Walking With Jesus

What’s MY Cost?

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?” (Luke 14:28 NLT))

What if, before you committed your life to the Lord Jesus, someone would have sat you down and said to you: “Before you make this commitment, you’ve got to know it will cost you your life! Yes, even your literal life!” Would you have been so quick to jump on board? I hope you would have, but, unfortunately, too many of us wouldn’t have been willing to pay the price then, and many still aren’t.

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:24? “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. It 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. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”

Christians through the centuries have been tenacious in holding to their beliefs

Once we truly see and understand who Jesus is, it’s literally a no brainer. My life is worth nothing apart from Jesus. To be able to have the privilege of giving my life for Him is the greatest pleasure and privilege of my existence. “Yeh, but what if you literally had to die for Him?” Oh, you mean like thousands of believers do every year in other parts of our world? Yes, absolutely, without hesitation!

Actually, that’s what we’re expected to do every day – die to ourselves and allow the Lord to live His life out through us. Our life is not our own, but, as Paul wrote, “for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” We’re so quick to dismiss what God has called us to because we want to separate what God wants and what we want, and, unfortunately, that’s a very real problem.

However, when we see what God wants AS what we want, things get a lot easier. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” “But I have to work, take care of the kids, keep the house up, and on and on it goes.” Yes, and what’s your point? Are you telling me you’re a Jesus follower and NOT doing those things to glorify and honor Him?

We’re so prone to compartmentalize our “walk with Jesus.” It’s almost as if we want to treat Jesus like our dog. “Okay, Lord, time for our walk.” Shame on us! We’ve got to see every detail of our lives as belonging to Jesus and everything we do as an act of worship. And, yes, I understand that can crowd out some things we do that aren’t pleasing to Him. EXACTLY!

The more we allow Jesus to be integrated into the very fiber of our lives, there’s no room for sin or anything that’s displeasing to Him. When He’s ruling and reigning over our lives, He doesn’t steer us into sin, but into things that render Him honor, glory, and fame. Life becomes an adventure we never dared dream it could be once we train our “spiritual eye” to focus on letting Him do what He does best – love, direct, rule, and reign in, through, and over our lives.

If your life in Christ isn’t costing you anything you’re not walking with the Jesus of the Bible. Walking with Jesus costs us everything or we don’t understand the price He paid for our redemption. The Lord Jesus didn’t buy us back from sin and shame for us to remain the same. He cleansed, purified, filled, and enabled us to walk as HIS child to accomplish HIS purposes in and through our lives.

If our lives aren’t costing us anything, if they’re not bearing fruit to His glory, we may be attached to the wrong “vine.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Our Fierce Father

“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in Me to fall into sin. It would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. (Mark 9:42 NLT)

As a father, especially when my kids were small, one of the things that got the fur on the back of my neck to stand up the fastest, was for someone to put my child in harm’s way or to threaten them in some way. Think of the momma bear who will spare no fury if she feels someone, or something is threatening her babies.

In the verse above, do you know to whom Jesus was referring when He spoke of “these little ones?” You, my friend, He was speaking of YOU! If you’ve put your trust in Jesus and someone is trying to get you to do something you know in your heart is wrong, they’re treading on very thin ice. But what if that “someone” IS you?

How do you think the Lord views the things we allow to stand between us and Him? And, no, I’m not suggesting He’s going to toss us in the sea, but in a very real sense, that’s what we’re doing to ourselves. We’re jumping off a Cruise ship at night in the middle of the ocean without a life-vest. It may take us a while to go down, but the odds aren’t good we’re going to survive.

Do I mean we’re going to lose our salvation? You can’t lose what you never had and the way some professing believers live gives cause to wonder if they ever really knew the Lord. But to the point, we shoot ourselves in the proverbial foot when we dabble in sin and think it won’t affect us. And yes, of course, addictions can be very hard to break, but do they have to be?

