Walking With Jesus

Man or Machine?

“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

You and I are created by God to “fill the earth and govern it.” (Genesis 1:28), yet, there are those today who believe humanity is basically idiotic and should be governed by machines, or, at least, by those who control the machines.

John Stonestreet gives us insight into this idea when he wrote: “C.S. Lewis saw this impulse decades ago and recognized how it would grant growing power to certain people over and above others. In his masterpiece The Abolition of Man, Lewis warned of those he called ‘conditioners,’ who considered themselves above such common human frailties. Of course, as Lewis pointed out, the conditioners are also human, but in denial that they too are vulnerable to the same frailties as everyone else.

Their danger lies in the fact that they are oblivious about their frailties, especially their moral frailties. It is good that humans have bodies that limit us to one location and the need for food, sleep, and friendship. These limits are part of our design. Because we are designed, we must be guided by values and not merely algorithms. It is good that we take time to learn, to appreciate beauty, to feel wonder, and to have burning questions about what is behind all that we see.

God made us this way, so that, eventually, our seeking would lead back to Him. Though He intends to redeem us from the ravages of sin, He never intends to optimize us into efficient machines. Apparently, He considers being human as something ‘good,’ even ‘very good.’ So much so, in fact, He took on flesh Himself. (Pixar’s) Wall-E got it (mostly) right. Technology is good but needs a telos—a purpose for existing. That purpose cannot be to replace, transcend, or circumvent God’s good design for human beings. In short, technology and public policy should be human-shaped, not the other way around. (See BreakPoint Humanity Isn’t a Problem to Solve // Myanmar Junta Persecutes Christians – 09-21-23)

It’s ironic on some levels that as a world society, the less like God we strive to be, the more inhumane we are to one another, and this obviously isn’t getting better. The longer we deny, not only God’s existence, but our need of Him, the more prone we become to be destructive, not only to ourselves, but in the way(s) we treat one another.

The mutilation of children, the annihilation of people groups, the intolerance of anything that even hints of God and the disdain of anyone naïve enough to believe He exists, is not only frightening, but the confirmation that God’s tolerance of our sin-bent nature is growing short.

If ever there was a time when God’s people should shine in the darkness and depravity of the world in which we live, it is now. Treat others, every other person, whether you deem them “worthy” or not, like you’d like to be treated. Speak to people with whom you have contact each day with respect and courtesy.

We’re not humanized “machines,” we’re people made in the image of God, created and designed to function as mini examples of who He is and what He’s like. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to so rule us that those with whom we have contact will catch a glimpse of the living God and, perhaps, gain insight in why they need to yield their lives and allegiance to Him.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Take My Yoke!

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

What do you envision when you close your eyes and imagine being “yoked” with Jesus? Think of a pair of oxen yoked together, pulling a plow. Think of the implications. They’re partnered, literally connected. Where one goes, the other must go. There’s no “doing there own thing,” or going their own way.

Think of the implications for you and me if we’re serious about our walk with Jesus. What if every morning when your eyes opened to the opportunity of a new day, your first thought was: “Thank You, Lord, for this new day. What do You have prepared for me? How can I most fully and appropriately conform my life to Your will and liking? I want Your will, not mine! I want to walk in Your footsteps, not mine! I want what You want for me. Nothing more, nothing less!” Might it change the trajectory of your whole day? Your whole life?

Photo by Sarau00ed Carrasco on Pexels.com

The purpose of a yoke is two-fold. First, to take away control. When I’m yoked with Jesus the only option I have is to try to stay still and be dragged along, or take the next step, in step with my Master. The moment we relinquish control of our lives to Jesus; from that moment we’ll begin to grow in His likeness. When our heart beats with desire to be like Him, our lives will conform more perfectly to His desires and will.

