Walking With Jesus

What Did They Lose?

“So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and He sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which He had been made.” (Genesis 3:23 NLT)

When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden they lived in perfect harmony with God and all of creation. They had no fear, nothing to disturb the peace and tranquility that surrounded them. We’re not told how long they lived in the garden before the fall, but obviously enough time passed for Adam to share with Eve the instructions God had given him regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and to consider what that meant.

All they knew was that they would “die,” but death was a foreign term to them. Nothing “died” in the garden. Everything thrived. What was it in having the knowledge of good and evil that was able to destroy them? Obviously, they had a perfect relationship with God and with each other, what would lead them to desire or consider that they might need or want more?

The scene in the early verses of Genesis 3 doesn’t give us a timeline, but days may have passed while Adam and Eve pondered Satan’s words: “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” And when Eve clarified what God had said, Satan responded by saying: “You won’t die! …God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Alexander Pope’s old adage, “A little learning can be a dangerous thing,” can be true, as it proved to be in Adam and Eve’s minds, but what is it about knowledge that is so dangerous? What was God concerned Adam and Eve would discover when they ate of the fruit? What would they lose that is so vital in a relationship with God? Could it be their singular focus?

My sense is the greatest loss they incurred when they were expelled from the Garden was their intimacy with God. We’re so far removed from what they had that our intimacy pales in comparison with what they enjoyed but, obviously, based on their choice, took for granted. It’s taken me more than 60 years to begin to enjoy a level of closeness to the Lord that I desire for everyone, thus the reason for this blog.

Adam and Eve had nothing to compare to their oneness and closeness to the Lord. They’d never NOT been one with Him. How could they know the catastrophic results of their sin? But that’s what they chose to lose when they ate the forbidden fruit. And, however we want to think of it, that’s exactly what we forfeit when we sin.

Sin separates us, from God, from each other, from the things God has in store for us, from a sense of purpose, from accomplishment of His will that alone can render peace, harmony, a sense of comfort, and safety in His presence that we can experience in no other way.

In my mind I can “hear” a conversation between Adam and Eve. They’re alone in the quietness of their new surroundings and suddenly Eve says to Adam: “It feels so different here!” For the rest of their lives, each moment of each new day would introduce them to what they “lost” by choosing their way instead of God’s.

What have you and I lost in our stubbornness and insistence on following our own way? I’m quite sure we’ve lost more than we can possibly imagine but will see firsthand when we leave this planet.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

His Slumbering Church (Part 2)

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7a NLT)

The first and most important place to look for “slumbering” believers is in the mirror. Who are “slumbering” believers? They are those who profess faith in Jesus but have “fallen asleep at the proverbial wheel” of their faith. We can get to the point in our walk with the Lord that our attitude seems to be: “I’ve got this Christianity thing! I know how it works, and I know how to work it.” Which basically translates: “I’m in my ‘groove’ and nothing or no one is going to change my mind.”

And please understand, I’m not pointing fingers. I’ve been there and understand not only how it happens, but what to do when it happens. The biggest issue as I understand it, is intellectual. We figure things out in our mind, but, unfortunately, they don’t always equate with what’s in our heart.

For example, for many years, even as a Pastor, I had a “working” relationship with the Lord. I spent time in prayer and reading the Bible, but it was, almost without exception, a means to an end for me. What does that mean? I read and studied because I had to prepare for something, it wasn’t simply to get to know the Lord better or even to build my personal walk with Him.

On some levels I was in “survivor” or “performance” mode. Yes, of course, I loved God and wanted to please Him, but there were times the persons I most wanted to please were the ones staring back at me on a Sunday morning. When I was completely honest, the ones who decided whether I would stay or leave.

However, since retiring, I’ve now been liberated to love God because He’s God. My “quiet” time extends throughout my day. My communion with the Lord isn’t only when I’m in a formal posture of prayer or even when I’m reading His Word, but every second of every day I’m longing for His presence; looking for Him in the ordinary events of the day; seeing Him at work in people and places I never imagined He’d be.