Our fierce Father will fight just as powerfully WITH us as He will FOR us. The only way to break an addiction is to put something in its place. We’re creatures of habit, so, we must learn to replace a bad habit with a good one. My addiction to lust wouldn’t go away until I stopped “feeding” it. Otherwise, it’s like putting grass killer on the grass we’re trying to get to grow. We’re defeating our own efforts.

How do you change to a healthy habit? Get help! First, confess your need to Jesus and enlist His help. If you don’t already have a regular time set aside to feed your mind on God’s Word, get it started. But habits, like New Year’s Resolutions, are short lived unless and until you get someone or some others to join you.

I’m a lot more likely to do something if I know someone’s going to be knocking on my door or ringing my phone and asking me why I’m not where I should be or doing what I should be doing. Jeremy Treat wrote: “The Lord is just and joyful. He is a fierce warrior because He is a compassionate Father.” The Lord cuts us a lot of slack when He knows we’re trying hard to be more like Him.

We’re not perfect and won’t be until heaven, but in the meantime, we need to be about our Father’s business. In this season of my life, I have very few distractions because I realize I’m on the “clock,” and it just keeps ticking. Whatever I’m going to allow the Lord to accomplish through me has to be today, because I have no promise of tomorrow.

And if my focus is on doing what pleases and honors the Lord, guess what? I’m not focused on what pleases and honors me! And here’s the bottom line – you’re on the clock, too! Every second you waste dabbling in sin is a second you’ve been unfaithful and unfruitful for your Savior? Is it really worth it?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Free Will

“But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’” (Exodus 21:5 NLT)

Did you know the phrase “free will” is not used in the King James Version of the Bible, but the expression of a person’s will is implied in hundreds of verses throughout the Bible. The above verse speaks to the circumstances surrounding a Jew who under difficult circumstances may become a slave to a fellow Jew, but Jewish law demanded they would only be required to serve their master for seven years, then must be set free.

However, through the direction of the slave’s free will, they could choose to not go free but become the permanent property of their master. We may think that’s great or awful, but the truth is, as Bob Dylan sang: “we gotta serve somebody. It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but we all gotta serve somebody!”

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

C.S. Lewis asked an insightful question: “Why, then, did God give them (us) free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.” Life is filled with decisions, all of which are an act of the will. Love isn’t an emotion, it’s a decision, but love can lead to a lot of other decisions that will lead to actions that will verify or deny what we think we believe.

The will to decide for ourselves is behind everything good or bad that occurs in our lives. Choice will lead to consequences, either positive or negative. It’s like flying a kite. As long as we hold the string, we have some measure of control, but when the string is released it’s out of our control. Words fly freely out of our mouths, but once gone we have no control over the positive or negative results that may follow.

There are those who view their lives and conclude: “I don’t need God or a god. My life is great. I have a great marriage, great kids, great health, great income, great retirement, great ________! I have everything I’ll ever need.” And my response would be: “Until it’s not great anymore. When sickness and death come. When what you need, money can’t buy. When your soul-sickness is eating you alive from the inside out. When the thought of God finally occurs, but only in cursing Him for letting your bubble burst.”

The Bible explains that one day every person will stand before the Lord to give an account of their lives. It also says that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Here’s the tragedy: for many it will be too late. That’s the agony of hell. When we close our eyes in death everything will be crystal clear. We’ll each one understand perfectly the consequences, both good and evil, of the decisions we alone have made in our lives.

There will be no more blaming God because we’ll each see precisely as God has always seen. We won’t be screaming and shaking our fists in God’s face, we’ll be begging for forgiveness and mercy that’s no longer an option because the judgment has been measured and the books of life have been closed. That’s the horrendous torment of hell. There won’t be blaming and commiserating because we’ll know why we’re where we are and will have no one to blame but ourselves, but even if there was a shred of desire to blame, there won’t be anyone there to listen to us and besides, it will be totally dark.

