Walking With Jesus

Can You Ignore Them?

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.” (Luke 10:33 NLT)

In Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 we see a vivid picture of our woundedness by sin and our inability to care for (forgive) ourselves. We are the unnamed person along the side of the road, dying and in great need. Many religious people, even Christ-proclaimers, passed us by until one day someone stopped to help. His name was Jesus.

Yes, He may have used a different name. For me it was Bob. Who was it for you? Who looked behind the façade of the happy, perfect life to actually SEE you and your urgent need?

Often, even as credible, and sincere Jesus followers, our heart is so focused on “Foreign” Missions, we overlook the people we’re almost literally tripping over in our daily walk. The receptionist at our doctor’s office; the one we pay for our car wash; the checkout person at the grocery; the person selling flowers at the traffic light; our waiter/waitress at a restaurant. The list is virtually endless of “invisible” people we encounter every day. Are they not as valuable and lost as those in foreign countries?

John Piper spoke to my heart when he wrote: “We are hypocrites to pretend enthusiasm for overseas ministry while neglecting the miseries at home. There was something wrong with the priest and the Levite in the story of the good Samaritan, who had their distant religious aims but were not moved by suffering close at hand where they would have to get their own hands dirty. Ministries of mercy close at hand validate the authenticity of our distant concerns.”

At our church we have several outreach ministries to reach hurting and at-risk people in our local communities, but even then, we’re (I’m) quick to give money without it really costing me anything. But please don’t hear what I’m not saying. The real question is – “Are you serving Christ locally in some way.” Not all of us can serve the needs of the poor and oppressed as a ministry pursuit, but each of us needs to serve somewhere, and if you’re not serving anywhere, consider those in your spheres of influence who have genuine needs.

Even then, there are plenty of other people we know and with whom we have regular contact and for whom we can pray and offer a helping hand. In my mind stinginess is the opposite of generosity, and it has to do with far more than our money. We can be stingy with our compliments, our praise of God and others, our kindness, goodness, self-control, and the other fruit of the Spirit, but it’s seldom so obvious as our “tips.”

My wife was a waitress when she was going to school, so, she’s usually a generous “tipper,” and that “habit” has rubbed off on me. I’ve mentioned before that I often will leave an invitation card from my church to the server and will sometimes jot a quick note. Something like “great job!” or “I appreciate your extra effort to make our experience here special.” But when I do that I don’t leave a measly tip, I generally leave 25 to 30+%.

“Why?” you may ask? Four reasons: 1. It’s their livelihood and if they take me up on my invitation to come to church, I want them to be happy to see me. 2. It’s a tangible way to express the love of Jesus. 3. The Lord has enabled me to have the means to be generous. It’s a way I can model His character and generosity to me. 4. It lets them know they’re not invisible to me and that I’m making a conscious effort not to ignore them, but to thank them for doing their job well.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When the Trumpet Sounds!

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NLT)

Just so there’s no confusion, in the verses above Paul is writing to believers in Christ Jesus. When he refers to “we” in the verses above he’s speaking to those who by grace have been forgiven and their sins blotted out by the blood of Jesus, not to every human being. All human beings will one day stand before the judgment seat of God, but those who know Christ will not be judged for sin; thus, will stand with no fear of hell.

Here’s the tragedy: EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be. The scales will be removed from the mind and heart of every person, but those who have already believed will go to heaven to rejoice with and worship the King of kings. But those who have rejected Him on earth and failed to recognize the Truth that was right before them, will play over and over in their mind throughout all eternity: “Why did I wait? How could I have been so blind? How did I miss Jesus?”

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Imagine the agony of heart and the torment of mind and soul when you finally understand that what your believing friends have been trying to help you understand is true! Finally, but too late, you’ll discover that the sin that you loved so much, has cost you your soul. Can we even begin to reckon with the pain of now knowing what we could and should have done, but now it’s eternally too late?

Unbelievers are critical of a God who would sentence the very human beings He created to an eternity of torment and anguish, but when they do that, they reveal their ignorance of the measures God has taken so that doesn’t have to be their end. God’s love is why He allowed His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come to earth in the first place.