Many today are “slumbering” because they haven’t learned how to “wake up.” They haven’t yet discovered what it means to “love God with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.” The haven’t yet allowed the Lord to captivate their heart and mind and channel their every thought through the filter of the throne room of the Most Holy God.

When we’re living for an audience of One, the heart of the matter becomes our accountability to Him. Yes, of course, we care what others think to a degree, but that’s not what governs or motivates how we live. Thinking that way is liberating, yet restrictive. How so?

It’s liberating in the sense that I can love everyone without obligation to believe what they believe or see things the way they view them. We can agree to disagree on nonessentials and still fight side-by-side for the souls of our friends and loved ones.

When you boil it down, no one – NOT ONE – person who has lived, is living, or will ever live, except Jesus, has perfect understanding of the Bible, or anything else for that matter. Our understanding is limited to what we’re given. So, it stands to reason, the closer we are to Jesus, the more understanding He’s going to give us, thus the reason He may choose us to send a clarion call to anyone who has grown lazy or is “slumbering” when they should be fully awake and engaged in the fight for souls to Christ’s honor and fame.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

His Slumbering Church

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love Me or each other as your did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” (Revelation 2:4-5 NLT)

These stern words spoken by the Lord Jesus to the church in Ephesus could be written to many churches in the USA and across our world today. The old adage “familiarity breeds contempt” could, unfortunately, be used in reference to those of us in the Christian family.

We’re so prone to view others through the lens of our own understanding, seeming never to consider that maybe our own “lens” is smudged by misunderstanding. Have you considered that the authors of the absolute best interpretation of Scripture that any of us can read are the words of fallible human beings with feet of clay?

Scholars with years of experience in interpreting and understanding the contexts of Biblical writings, while immensely helpful, are always dependent on the frailties of their own understanding. Does that mean they haven’t or don’t make accurate interpretations? I’m quite confident in the vast majority of cases they have.

But here’s the truth as I understand it. The Lord has given us some invaluable resources with which to do Biblical research and study, but to the extent it only leads to further division in the Body we have to calculate the risk of using it. And even as I type these words the Lord is prompting me to remember that TRUTH itself is divisive. So, what are we to do?

If you view the people across the centuries whom the Lord has used most mightily, with rare exception, they have been men and women of God who put a high value on personal piety. What does that mean? It means their walk with the Lord was preeminent in their thinking and living. It means their lifestyle of closeness with the Lord was evidenced in not only how they spoke, but the fruit of their lives.

George Mueller was a leader among the Plymouth Brethren whose day-to-day existence was completely dependent on the presence and power of the Lord. He began a ministry to orphans without the resources to care for them, believing the Lord would provide, and He always did. Brother Mueller wrote: “In July 1829 it pleased God to reveal to my heart the truth regarding the return of the Lord Jesus and to show me that I had made a great mistake by sitting back and watching for the complete conversion of the world. It produced the following effect on me: Deep within my soul, I was moved to feel compassion for perishing sinners and for a world lulled to sleep by the wicked Enemy. And I began to think, ‘Should I not do whatever I can for the Lord Jesus and try to awake His slumbering church before He returns?’”

In our efforts to combat the “heresy” that our fellow believers are following, we miss the point of why we’re believers in the first place – not so we can all believe exactly alike, but to use the knowledge, gifts, and abilities the Lord has given us to reach those who don’t believe.

Whether someone’s view of end times is exactly like ours shouldn’t prevent us from joining forces to reach our fellow “slumbering” believers, as well as our loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and anyone else to whom the Lord gives us access, with the Good News. How we do that can be tricky, so let’s take a closer look at this in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Blinded by the Familiar

“And now my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days. At night my bones are filled with pain, which gnaws at me relentlessly. With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat. He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.” (Job 30:16-19 NLT)

As Job discovered, life can be cruel, and we can quickly blame God instead of reaching out to Him for His compassionate care. The longer I live the more clearly I see my part in the physical dilemma I now face, and, unfortunately, how clearly I see the same thing playing out in the lives of many of my friends and family.

