Walking With Jesus

Whose Terms?

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” (Jude 1:21 NLT)

Whenever we enter a relationship with anyone, whether personal friendship or a business relationship, we come with certain expectations. Typically, in a formal contract, things will be spelled out, hopefully, to the understanding and agreement of all parties. But in friendship, unless entering into a marital commitment, our expectations are, hopefully shared, but usually unwritten.

Why does that matter? Largely, even if written, our expectations are personal and sometimes not clearly stated, thus opening the door to misunderstanding. For example, we may be sharing an apartment with a friend, and we’ve “agreed” to share expenses for groceries. Things go well for a while, until you begin to see what your $150 a week for groceries is actually buying.

You’re a “meat and potatoes” kind of person, but your roommate is more the “Caviar and Wine” type, so out of your $150 weekly grocery bill, only about $63 is yours and the rest theirs. So, you go to them and say: “Whoa! This isn’t what I signed up for!” While that’s a real problem, in some ways it’s not unlike what we do with the Lord.

Of course, with the Lord, He lays it all out from the beginning: “You get all of me, and I get all of you!” Having followed the Lord for many years, I’ve discovered He always gets the short end of the proverbial “stick.” But initially, it can be confusing to us.

We REALLY like our sin, so much so, we don’t want to give it up. But the Lord comes to us one day and says, “Remember when I told you: ‘When you obey My commandments, you remain in My love, just as I obey My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!’ But you’re not following My directives. You need to make up your mind whose terms you’re going to follow, Mine or yours!”

Notice Jesus says in John 15:10 (above paragraph) “WHEN” not “IF” you obey My commandments:” To believe we can come to Christ, be forgiven of our sins, and have a promise of eternal life without submitting to Christ’s authority and obeying Him, is to believe a lie of the devil. Jared C. Wilson wrote: “If you will have Jesus on your own terms, it’s not Jesus that you have, but an idol.”

Perhaps that’s why people get disappointed with “following” Jesus, it’s not the Jesus of the Bible they’re following, it’s some construction of Jesus we’ve made up in our own mind or been given to us by a “friend” or follower of a non-Christian cult.

Jesus says very clearly what it will cost us to follow Him. In Luke 9:23 the Bible says: “Then He (Jesus) said: ‘If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’”

Here’s the truth: with Jesus, the only “terms” that matter are the ones He gives us. We either accept them or try to find another way to heaven. Personally, I’ve found that just following Him is a much easier way than trying to find a way on our own, a way, by the way, that doesn’t exist. Besides, He’s a very loving and kind Guide.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Obedience

“If you love Me, obey My commandments.” (John 14:15 NLT)

Obedience is rarely easy. I loved my mom’s chocolate cake. She used to bring one to me when she and my dad would visit when I was in college. But when I was a kid, after she baked one, she never told me: “Eat all you want!” Usually it was: “You can have a piece after dinner!” So, I waited.

What was my willingness to wait based upon? It wasn’t my love of chocolate cake; I would have stuffed myself the moment my mom left the room. It was my love and respect for my mom. We don’t obey the Lord because we don’t want to participate in or do whatever it is He’s told us not to do, we obey the Lord because we have love and respect for Him and His authority over our lives.

Corky Calhoun said: “Obedience is not a requirement of Christian commitment and discipleship, it’s the by-product of an undivided heart.” The 1^st Commandment doesn’t call us to obedience, it calls us to love. Our desire and willingness to obey the Lord grows out of our desire to please Him above ourselves. If you think about it, that’s the pathway to overcoming sin’s stranglehold on us as His followers.

If we truly DO what we LOVE, we’re going to obey the Lord over sin EVERY TIME! But what if I’m an addict? At some point you’ll have to decide who you love more: yourself and God or your sin. Yes, of course, many times, depending on how long you’ve been addicted, it will take time to be “weaned” from your habit, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

At some point you’ll have to decide: “ENOUGH! I’m done!” and begin your journey to healing and wholeness in Jesus. There are times when He will deliver you immediately, miraculously, but most of the time you must wrestle with your healing process for months, even years. But what’s the key? Taking it one step at a time; one temptation at a time; one “Yes, Lord” at a time, until that wonderful day you’re able to cheerfully and wholeheartedly say: “Thank You, Lord, for delivering me!”