Jesus came on a mission to earth that He knew would end in His death, but He was willing to pay that extravagant price so that no one would miss heaven. But because He gave us free will He doesn’t force anyone to receive the gift of eternal life that He purchased with His shed blood on the Cross. It’s a gift offered to every person who has or ever will live. If you don’t think that’s a big deal, how quickly would you be willing to lay down your life for someone else’s sin?

What about the people who lived before He came? Why do you think He wanted three days in the tomb? The second He died He could have immediately come back to life, but that was never the plan. During those hours His tortured body lay in the tomb, He was off visiting those who had died before, who had had no option to receive the gift He purchased on the Cross on their behalf, so they could be forgiven and saved. His blood was enough to purchase the forgiveness of every person who ever has or ever will live, but it’s their choice.

To blame God for someone going to hell is like someone stealing a person’s car, crashing it, and killing themselves, then their family blaming the owner of the car for their death. If someone goes to hell, they have no one to blame but themselves. The gift is offered to “whosoever will” (Matthew 16:25).

Please, I’m begging you, please accept the free gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering you right now! Please don’t wait another second, because the next second isn’t promised. You have THIS second; take advantage of the precious gift you’re being offered. You will literally NEVER regret it.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed

The Ultimate Goal of the Church

“The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations.” (Psalm 22:27-28 NLT)

The ultimate goal of the Church is to lead our nation to the foot of the Cross of Jesus, not simply to find salvation, as vitally important as that is, but to lead them in worship and adoration of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Salvation is pointless if it doesn’t lead us to worship. Forgiveness is meaningless unless and until it opens our hearts and lives to the only true and living God. Missing hell isn’t the goal of salvation, seeing Jesus for who He is and investing our lives in making Him known must grow out of our salvation or we’ve missed the point.

In John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life (page 152) he writes: “It is crucial that millions of Christians fulfill their life calling in secular jobs, just as it is crucial that during wartime the entire fabric of life and culture not unravel. But during wartime, even the millions of civilians love to get news from the front lines. They love to hear of the triumphs of the troops. They dream about the day when war will be no more. So it is with Christians. All of us should dream about this. We should love to hear how the advance of King Jesus is faring. We should love to hear of gospel triumphs as Christ plants His church among peoples held for centuries by alien powers of darkness. This is God’s design in world history – that people from all nations and tribes and languages come to worship and treasure Christ above all things.”

Did you “hear” what he’s saying: The goal of the Church – the Christian Faith – isn’t that people miss hell, it’s that they don’t miss King Jesus! People who believe they can attend church, read their Bible, live moral lives, and by so doing receive a crown in glory haven’t understood the Gospel. Or those who believe they can send a quick salvation prayer heavenward with their dying breathe will be grossly disappointed.

The “right words” prayed in desperation for our sake alone doesn’t change our eternal destination, confession which leads to a changed life that’s focus is on Jesus is what will move the heart of God. And someone will surely think of the thief on the cross next to Jesus and ask: “Didn’t Jesus hear his prayer?” Which of course He did, but Jesus alone can interpret the desires of our heart and it’s obviously His call who will join Him in heaven and who won’t; who sincerely desires to be with Him and who’s focus is merely on themselves.

My point is that gathering people to sit on seats in a building isn’t what we’re called to. That can be a good start, but ultimately that may or may not result in true worship of the King of the Universe. The ultimate goal of the Church isn’t to get people into a building, but into heaven where they can worship and honor King Jesus for all eternity.

One day, as David wrote in the verse at the top of the page, “All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.” Or as Paul records in Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” But that revelation and confession will come too late for many who have sealed their fate while residents of planet earth.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Certain?

“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-10 NLT)

Have you ever stopped to consider what Jesus is asking us to say to God in His “Lord’s prayer?” Especially when we ask Him to accomplish His will and purposes on the earth, “as it is in heaven.” How do you imagine God’s will is accomplished in heaven? Is there an instant of delay in carrying out His commands? Is there a moment’s hesitation before the angels are in motion to carry out every detail of His will with perfection?

How about in my life and yours? Are we listening carefully to our Father’s commands? Are we taking the time and making the effort to hear clearly what our heavenly Father desires of us? Implicit in asking the Lord to accomplish His will “on earth” is our desire to see His will accomplished in the lives of His children – me and you.