PLEASE DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE!

Do whatever it takes to help everyone you know and love find Jesus before it’s eternally too late. Hell is a horrible price to have to pay for our ignorance, especially when Jesus has already paid for our forgiveness and a home in heaven.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed

What’s Holding You Back?

“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” (Luke 11:35 NLT)

There are two issues I’d like to address today. First, if someone who has heard the truth about who Jesus is and what He has done on our behalf yet continues to ignore the clear urging of the Spirit to repent and believe, that’s not on God! A person can blame God all they want about how “mean” He is to punish someone for their sin, but what else can He do? God gives a clear warning! Sin has consequences – separation from God, now and forever.

Satan, on the other hand, is a liar and a deceiver. His goal isn’t for someone not to come to Christ, just not now – in this moment (which is the only one in which anyone CAN come to Christ). For anyone to believe they can wait until their “death bed” to come to Christ is like saying: “I’m going to jump out of a plane and wait to the last second to pull the release on the parachute, then remembering: ‘WAIT! I forgot the parachute!’”

Waiting is spiritual suicide because no one comes to the Lord unless He calls them. We take no steps toward God unless and until He first takes steps toward us. “Then how can anyone EVER be saved?” Because (a) His first and most important step was taken in sending Jesus and allowing Him to die on the Cross in our place, and (b) if you’re sensing any interest in coming to Christ, guess who put that “sensing” there? It’s called “conviction” and it’s the Holy Spirit who is alerting you that it’s time to come to Him.

The other piece of that is, the Holy Spirit will not keep asking. There may come a time when it’s His last offer. “How will I know?” You won’t, that’s why you should give your life to Christ while you can. Am I trying to scare you? If only I could, but no, I’m trying to help you see the stupidity in waiting.

Jesus said in John 12:46-47: “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear Me but don’t obey Me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject Me and My message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.” Judgment always comes as a result of OUR decision to reject God’s offer, never God’s!

But that leads me to the second issue for today’s discussion. Where do we fit in? How do you and I who love Jesus and love lost people fit into the obvious set of tragic circumstances that exist in the hearts and minds of those in our spheres of influence who (a) don’t know Jesus or (b) don’t care to know Him?

In a recent sermon one of our Pastors said: “People can’t believe (or reject) what they don’t hear.” Billions of people will be separated from God for all eternity, not because they wanted to be, but because no one ever told them they don’t have to be. They may never have heard the name of Jesus except in profanity. And here’s where the proverbial “rubber meets the road” – they’re our friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, employers, employees, clerks, waiters/waitresses, police officers, firefighters, attorneys, doctors, nurses, therapists, and on and on it goes.

Pastor Tom asked another searing question in reference to God: “What’s in Him that not’s in me?” What is it that’s in the heart of God to love and want lost people to be saved so badly He gave the life of His only Son on their behalf? Yet, we can’t miss a sports event or anything else that might stand in our way of spending time with a friend or loved one or with anyone who is heading to a Christ-less eternity and who desperately needs Jesus?

If you profess faith in Jesus, yet can think of ANYTHING that’s more important than helping someone know Jesus, please, get on your knees and ask Him: Lord, what’s in You that’s not in me?” And whatever it is, ask Him to “PLEASE GIVE IT TO ME!”

If not us, who? If not now, when?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Darkness! (Part 2)

“Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him (Jesus). But for those who reject Him, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ And, ‘He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.” (1 Peter 2:7-8 NLT)

Implicit in the verses above is the vital issue of free-will! EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE! We who wisely choose to submit to the Lord’s authority, repent, seek forgiveness for our sins, and choose to follow Him will reside forever with Him in heaven. But, if you know and are following Jesus, don’t pat yourselves on the back too much, because NO ONE deserves to be in heaven except Jesus. He’s the ONLY human being who has ever lived or ever will that deserves the right to be in heaven with God.