That relates to the second purpose of a yoke, which is to teach or train. Jesus said: “Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you…” There is no more effective training than “on-the-job training.” We can read the Bible day and night, but until we allow the Lord Jesus to “yoke” us to Himself and begin to walk by His side, we’ll have no frame of reference from which to govern our life.

The Bible isn’t just filled with meaningful and helpful stories and guidelines, it’s filled with life! Life that lives and breathes and has it’s being in and through each one who is bold enough and brave enough to lay down control of their lives and yoke themselves to the God of Creation. There is no greater honor or privilege than to walk in harmony with the Creator of the Universe!

The gift of God’s Holy Spirit living within us gives us 24-7 access to His leadership and training. There is not a second of my day I’m alone or expected to find my own way. I, you, don’t have a way! It’s HIS way! That’s the beauty of being yoked with Him. We don’t have to think about which way to go or how to do something He’s asked of us.

We simply comply with the Holy Spirit’s directives and walk in His power and might. “But how?” you might ask. One step at a time! Begin each day with a decision to rely on God’s strength and guidance, then moment by moment make the decision to rely on Him. He will guide and inform you. Is it a decision regarding something at work? Pause and in your mind breath a prayer of dependence upon the Lord: “Father, this is catching me by surprise, but I know nothing catches You by surprise. Please order my steps and direct my mind!” And He will! Regardless of the circumstances, if we trust Him, He will respond accordingly.

There’s no greater freedom than to be yoked with the Lord Jesus.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Object of Our Worship

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things.” (1 Chronicles 29:11 NLT)

Easter was just a few weeks past and for me it was a glorious event. The Lord has given me the privilege of greeting those who who are coming to worship at one of our entrances, and as the hundreds of people flooded through the doors on Easter Sunday, my heart was rejoicing. I kept saying to the Lord, “Keep ‘em coming Lord! Keep ‘em coming!” and He did!

The music was glorious, and our Pastor was on fire for the Lord. When I left my soul was rejoicing and my heart was full. But why? Who deserves the credit for such an outpouring of God’s presence? Certainly not the musicians. As great as they are, as much as they rehearsed, they were instruments the Lord used to help tune our heart to His voice.

What about our Pastor? Should he get the credit? I’ve learned something over the years that I wish I’d known when I was pastoring. When the Pastor worships, adores God, and is seeking His holy presence with all His heart, the people in his audience experience the Lord’s presence. But to answer my question, no, the Pastor doesn’t deserve the credit.

God alone is worthy of our worship, adoration, and praise. To transfer or give credit to anyone or anything else is to miss the point of worship. Tim Challies nailed it when he wrote: “The most fitting response to a powerful sermon is not, ‘What a great preacher!’ but ‘What a great God!’” To believe the source of our spiritual “food” is a Pastor or even a church, is to misunderstand their role in God’s plan.

Micah Fries was on to something when he observed: “If you judge your church’s worship based on how well you’ve been ‘fed’ you have made yourself the object of your worship.” The purpose of worship in whatever form we experience it, isn’t to “feed” us, but to humble us, magnify Christ, and glorify His Father. We’re fed by God’s Word and His words from whoever’s lips they may flow.

There are men and women of God who share God’s truth through the written, as well as the spoken word, but they are not to be glorified, honored, and exalted. They are great only to the extent they enable their readers or hearers to see Jesus more clearly and understand their role in the Kingdom more completely, but we stunt our own growth by offering credit for the presence and power of God to the wrong sources.

But we too often do the same thing each day when we fail to see the glory and majesty of God in the sunrise, in the air we breathe, or in the food He provides for our meals. Having a loving family and friends should cause our hearts to praise our Risen Lord for His favor in allowing us such meaningful relationships.

When Jesus is the object of our worship, every detail of our life becomes alive with meaning and opportunity to praise and honor Him. He is the Author of every good and perfect gift and we must allow our lives to give Him the credit and worship that is His due. To not see His hand at work in every dimension of our lives is to miss opportunities to exalt Him as our worthy Lord.