What’s at stake when we confess our desire to fall in line with God’s will being carried out here on earth as it is in heaven? Are we simply asking “globally” that God have His way in the world? Yes, of course, that’s part of it, but there’s a much more personal piece to our prayer. The late Timothy Keller wrote: “Unless we are profoundly certain that God is our good father, we will never be able to say, ‘thy will be done.’”

Must that not be our starting point? My sense is that the “Lord’s prayer” is verbalized multiple times from the lips of those across our world every day who give no real thought to what the prayer means or is intended to accomplish in our individual lives. It’s as if the prayer is an incantation over our lives, believing words spoken will accomplish what only a life lived well to God’s honor will do.

Are you “profoundly certain” that God is YOUR good Father? How can we be certain? There’s only one way: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” Certainty is a byproduct of knowing your sins are forgiven and your life is in the capable hands of the Lord Jesus.

He alone made appeasement with God for our sins. Forgiveness and restoration of our relationship with God can only happen by the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross. To believe we can bypass the Cross with our “good” works is blasphemous. There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10)! Putting our trust in anything or anyone else is an exercise in futility. Only God through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ can put us in a right relationship with Himself.

Certainty grows out of relationship. I’m certain I’m married to my beautiful wife, not because I signed a certificate of marriage, but because for the last 30+ years I’ve devoted my life to her. I’m certain that my sins are forgiven and I’m more desirous that God’s will be done in my life than my own will, not simply because I knelt at an altar of prayer and sought His forgiveness more than 60 years ago, but because as I write these words His Spirit is leading me and assuring me of His presence in my life.

Knowing and loving God the Father isn’t a religious exercise that we confess and to which we commit ourselves in an obligatory way. It’s a privilege for which we gratefully express our appreciation to Him every second of every day.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Ten Bridesmaids

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” (Matthew 25:1-2 NLT)

As a Jesus follower, do you consider yourself foolish or wise? What is the basis of your conclusion? In the parable referenced above there’s only one issue and it’s not the shortage of oil for their lamps.

Jesus told many parables, mostly for the purpose of conveying clarity to what might otherwise be very difficult to understand. Parables are not allegories where every detail has significance and meaning separate from the point of the whole story. Parables have one main point, and in the parable of the Bridesmaids, the point is this – don’t be foolish, be ready when He returns.

We tend to waste a lot of effort trying to understand what the oil represented or why only five of the bridesmaids made it into the wedding celebration when they were all invited? And why did Jesus tell the five He didn’t know them when He’s God, He’s all-knowing? These are all unnecessary questions because the parable only had one point – be prepared when He comes again.

Why is that important to understand? Because, true to his character, Satan will seek to enmesh us in the unnecessary details and miss the message of the parable, which is simply – BE PREPARED! So, the logical question then becomes: How do I do that? How do I prepare for His second coming?

How do you prepare for anything? You have a house payment due on the first. You have an appointment with the Dentist on the 23^rd. You have a job interview on the 9^th. You get the point – we’re almost constantly preparing for appointments, yet, unless we intentionally choose to think about it, we almost never think about the Lord’s return. How can we be prepared for something to which we give so little thought?

In this season of our lives our minds fill quickly with many things about which we have concern, many which are surrounded by uncertainty. Some, if we allow them, will rob us of incentive or motivation to do anything else. We allow ourselves to become paralyzed by fear of the unknown and uncertain. If I allowed myself, I could ponder the implications of my Alzheimer’s diagnosis ad infinitum, but of what real value would that be?

Worrying about any number of things over which we have no control, is bad enough in and of itself, but the real tragedy is we waste time thinking about things that don’t matter, to the neglect of those that do matter. It matters greatly whether we’re ready in this moment for Jesus’ return. We must intentionally think about what it means to be prepared – is our walk with the Lord up to date? Are we as close to the Lord as we can be? Should be? Must be?

Is there something the Lord has laid on my heart to do that I’ve ignored or put off? Is there a person to whom I need to apologize? Witness? Express love? Comfort? Chasten? Admonish? Encourage? Forgive? Renew contact? Reach out in friendship? Write a note? Send a card? Take out for a meal? Express my appreciation?