First, because He IS God, but secondly, because He alone lived a perfect, sinless life. That’s what qualified Him to pay the penalty for our sin. Yet, we want to make it about us. “Why should I go to hell? What have I done? I haven’t hurt anyone, I pay my taxes, I’m a good person!” Compared to whom? The truth is you and I and every other person who has ever lived on earth, except Jesus, deserve to spend all eternity in hell with the devil and his angels.

But why? Is the average person really that bad? Yes, they/we are! How so? Let me ask you a few questions: have you ever lied, even a little “white lie”? Have you ever taken something that didn’t belong to you, even a candy bar or pack of gum? Have you ever used the Lord’s Holy Name in a manner that didn’t magnify and honor Him, even in anger as a curse word? Have you ever committed adultery in your heart by lusting for someone to whom you weren’t married? Have you ever committed murder in your heart by hating someone or wishing them ill?

There’re more, but how you doing so far? Even if someone might say they have always kept those commandments, they’d still be condemned, because (a) they lied and (b) they’re filled with pride, which, by the way, is also a sin. What’s my point? Just as Paul says in Romans 3:23: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” No perfect human being will be in hell, only the imperfect, unless, of course, they have the good sense to yield their lives to the only One who IS perfect, the Lord Jesus, while they still can.

The only payment for sin is death. The Bible says in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” “Death” in Scripture, often means “separation from God.” That’s what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They sinned, so God removed them from the Garden.

Sin is still separating us from God and the only remedy for our sin is to receive what Jesus did on the Cross for ourselves. In His mercy, kindness, and love, Jesus laid down His sinless life in my place and yours, to give us the only hope of eternal life. None of us can ever pay the penalty for our own sin. That’s essentially what hell is – an eternal effort to pay a debt we cannot pay. And the agony of the realization that we had opportunity to be forgiven and given new life in Christ will literally haunt us for all eternity. It will drive us mad with the incessant guilt, shame, and regret, causing us to feel like we’re on fire and in utter darkness.

We can look at what Jesus did on the Cross and with appreciation, seek His forgiveness and purpose in our hearts to allow Him to cleanse us of our sin, fill us with His Holy Spirit, and enable us to live fruitful and productive lives to His glory, or say in essence: “No thank You, Lord. I’ve got this!”

It’s your call. Let’s look at this from one more angle tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Darkness!

“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who live in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined. From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’” (Matthew 4:15-17 NLT)

Matthew borrowed verses 15-16 above from the great Prophet Isaiah, to describe the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. These ancient words could describe many communities, my nation, and I suspect, yours. Darkness is plentiful in our world today, some, ironically, have grown so accustomed to it, they can’t recognize the light when they see it.

When my son was a teen, we camped a few days in a camping area not too far from where we lived. Being the “rough it” kind of guys we were, we took our microwave, his Xbox and some games, as well as plenty of food and snacks, but soon decided we should explore a little beyond our tent. So, we decided to go to a nearby cave.

Our guide had a big light and led us down into a very broad and damp area and shut off the light. It was a blackness I’d never experienced. It was eerie, almost frightening, even though I knew where we were. When she turned the light back on, she told us about a small species that lived in the cave that generations before had had eyes and could see, but over the years, because eyes are useless in the darkness, they began to be born without eyes.

It’s not unlike that in the age in which we live. People without Jesus are being enveloped by darkness, yet, they have no clue. It’s perhaps “the land of darkness and utter gloom” of which Job spoke in 10:22. “It is a land as dark as midnight, a land of gloom and confusion, where even the light is dark as midnight.”

He likely believed that’s where he was headed when he finally died and was released from his misery, but, ironically, God had other plans for Job! And guess what? He has other good plans for you also! Yes, of course, on many levels, there’s a lot of darkness in our world today, but nothing compared to what’s coming for those who don’t yet know Jesus.

And that raises another issue. What happens to those who continue to walk in darkness; who ignore the light? Revelation gives us a clue when John writes: “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.”

