Walking With Jesus

Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

Where is YOUR trust as you make the needed decisions in your life today? What are the implications of the decisions you will make? How broad are the ripples of effect that will result from the moment-by-moment decisions you make? It may be as simple as choosing a parking spot or on which lane to travel on the Interstate, but make no mistake, it matters!

I was travelling on the Interstate late one night and had just passed a car. I made the decision to go back into the lane from which I had come, so checked my right-hand mirror. As my eyes returned to the front I was shocked to see a deer directly ahead, but in the lane from which I’d just come. Had I waited until I saw the deer clearly before entering the right lane, it would have been too late to turn away.

A movie I watched a number of years ago depicted the difference it made in a person’s life who came out of a building and immediately got into a cab and went their way, and the same person who came out of the same building but missed the cab and was forced to wait. What they experienced in those moments of waiting literally changed their life.

We too often make those kinds of decisions without even considering asking the Lord’s direction and wisdom. We wrongly assume we’re capable of making those judgments without His input, but are we? Tim Keller wisely noted: “Putting our faith in Christ is not about trying harder; it means transferring our trust away from ourselves and resting in him.”

Realizing our dependence upon the Lord isn’t only about the major decisions has been a game-changer in my life. If you think about it, what is a “major” decision? Isn’t it the result of many lesser, smaller decisions that have laid the groundwork for this one?

As a rule, trust in the Lord isn’t something we decide to have on a moment-by-moment basis, it’s a decision we make that becomes foundational for all the decisions we make. He doesn’t change, so there’s never any reason NOT to trust Him. He has all knowledge about everything, thus qualifying Him as the perfect Person to trust in guiding us in every decision we make.

Sometimes He works in conformity with our personal preferences, but sometimes He doesn’t. Our assessment may be: “So and so just rubbed me the wrong way! I’m going to steer clear of them!” But the Lord may say, “You misjudged them, reach out to them!” “Yes, Lord!” is the only appropriate answer.

Trust is far more than believing we have eternal life in heaven because we prayed a prayer, it’s a profound confidence in the One in whom we’ve placed that trust. Trust is only merited to the extent the person’s character and behavior justifies it. God’s character is without flaw, so we can trust Him without question or concern.

What about me and you? How’s our character? Do you realize that when we speak with someone about our Lord, we’re putting our character to the test? Implicit in asking someone to put their trust in Jesus is asking them to put their trust in us. Are we believable? Can we be trusted? I pray we can.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

It’s Your Choice

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

Do you know why God’s plans for you don’t always come to fruition? Essentially for the same reason not all people will go to heaven – freedom of choice. We must want for ourselves what God wants for us. God is a gentleman and will not force His will upon us.

Because God is good, kind, caring, and has all these loving and aspiring attributes, He naturally wants us to know, love, and follow Him. Why? Because He knows if we’ll listen and obey Him, our lives will be fruitful, full, and flowing with good that naturally comes from His blessing in and on our life. Everyone faces troubles, heartaches, guilt, sadness, and a thousand other things, but they’re so much easier to handle with the Lord’s help.

Think of the Children of Israel standing on the threshold of a brand-new life in a brand-new land (to them). All their parents, and they as children, had known prior to their deliverance from Egypt was slavery and now they’re standing at the beginning of a life they couldn’t have imagined. And as they ponder all that will be required of them, God gives them a choice, the same choice He gives you and me today.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-18 God says: “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in the His ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.”

And please don’t misunderstand, God isn’t calling us or challenging us to become limp rags that just let the winds of others’ opinions drive us in all directions. No, no, no! These Israelites weren’t simply going to waltz into the land of Canaan and the current occupants scatter in all directions. They had a fight ahead of them and many of them would die in the process.

That’s the battle we face as Jesus followers. He doesn’t just call us to life alone, He calls us to death. And until and unless we’re willing to offer our lives to Him as a living sacrifice, we’ve chosen death. Death is inevitable, life is an option we must choose. And, like the Israelites, He’s calling us to war.

As long as our bodies have life, as believers in Jesus, we’re at war with the enemy of our soul and war has casualties. One of the primary things that needs to die in us is our demand to have our own way. The Lord will not force us to follow His directives, but we will never find our “promised land” of opportunity to be all He’s calling us to be until we die to self and determine to let His will be our own.

Whatever we may profess, in terms of Christian Faith, it’s valueless unless and until we allow our wills to be wed with God’s. A strong-willed child of God is an oxymoron. Only to the extent our wills are conformed to the will of God will we find the peace, contentment, joy, and satisfaction in our walk with Him that He longs to give us.

