Walking With Jesus

How Do You Handle Temptation?

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

The scary issue with which we all deal when it comes to temptation is not whether God will give us a means of defeating it, it’s always the matter of our decision to take the “escape route” He provides. That’s why remembering my many failures is so painful, in the end I have no one to blame but myself.

As I’ve recently pondered this whole issue of how to overcome temptation in my life, I’m discovering it’s never an issue of not being able to overcome it; it’s always an issue of whether I will. And the basis of my choice isn’t will-power, determination, or spiritual maturity, it’s love. Who do I love more – me or Jesus?

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Erwin Lutzer said: “Our response to temptation is an accurate barometer of our love for God.” OUCH! That stings! When we allow temptation to defeat us, it’s always easier to think of our weakness than our lack of love for the Lord. In our heart and mind, we want to believe we’re “all in with Jesus,” until an attractive woman walks by, or I see a sale I just can’t pass up, or ___________.

How do we even measure something as intangible as love? Maybe that’s the problem, love isn’t as intangible as we might think. We’re tempted to believe that love is how we feel, but love, as I’ve often said, isn’t an emotion, it’s a decision. So, if that’s true, measuring our love for God or others isn’t as mysterious as we often make it out to be.

For example, the Bible says in Galatians 5: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” None of these qualities are of human origin, thus, the presence of them in our lives is evidence of the Spirit’s activity and investment, only made possible by our willingness to allow His presence to work in and through us.

Temptation isn’t isolated or separate from our love for the Lord, it’s an opportunity to prove our love and give expression to the Lord that we want His will more than our own, and to be filled and empowered by His life and love, not simply what we, in our flesh, most want in any given moment. We too quickly forget that Satan is a liar, so, when he brings temptation to us, he “dresses” it in glamor and appeal that he knows will get our attention.

The irony is he tempts us exactly like he tempted Jesus, and he never varies. He appeals to our cravings for physical pleasure, for everything we see, and to take pride in our own achievements and possessions. In short, Satan’s goal is for us to make much of ourselves, while God’s goal is for us to learn to first make much of Him, not for His sake, but for ours.

The more we make much of Him, the more personally and effectively we give expression to our love for Him, the more we open avenues of opportunity for Him to shower us with “gifts” that will enable those who see us to see more of Him. At heart we’re about us, so, temptation is designed to make that as easy as possible. Overcoming temptation, as hard as it may be for us, becomes easier with which to deal the closer we get to Jesus.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Whose Will?

“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)

What we do, in every area of our lives, isn’t nearly as important as why we do it. On some levels it’s similar to – “it’s not what we say, it’s how and why we say it.” It all speaks to motivation. This is a vital consideration that could push us back to the moment of our conception – why did God allow us to have life?

Related to that, we can draw conclusions based on the authority of God’s Word. God is all-knowing, there is literally nothing that escapes His knowledge and complete understanding. Every “discovery” of man simply affirms what God has known forever. It’s never a question of “can it be known,” it’s only a matter of who will be the first to listen closely enough to the all-knowing One to hear His voice and pay attention to His directives.

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The point is, there’s an answer to every question and a solution to every problem, we just need to be willing to do the work of listening carefully and being willing to give credit where credit is due. Will is a precarious piece of every person. We’re born with a bent to sin, but we’re also created with eternity in our heart – an awareness that we’re created for far more than what we see, hear, and experience as a member of the human family.

As long as we live there will always be tension between what we want for ourselves and what God wants for us. To the extent we allow the Lord to conform our will to His, the more at peace we’ll be with whatever comes our way, knowing it’s not an accident, that it was allowed by our Savior, and that His intent for us is always for good.

When you think about it, maybe that’s the whole issue. My certainty that I am going to heaven grow’s, not out of any effort on my part, but on my ever-increasing desire to do what God wills for me. It has little to do with my efforts to be accepted, admired, envied, or gain any other human advantage, it grows out of God’s goodness, grace, kindness, and generosity.

Has it ever occurred to you that God wants (wills) for you to be in heaven with Him? Unfortunately, God’s will isn’t always done on earth as it is in heaven. 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

That’s the tension created by God’s will and our will. As long as we demand our will, God is a gentleman and will let us have our way; however, when we decide that we want what God wants for us, or, in other words, we desire to allow the Lord to enable us to conform our will to His, there’s a sense in which I/we no longer have a will of our own.

