what real ministry was until I retired from being a “professional clergyman.”

Of course, there was a level of enjoyment and, gratefully, there were special people I met along the way that made it all worthwhile, people, many of whom are now in heaven, who touched my life and made an indelible mark for good and for God, not only on me, but many others. They are successful people as I see it. They’re the “ministers” who lived out their calling and are now enjoying the “fruit of their labor.”

What’s motivating you? What gets you up in the morning and fuels you throughout your day? If it’s anything but Jesus you’re in for a lot of heartache and disappointment. You may think I’m just a soured old man because I wasn’t as successful as I’d imagined I’d be, but you’d be wrong. I’m successful beyond my wildest dreams.

I’m closer to Jesus than I ever imagined I could be. His voice is clearer, His instructions more certain. His presence more refreshing, emotionally stirring, intellectually challenging, spiritually stimulating, and His retirement plan is out of this world! It has taken me a lifetime to learn that I don’t earn a living and love Jesus on the side – that’s completely backwards. Jesus IS our priority and everything else flows out of our walk with Him.

Let’s look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Affairs of the Heart

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT)

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite that is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. People often experience flu-like symptoms and, if left untreated, they can develop severe complications and die. Satan has a similar strategy when it comes to sin. He “inoculates” us with the Truth of the Gospel, but not enough to really change our life.

We tend to believe that if we know something we’re good, but that’s not the truth of the Gospel. James 2:19 reminds us: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”

Of course, good deeds don’t save us, but neither does faith alone. Saving faith is belief WITH good works. Yes, of course, faith is the foundation upon which our works are built, but faith without evidence that faith exists is of no value. We are saved by grace, the free, unmerited favor of God, through faith, which, of course, is itself a gift of God, as Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this, it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

We sometimes wrongly believe once we give expression to a belief we hold, our sins are forgiven and we’re good to go, but that’s not how it works. Yes, of course, that’s how it begins, but the same faith that affords us salvation must fuel our journey to sanctification, which essentially means our life in the Spirit.

The Spirit supplies the resource of strength to put our faith into action as we seek moment by moment to not only “rest” in our salvation, but allow it to be activated by the good works the Lord prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). If we’re not actively living out our faith, we’re very likely allowing it to lie dormant, which is not unlike allowing ourselves to have Malaria, but ignoring it.

We lie to ourselves about things the Bible teaches are clearly wrong. We say things like: “What harm is a text to thank her for our conversation today? She’s so thoughtful and caring and attentive to me.” or “My male co-worker will really like this picture of me in my new outfit. He’s so complimentary of how I dress.”

Are we really that stupid? (Don’t answer that, it’s too embarrassing). Yes, of course, we treat our co-workers, friends, neighbors, virtually everyone with kindness, but we cross lines when we carry our kindness too far in male-female relationships when we’re married and they’re not our spouse.

Emotional affairs can be swift and fatal to our marriage in a similar way as Malaria can kill our body. Janel Breitenstein gives us an insightful instruction when she writes: “Keep yourself from rationalizing the danger of opening your heart to someone who isn’t your spouse.” In much the same way as if you’re bitten by an infected mosquito, you run the risk of Malaria, if your heart is smitten by an emotional affair, please seek treatment!

Silence isn’t golden when you’re flirting (literally) with the demise of your marriage. You must tell someone (i.e. a Pastor, Counselor, close Christian friend, etc. – unless, of course, one of those is the one with whom you’re having the affair ☹). The best course is to tell your spouse, then seek help together. It will be scary and may risk your marriage, but truth is, your marriage is already at risk. You need help and you need help NOW!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

We Don’t Clean What We Don’t Know Is Dirty

“Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” (Acts 8:22-23 NLT)

These stern words to Simon the sorcerer came from the Apostle Peter following Simon’s request to receive the Holy Spirit’s power by paying Peter money. Then, upon hearing Peter’s words, he begged Peter to pray for him so those things wouldn’t happen to him. My sense is we won’t find brother Simon in heaven. It’s obvious his concern centered on him, not on Jesus.

A lot of people are like Simon today. They don’t realize the foulness of their sin until they see something about Christianity that is appealing, so they pursue it in the energy of the flesh, never stopping to consider if they could have what Christ offers without Christ, the Cross served no purpose. David Jeremiah reminds us: “The stench of sin is worse than all the foul odors of earth. When we dishonor the commands of Scripture, it’s a stench rising to heaven.”

Ideally, the foul odor of our lives will point us to Jesus, but often, until the stench of our own sin becomes too much to bear, we’ll continue down our path to hell without a thought of changing. Like the baby’s diaper, we don’t usually change it until it stinks or gives us evidence of its need to be changed.

Too often the beauty and majesty of Jesus fades in the light of our own “goodness.” When we’re full of ourselves there’s no room left for Jesus. Max Lucado makes an interesting observation when he writes: “We can never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty.” We can’t be forgiven for a sin for which we haven’t asked forgiveness.

The tragedy is, we often wait too long before we realize our perilous plight. I think of the 5 bridesmaids from Matthew 25 who didn’t have enough oil for their lamps, but while they went to purchase more, the bridegroom came, and the door was shut. Jesus’ words haunt us as He said: “Believe Me, I don’t know you!”

The point of the parable is simple – BE PREPARED! If someone isn’t prepared when they die or Jesus comes, for them it’s too late. Are YOU prepared? If your heart would stop and your life would end this moment, are you certain you’d have a home in heaven with the Lord Jesus. The only reason any of us can have that certainty is Jesus.

There’s nothing about any of us that deserves heaven except Him, so, to believe we’re good enough because of all the good we do, all the money we give, all the compassion we show, or anything else is to let our lamps run out of oil. There’s no hope of heaven without Jesus and the only way to know we’re right with Him is through recognizing the stench of our sin and seeking the Savior who is Christ the Lord.