The list is virtually endless in terms of “accounts” we need to “balance” before the Lord returns, but the easiest way to get to the bottom line is to ask the Lord? “Lord, what am I not seeing or ignoring that is critical for me to address as I prepare for Your return?”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Light or Darkness?

“And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:19-21 NLT)

Are you walking in the Light today? That question can be confusing for some because they’re blind to the true Light who is Jesus. They wrongly assume: “Yes, of course I’m walking in the light. Every day I walk out my door into the light of a new day.”

The big difference is this: the Light of Jesus shines out of our lives, not simply into our lives. We’re so prone to avoid commitment to Christ because we perceive that we will be giving up too much. The glitter of the darkness of sin and the trinkets of this world have blinded our heart to what is true. Corky Calhoun nailed it when he wrote: “It’s hard to shine with the light of Christ when you’re still clinging so tightly to the darkness.”

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Why are lies so much easier to believe than the Truth? Why is sinning seemingly so much more enjoyable than abstaining from sin? Isn’t it perception? If Satan is governing my life, he has me believing that nothing can be more enjoyable than sex with multiple partners? Drinking or drugging ‘til we pass out? Accumulating more wealth than we could possibly spend in 10 lifetimes?

When the truth is, nothing is more satisfying than sex in a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman. In this season of my life there’s nothing that gives me a greater high than worshipping my Lord and King Jesus. My Treasure isn’t found in dollars and cents, but in knowing my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; that when I close my eyes in death I will open them in the presence of the only One who has truly loved me enough to give His sinless life for me.

Light illuminates not only the evil from which I need to run, but the Light of life whom I need to follow. The longer I walk with Jesus the less appeal the world holds for me. On some levels it’s like the food we eat. For years I’ve heard (and ignored) the adage that says: “You are what you eat!” That just seemed silly to me. How could that be? Until I got Diabetes from eating all the wrong things, that led to kidney issues and the real possibility of heart issues, and many other physical issues with which I wouldn’t have had to deal if I’d just been more attentive to not only WHAT I ate, but HOW MUCH I ate.

Today I can honestly tell my wife: “Honey, I never realized how good a salad could taste!” or how filling a low carb, high protein meal can be. I’m not there yet, but I’m attending a class on how to fix delicious meals for diabetics. When I graduate from the class I’ll receive a cookbook filled with recipes that I can feel good about eating.

And some may think it’s out of place to talk about meals and diets for believers, but if we don’t eat right and exercise regularly, how will we function long term to enjoy our life in Christ and the privilege we have to share that life with others. Our body is the temple of the living God, why wouldn’t we want to treat it with care and respect.

To me in this season of my life it just makes sense that if I’m going to walk in the light of Christ’s love and goodness, I should be in the best physical condition I can possibly be in to His honor and glory. My only regret is that I didn’t see this “light” many years ago.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Father’s Business

“Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!” (Psalm 27:7 NLT)

*Today be blessed by the words of Elizabeth Gunter Powell (Sylvia’s daughter). Let them bless you as they blessed me. Used with permission. Blessings, Ed)

When you wake up in the morning where does your mind go? Is it the list of things that need to get done? Regrets of what happened the day before? Or perhaps before you get out of bed you reach for your phone to see what you missed out on while you were asleep? Nothing like a list of emails and notifications to greet you in the morning. I have to admit I am guilty of doing it.

What if instead of reaching for the phone or running through the to-do list we took a moment to pause to reflect on another list? How would the day unfold differently if it started from this point…

God, today I will remember…You are eternal: You have always been and always will be. You see the beginning and end simultaneously; therefore, Your people can trust Your leading. (1 Timothy 1:17)

You are unchanging: You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. In Your eternal permanence we find stability and peace. (Hebrews 13:8)

You are love: You know us best and still love us, in spite of our frailty and sin. Your love is incomprehensibly vast, measureless in its length, depth, width, and height. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

You are wise: You are the source of all truth and wisdom. You give wisdom generously to all without finding fault. (James 1:5)

You are infinite: Your judgments are unsearchable, and Your ways are past finding out. (Romans 11:33)

You are omnipresent: You are completely everywhere at all times. I am never alone. (Psalm 147:5)

You are faithful: You are my covenant-keeping God. You are always true to Your Word. Great is your faithfulness. (2 Timothy 2:13)

You are gracious: In Christ Jesus, You deposited grace to my account when I was bankrupt and declared my debt paid in full by Your Beloved Son. (Psalm 116:5)

You are sovereign: You alone have all authority. You said, “I am the first and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God.” (Isaiah44:6)

You are majestic: Your holiness is beautiful beyond comprehension. Your glory is too marvelous for words. From all of eternity, You have been working wonders in creation, redemption, and providential care. (Psalm 29:2)

I choose to face whatever comes my way today with You, my glorious and awesome God.