Some have said some version of: “How could a loving God sentence people to an eternity of torment? What kind of vengeful ‘god’ would allow such a horrendous punishment?” The Bible is clear who will be punished and why, but there’s not space to go into that in today’s post. But I will say that in the verse above notice two things: “they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores.” And “But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.”

Even though God allowed a severe punishment to get their attention, they chose to curse God rather than repent and turn to Him. Even to the end of their fiercely evil lives, He still offered them forgiveness, but they wouldn’t accept it. It wasn’t HIS choice for them to continue to suffer, it was THEIRS/OURS!

Food for thought. Let’s look at this in more detail tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Strength to Equal Your Days

“But David found strength in the Lord His God.” (1 Samuel 30:6b NLT)

*Sylvia Gunter has been a blessing to me, and I hope to you as I’ve shared many of her beautiful devotionals, so, it is with joy and much appreciation for her vital ministry, that I share this message from “The Father’s Business” with you today! I want to support Sylvia’s ministry, so, have made a contribution and encourage you to do so as well, as the Lord leads. Blessings, Ed 😃

Help Us Celebrate Sylvia Gunter and The Father’s Business

I hope this finds you blessed and thriving in God’s abundant grace. As a cherished member of The Father’s Business family, you have stood with us on our mission to provide resources that bring healing, encouragement, and transformation to countless lives around the world for over 30 years. Today, we invite you to partner with us in a unique opportunity to honor our founder, Sylvia Gunter.

Sylvia’s legacy through The Father’s Business has impacted countless lives, providing spiritual tools and resources that draw believers closer to God. Her teachings have brought healing, hope, and encouragement, inspiring individuals to deepen their relationship with God. As we celebrate Sylvia’s lifetime of ministry, we invite you to honor her legacy by donating to The Father’s Business. Your donation will ensure that Sylvia’s vision and work flourish, reaching new generations with the message of God’s love and grace.

Our goal is to raise $175,000 to fund several projects we would like to release in the next year to make Sylvia’s life work more accessible to the next generation. The first project is the release of her newest book, “Strength To Equal Your Days: A Year of Prayers and Blessings.” This devotional is a labor of love, filled with daily encouragement designed to guide readers in their walk with the Lord. It encapsulates Sylvia’s heart for equipping believers to live victoriously, no matter the challenges they face. To fully bring this vision to life, we need your help to cover the costs of the pre-press design and the initial print run of “Strength To Equal Your Days.” Your generous contribution will enable us to share Sylvia’s latest work with people across the globe, helping them encounter God’s transformative power in their daily lives. We hope to go to press soon for an October release.

Here are three ways you can partner with us:

Pray: Join us in prayer that God will provide the necessary funds for everything He wants to accomplish in the coming year.

Give: Consider donating. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference.

Share: Spread the word about Sylvia’s new book. Tell your friends, family, and church community about this opportunity to support a ministry that has blessed many.

When you donate online, there is a comment box where you can write a note to Sylvia. We will make sure she reads every one of them! Your partnership in this project is a testament to the power of community and faith. Together, we can ensure that Sylvia’s legacy continues to inspire and uplift believers worldwide.

THANK YOU for standing with us in this endeavor. We are deeply grateful for your ongoing support and belief in the work of The Father’s Business. May God richly bless you for your generosity and faithfulness.

Click Here To Donate

To send a donation by mail, Write a check payable to “The Father’s Business” Mail your check to: The Father’s Business P.O. Box 380333 Birmingham, AL 35238 The Father’s Business is a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry funded through one-time and recurring gifts. Often, individuals may underestimate the profound impact a small donation can have. We recognize that some may be unable to give, so we provide this devotional as our gift to the body of Christ. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our donors who play a crucial role in making this devotional and ministry accessible to everyone.

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Out of Work?

“Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening.” (Psalm: 104:21-23 NLT)

Earning a living is part of the fabric of being a human being. Across the centuries, up until relatively recently, the earning of that “living” was the man’s responsibility, yet today the roles of “wage earner” have shifted. Even in my generation it wasn’t unusual for both the husband and wife to work, often until the children started coming, then the role of mother became the primary “job” of the wife.

The purpose of this post isn’t to debate the “rights and wrongs” of that plan, but to highlight the tragedy of a person who has a key role in supporting a family being unemployed in today’s economy. Many families live “paycheck to paycheck” without the luxury of saving much for the proverbial “rainy day,” thus, increasing the necessity of working to maintain the much-needed income to keep the family afloat.

However, let me mention one conviction I have that may help – regardless of your age or stage of life, don’t live beyond your means! Too often we have enough to get by, but not enough to keep up with our friends, so we borrow money we don’t have to build debt with which we can’t keep up, all because we’re trying to impress someone who doesn’t care, then we blame God for not “taking care of us.”

The Lord promises to meet the needs of His children, but He won’t always meet our “wants.” The Lord is a bountiful Provider and He wants us to prosper, not to live a lavish lifestyle, but to have enough to give generously, not only to the church, but to others in need. Yet, even as a believer we lose jobs, get sick and have to miss work, and for many other legitimate reasons are unable to give away as much as we’d like.

So, let me offer some food for thought if you or someone you know is out of work. Having been out of work and having had no real prospects, let me offer these suggestions. (1) Let prayer guide your search. I was an unemployed, divorced Pastor, so, I looked for Pastoral positions. At first, I didn’t realize divorced Pastors weren’t “hot items” as prospects for churches without a pastor. I ended up selling cars and learned to enjoy it.

Maybe whatever your profession, don’t be too picky. Yes, of course, put out your resumes, but keep your mind and heart open to doing something else. You’re out of work because the Lord allowed it, so, just maybe He wants to send you in a different direction, even if it’s only temporarily.

Related to that (2) Volunteer. If you’re out of work, presumably you have some time on your hands, so, investigate options on a volunteer basis. Love kids, elderly, needy, yard work, mechanics, technology, Accounting, Law, Medicine, almost any field has options for volunteers. More than we like to think, it’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know. You’d be amazed who you can meet when you volunteer.

And here’s the best advice I can give you: (3) Be attentive to the Lord’s voice! This should come as no surprise, but the Lord knew before He laid the foundations of the earth that one day, thousands of years later, you’d be out of work. He does nothing by accident, nothing catches Him by surprise, and He allows nothing to enter the life of a believer except it passes through the filter of His permission. He knows your need and He will meet that need in His time. So, trust Him. Wait for Him, but in the meantime, stay busy searching, writing letters, sending resumes, telling anyone who will listen about your need for work.

This can be the most important season in your life. Don’t miss what God has for you.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Scrapbook Spirituality?

“I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. But forget all that – it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.” (Isaiah 43:17-18 NLT)

Think of all the years that have passed since that glorious work of God for His chosen people. It’s a wonderful remembrance, but if we get caught up in what He’s done, we can easily miss what He’s wanting to do! And not just in the Church, in our individual lives.

Pictures are wonderful, but they have this mesmerizing effect of drawing us to days past, which is fine, but not if it robs us of all that God has in store for us. And yes, as I well know and understand, what’s ahead may not be all that inviting, but, again, you’ve got to realize Who it is that is calling you into that future.

Think about it. What lie just ahead for the children of Israel? Most of them would die in a wasteland for their disobedience. Only their children would survive to see the Promised Land. And many of them would die in battle seeking to secure the future for their children or would be forfeited of God’s desire for them to live victoriously because of THEIR disobedience.

Yes, looking back can be comforting, but it can also be challenging. It can challenge us to realize we each have the potential of becoming more than we ever dared dream we could be. I look at pictures of my children as infants, children, teens, and now as adults and I marvel, not only at what they were, but what they’ve become. But beyond that, what they can still become in Jesus.