It’s clear in younger people as well, but, just as I was, they’re blind to the inevitable outcomes of their current lifestyles. And please don’t hear what I’m not saying, it’s not that they’re living in deep, deliberate sin, it’s just that they are blinded to the tortuous results of many of their habits. These are otherwise godly and very good people who have let their daily habits begin to erode the otherwise healthy lives that they have or once had.

And these aren’t simply physical, but spiritual issues. Not paying attention to what we eat, and drink is no more serious a violation to the development of our lives as not making Bible reading/study, prayer, and regular fellowship with godly brothers/sisters a “habit” we regularly pursue. Learning to live a godly life involves loving the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and body (strength).

It occurs to me that one thing that deterred my own proactive efforts to become healthier was the fact I didn’t FEEL anything negative. It’s like the moisture that’s eating the foundation of our house. Until the water begins to seep through, we don’t realize we have a problem, but by then much of the damage has been done.

What can we do? Get regular check-ups and LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR! READ YOUR OWN LAB REPORTS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY MEAN AND WHERE YOU’RE HEADING! Similarly, surround yourself with at least one or two people you trust to hold you accountable, not only in terms of your exercise and eating habits, but also your spiritual disciplines.

And I realize this could be a little tricky because too often we lie to ourselves. We read a few verses of the Bible or say the Lord’s prayer or some version of that when we get up and think we’re good to go. On some levels it’s like the man I heard about whose wife kept asking him if he loved her. Finally, in frustration he said to her: “Look, woman, I told you when we got married that I loved you. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know!”

My wife is a treasure not to be ignored, but so is my Savior. I tell my wife often how much I love and appreciate her, but I also tell the Lord many times a day how much He means to me; how much His loving care and bountiful provision mean to me. On some levels it’s ironic that the more my memory fades, the more passionate I’ve become to make sure I don’t slip in my walk with the Lord. My soul’s desire is to continually lift my voice in praise and adoration of my Savior every step of my journey.

The powerful words of Austin Phelps fuel my desire when he wrote: “Suffering is a wonderful fertilizer for the roots of character. The great objective of this life is character, for it is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity. And gaining as much of the highest character possible is the purpose of our trials.”

Please, I implore you! Take care of yourself – heart, mind, soul, and body!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Ordinary Miracles

“When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. A host always serves the best wine first,’ he said, ‘Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!’” (John 2:9-10 NLT)

Today, on Christmas Day 2024 in America, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles…

A fresh pot of coffee you didn’t have to make yourself.

An unexpected call from an old friend or “long-lost” family member.

Green lights on your way to see friends or family.

I wish you a day of little things that will help you rejoice in the Lord on this holy day!

A good sing-along on the radio or your keys right where you look (the first time😊)

I wish you a day of happiness and little bite-size pieces of perfection that give you the funny feeling the Lord is smiling on you, holding you so gently because you are someone special and rare.

I wish you a day of Peace, Happiness, and Joy in Jesus!

*This is an adaptation of something my precious sister (now in heaven) sent me several years ago, that reminded me that life is fragile, and we must hold it with open hands.

Christmas Blessings! Ed 😊

Who’s Christmas Really For?

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’ And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’” (Luke 2:8-12 NLT)

Have you ever wondered why there was no room in the Inn for Mary and Joseph? Who was filling those rooms? The census decreed by the Roman emperor, Augustus, demanded every citizen of the Roman Empire return to their own ancestral town to register. Joseph was a descendant of King David, so he had to go to Bethlehem, but who else would have been there? Presumably there’d be many very religious Jews, likely Scribes and Pharisee’s among them. Where would they be staying?

Only the best for them! They would have sent servants as far in advance as possible to get the best accommodation available. No stable for them! They had the resources to get the best and that’s what they demanded. But not Joseph and Mary.