By Elizabeth Gunter Powell © 2018. Attributes taken from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Volume 1, page 66-67, more attributes are listed in the book. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Click here to learn more and order. Past devotionals are available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.

Have You Been Filled with the Spirit?

“While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ he asked them.” (Acts 19:2 NLT)

Too often in our indoctrination into the Christian Faith we assume that everything we’re taught is Biblical and correct, but that may not be true. There are non-Christian sects that teach things that sound true and Biblical when in fact they are not. In Seminary one of my professors was fond of saying: “A text taken out of context becomes a pretext.” That basically means you can make the Bible say most anything as long as you’re not concerned with using accurate measures to assure the intended meaning of a verse or verses.

For example, the Bible says in Matthew 27:5: “Then Judas…went out and hanged himself.” The Bible also says in Luke 10:37: “Then Jesus said, ‘Yes, now go and do the same.’” The Bible says those things, but no one should ever draw the conclusion that we should take those texts out of their context to make them say something that the words were never intended to say. We too often do that same kind of “proof texting” in other contexts.

For example, in Acts 19:2 (above) there were those who had heard and followed the teaching of John the Baptist to repent and be baptized, but that was before the Spirit had been given, so it makes perfect sense that Paul would ask such a question. But in Acts 10:44ff while Peter is sharing with Gentiles (non-Jews) about the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them even before they made a profession of faith, not to mention before they were baptized.

So, what’s my point? I believe we too often make assumptions about things that aren’t necessarily as “cut and dried” as they seem.Depending on your “brand” of the Christian Faith you may have been taught that the Holy Spirit always accompanies salvation. In other words, to be saved is to be filled with the Spirit, but is that always the case? My personal belief is that we get all of Jesus, thus His holy presence in the Person of His Spirit the moment we yield our lives to Him.

However, I have a significant measure of certainty that Jesus doesn’t get all of us at conversion. What am I saying? My sense is that in a high percentage of those who find salvation in Christ alone by faith alone, our initial efforts to learn how to walk by faith are governed by self-effort and not Spirit-directed. The bottom line for me is that like salvation, sanctification isn’t a “one and done” proposition. Just as there is a sense in which I am saved, I am being saved, and I will one day forever be saved, there is a similar process in sanctification.

In my mind they’re like two parallel tracks, like train tracks, that work hand in hand with one another. We can’t be saved without the Spirit’s drawing and opening our hearts to the Lord, but neither can we grow in sanctification (holiness – being set apart for sacred usage/purpose) without being saved. On some levels it’s like asking, not if I’m filled with the Holy Spirit, or, in other words, do we have all of the Holy Spirit, but does the Holy Spirit have all of us?

That process begins on the day we’re saved and continues until we close our eyes in death. So, the critical issue becomes: are we saved? Have our sins been forgiven? Have we begun the life-long journey of new birth in Jesus that can’t be completed without the Spirit’s empowering and enabling presence?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Wanna Be Important?

“Saul replied, ‘But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” (1 Samuel 9:21 NLT)

As the Lord assesses your usefulness in His eternal Kingdom, He isn’t nearly as concerned about your family of origin as He is in your willingness to submit to His authority and follow His directives.

When the Prophet Samuel was given the assignment from the Lord to anoint Saul as Israel’s first king, he may not have anticipated Saul’s hesitancy to be considered for such a prestigious position. Saul asked the same question that we too often ask: “Who am I?” But, obviously, that’s the wrong question.

Being king of Israel wasn’t even on Saul’s radar when he sought the man of God. He and his servant were just looking for lost donkeys. What are you searching for in this season of your life? Where is your focus, the object of your attention? Maybe it’s a new house, car, TV, person to clean your house – it could be any number of things that will lead you into a conversation with the Lord about what HE wants most for you. Are you listening?