And don’t misunderstand. This decision isn’t once and done, it’s a moment-by-moment decision. What is your choice in THIS moment? And the NEXT? And the NEXT?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God’s Providence

“Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the Governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: ‘You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.” (Acts 24:1-2 NLT)

The providential care and supply that God provides us is often ignored or forgotten unless or until we find ourselves in a season of great need. Ironically, those times may lead us to our greatest appreciation of prayer. Need and prayer often go hand in hand, at least they do for me.

The good news is that the Lord has enabled me to realize that every second of every day is a desperate time of need for me. There is never a time when I don’t need the Lord, so, I’m never tempted to take His bountiful provision for granted. The attorney who led the charge in seeking Paul’s conviction in the above verses, noted that the Governor Felix had “…provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.”

Our leaders, whether in the Church or the government, have the capacity as people to institute measures that will benefit the welfare of those they serve, but God, who is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, and ever-present is in a unique position to not only know what we need in this moment, but in every moment of our existence. Why is that important?

Because if we’ll listen to Him, He will guide us in making decisions that will benefit us in ways we don’t have the capacity to yet understand. Why do you think Jesus taught us to pray: “Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:11-13 NLT)

Too often we ignore the vital nature of prayer on a daily basis, treating Jesus more like our rescuer and errand boy than our Lord. We’re to do His bidding, not He ours. Prayer is critical in the development of our relationship with Him, just as conversation and communication are critical in a marriage, or in any meaningful relationship.

Paul Rezkalla gives us insight when he wrote: “If your understanding of God’s providence leads you to pray less, then you need to rethink your understanding of God’s providence.“Just because God knows everything in advance doesn’t mean He has determined every outcome. If everything we thought, said, or did was predetermined by God then we’re not human beings, we’re robots. Without free will we’re like trees or plants.

Prayer is vital because it’s the lifeline of our walk with our Savior. Without conversation with Him about our every need, it’s not that He won’t know about it, but His heart may not be moved to do anything about it. I may know a neighbor has a need, but if I have no relationship with them, I may not have any inclination to offer help. But if they ask and/or make their need known, then I can be more specific in my response of support.

It’s not like God doesn’t already know or won’t help, but His priority is His children, especially those He knows are utterly dependent upon Him. When we act like we have everything under our control, without any apparent interest in or need of His help, He’s not going to force us to accept His help.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Changing Behavior

“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.” (Philippians 3:21 NLT)

From the moment we begin our journey with Jesus we are a work in progress, and that progress will last until we draw our last breath. At that point we will receive full evidence of the faith that has been changing us all along. Finally, we’ll see with certainty every step of the sometimes-painful journey has been worth it.

Life change, while critical, must always be initiated and carried out by God. Does that mean we should never take any initiative in making changes in our own life? Of course we should, but those changes must be initiated by the Holy Spirit; otherwise, they’re little more than “New Year’s resolutions” that die a quick and painful death after the emotion of our initial desire wears off.

Changing Seasons “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

The changes in our behavior can’t simply be the decisions of our mind but must come in coordination and connection with our heart. Lonnie Free wrote: “A change of behavior only glorifies God if it is motivated by a change of heart.”

Much of our initial effort to be conformed to Christ’s likeness, unfortunately, is motivated by the energy of the flesh. We watch those around us who seem to be modeling what we perceive to be Christlikeness and try to model our behavior after theirs. There’s just one big problem! We’re not them! The Lord never calls us to be like someone else, only to be like Him.

That’s why it’s critical we spend time in the Bible learning about and watching Jesus’ life in action. How did He speak? What did His life’s actions reveal? He did nothing by accident or without purpose. Did you ever wonder why He continued to sleep during the violent storm on the lake? There may be deep spiritual implications, but my take is, He was just worn out from ministry.

Much of our needed life-change happens in the course of life. It’s not necessarily something the Lord initiates apart from our daily routine. He may, of course, but how He’s worked most powerfully in my life is when He takes me aside, as He often did the Disciples, and walks with me through something I’ve just experienced.

For example, I remember well my first sermon. I was in my early twenties and shaking like a leaf. I’d written everything I believed the Lord had given me and did my best to express it in a meaningful way. After the service an elderly lady came up to me and said: “Oh brother Hager, that was one of the best sermons I’ve ever heard. There’s just one thing. You’re going to have to learn to speak up. I hardly heard a word you said!”

You know what the Lord taught me in that? Obviously, to speak up, but He also taught me humility. You know where my thoughts were going as she began – “Yes! I’m going to be the next Billy Graham!” But then she had to continue, so, as my ego bounced off the floor the Lord smiled and said, “You did fine, son, and don’t worry, I’ll help you with confidence so you can actually let people hear you next time.”

The best thing about life change, when it’s done in the right spirit, is it draws us closer to Jesus, the Author and Perfector of every change we’ll ever have to make.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Doctrine Without Duty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A Prayer For The New Year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Believing or Belonging?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Working Fruitfully

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Living Successfully

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s Your Version of Success?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings, Ed 😊