Freedom from sin is the result of obedience to the commands of God which results from an undivided heart. When your loyalties are divided, your heart and mind will be in a constant state of flux. Decisions will be hard, with uncertainty as to the outcome, because we’ll never quite know for sure whether we’re walking in obedience to the Lord or not. The question behind every question becomes: “Whose will am I truly seeking? Mine or His?”

Before we come to Christ and recognize Him as Savior, we want what we want, without regard to what God thinks. But once we yield our life to Him, we know, at least in our mind, that we should want what God wants, so, the battle of wills begins. Slowly the desires of our mind, what we know to be right, become the desires of our heart, to do what ONLY He wants.

It’s at that point we’ll begin to see victory on the horizon of our soul. In this season of my life ALL I want is what God wants for me. Nothing owns my heart except Him. Am I perfect? Only as He views me. Do I ever “miss” it, in terms of hearing His instructions perfectly? I do, but my heart is right. So, when it becomes clear to me that I’ve misunderstood what He’s instructed me to do, I make amends where necessary or I otherwise do what He tells me to do to make it right.

You and I won’t always get the outcome perfectly until we get to the other side, but in the meantime, we must allow Him to train our heart to hear His voice above all others and desire His will above our own.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

In Due Time (Part 2)

“O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord! You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30: 2-5 NLT)

The night I asked the Lord Jesus to forgive me, come into my life and fill me with His Spirit, was a very emotional experience for me. I more than cried, I gasped with uncontrollable wailing. I’d never cried like that before, and only on rare occasion since. It was like I was undergoing an internal cleansing, which, of course, I was.

What I didn’t know or understand then that I see clearly now, is that the reason I had that spiritual breakthrough that led to my new “birth,” was because someone had been praying for me – specifically for me – by name.

Early in my walk with God I read a book on prayer by Dick Eastman who said essentially: “Behind the saving grace of every believer is someone praying.” The quote may not be exact, but I believe I’m staying true to his intent. Understanding that informs me in two ways: First, I wouldn’t know the Lord if someone hadn’t prayed for me. And, secondly, it fuels my desire to pray diligently for those in my spheres of influence who need to come to the Lord.

C. H. Spurgeon wrote: “In due time the weeping intercessor will become the rejoicing winner of souls.” There’s that phrase again: “In due time!” What does that mean? Peter addresses this in 1 Peter 5:6 when he writes: “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.”

What can possibly be more honoring than praying for someone’s soul to be redeemed, then seeing it happen? When I was pastoring, we had in our church an evangelistic training program that helped people have a track to run on as they shared their faith with others. The best way to learn how to do something is by doing it, so, I would take a couple of people with me to visit those who had come to our church for the first time.

On this night we visited a family of six – mom, dad, and four children ranging from teens to maybe 9 years old. After explaining to them what Jesus had done for them and how they could respond by faith, I began with dad, then mom, and each of the kids, asking each one: “Would you like to receive God’s gift of eternal life by putting your faith in Jesus tonight?” One by one, each one said: “Yes!” For that family “in due time” meant right then!

I’m confident you have those on your prayer list for salvation, as I have, for whom we’ve prayed for years. Here’s our hope: “In due time!” Do we get discouraged and stop praying? Do we lose faith that God even hears our prayers? Do we turn our prayers to the ones we deem more “ready?” No! We persevere because we know that “in due time” they’re going to say “yes,” just like that family so many years ago.

Maybe for you it’s not someone’s salvation, but their healing, a means to provide for their family, the healing of a relationship, or something else that has captivated or entrapped their life. Please don’t give up. Please don’t lose faith or stop praying. I can’t explain it and, honestly, I don’t always understand it, but we have to go on the basis of what we DO know, not what we don’t know. And I KNOW that God is faithful, that He hears us, and that He will answer “in due time!”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

In Due Time

“Then she knelt behind Him at His feet, weeping. Her tears fell on His feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing His feet and putting perfume on them.” (Luke 7:38 NLT)

We cry for a lot of reasons, don’t we? Sometimes we’re sad, angry, frustrated, confused, or troubled, but other times we’re so filled with joy, excitement, happiness, elation, contentment, love, or appreciation we can’t stop the tears from flowing.

In my mind’s eye, as I peruse the faces of those gathered in the Pharisee’s house with Jesus that evening, I see many very “righteously indignant” men with scowls on their faces, angry that anyone would allow “such a piece of scum” in the door. But not Jesus!