The longer we walk with the Lord the more fully He enables us to only and always want what He wants for us. Why would we ever do that? Because we learn that what God wants/wills for us is ALWAYS, without exception, better than what we desire for ourselves. He always has our best interest at heart, but, in the end it’s our choice – our will or His!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Don’t Wait!

“God’s promise of entering His rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.” (Hebrews 4:1 NLT)

Warnings are given throughout the Bible that emphasize at least two very important considerations. First, that God loves us and has done for us in and through Jesus, things that we could never in eternity ever do for ourselves. But secondly, what we stand to miss isn’t only what He’s done, but why He did it in the first place, and what’s available to us right now, in this specific point in time, that we dare not miss.

The gift of life that Jesus gives isn’t only about heaven, as important as that is, it’s about the quality of life that we can live RIGHT NOW by faith in Jesus’ completed work on our behalf. We read in the Old Testament, stories of the great men and women of God, many of whom are outlined for us in Hebrews 11. And we marvel at how God used the people of old, tempted to wonder why He doesn’t work like that today. But that’s the point – He DOES and IS working powerfully in and through ordinary men and women of God in extraordinary ways.

Today as I write it’s a Saturday morning. Tomorrow my wife and I are taking or meeting at church four of our neighbors. And I can almost see your yawns as you’re thinking: “Yeh, that’s about as exciting as Daniel in the lion’s den.” But wait! If God is allowing me and my wife to be involved in the life change of four people who were headed to hell, but now can be headed to heaven, you may not think that’s a big deal, but the angels in heaven are rejoicing, and so am I!

I’m pumped that God gave me and my wife the privilege of investing our lives in His eternal Kingdom by affecting the lives of four of our neighbors to see Him differently and learn to follow Him. We too often believe the exciting stuff that God wants to do has already been done, but that’s a lie. Today is the most exciting and challenging day EVER to be a child of God.

It takes just as much courage and dependence on the Lord to follow Him now as in any other period in history. There are at least two great truths in the verse above that point to the validity of why I believe that. William Barclay wrote: “A word, however great, is of no avail unless it becomes integrated into the person who hears it. There are many different kinds of hearing in this world. There is indifferent hearing, disinterested hearing, critical hearing, skeptical hearing, cynical hearing. The hearing that matters is the hearing that listens eagerly, believes and acts. The promises of God are not merely beautiful pieces of literature; they are promises on which a man is meant to stake his life and dominate his action.” (Barclay, W., ed. (1975). The letter to the Hebrews (p. 38). The Westminster John Knox Press.)

The fear of which the writer of the Hebrew letter refers in the verse above isn’t a paralyzing fear which makes us run away. It’s the motivation for us to put forth every ounce of energy we possess to invest ourselves in the pursuit of that to which we’ve been called as we pursue this grand invitation to something so great, so satisfying, so soul-fulfilling that we dare not miss this privileged opportunity!

It’s that to which I invite you today! Don’t postpone this opportunity to dive with all you’re worth into the gift of becoming a child of God; the proverbial gift that keeps on giving throughout eternity; the gift to be a very small part in seeing people who are walking away from God turn and run toward Him. This is the stuff of which a great life is made. Please join me!

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is Backsliding? (Part 2)

“Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.” (Proverbs 14:13 NLT)

Yesterday’s post ended with this sentence: “These are seasons of decision. Will I trust the Lord to draw me out of this mire of indifference and distance from Himself, or will He allow me to continue to drift from Him?”

Let’s begin today with a couple of observations: First, with some exceptions, God allows us to do whatever we want to do, for good or evil, but our drifting doesn’t change God’s heart toward us. His love isn’t less and He’s still closer to us than the air we breathe. We can’t push God away, it’s humanly impossible, but we can “distance” ourselves from Him through the determinations of our own heart.

Distance from the Lord is an act of the will, not a consideration of literal measurement. I distance myself from Him every time I choose my will over His; when I make decisions that exalt me over Him, when I focus the purposes of my heart and mind on evil over good. That’s the nature of being a human being. Salvation doesn’t draw us closer to the Lord, it cleanses our heart and mind to enable us to recognize He’s where He’s always been.

The idea of backsliding has nothing to do with God’s attitude toward or awareness of us; it has everything to do with our attitude toward and awareness of Him. In my mind, as I understand, not just the Bible, but the heart of God, walking away from God is a decision that incrementally closes our heart and mind to God’s presence, thus, damaging and diminishing our life in Him and effectiveness for Him?