Why would the Lord allow His only Son to be born in a manger? Why would the angels declare to the shepherds of all people that the Messiah had been born? Shepherds were like dirt under the fingernails of the religious Jew. They had no standing in society. They weren’t even allowed to testify in court. YET! THEY WERE THE VERY ONES TO WHOM THE ANGELS WERE SENT! But why?

Could it be they were the ones the Lord trusted most to get the word out about His newborn Son? Might the declaration of the Angels have fallen on deaf ears if they’d gone to the very ones who supposedly were most interested in the coming Messiah?

Think about the shepherds for a minute. From the standpoint of their standing in the community – most despised, least trust in what they had to say – even in court! Least likely to be chosen for ANYTHING! They weren’t the guys who’d be crowding the Synagogue for service. And, very likely, even if they’d wanted to attend, they’d have not been welcome.

Yet here they were being given an audience with the Messiah! Could it be said of them that they were the unfaithful ones? Most unlikely to be given such a privilege? Yet, like most people alive today – undeserving, unexpecting, uncaring, unprepared – those are the very ones about whom the Lord is most interested in having hear His message of salvation. A new beginning! A fresh start! An underserved opportunity!

Maybe we can refocus our efforts this Christmas to reach those who aren’t looking to be reached, but who may be the very ones most receptive to an “angel’s” message.

I want to invite you to listen to a song I recently heard for the first time that’s sung by Michael Boggs entitled Come You Unfaithful. Please listen and be blessed.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Value of Suffering

“I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.” (Jeremiah 10:23 NLT)

One of the most significant values of suffering of any kind is that it shows us we’re not in charge of our own life. Suffering in and of itself can be a very positive experience, but rather than put our trust fully in the Lord to allow “everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them,” we too often want to belly ache and complain because we don’t like what the Lord allowed.

And I get it, I really do. In my humanity I can’t see any reason why the Lord would allow my beloved, saint of a sister to die of cancer shortly before Christmas. I don’t understand why my mom, who loved Jesus, would literally drop dead at Thanksgiving. I can’t explain why my dad who walked with the Lord and loved his family sacrificially would die without dignity at the savage hands of Parkinson’s Disease.

On a personal level, I can’t explain why the Lord would saddle me with Alzheimer’s disease, but this one thing I know with certainty: The Lord never allows ANYTHING except it has purpose to bless and to forward His eternal purposes! As long as I have breath and the ability to speak and/or write, I will sing His praises and seek to magnify His holy Name!

It’s easy to see how dying blesses those who know and love Him, but their passing can cripple those they leave behind. And debilitating diseases can take their toll, not only on their victims, but on their family and friends. Yet, I’m convinced in my own spirit that God is faithful to never waste a problem. I’ve never sensed God’s closeness more nearly or heard His voice more clearly than I do in this season of my life.

Even as I reflect on the tragedies and times of agonizing personal introspection and pain, I see the Lord’s hands surrounding me, comforting, teaching, consoling, healing, building up, caring, and even compelling me to see Him more clearly, trust Him more fully, follow Him more closely, and serve Him more effectively and joyfully.

Jesus isn’t our “errand boy” or our “genie in a bottle” designed to give us everything we want when we demand it. If that’s what you’re looking for, check with Google. But if you want fulfillment, a sense of deep, abiding joy, a calling that will exceed your wildest dreams, and a friend who created the world and has all power that He’ll use in any way He sees fit to bless you and honor His Father, then submit your life to Jesus!

You’ll discover why you were born and what life at its best can really look like. Will you suffer and experience things you wish you didn’t have to go through? Yes, you will! But here’s the deal – you’re going to go through those things with or without Jesus, and my advice is, it’s a lot more helpful to have Him walk with you through those tough times.