His face is aglow with love and delight as He sees the beauty of this young woman’s heart. He saw her as a young girl, full of hope, filled with promise and potential, only to be violated and demeaned by boys and men until she no longer saw herself as a person to be loved and cherished, but a “thing” to be used and discarded. But not here, not now. At the feet of Jesus, she finally felt safe, wanted, protected, loved. Her time had finally come!

The men’s eyes wouldn’t have dared meet Jesus’, fearing He might disclose what they somehow already understood He knew about them. How many of these “holy men of God” had been among her suitors? How many had contributed to her becoming the “thing” she’d become yet have hidden behind their cloak of religiosity.

Perhaps her tears fall for many reasons, but my sense is they well up uncontrollably as the overflow of a heart that’s finally been released to love again. Not since childhood has she felt she could safely risk an expression of emotion so bold. She hadn’t come to His feet with plans to leave quickly or quietly. No, this brave soul defied the odds and determined whatever the cost she was going to give expression to her love for, perhaps, the only man in her life whom she knew truly loved her, and she was there for as long as He allowed her to stay.

It’s taken her a lifetime to find Him, but her life is now forever changed. No man will ever mistreat her again, she won’t allow it, and her new Friend will not allow it. She’s safe and can relax in the comfort of His compassionate care, and so can you, my friend.

Someone reading these words has been mistreated, perhaps violated in ways not many would even understand or believe, but I want to introduce you to Someone who will never hurt you and will love you in ways you’ve only dreamed of being loved. His name is Jesus and He loves you so much He literally died for you.

His love will help you heal, and you’ll always feel safe in His presence. You may still suffer from your trauma, but He understands – He really does – like nobody else can! He will forgive you, fill and empower you to hear His voice and “see” His holy face in the pages of His Word, the Bible. Please, though it may be very hard for you, please learn to trust Him. Don’t believe stories about Him that aren’t true but read or listen to His words in the Bible for yourself.

I’m praying someone you know will help you, protect you, love you, and guide you in learning about this man Jesus who is God’s Son and who never lies. He will always keep His promises to you and one day, sooner than later, you’ll be in heaven with Him forever. Just invite Him to live in your heart and know He’ll never leave you.

I’m praying for you right now!

Blessings, Ed😊

Compelling or Misleading

“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)

When Jesus spoke the words in the verses above, He was in the disciples literal presence. They could literally “come to” Him, follow Him, and learn to find for themselves that His words were true. But to say those words to someone today and not explain what they mean is not only misleading, but cruel.

Greg Stier said: “To compel people to come to Jesus but not preach the cross is to ask someone to walk through a door but not give them the key.” What Jesus died to give us is foreign to people who don’t understand why anyone would die for them. To invite them to Jesus and not explain who He is or why He did what He did, is almost like promising a child candy, but never showing them where it is.

It’s counterproductive and, on some levels, does more harm than good. Think of the next person who asks them about Jesus and the person responds: “Sure, I spoke with someone about Jesus just the other day.” But have they? They may have heard His name, but they certainly don’t know Him or have a relationship with Him based on that conversation.

We want to compel someone to come to the Lord, as well we should, but we don’t want to mislead them into believing something about Him or themselves that isn’t true. For example, I can explain who Jesus is, even what He did on the Cross, basically give them an entire “Gospel presentation,” yet, if I haven’t helped them understand what to DO with that information, I haven’t helped them.

Knowledge is good, but knowledge alone doesn’t save anyone. It takes the activity of the Spirit – convicting, convincing, inviting, drawing. Then the response of the person – saying yes, confessing sin, repenting, believing, reaching out to the Lord in a prayer of acceptance and seeking His power to follow the Lord.

Salvation FROM sin is an invitation TO follow Jesus, which is a foreign process to most people that needs to be explained, then closely monitored as they learn to walk WITH, not only the Lord Jesus, but with US as members of His Body. There’s really no such thing as a “Lone Ranger” Christ follower, it’s a family matter.

We’re “born” into the Family of God when we yield our life and allegiance to Jesus and just as a literal infant can’t care for and nurture itself, even an adult new believer isn’t equipped to care for themselves as an “infant” believer. Yes, of course, you can give an adult, even a child or teen, instructions, but they need close monitoring, so they know they aren’t alone.