I’m hopeful that you’re a part of a thriving, growing fellowship of God’s people, but please don’t credit that blessing to the works of man. God uses men and women in the building of His Kingdom, but all glory is His for the good results. He alone is and must always be the object of our worship.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Practice or Profession

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.” (Titus 1:15-16 NLT)

Would you believe me if I told you I’ve made 5 eagles in a single round of golf? If you’re familiar with golf you’d probably laugh and tell me it’s never been done, but I’ve done it more than once…on my Xbox 360 Tiger Woods golf game (on easy mode 😊). But to translate that proficiency from a golf game to an actual golf course would be impossible for me. I’ve never in my life had an eagle and very few birdies.

What’s my point? Profession is a lot easier than practice! Even as a believer, it’s so much easier to profess intimacy with our Savior than to practice it. The fact is, intimacy with anyone, pure, spiritual closeness with another human being is rare. Please don’t confuse physical intimacy with heart intimacy even with another human being.

Profession of our faith should only grow out of our practice of spiritual disciplines that flow from a heart being transformed and conformed to our Savior’s likeness. That transformation begins the moment we yield our life and allegiance to the Lord Jesus, confessing our sin and seeking His forgiveness and the infilling of His Holy Spirit.

But it’s a journey that continues until we draw our last breath and are translated miraculously into the Lord’s holy presence. We’ll never be perfect, in the sense of flawless and sinless, in the same sense as Jesus was, as long as we’re in these human bodies, but that shouldn’t prevent us from constantly seeking to be better and more Christlike in every avenue of our being.

Mark Driscoll was on to something when he wrote: “Christianity is about what you practice, not just what you profess.” We must be very careful we don’t “oversell” our walk with the Lord. May the Lord protect us from professing that which we have not yet learned to practice in our walk with Him. What does that mean? What might that look like?

Just because I no longer struggle with ongoing lustful thoughts doesn’t mean I never have a lustful thought. What it means is the Lord has taught me to immediately shift my thoughts to something wholesome and good. He has given me verses, choruses, or hymns to which He will immediately redirect my thoughts. Or I’ll shift my thinking to my beautiful bride and the joy she brings to my life in so many ways.

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord, I have two directives from the Lord. First, don’t give up. Regardless of how many times you fall, keep getting up. One day, I promise you, it will get easier if you’ll continually take it to the Lord and seek His help and strength. And, secondly, seek Godly friendships with others who have overcome what you’re seeking to overcome in your life. Someone who understands how you’re struggling and can empathize with your pain and failure.

Too often we want to feel superior, like we’re some kind of “super” Christian when the Lord delivers us from our sin, but His desire is just the opposite. He wants us to contribute every victory, not to our strength, but to His; not to our efforts, but to His work in and through us.

Constant practice puts “meat” on the bones of our profession and gives us greater and greater opportunities for praise, adoration and worship of our King.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God’s Answer to Loneliness

“Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins. See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in You I take refuge. May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in You, O God, ransom Israel from all its troubles.” (Psalm 25:16-22 NLT)

Do you ever get lonely? Most often being lonely is more a mental state than a physical reality. We can be in a crowded room and still feel very alone. We can have lots of friends and acquaintances, yet still not feel a strong connection to any of them. Even family members, as important as they are, cannot always fill the void of closeness that we each seek and need. So, what’s the answer?

The short answer is intimacy with the Lord which fills every void and gives us a sense of belonging that no human relationship can give. Yet, the Lord realized that Adam, as perfect as he was, had a need for human companionship and love, so, He gave Adam a wife, Eve. Did that solve Adam’s problem of loneliness? On some levels it compounded it, but the point here is, loneliness isn’t going to find its resolve in any one person, even the Lord.