We’re very egocentric as human beings. We want what we want when we want it, and as a rule we’ll do most anything we can to get it. We’re the apple of our own eye. No one or nothing is as important to us as us. It’s our sinful nature that governs and guides our life unless and until one of a couple things happens. Either we’re forced against our will to become another’s slave, or we voluntarily yield our life and allegiance to King Jesus.

Jonathan Pokluda wrote: “If you want to be important and make a difference, live for God.” It’s perhaps the greatest irony that we as human beings run from God to find our best selves, too often never realizing that that goal can only be achieved by running into His arms. Think of the prodigal son who ran from home to seek fulfillment, purpose, and importance, but found only desperation, despair, emptiness, and need.

What are you seeking in this season of your life? If you’re seeking anything or anybody but Jesus, you’ll not find that for which you seek. The Lord planted eternity in our heart and nothing of this world can satisfy us long term. Every human being yearns for fulfillment, completeness, wholeness, none of which can be achieved through human effort.

Even when Saul became king of Israel he continued to live under the constraints of his own limited ability. The moment we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should, we lose ground in our walk with the Lord. He didn’t create us to follow our heart, but His; not to satisfy our own longings, but His; not to find fulfillment in our own achievements, but His on our behalf.

The longer I live the more apparent it becomes that apart from the Lord Jesus I am nothing and can do nothing. On some levels it seems ironic that the more my memory fades, the more my thoughts center on Him and the more closely I long to walk with Him.

Importance is simple to me in this season of my life – it’s Jesus! He’s my everything because He’s invested in every detail of my life. I do not fear the difficulties the future may bring because I know I will not face them alone. I’m that important to my Father…and so are YOU!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

God’s Plan

“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NLT)

Have you come to understand that God has a plan for your life? Your life specifically? Yes, of course, God has a general plan for everyone of us collectively to be His visible Body on earth, but of what value is a blurred picture of humanity apart from “snapshots” of individual believers? The Lord didn’t assign His whole Body to reach the people in my spheres of influence, He chose me.

Similarly, there are people only you can reach for the Lord. Yes, very likely the people in your assigned area know others who are following Jesus, but they might not. And even if they do that doesn’t mean that another believer will be as sensitive to God’s Spirit as you are when it comes to reaching family and friends for Jesus.

As I understand it, God’s plan is for each of us to become His eyes, ears, feet, and voice to those with whom we have contact – family, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, those we “hang out with,” or those with whom we enjoy recreation. In short, everyone in our spheres of influence, which very likely includes far more people than we realize.

So, what is our assignment? In short, it’s to be Jesus to each one with whom we have influence. But how? Craig Groeschel summed it up this way: “Our assignment isn’t to show others how good we are. Our assignment is to show others how good God is.”

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

Have you ever considered how good God is? What makes God so good? There aren’t enough pages available in the world to fully describe the goodness of God, but for starters think about His grace, mercy, kindness, thoughtfulness, power, majesty, creativity, and, very likely at the top of our list will be His undeserved, unearned, and too often unappreciated LOVE!

Behind every act of God is love. Think of the two brothers in Luke 15 – the one who left home and the one who stayed. One voluntarily chose to give up his access to his father in exchange for what his father’s money could buy for him. As long as the money flowed, he was at the top of his game, but when the money “well” went dry he quickly learned he was never the object of his “friends” affection anyway.

On the other hand, the son who chose to stay close to his father was as far from “home” in his heart as his wayward brother. Proximity doesn’t guarantee closeness, only love and devotion can do that. The younger son wanted with all his heart to be a “winner.” He wanted acceptance, freedom to run his own life, believing he knew far better than his father what that should look like.

But when he failed, he finally learned the truth: winners aren’t the ones who cross the proverbial “finish line” first, they’re winners because they finish the race. We may fail more than we “win,” but the prize goes to those who keep kicking, scratching, and crawling until the day finally comes when they cross the finish line, not to win an earthly prize or treasure, but to finally fall into the waiting arms of their heavenly Father.

Therein lies the motivation for us to fulfil God’s plan for each of us.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