They’ll encounter people, circumstances, problems they’re not going to know how to handle as a new believer, as they’ll encounter verses or passages of Scripture that will introduce subjects and situations with which they’re not familiar and may be difficult to understand. Does anyone fully understand the Trinity? Yes, we can give illustrations, but nothing we experience as a human being really comes close to what the Father, Son, and Spirit share in their relationship.

Let’s prayerfully seek the Lord’s wisdom EVERY time we speak with someone about Jesus. It’s sacred business that demands careful thought and prayerful guidance from the Spirit, enabling us to compel the person, not mislead them.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Prayer For Favor

*Today, as I do every 15th of the month, I’m featuring a devotional by Sylvia Gunter. Please read this beautiful prayer and let it become your own. Blessings, Ed

Abba, take (Your precious children) right up next to Your heart today. Keep them and make Your face shine upon them and be gracious to them (Numbers 6:24-25). Shower them with an outpouring of Your blessing, Your presence, the assurance of Your favor, and Your enabling grace.

You have written their days in Your book. You knew them by name before they were born (Psalm 139:15-18). Your thoughts of them are too numerous to count. They are constantly on Your mind.

Assure them that Your presence goes with them, and don’t let them go where You do not bless (Exodus 33:12-16). Teach them Your ways and make them sensitive to Your hand on their lives. Let them know Your faithful direction.

Go before them to open the way where there seems to be no way. Please place before them an open door that no one can shut, according to Your sovereign will (Revelation 3:7-8), and shut all doors outside Your will for them.

Bless (them) indeed and enlarge their territory in all areas in their lives! Let Your hand be with them to strengthen them and keep them from harm (1 Chronicles 4:10). Establish Your appointed work through their hands with Your favor (Psalm 90:17). Great are Your purposes, and mighty are Your deeds. Your eyes are open to all their ways (Jeremiah 32:19). Smile upon them today with Your compassion and Your full blessing as they seek You (Isaiah 30:18).

Lord, (Your precious children) need favor with the authorities that You have placed over them and with those in decision-making positions (Ezra 7:27, Nehemiah 1:11). Your Word says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water. He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1 NKJV). Break through all hindrances, and turn the hearts of all concerned to fulfill Your will on their behalf.

Protect their emotions, be a Daddy to them, and let them know that You are surrounding them with the shield of Your presence (Psalm 5:12). Let them trust that You withhold no good thing from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11). Keep them in Your love and faithfulness, written deeply in their heart (Proverbs 3:3-4). Let them know that You rejoice in doing them good (Jeremiah 32:41).

Fix their hearts to set their hope completely in You, rely on You, and know that all things are totally in Your hands, for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 1:9-11). Let their expectation be centered in You (Psalm 62:1,5). Give them peace (Numbers 6:26), because You have promised that You will keep in perfect peace those whose mind is steadfast, because they trust in You (Isaiah 26:3).

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

*Taken from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2.

Click here to learn more An archive of past devotionals is available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

Resting or Presuming?

“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:17-18 NLT)

A few days ago I used a quote from Pastor Burk Parsons that said: “The church is not full of hypocrites—it’s full of repentant sinners. Big difference. Hypocrites pretend to be what they never intend to be, but Christians repent.” My sense is we can see that for which we’re looking. If we’re looking for a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” we’re going to find one.

“Yes, but didn’t Jesus warn us that there would be false prophets who would disguise themselves as sheep when they were really wolves?” Have you ever noticed that we tend to be the most critical of the one(s) with whom we’re least familiar? And we tend to cut people we love, the most slack.

Are we resting on our own ability to come to right conclusions about people we hardly know or know only by reputation? Are we presuming things about them that are simply not true, things we saw online or heard somewhere, but haven’t verified for ourselves? The internet makes it far too easy to bring accusations about someone that may or may not be true, or, at best, taken out of context.

My sense is there are far fewer “hypocrites” in the church and far more growing believers who are struggling in their journey. Any of us, including myself, can have a bad day, a bad moment when we do or say something in public, we regret the second it happens, but if seen, can easily be taken out of context and blown out of proportion.

We, in the Body of Christ, tend to want to “judge” others in their worst moments, yet, be judged only in our best moments. “Yes, but there really are bad people in churches!” Yes, there are, and sometimes they’re leaders, even Pastors, but that’s why the Lord gives us discernment. We go to HIM first, not our friends. We don’t become the Judge and jury, then discover the truth.