Ruth Graham gives us insight when she writes: “There’s no better place to discover the healthiest possible response to loneliness than the Word of God.” The Lord has a way of wrapping His holy arms of love around us as we embrace His Word and spend precious moments seeking Him through its pages. I think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28 when He said: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” The Psalms are filled with invitations to rest, find hope, consolation, contentment, and peace.

An article in the Wall Street Journal a few years ago summed up their study by saying the most significant contributing factor for physical health, mental health, and longevity is close personal connections. If you want to make one decision to ensure your own health and happiness, thus, the antidote to loneliness, develop and build close relationships with a variety of people.

David Jeremiah adds: “Cast out the temptation to move from loneliness to self-pity. Use your lonely feelings to push you toward someone lonelier than you are. The God who blesses you will make you a blessing!” Here’s the irony, when we’re lonely, we most often like to be left alone. Rarely does our loneliness drive us to others, which is exactly where we need to be.

By the grace of God and with His help, we CAN move to community. Too often loneliness isn’t caused by being alone, but by being so wrapped up in ourselves it becomes difficult to let anyone else in. In my own life, the only cure for such blatant selfishness is forcing myself to include someone else, often by attending a small group meeting I didn’t “feel like” attending. Pushing others away begets loneliness and loneliness begets self-pity.

Too often we end up lonely because we push people away to the point no one wants to risk coming around us. Force yourself to risk asking someone to meet you for a meal or simply for a cup of coffee. Share how dreadful you feel and ask them to pray for you, but more importantly, ask them how they are. Ask them if you can pray for them.

Often the greatest cure for our loneliness is to enter into someone else’s pain. Perhaps it could be the Lord’s answer to your loneliness.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Our Faith

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT)

What is the basis of your faith? There are many “faiths” in the world today, but only one of those faith systems will get you to heaven. But isn’t that awfully “narrow?” If you bought a property, sight unseen, but when you came to claim it as your own, rather than one key to get you in the door, there were 1,000 keys in a series of buckets. What would you do?

Most of us would walk away or break down the door and install a new lock, but that’s not how heaven works. There’s only one way, though there are many “keys” which claim to give you access. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) The miracle isn’t that there’s only One way, the miracle is that there IS a way!

One of the obstacles to placing our trust in the simple plan of salvation that Jesus offers is that we tend to think more highly of ourselves than we should. We want to pick the Bible apart and try to “prove” certain parts are false or wrong, thus hoping to discredit its Author. We want to take it out of its original context and pretend it’s some kind of modern “western” religion.

John Stonestreet speaks to this idea when he writes: “This caricature of Christianity as a sort-of tribal faith of Westerners is flawed at the core. As Philip Jenkins argued in his book The Next Christendom, it took nearly a millennium and a half before the majority of Christians were Europeans. Even today, that is no longer the case. If we were true to the actual demographic realities, the ‘stereotypical’ Christian would not be a white male but an African woman. In fact, from its inception, Christianity has always been a multiethnic, multilingual, and multicontinental faith.

It is vitally important that we understand the true nature and history of Christianity if we’re going to engage the wider world. The first founders of Christianity were not powerful European rulers hoping to oppress the world. They were Middle Easterners, mostly ‘blue collar,’ almost all of whom died a violent death at the hands of the ruling elite. In fact, the only Europeans who make it into the biblical accounts are the Philistines in the Old Testament and the Romans and Greeks in the New.

As historian Tom Holland and evangelist Glen Scrivener have repeated for years now, this faith so captured Western civilization, we struggle to see just how alien it was to the Western imagination at the beginning. The best of the West—the priority of the individual, the importance of science and reason, the check on state power, the care for the poor and the sick, the dignity of women, the abolition of slavery—is a consequence of the blessed cultural imperialism of an originally Middle Eastern deity.”(See BreakPoint Christianity Isn’t a Western Faith // Hijacking the Pro-Abortion Movement – 02-02-23)

We need not fear the historical accuracy of the Bible or the firsthand documents that teach us of our Faith. Jesus rose from the dead to prove His deity and the power He possesses to change our lives forever. The Bible is filled with stories to verify and identify the strength we can have in the Christian Faith that speaks to us whoever we are or wherever we live.