Does that mean we won’t go to heaven? I’m not the judge of that and, fortunately, no matter how strongly you believe you should be, neither are you. When someone walks away it’s easy to say: “Well, they must have never been saved.” But to me that’s a copout. Are you telling me I have the will and right to come to God, but not to walk away?

God makes the rules, we must abide by them. All I know is my hunger for God grows with every day I walk with Him. It’s literally impossible for me to conceive of someone who could have once sincerely and genuinely walked with God to walk away, but at the same time, I’ve experienced life altering events in my life: death of loved ones and close friends, divorce, deception, unimaginable suffering in people’s lives that have soured them to the thought of God. Their experiences have clouded and distorted their view of God.

Satan is a liar, deceiver, and a pro at taking negative and painful times in our lives and turning the blame onto God. There’s a part of me that understands why someone would walk away from God, but not if they really know who He is and what He’s done for them.

The bottom line for me is I don’t really know why people walk away and stay away from the Lord of heaven, but I know the Lord knows and it doesn’t change His love for them in any way. His love is just as strong and His grace just as available, but He won’t force us to love Him and live for Him. He will not force us to walk with Him against our will. At that point we’d cease to be His children and become His puppets.

The uncertainty of the future causes me to snuggle up even closer to Him, because not knowing what lies ahead for me only creates in me a greater desire to hold more tightly to the One who DOES know my future.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is Backsliding?

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised. ‘For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And My righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.’ But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.” (Hebrews 10:36-38 NLT)

To not recognize that a person who has professed faith in Christ can turn their back on God and walk away is naïve and blind to reality. The man who led me to Christ turned his back on God, his wife, his life as a believer and entered a life of sinful rebellion until his dying day. I recently had a lengthy conversation with a man who told me he’d followed the Lord for 30 years, but now professes to be an atheist.

The question in this whole issue of backsliding isn’t whether it happens, but in what ways is God’s view of a person who deliberately walks away from Him affected. Do they lose their salvation? Did they ever have salvation in the first place?

“Pray at all times” “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

Proverbs 14 compares different paths taken by different people in different contexts. Verse 14 says: “Backsliders get what they deserve; good people receive their reward.” At our core we’re all sinners saved by grace who choose each day whom we will follow. In my mind it’s literally impossible for me to understand how anyone who truly knows, loves, and is loved by the Lord could walk away from Him. But the question before us is – Can that happen? Of course it can and it does, but what are the implications?

The question with which I wrestle is: “What part does free will play in our relationship with God?” Do we walk into a relationship with the Lord Jesus as an act of our will, but at some point, lose our ability to follow our will to walk away? The story of the Prodigal son illustrates that the wayward one found his way home, but the “prodigal” who never left home didn’t. The Father allowed each son to make his own choices. What if the prodigal had chosen not to come home? What if the son who stayed home learned to rejoice in the gift of his father and the home they shared?

There are ample Scriptures to support those who believe once you’re born again you can’t lose your salvation, but there are also verses that suggest that there are those who believe people can and do lose their salvation. I have books in my library that support ad infinitum both views, but that isn’t the point of this post.

My point is in the life of virtually every believer I’ve ever met, including myself, we go through seasons, long and short, when we wonder what happened – to us, to others, to God, to the world. Our head swims and our souls ache with pain we can’t explain. Some agony of spirit is brought about by our own sin, some by the sin of those we love, but for me, those seasons have always brought me closer to the Lord, they haven’t pushed me away, they’ve caused me to see in myself greater need of and desire for my Savior, not the opposite.

In each of our lives there are times and perhaps even seasons when we “backslide,” when we drift from God. Hardships, loss, the uncertainties of life, health, the world, drive us into shells that harden over time and make it increasingly more difficult to hear the voice of God. These are seasons of decision. Will I trust the Lord to draw me out of this mire of indifference and distance from Himself, or will He allow me to continue to drift from Him? Let’s not stop here but continue our “conversation” in tomorrow’s post.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When We Pray for Healing

“Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15 NLT)

Our body, mind, heart, and soul are inextricably interwoven in such a way that when one part of us is “sick,” it often affects other parts of our body. For example, if I’m hurting physically, it often affects my ability to work, not only with my body, but with my mind and vice versa. To be sick spiritually can also affect how we function physically, socially, intellectually, and in other areas. Why is this so? Basically, because that’s how God wired us.