If you’re certain of your right standing with Christ because of your faith in Him alone, then please, be attentive to those around you who are dying in their sin but believing they’re going to heaven because of their own goodness. And, yes, I understand it’s sometimes a thin line to cross when someone believes they’re right with God, but like Simon the sorcerer, they’re clearly not.

The Lord will help you find a way to let them know, but more importantly, make sure you’re not approaching them under the cloak of your own self-righteousness. Allow the Lord to search your heart first before you seek to help guide anyone else in the cleansing of their heart.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

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Is Obedience to God Optional?

“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 28:18b-20 NLT)

There are no “super Christians” in the family of God. There are only those who obey and those who disobey God. The Great Commission (see above) are not words to Pastors and leaders of the Christian Faith alone, they are to me and you, if you’re a follower of Jesus. And the weight and responsibility of that command doesn’t expire until we do.

As long as we have breath, we have responsibility to reach and teach people about Jesus. Our churches are filled with people who see themselves as spiritual minnows called to catch whales, but we take courage because we believe our Pastors, leaders, and the ministries of our churches are doing the job!

Here’s the deal – no one can do the job that you or I are leaving undone! NOONE! There are lost loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, friends, acquaintances…and on and on it goes! People who won’t be reached for Christ if we don’t reach them. Infant believers who won’t grow unless we take them under our wing and teach them what it looks like for a person of God to act and live like a person of God.

R. C. Sproul wrote: “Christ has commissioned us to be light and salt in this world. We have no option but to obey.” We try to treat Jesus’ compelling words as if they were written for someone else, but they weren’t. If we profess faith in Jesus these are His words to me and you. Hudson Taylor reinforces Sproul’s words when he wrote: “The great commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”

And I can hear the hearts of many saying: “But I’m not ready! I don’t know enough! I’m not well enough equipped to take on an assignment like that!” And here’s God’s answer: “Then get ready! I’ve given you everything you need to be everything I designed and equipped you to be. I’ve given you My Word and My Church and a mind and heart that when submitted to Me will be all you’ll need to be and do everything I’m calling you to be and do. TRUST ME!”

A. W. Tozer wrote: “Every man is as close to God as he wants to be.” In other words, we’re as well equipped to win and serve others as we want to be. But here’s the irony, you’ve already got everything you need to get started in moving in the right direction.

If you’ll get on your knees before the Lord and hold your hands out in front of you, palms up. And tell the Lord in your own words, some version of: “Lord, this is my life. Take it, use it, it’s Yours. Do in me, through me, on my behalf everything I need You to do so that I can be everything You’ve called me to be. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and empower me to put my ‘yes’ on the table. “Yes” to whatever You want. I’ll go wherever you want me to go and do whatever You desire me to do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!”

When you mean it, He’ll do it!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

While There’s Time

“We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.’” (John 9:4-5 NLT)

Jesus had a deadline, and so do you and I. We all have only so many ticks of the clock to accomplish what the Lord put us here to do. Are you doing what you’ve been put here to do? Jesus did. He had a very specific assignment, one only He could accomplish and here’s the kicker – so do you and I!

Why do you think the Lord made the effort to form you perfectly in your mother’s womb. There’s not another person on earth exactly like you and there are assignments for God that only you can do. If you or I don’t do what God calls us to do, it won’t get done.

*“Acknowledging the Creator”* “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

Why do you think there are so many unreached people and people groups in our world? It’s not because there isn’t anyone to reach them, it’s because the right person hasn’t answered their call and stepped up to do what only they can do.

So, that raises some questions. How do I know what I’ve been equipped and called to do? How does God speak? To whom does He speak? Does He speak? There are things the Lord is showing me in this time and season that I could have heard thirty, forty, fifty years ago if I’d been listening. He spoke, I was just too busy and too distracted to listen.

That’s what millions of believers in the world are doing right now. They think their life is about them. Their career, their family, their relationships, their business, their relaxation, their ________ (and you can fill in the blank). When we believe life is about us we don’t listen to the Lord because we think we already have life figured out.

I’m “hearing” the words of George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life saying: “I’m going to travel the world, I’m going to build skyscrapers…and bridges…and…” but he ended up staying in the “measly little town” he despised, taking over the Savings and Loan his father had established and ran. But as much as he thought he hated it; in the end he realized what “A Wonderful Life” he’d been given. Why? Because he did what only he could do in that circumstance.

You have been given “a wonderful life,” too, my friend, you just may not have realized it yet. God speaks to those who will listen. Are you listening? What is it that God has given you? Where has He uniquely placed you? What experiences have you had that uniquely equip you to do what needs to be done where He’s placed you or in the place to which He’s calling you?

Jesus’ mission was to do one thing – to seek and save the lost! He had a very specific role in that process, one that no one else in all of history could have filled, but He stepped up and at the cost of His life, He paid the penalty for our sin. Then what? He called me and you to continue the quest of seeking the lost. He’ll still do the saving, but we have to take them to Him. WE MUST MAKE HIM KNOWN!

We’re not here to run a company or work at one; we’re not here simply to raise a family and go to church when it’s convenient. We’re here to spend ourselves in the Master’s service. And yes, of course, that often involves families and jobs and responsibilities, but it’s in that context we discover what Jesus has specifically and uniquely called us to. It’s not outside, beyond, or even in addition to what we find ourselves enmeshed in. If we’ll allow Him, He’ll show us our “mission,” our part in seeking the lost, right there in the midst of our mess.

Are you listening? Time’s running out.

Blessings, Ed 😊