Admittedly, it seems strange on a lot of levels that the Lord would even allow all the different religions, all the seeming “paths” to heaven, but it just goes to prove the Bible when it says in Proverbs 14:12: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Every road is a dead end except one. Please come to Jesus today.

Go to aNewstory.com and find the answers you’ve been searching for.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Clarity

“Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.” (1 Chronicles 16:25 NLT)

The god in whom we place the most trust; the one who puts us to the ground and holds his relentless knee to our neck is not the God of the Bible, but the god of self-reliance. Even for many Jesus followers, the first statement when trouble comes isn’t: “O God, please help me!” it’s a question: “O my, what am I going to do?”

In the details of our lives, we long for clarity. A clear path that enables us to see far into the future; a clear vision of what our life will look like for years to come; a long, unencumbered life that will enable us to coast into heaven without a single care. That’s why the unexpected rattles us so violently. The cancer diagnosis or the death of a loved one; the loss of a job or the end of a long-term relationship.

While intellectually we know these things happen to others, we somehow feel we’re supposed to be immune, but we’re not. Loving Jesus isn’t a protective blanket that shields us from the pains of life, it’s an assurance that we never face them alone, and a confidence that ultimately God will use them for our good and for His glory.

The clarity we need as believers is first and foremost that we are not in control of our life. That the God we profess to love and serve is the Creator of all that is; that He’s all powerful, all knowing, ever present and all loving, but He’s also Sovereign. He’s the ultimate source of authority to whom everyone and everything will one day give an account.

Ray Majoran’s prayer encourages me as he prays: “Sovereign Lord, You are not shaken by the things that rattle us. The ground may shift, the ice may crack, but You remain — unmoved, unchanging, and entirely sure. Your faithfulness is not fragile. Your wisdom is perfect. You are not a fallback when our plans fail; You are the foundation beneath every step we take, whether we acknowledge it or not.

And yet, we often place more trust in what we can analyze than in You —the One who holds everything together. Like Peter stepping onto the waves, we start strong, our eyes locked on You, but when the wind howls and the surface wavers, we panic, calculate, and look down. We lean on our own understanding, hoping our instincts will save us, forgetting that clarity is not the prerequisite for obedience, and that the safest place we could ever stand is exactly where You’ve called us, even when it doesn’t make sense (Matthew 14:29).

By the power of Your Word and Spirit, please challenge us. Disrupt the patterns of self-reliance that keep us standing still. Let our confidence be rooted not in circumstances or outcomes, but in Christ alone — the One who walks where we would sink, and invites us to do the same.(See Glimpse of Infinity Confidence in Christ -03-31-25)

Understanding that our clarity will never come from within will hopefully drive us to our knees in humble submission to the One who knows all, sees all, understands all, and will not only guide us, but walk with us every step of the treacherous paths of this life. When the future frightens and seeks to paralyze us, may we relax as we take the hand of the One who will never leave or forsake us. May we trust Him instead of ourselves as we walk on the waters of our future, whatever it may hold.

He IS our clarity!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed :😊

The Battle In Your Soul

*Please let these words of Ron Hutchcraft touch your heart as they did mine. I know it’s a few days past Good Friday, but the powerful message is still just as applicable. Please allow the Spirit to speak to your heart. Blessings, Ed

A listener shared a story with me that’s just too powerful not to share with you. A man named George Thomas was a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning, he got up to speak and he set a rusty, bent-up, old bird cage next to the pulpit. You could tell by people’s faces that the pastor had some explaining to do. He said, “Well, I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me, swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little birds who were shivering with cold and fear. So I asked the boy, “What you got there?” He said, “Just some old birds.” The pastor then asked, “What are you going to do with them?” The boy said, “Well, I’m gonna tease ’em and pull out their feathers to make ’em fight. Then I’m gonna have a real good time.” The pastor pointed out that the boy would soon get tired of those birds and he said, “What are you going to do with them then?” “Oh, I’ve got some cats,” the boy said. “They like birds.” What happened next is what puts you and me into this picture.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Battle In Your Soul.”