That’s the context out of which you discover the real value of suffering. But it requires something from you. First, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and stop asking, “Why me?” and start asking the right questions, beginning with, “Why NOT me?” Who am I that I should be bypassed for this opportunity to join the Lord in the accomplishment of His purposes in my life?

Suffering is hard, and He’s shared with me that I’m only at the beginning of my journey, but as long as I have His hand, I’ll follow Him anywhere.

Ultimately, HE’s the most valuable gift we receive through our suffering.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Avenues of Life

“‘What do you mean, “If I can?”’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’” (Mark 9:23 NLT)

What we truly believe isn’t evidenced by our words alone, but by the quality of our lives revealed in and through the avenues of our life. What does that mean?

It essentially means that we can profess anything, but our actions, how we live from day to day, is what demonstrates who we are. How we speak, work, treat others, worship, serve, and a thousand other ways large and small reveal what motivates us and serves as the core of what drives us, what we truly believe.

And make no mistake, we’re ALL driven, we ALL believe in something or Someone. Faith in Jesus is a belief system that encompasses the entire purview of not only what motivates a person, but how they live out that drive. Faith is not given expression in a vacuum, but in full view of whoever may be watching.

Everyday we rub shoulders with many people, some we know, many we do not, yet the quality and passion of our life reveals who we really are. We can profess faith in Christ with every breath, but if we’re rude, unkind, uncaring, short-tempered, vile or unwholesome in our speech, unfaithful, then we’re living anything BUT Jesus.

Words are cheap. We can say the right words but deny them with the way we live. The avenues of our life will reveal the truth or falseness of our words. When the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – gives evidence of the Spirit’s residence in our life, people can’t help but notice.

When someone is unkind to us, says evil things about us, despitefully uses us and we respond in loving, caring, sympathetic ways, that’s not “normal,” so, people will take notice. When the Spirit lives in us He will make Himself known, so, if His presence isn’t evident, could it be He’s not living in us?

In Psalm 139:23-24 David wrote: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” There are many paths that lead to many destinations, but only one Path that leads home to heaven. His name is Jesus and HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!

If the avenues of your life are leading you away from Him, you’re on the wrong path. Get alone with the Lord and allow Him access to your heart, mind, soul, and body. As you view your own life what clues are there that the life you’re currently living is being lived to His honor and fame? What tangible evidences are there that Jesus is the Ruler of your life?

If someone was to follow you through your day what conclusion would they draw based on what they see? Are you spending time devoted specifically and only to prayer, to reading God’s Word, to studying and memorizing God’s Word, pondering and applying God’s Word? Are you listening for His voice of instruction? Are you hearing what He’s longing for you to hear? Can you discern His voice above the other voices of the world that scream for your attention during the course of any given day? Are you investing yourself in serving others in ways that don’t benefit you?

These and many other questions should challenge each of us to take an inventory of our life with the intention of determining just who or what we’re believing and why?

Anything is possible for someone who believes in Jesus. Who or what are you believing?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Once Saved Always Saved? (Part 2)

“Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me – even Phygelus and Hermogenes.” (2 Timothy 1:14-15 NLT)

Guarding truth is a moment-by-moment decision. Too often what is “truth” in one moment can quickly become something else the next. That people are fickle and change their mind and redirect their lives over almost anything is not in question. What IS in question, at least for me, is what are the spiritual implications for those who profess a relationship with Jesus, then turn their backs on Him?

The doctrine known as “eternal security” is often tied to the expression “once saved always saved,” but I don’t see them as one and the same. My security in Jesus is tied to my relationship with Him, my moment-by-moment intimacy with Him. Yes, of course, over the years that intimacy has “ebbed and flowed,” but the security of my relationship has never been in jeopardy.

That’s why I say I believe in eternal security for believers. What I don’t believe is that someone who professes faith, but lives like the devil, has “eternal” security. As I said in another article, there is no security for an unbeliever regardless of what they profess. So, the question with which we wrestle is: “Can a person have a genuine walk with God, then walk away? And, if so, will they still go to heaven?”