Even as believers, we can bury our heads and seek to continue to live in “what was,” or we can face the future with faith-fueled expectation, believing God is going to do more in and through us than we’ve ever dared believe He could.

Ron Hutchcraft wrote: “Come on! You can’t base a relationship with Christ on a scrapbook, no matter how impressive the past is. Sure, we can draw encouragement for the new things in front of us from looking back. You just can’t let the old missions satisfy you. You need some new experiences with Jesus. You need to be part of some new exploits for the King, places where you experience Christ’s lordship in things that matter to you now.

You need a daily rendezvous with Him where you have new encounters, new discoveries all the time from His Word; something new that you just talked to Him about today. You need a new mission, a new vision for what you could be doing for Him; a new reviving work better than all the others you’ve had in the past, a new intimacy, closer to Jesus than you’ve ever been before.

Isn’t it time to say, ‘Lord, I’ve been living too much on memories. I’ve been living on old victories, old experiences. Let’s do some new things together! Today, Lord, let’s start making some new memories.’” (See A Word for You Spiritual Memories Are Not Enough – 09-17-24)

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Waste or Wisdom?

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14 NLT)

The above verse is found in a parable the Lord told regarding His eternal Kingdom. The invitation is proclaimed far and wide, and everyone is invited to the “banquet,” but most who are called find themselves enmeshed in the things of the world and miss their window of opportunity to “attend.”

Thinking about the “calling” the Lord extends to us, it occurred to me that many of us, even those of us who know the Lord and genuinely want to follow Him closely and correctly, can “miss” what He’s actually calling us to do. How so?

Nearly half of my pastoral “adventure” was spent in a bi-vocational setting. The small church I served paid me what they could, and I worked full time in a non-church setting. At least early on, it seemed I was being “wasted” by not being able to serve a larger church, but the more I thought about it, I was exactly where I needed to be.

But here’s the point – so are you, my friend, so are you! Do you not realize that the Lord needs “pastors and ministers,” workers in the vineyards of His world to reach the ones who would otherwise rarely, if ever, darken the doors of an evangelical church? By God’s grace I was able to meet and influence people I likely would have never met had I not been working in my “secular” job.

My boss came to church and brought his two young rowdy boys who loved it and begged him to bring them back. The owners of one of my accounts were believers who were active in their church but came to speak to my people about their ministry. In many settings I had opportunity to speak on a more personal basis with people I would likely never have met had it not been in that non-church setting.

Do you believe the Lord has called you to ministry? I certainly hope so, because He calls each one of His children to work in the vineyards of His world. There are things that you can do that no one else can do, people you can influence positively for Jesus like no one else can.

You may believe you’re stuck in that “dead end job” and you can continue to believe that, or you can begin to see that job and the people with whom you work as your “mission field.” Instead of begging God for another job, beg Him for insight and understanding as to how to more effectively see the needs of those invisible people. Learn to look at them instead of through them!

Ask the Lord to enhance your “ears” so you can not only hear their words or their sour attitudes, but their hurting hearts and their dying souls. Like me, what you’re tempted to consider a “waste” is actually a clear picture of God’s wisdom in placing us exactly where we need to be.

Often our own discomfort or restlessness isn’t because we’re mismatched with our assignment, but because of our own spirit’s need to have more of God. We may very well be exactly where the Lord has planted us but have been so distracted by our own desire to be “anyplace else,” that we’ve missed God’s heart in seeking to equip us to be more effective exactly where we are.

God will only “grow” us where He “plants” us, so rather than looking everywhere else and hoping to be “there,” buckle down, listen to His strong voice and follow His directives right where you are! Remember, as Janet Pashall wrote: “God always equips us for the work for which He calls us.”

He doesn’t equip us for a work to which He hasn’t called us.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