The pastor had a question for the boy who had nothing but hurtful plans for those little birds. “How much do you want for them, son?” The boy couldn’t believe it. These were just plain old field birds who weren’t very pretty and they couldn’t sing. When the pastor pressed his question, the boy finally answered, “Uh, ten dollars?” The pastor reached into his pocket and pulled out a $10 bill, and the boy took his money and ran off.

The pastor picked up the cage, he gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. He opened the cage door, softly tapped the bars to persuade the birds to come out, and you know what happened. He set them free.

Now the folks at church understood at this point why there was an empty cage on the pulpit. Then the pastor began to tell a story of a conversation between Jesus and Satan, who had just come from his victory with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The devil was boasting, “Yes, sir, I just caught me a world full of people down there. I set me a trap and they fell for the bait. Got ’em all!” Jesus asked him, “What are you going to do with them?” “I’m gonna have some fun with them,” Satan replied. “I’m gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hurt and hate each other, and how to get hooked on habits that will destroy them. I’m going to teach them to deceive each other, abuse each other, and even kill each other.”

When Jesus asked what he would do when he was done with them, Satan said, “Oh, I’ll kill them.” “How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked. The devil said, “You don’t want them. They’ll just spit on you. They’ll just curse you. They’ll kill you!” Jesus asked again, “How much?” Satan sneered, “All your tears and all your blood!” “Done!” Jesus said, and then He paid the price. Now our word for today from the Word of God in John 10:10, “The thief (that’s Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

This very day the life-taker, the devil himself, is trying to hold onto you. He wants to keep you away from Jesus until your last heartbeat, and then you’ll be his forever. But the Life-Giver, Jesus Christ, is fighting for your soul this very moment where you are. He paid the price for your sin on the cross. And now you are in the middle of a tug-of-war on which your eternity depends, Satan trying to keep you on his path to kill you, and Jesus inviting you to give yourself to Him so He can give you life. They won’t decide whether you go to heaven or hell though – you will.

You want to belong to this Jesus? I mean, nobody has ever loved you like He does. No one has the power to walk out of his grave and give eternal life but Him. Go to our website, please. Many people have gone there and found there the assurance that they belong to Jesus Christ from that day on. It’s ANewStory.com.

For 2,000 years, Jesus has been unlocking that cage door of sin and letting its captives go free. He’s waiting to do that for you this very day, this Good Friday.

Fallback of Foundation?

“Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NLT)

Knowing about Jesus and living in constant and close communion with Him are two very different things. We see someone at church or in another setting and may be tempted to believe our life would be a lot easier or better if only we had THEIR life, but that’s a lie. The best possible life anyone could ever have is to live their life in submission to the authority of Jesus. When He’s the foundational Truth upon which we build our life, we’ll find not only happiness, but contentment, joy, peace, a great sense of wellness and satisfaction, and the promise of an eternal home the likes of which we can only begin to imagine.

Regardless of what happens in my life or yours, if we know and love the Lord Jesus, we have full confidence that whatever the outcome, it will be good for us and glorifying to Him. How is a fatal accident, a terminal illness, the alienation of a family member, or a thousand other negative things you can think of, good for us and glorifying to the Lord?

“Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com” “Confidence in Christ”

Here’s the point: it’s not the particular circumstance, in and of itself, that is those things, it’s my/your response to those circumstances. As a violent storm tests the foundations of a building, so a “violent” physical or emotional “storm” tests the foundations of our life. That upon which our lives are built quickly surfaces as we seek in our own strength or the strength of the Spirit to handle that which we face.