What I often find is people who have a pure heart, but wrong information, make dumb choices, not because they’re “bad,” but because they’re misinformed or have misunderstood a clear instruction of the Lord. My son, when he was maybe 5, was riding in the car with me and he heard on the radio the temperature outside was 27 degrees. He perked up and said to me: “Daddy, I bet it’s really cold in the chill factory!”

He’d heard us speak about the “chill factor,” but didn’t understand what he was hearing. It was an honest mistake for a little boy to put what he heard in the framework of his understanding. But we do the same thing as adults. We presume to know more about a circumstance, situation, or person than we actually know and come to wrong conclusions and make uninformed comments about things that hurt people.

It happens, but as unfortunate as that is, it’s not the worst thing that can happen. Our wrong conclusions can be heard, then passed on as “truth,” when they’re anything but the truth. That’s the power of gossip on steroids and it’s evil. Presuming lies are truth and passing them on cripples the work of God and can damage reputations and the effectiveness of local congregations.

Please, I implore you, if you knowingly pass on information about which you don’t have all the facts, you are endangering not only another person’s reputation, but you’re hindering at best, and damaging at worst, the reputation of Christ Himself. Please don’t rest in wrong information and presume what may very well be lies, to be truth.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😃

Immaturity (Part 2)

“In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes. Scoundrels will not be respected. For fools speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and spread false teachings about the Lord. They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty.” (Isaiah 32:5-6 NLT)

Isaiah’s vision of Christ’s second coming is a glorious day for which the Church looks sooooo forward! It will be a day of rejoicing and celebration the likes of which mankind has never experienced…IF, we’re ready for it!

The greatest evidence of immaturity in a believer is when we judge another believer. If you can’t stand the “hypocrisy” in another believer, it’s likely because you haven’t seen the hypocrisy in yourself. Tim Keller wrote: Christians need to be neither quick to criticize nor afraid to confront. And both are very needed in the Body of Christ.

My conviction is that criticism and confrontation of another believer should be well prayed through before offered, then ONLY offered in PRIVATE! To publicly criticize or challenge someone – on social media or other electronic means is dangerous and can be very damaging. When we light up our text feeds, Facebook, Instagram, or any of the other public platforms to express our opinion of someone, we will answer to the Lord for that.

When someone has “fallen into sin,” whatever that may look like, rather than “light up” the airways letting all our friends know they should “pray” for them, go to your knees asking the Lord to help, guide, and enable them to find their way. Then contact them personally if you know them and it’s appropriate, and offer support in practical ways, depending on the nature of the “fall.”

A few months after my wife left me, I went to a public gathering for our church organization. A man we had known when we were together, came up to me, He’d obviously heard about the divorce, and asked where my wife was. When I told him we were no longer together, he asked no questions, he just got a disgusting look on his face, turned, and walked away.

He knew only what he’d heard, but not from me. He knew no details or what a devastating effect the divorce had had on me, only that I’d divorced, and “real” Christians didn’t divorce. Needless to say, I didn’t return to many meetings like that – EVER!

We never know what ill-effects our insensitivity can have on a fellow Christ-follower, even if they’re “at fault.” We all need grace, not only from the Lord, but from one another. When our “Christianity” in any way exalts us above a fellow brother or sister, we’ve just illustrated in our attitude and/or behavior, how lacking we really are in Christian maturity.

Jesus washed His Disciples feet, among them the one who would betray Him. Even when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him, he didn’t point out Judas, except to John after he’d left. Of course, John was clueless until things began to unfold, but by then they’d all scattered like lost sheep.

Please, my brothers and sisters, we must be sensitive to one another, ESPECIALLY when we fail and fall. The last thing I needed when I went through my divorce was someone to tear me down. I was already on the bottom, having torn myself as down as I could get. I needed compassion, love, and forgiveness, not more condemnation.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Immaturity

“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” (Hebrews 6:1 NLT)

It’s not uncommon for we who have been in the faith for a while to get frustrated with the “baby” Christians who seem to never tire of repeating their favorite sins…until we look in the mirror! Burk Parsons nailed it when he wrote: “The church is not full of hypocrites—it’s full of repentant sinners. Big difference. Hypocrites pretend to be what they never intend to be, but Christians repent.”

Too often we tend to relegate repentance to a category of fundamental teaching, which, of course, it is. But as the writer of the Hebrew letter rightly noted, our maturity in Christ isn’t the failure to ask for forgiveness, power, and help in dealing with our “evil deeds,” it’s continuing to live in them without thought or desire to repent – to turn from them.