Because of all those interactive parts of us, when we pray for “healing,” we’ve got to be careful how we pray. I believe God’s will for us is wholeness, not simply wellness. Our body can be completely well and function perfectly, but if our soul is sick, it can affect how we feel and function mentally, physically, relationally, and in other ways. Likewise, if we’re sick physically, it can affect us spiritually, mentally, etc.

Because of that we need to be careful how we pray when someone is “sick.” “Healing” that God has in mind may be quite different than what we have in mind when our body isn’t “well.” For example, if I have a family member or friend who is an alcoholic, drug addict, or has another type of addiction and they come to me and ask me to pray for their “healing,” how should I pray? In their mind, what needs to be healed? Deliverance from an addiction isn’t wholeness, it’s just one piece of the proverbial puzzle.

Often, because of the way an addiction can twist our thinking and negatively affect our body, it’s important that we do what Jesus did when people came to Him. He often asked them a question: “What would you have Me do for you?” He asked that of a blind man, obviously not assuming to know (even though He did, because He’s God) what the person had in mind.

Similarly, asking the question helps to clarify how we should pray. But even then, the person themselves may not understand what the Lord is seeking to accomplish in their life by allowing whatever “disease” they have. You may recall I mentioned in a previous post that I haven’t asked the Lord to heal my Alzheimer’s, which may cause some to wonder.

If I believe God’s will for me is my “wholeness” in Him, I can’t view my diagnosis in a vacuum. So, I’m asking the Lord to show me a few things to enable me to pray, not only in line with what I might want for myself, but more importantly in line with what God wants and intends for me. So, beginning with praise and worship of my Lord and Sustainer, I thank Him for allowing this diagnosis, not because I’m happy about the prospects of what it can mean for me and my family, but because I know He never allows anything to touch my life except He intends it for my good and His glory.

Many times, our illness, accident, mishap in whatever form it comes, has little or nothing to do directly with us, but it gives us an audience with a person(s) with whom we’d never have had an audience if it hadn’t happened. So, I’m seeking to be sensitive to people I’m meeting – doctors, nurses, support staff, but especially other patients who may really be struggling because they don’t yet know the Lord who is all knowing, all loving, all sustaining, and all able to give us everything we need to be everything He desires us to be. Maybe I’ll share more about this later, but hope this helps you, not only to know where I am in this season of my life, but how the things going on in your life are working, not only for your benefit, but for those in your spheres of influence.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Secure in Your Beliefs?

“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:16-18 NLT)

Have you ever had someone ask you a really tough question related to your belief in Jesus, and rather than admitting you didn’t have an answer, you became defensive and refused to continue the discussion. One of the positive things I’ve learned when someone asks me a question to which I don’t have an answer, is to admit I don’t know, but preserve the relationship by saying something like: “You’ve raised an interesting perspective on this (verse, subject, idea) I’d very much like to speak with you further about this, but would you give me a few days to do some research and study and I’ll get back with you?”

There’s no shame in not knowing (or forgetting 😊), but it is a shame to lose touch with the person who’s asking. Often, they don’t even believe or know for sure that what they’re saying is true or reliable, but if you shut them down without an answer, they have to assume it’s right.

Our security needs to grow out of what we can verify is true. I know the Bible is true, that God is alive and loves me, that my salvation is secure in a risen Savior, not because of my research alone, but because I have conversations with my risen Savior every day. “But that’s just your opinion” someone may say, and, in fact, it is. But it’s an opinion based on thousands of hours of research, not only by me, but by those whose words I read who are a lot smarter than me.

One of my convictions is, I don’t negate the results of someone’s study who is smarter than me, regardless of their point of view. If I don’t agree with them, I want to prove them wrong, not simply dismiss what they say without really knowing if it’s true or not. That’s how I want someone to treat my words: “prove me wrong!” I sometimes say to someone who is a skeptic.

Understand, however, that there comes a point in a person’s life they have pushed God away for so long their lies begin to sound to them like truth and we’ll never convince them otherwise. Even God’s Spirit can no longer break through the barriers they’ve erected in their heart and mind.

Sam Allberry wrote: “A sign of the security of your beliefs is that you welcome hard questions and scrutiny; a sign of their insecurity is when you shut down and censor discussion.” For me, personally, I tend to dismiss someone’s quick and pat responses. Rather than give something I’m saying a thoughtful response, they dismiss it as below them or treat it as elementary and not worthy of consideration.