In the Hebrews 6 passage we looked at a few days ago, the author was very clear when he wrote: “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come – and who then turn away from God.”

In the other post I sought to be true to the context and I don’t want to try to make the Bible say something it doesn’t say, but the fact remains, godly people lose their way and leave God and the faith. Yes, of course, God doesn’t leave them, but the question remains, do they lose heaven in that decision? My sense is that they do? But why?

Free will is the issue upon which my decision hinges. Will the Lord require and insist that someone who has clearly made their will known by walking away from Him, the Church, and everything that even hints of holiness and right living, go to heaven when they die? Why would they even want to?

There’s a young woman with whom I’ve communicated over the months, who told me she walked with the Lord for “more than 30 years,” but who abandoned her faith and has no expectation or desire to “go to heaven.” She no longer believes there is a God, let alone a heaven. Will the Lord make her go to heaven? Not in any stretch of my understanding of Him or His Word!

He gives us freedom to choose and freedom to live with the consequences of those choices. To live with and for Him is to choose heaven, but to walk away from Him is to choose hell. That is why I persist in lifting my “prodigal” loved ones to my Father. Can they be forgiven and restored if they return to Him? Absolutely! What about Hebrews 6:4? That was a specific context to which most of our prodigals do not apply. But even if they did, I wouldn’t stop praying because ultimately, it’s God’s choice who will be in heaven, not mine…not yours!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Once Saved Always Saved?

“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are My followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” (Luke 10:21-22 NLT)

From the outset let me affirm that I believe in Eternal Security for believers, based on 1 John 5:13. I believe we can know we’re saved and not have to be concerned that Satan or anyone or anything else can rob us of our salvation. However, I do not believe in the oft quoted phrase, “Once saved, always saved.” While that can be true for many, I hope most, it’s not true for all.

As in the parable of the farmer scattering seed in Matthew 13, seed dropped on the soil of different hearts yielded different results. Not everyone who begins the faith journey ends up in heaven. Jesus reveals His will for us in Matthew 10:22 when He said: “And all nations will hate you because you are My followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” With the clear implication, some will not endure.

The word “endure” that Jesus uses, according to Strong’s Concordance, means: “to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee; to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ; to endure, bear bravely and calmly; ill treatments.” Why did Jesus say that? Could it be because persecution often becomes the context of fleeing our faith? Our nature is self-preservation and until Christ means more to us than our own life, our commitment isn’t very deep (see Luke 14:26 NLT) Too often, when the pressure builds, believers walk away. Paul mentions those, like Demas, who deserted him and there’s no other mention of him after that.

For unbelievers there is no security, at least as it relates to God. God has accomplished everything needed to be done in the completed work of Christ on Calvary. His shed blood is adequate to pay the penalty for the sin of every repentant sinner, but there is no payment for the sin of one who doesn’t repent. You can’t receive something for which you don’t ask.

Jesus owns me. His will IS my will. Whatever He wants for me is exactly what I want for myself. But when we’re honest, not many professing believers hold that conviction, or if they do, they don’t talk about it. There are those who straddle the proverbial fence of belief every day, yet they hold on to what they were told when they were first “saved:” “Just hold on to this, my friend, ‘Once you’re saved you can never be lost!’”

What’s the message that can be heard in that, and, unfortunately, the message someone who would tell them that may believe: “Just get this eternity ‘insurance’ in Jesus, then you can live anyway you want, and it won’t matter.’” But that’s a lie from the depths of hell. Jesus said in Luke 14:27: “You cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own.”

The context of those words was Jesus’ laying out the cost of following Him. “Count the cost” He said and gave illustrations to emphasize what He was saying. The cost of discipleship is high and will cost us our life, literally and/or figuratively, and the truth is, not everyone who begins finishes. Demas, whom Paul referred to as his “co-worker” in ministry in Philemon, is mentioned also in 2 Timothy 4:10 when Paul writes: “Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life…”

Let’s look at this from another angle in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