There are a few reasons for that. For one, we wrongly believe “they’re no big deal, nothing to be concerned about, just a part of who I am!” Yes, they may have been a part of who you WERE, but they cannot continue to be a part of who you’re becoming in Christ. We too quickly forget the fundamental truth that Jesus followers confess their sin and turn from it.

But that relates to another reason we don’t turn away from our evil deeds. We stop believing we can. We confess and confess and confess (usually when we get caught or convicted by the Holy Spirit), believing the Lord is going to “take it away.” Matt Chandler said: “Immaturity talks when it should listen, and is silent when it should speak.”

We tend to “talk” repentance but are “silent” when it comes to positive action. When I was plagued by lustful thoughts, I begged God to take them away, but that’s not how it works. It’s the same with viewing pornography, drinking, smoking, drugging, gossiping, or any other addictive behavior. We can beg God all day to “Do Something,” but He seems silent. Why?

Because He’s already done everything He needs to do: He’s saved us and filled us with His Spirit, He’s given us brothers and sisters in Christ who are dealing or have dealt with the same addiction(s), He’s given us a heart to desire Him above all else, so why doesn’t any of that help? It does if and when we seek the help we need.

Being a Jesus follower isn’t a “solo” act, it demands partnership. The addictions with which most believers deal are far too often carried out in the “closet” of isolation. We don’t want anyone to know (as if they don’t already)! We fear if anyone really knew who we are and what we’re doing (have done), they’d reject us and write us off as a friend. And, honestly, some will, that’s why you need to follow the Lord’s directives when He leads you to someone you can trust.

Personally, I’ve found that the vast majority of genuine Christ followers are eager to step up and help one another. Why? Because we’re all in the same boat. We’re all dealing with something. It’s called sin, and it comes in all sizes and shapes. We’re all dealing with our sinful urges and desires and the only way to keep them under control is to face them, share them, and seek counsel in dealing with them. A good rule of thumb is we can’t give up a sinful action unless and until we replace it with a godly and positive one.

Let’s pick this up in tomorrow’s post.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Will the Sea Ever Overflow?

“Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.” (Ecclesiastes 1:7 NLT)

There is a rhythm in nature that is sometimes disrupted in human life because we get out of harmony with God. Jeremiah uses an example from nature in 17:7-8 when he writes: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

What a beautiful picture of someone who remains faithful to the Lord over many years. I think of my Mom and Poppa John (my grandparents), or my Auntie Al and Uncle Ed, or my Uncle Jack and Auntie Demetra, or my Mentor Dr. James C Burchett and his precious wife, Carolyn, or Pastor Fred and Retha Davey, or…and the list extends as I think of the godly men and women who have helped to shape my life across the years.

These strong lovers of God had deep roots in their faith in Jesus and, though each of them is now with the Lord, the “leaves” of their lives continue to bear fruit in and through those in whom they invested their love. In whose lives are you investing your faith in and love for Jesus? In future years, if the Lord tarries, who will remember your faith and loving investment in them?

Our faith in Jesus will only be remembered to the extent it was contagious. We remember the things that have an impact on our lives. I remember when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, when planes were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, and another commercial airliner, due to the brave passengers, was forced down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania before it could reach it’s intended target on 09-11-2001.

Just as the streams and rivers never forget their way to the sea, we will remember the people whose faith was contagious and impacted and encouraged us to build strong faith relationships. How does that happen? How do we put down strong faith roots that will blossom into a lasting impact on those in our families and spheres of influence?

It begins with a desire to love, know, and serve the King of kings and Lord of lords – the Lord Jesus! When He is first in our heart, He will not only be in our heart and on our mind, but on our lips. We talk about what’s important to us. Think of having a baby and never telling anyone about it or buying a new house or car and never inviting anyone to share in your excitement.

Beginning a relationship with Jesus is designed to be life-transforming – something we can’t help but share with others. Having walked with the Lord for more than 60 years, talking about and sharing Him with others has only increased. Why? Because my relationship with Him is still growing and manifesting new “fruit” on the “branches” of my life.

Just as the sea ebbs and flows, but never overflows its boundaries, our lives will never overflow, in the sense of never reaching a point where our excitement and joy in Jesus will cease to bubble up within us and flow into our conversations with others.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