There are too many brilliant scholars who have done collectively thousands of hours of Biblical research and drawn conclusions based, not only on research and scholarship, but personal life experience, for me to dismiss what they say and/or have experienced as a person of God. Having followed the Lord for more than six decades I declare with Job: “I know my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last.” (Psalm 19:25)

Sometimes it just boils down to what hill you’re willing to die on. I’m convinced in my own heart and mind that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be, did exactly what the Bible says He did, and is coming again to bring home His Church exactly as He promised to do! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Broken Promises, Broken Lives

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT)

Have you ever made a promise you didn’t keep? There aren’t many things that make us feel worse. Aren’t you glad that God NEVER breaks a promise He makes to us in His Word?

David Jeremiah wrote in his Turning Point devotional (Living in Confidence 03-08-23): “A psychologist in Melbourne, Australia, told ABC Everyday that ‘keeping promises is an incredibly important aspect of maintaining a healthy and secure relationship—and that applies to all forms of relationships whether it be romantic, intimate, professional, or parental. Broken promises can lead to trust rupturing, which can very quickly fracture a relationship.’”

Trust is inextricably linked to honesty, especially as it relates to keeping our word. Melvyn Douglas is credited with saying: “Your word is your bond,” which is critical for a Jesus follower. If people can’t trust what we say, our witness for Christ is virtually null and void. And it stands to reason that if people can’t believe what we say, we’re going to have a hard time convincing them that we’ll follow through and do what we need to do (what we’ve said we would do) in carrying out the demands of a job or any other kind of responsibility.

What if you had a friend at church with whom you’ve had a few casual conversations, some centering on your dearly loved dog. So, when you go out of town for a week and that person volunteers to watch your dog, you think it’s going to be great. But when you get back from your trip the person with whom you entrusted the care of your pup tells you he only showed up three times the whole week, “but the dog seemed fine to me.”

Unlike us God always, without exception, does what He says He will do. Sheila Walsh wrote: “God does not change, nor do the glories of His person and the salvation He engineered for us. God’s promises are as dependable as He is. A big part of being conformed to the likeness of Jesus is learning to say what we mean and mean what we say.

How can we expect someone to believe the claims of Christ we share with them when they can’t believe our life? Broken or empty promises are a key ingredient in a broken and empty life. In order to have a great, reliable friend, we have to be a great, reliable friend; otherwise, we’re going to spend a lot of time alone.

My dad was working on something at the house when I asked him if he’d like to go see a particular movie that was playing at the theatre not far from our house. He told me he’d like that, but he needed to finish up what he was doing. So, he gave me money for admission and told me to go ahead and “start walking and by the time you get there I’ll be able to meet you.” I was maybe 8-10 years old, but all these years later I still remember the disappointment I felt when he didn’t come.

It was so unlike my dad, and I’m sure he had a good reason for not coming, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Not keeping our word not only hurts us, it hurts them – their credibility; their witness, if they’re a believer; and their value as a friend and, especially, as a family member. We tend to not forget when someone hurts us, and it takes a long time (if ever) to regain someone’s trust.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Happens When We Die?

“For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:7-8 NLT)

According to Karl Albrecht Ph.D. the greatest fear we all share is death, but knowing Jesus can eliminate that fear and turn it, in some respects, into a longing, should help us see death in a whole new light. My sense is what we fear about death is the “unknown,” but if the curtain is raised and we’re given insight and understanding as to what to expect, what is there to fear, as long as we know Jesus intimately and personally?

For me, my concern isn’t death, but dying. I’ve watched many loved ones, friends, and others waste away, unaware they were even still alive. I’ve often heard said and even thought myself, why doesn’t the Lord just take them home? Life is precious and if the Lord allows someone to remain alive their life has a purpose. But how?

Especially if relationships have been strained and there hasn’t been a “meeting of the minds” over whatever has kept them apart, the one(s) left behind can wrestle with letting their loved one go, hoping and praying it will enable them to make amends or at least come to terms themselves, before death robs them of the opportunity.

At other times we suffer with guilt for not being the person we’d hoped to have been for the one who is dying, now realizing it’s too late. Time is no respecter of persons, so death can attack anyone at any time, regardless of age. It behooves us to set aside our personal hurts and make amends with anyone with whom we have an issue now, while there’s time.