Ray Majoran’s prayer brings me clarity as I think of these things: “Sovereign Lord, You are not shaken by the things that rattle us. The ground may shift, the ice may crack, but You remain — unmoved, unchanging, and entirely sure. Your faithfulness is not fragile. Your wisdom is perfect. You are not a fallback when our plans fail; You are the foundation beneath every step we take, whether we acknowledge it or not.”(See Glimpse of Infinity Confidence in Christ -03-31-25)

It is a great comfort to me to know that whatever happens in my life, Jesus is the answer. He will guide, guard, comfort, inform, provide whatever or whomever I need to deal with whatever it is that’s challenging me. There’s no need to worry or fret, I just need to call out to my best Friend and Savior knowing He will provide everything and everyone I need to withstand whatever storm may arise.

Do you have that confidence, my friend? Is Jesus more than a word you use when you’re around “religious” people? What’s the foundation upon which you’re building your life? Your wealth, health, family, contacts, intellect, position? Whatever it is, if it’s not Jesus you’re building your life on sand and it will not withstand the major storms of life, the most frightening being death.

With Jesus I can stare death in the face and say: “Give it your best shot, Satan! You have no hold on me. I don’t fear you, nor do I dread you. I invite you, because I know the next step past death is eternal life in my new eternal home with my Savior, the Lord Jesus!”

The Lord isn’t my “fallback,” that one to whom I call in emergencies, He’s my constant companion through every detail and detour of my life. There’s no need to search or call out to Him, He’s so close a whisper will do. Is Jesus YOUR solid, unshakable foundation?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A Moving Story

“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” (Ephesians 5:25-26 NLT)

*Let me be clear. You don’t have to love Jesus to love your spouse or family, but if you do profess faith, loving your family is a top priority. I don’t know the origin or author of this story, or whether or not they knew the Lord, but it’s heartfelt and a very good example for us. I just appreciate this father’s love and faithfulness to his family and hope we can follow his good example to the honor of our Lord and Savior. Blessings, Ed

“My parents were married for 55 years. One morning, as my mom was heading downstairs to make Dad breakfast, she suffered a heart attack and fell. My father, with all the strength he could muster, picked her up and nearly dragged her into his truck. He drove at full speed to the hospital, ignoring traffic lights, desperate to save her.

By the time they arrived, she was gone.

At the funeral, my father barely spoke. His gaze seemed lost, and tears rarely came. That evening, as my siblings and I sat with him, we shared memories of Mom. The atmosphere was heavy with sorrow and nostalgia. My father turned to my brother, a theologian, and asked, “Where is your mom now?”

My brother began speaking about life after death and where she might be. Dad listened intently. Suddenly, he interrupted: “Take me to the cemetery.”

“Dad, it’s 11 at night,” we protested. “We can’t go now!”

With a steely voice and tear-filled eyes, he replied, “Don’t argue with the man who just lost his wife of 55 years.”

Respectfully, we complied. At the cemetery, under the beam of a flashlight, he knelt by her grave. Gently caressing her resting place, he prayed and then turned to us with words that will stay with me forever:

“It was 55 years… no one can speak of true love unless they’ve lived it. She and I shared everything—crises, moves, the joy of raising you kids, the pain of losing loved ones, hospital prayers, Christmas hugs, and forgiveness for our mistakes.

Now she’s gone, and you know what? I’m at peace. I’m grateful she went first. She didn’t have to bear the pain of losing me or face the loneliness of my absence. I’ll take that burden because I love her too much to let her endure it.”

As he finished, tears streamed down our faces. He pulled us into a hug and said, “It’s okay. We can go home. It’s been a good day.”

That night, I understood the essence of true love. It’s not just about romance or physical attraction. True love is found in shared struggles, unwavering care, forgiveness, and the bond of two people deeply committed to one another.

Love like this leaves a mark on the soul forever.

Food for thought.