According to Scripture when we die as a believer in Jesus, we will see as we’ve been seen, or, in other words, no one will have to explain anything to us. Everything, including the truth about our own lives, will become crystal clear. That’s why no one will make excuses for their sin, we’ll see clearly why we’re going to heaven or hell. That’s why there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” (Luke 13:28) as we agonize our fate in view of our current knowledge that we refused to see while living.

As believers we’ll be united with Christ or, if not a believer, separated from Him for all eternity. After death there will be no more chances to repent or make things right with the Lord. That’s why it’s just crazy to put off giving our lives to Jesus. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Once we leave this body, we’ll either be filled with peace and a deep sense of relief or filled with fear and a deep sense of guilt and regret. There’s nothing of which I have more certainty than that the Bible is true, Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be, and I have an eternal home in heaven with the Lord and with my loved ones who knew Jesus and have preceded me in death.

The beauty of knowing Jesus is that you don’t have to have a high IQ, but you do need to be smart enough to recognize that you can’t save yourself from your own sin. Satan and his devilish emissaries all have certainty also, not that they’ll go to heaven, but that they’ll be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box, but – hmmm, let’s see, heaven and all it’s bliss, peace, and eternal joy or agony, misery, loneliness, isolation, and eternal damnation.

I’m no rocket scientist, but that’s a no-brainer to me.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Person or Project?

“Then Jesus demanded, ‘What is your name?’” (Mark 5:9a NLT)

How many people do you have in your spheres of influence who are lost; who are in need of Jesus’ friendship and Lordship? Is it comforting to you that Jesus knows their name(s)? Actually, He knows more about them than you know about yourself. And do you want to know the kicker? He loves them more than they could ever imagine!

In Mark 10 we read the story of blind Bartimaeus. In the Gospel of Mark this is the only person Jesus heals where we learn the person’s name. In Mark 5 the name “Legion” is given by the demon who spoke when Jesus asked the demon to identify himself, but we don’t know the man’s given name. In each case the person was identified only by the disease or problem from which they were being delivered.

Photo by Chevanon Photography on Pexels.com

Aren’t you glad the Lord calls you by name? When we pray, we don’t have to say: “Hey, Lord, this is me, Ed, do You have a few minutes we can chat?” He knows each of us by name and He’s never too busy to speak with us. I believe there’s a lesson there for us. When you pray for your lost loved ones and friends, do you use their name? I suspect you do, but why is that so important?

Primarily because it makes it more personal for us. If we simply pray: “Lord, please draw my family to you.” And someone in our family is saved, it may or may not have had anything to do with our general prayer. Obviously, if I’m praying for neighbors I’ve not yet met, I can’t use their names, but I ask the Lord to save, heal, guide – whatever their need, by name if I possibly can.

Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family, in an article entitled Accepting My True Identity in Christ (03-08-23) wrote: “What Ken and Floy also offered Rosaria — to her surprise — was unconditional love and respect. They treated Rosaria not as a project, but as their friend. They spent time with her. They invested in her. They ‘neighbored’ with her and extended grace to her by valuing her as a person instead of as a potential convert out of lesbianism.”

People who don’t yet know Jesus are much more likely to listen to a friend than a stranger. One of the best ways to reach someone for the Lord is to befriend them. Loneliness is rampant in our world today, so people are open to someone who genuinely cares for them; however, if someone senses they’re your “project” they’ll run fast in the opposite direction. So, what’s the answer?

One of the strongest witnesses to people with whom you work is a good work ethic. Do your job well, but don’t brag about what a great worker you are, let others do that for you. Create an environment where you’re known to be approachable, someone a co-worker can come to with a problem, then over time see if they’d like to grab coffee after work. This should go without saying, but using good judgment means woman to woman and man to man. Many “emotional affairs” begin at work and can lead places that are not helpful if you’re married and not honoring to the Lord.

Your attitude, language, demeanor, how you treat others, over time will set you apart as someone who can be trusted if a friend from work needs someone with whom they can share a problem or need. And, yes, of course, doing a great job is your priority, so you can’t be setting in the break room shooting the breeze all day, but that’s just one of many environments where you need to be sensitive to the Lord’s leading.

Whomever you’re seeking to reach for the Lord, they have to feel like you’re interested in them, not just in getting another notch on your spiritual “gun belt.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