Walking With Jesus

Are You Lifeless?

“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7 ESV)

As you understand it, what constitutes life? Is it simply having a pulse, or is there some other means of determining whether life exists? Over the years I’ve visited a lot of people in their homes, hospitals, and other institutions. Almost from the first moment I had contact with them I could tell whether they were alive – physically for sure, but also spiritually.

Which begs the question: If you’re dead spiritually are you really alive? It grieves me to see my kids and many others pouring their time and energy into making money and building “a life,” but without any acknowledgement of the Author of life. And please don’t misunderstand, on many levels, though I professed faith, that was me, and I fear, it could be you.

How valuable is it to breathe and have some semblance of life when we’re dead inside? Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John reminds us in his first letter: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

It’s easy to look at verses like these, then look around at all we’ve accomplished with our “life,” then conclude that it’s spiritual mumbo-jumbo, but it’s not! There are those in whose eyes I’ve gazed and it’s like the light’s on, but nobody’s home; they’re breathing, but not responsive. What constitutes life? How do we know we’re alive and not just going through the motions?

Could it have anything to do with what gets us out of bed each day? Are we motivated by tasks that can be accomplished in the flesh – jobs, family, the pleasures of living in this world? Or is what compels us to face our day more than can be done in the flesh?

When I first sensed God’s call to full-time ministry, I asked my Mentor how he knew God’s call was on his life. He told me in a very somber tone: “If you can do anything else, do it!” I wrestled with that because in my mind there were lots of things I could do; lots of directions in which I could go – or was there?

For me, as I hope for you, God’s call on my life wasn’t and isn’t simply for me to become a paid, professional Pastor, but to give my life without reservation to the King of kings and Lord of lords. There’s a very real sense in which I don’t get out of bed to do what pleases me, but what pleases Him. And that should be true whether my vocation is secular or sacred, because if I’m God’s child everything I do is sacred, to the end that God would be glorified and honored.

As you look into your eyes today, what do you see? Is your heart beating to bring glory to God and to those who are without Jesus? Or are you simply preparing to spend another day on the proverbial treadmill – doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result? That’s not life, that’s insanity. Only those whose life has been hidden in the heart of God have life. The rest are dead, they just don’t know it yet.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Who Will?

“But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, ‘Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!’ He replied, ‘If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!’” (Luke 19:39-40 NLT)

There are many things I love about worship at my church, but one thing that stands out in my mind is the freedom we have to sing exuberantly, raise our hands, cry, basically whatever the Spirit prompts us to do. It’s always “decently and in order,” but no one is ever going to tap you on the shoulder and say: “Hold it down.” And please don’t misunderstand, I’ve never sensed that anyone was “out of control,” only under the Spirit’s control.

Personally, I’m not nearly as expressive as some of my brothers and sisters, but I don’t complain. In some ways I wish my personality would allow me to be more expressive. I’m not in any way suggesting that anyone should seek to draw attention to themselves and or distract others. I’m just saying if God’s people can’t get excited about worshipping and honoring Jesus, who will?

Corky Calhoun wrote: “If we can’t be passionate about God, and exuberant in worship in church, when and where else in the world will it ever happen?” Of course, there are many other ways to honor God besides corporate worship. As followers of Jesus, we should exalt His holy name through our speech, in our work ethic, in how we drive, how we love our family and others, how we teach our kids about Him, how we take care of ourselves and our possessions, and in many other ways.

It’s admirable to me to see how easily someone who loves Jesus will allow Him to enter their conversations. A dear friend always asks his waiter/waitress their name and tells them he’s going to pray for his meal, is there anything they’d like for him to pray about for them? Sometimes they say “no,” but it’s interesting how many of them share a genuine concern. If we’re not going to do that kind of thing, who will?

Being an introvert it’s sometimes difficult to think of things to say to people, but I’m learning to look for ways to compliment someone. As often as I can, especially when eating in a restaurant, I leave a brief note and an invitation card to church, along with a generous tip. (P.S. If you’re not going to leave a generous tip, don’t leave an invitation card).

The daughter of a Pastor friend worked as a waitress. On one occasion she served six men from the same church. They were having some kind of meeting, so they were at the table longer than usual and were very demanding of her attention. When they left, they didn’t leave any tip, only a tract with the church’s address and times of service. Do you think that inspired her to attend their church? Would it inspire you? A side note, it did inspire her dad to pay the pastor a visit (and he’s a very large man). 😊

What’s my point? If you’re not going to live or act like a child of God, don’t bother to tell anyone you’re a believer; however, if your heart’s desire is to live a life to God’s honor and fame, don’t hesitate to tell everyone you meet. If, as a lover of Jesus we don’t share what He means to us, who will?

On the other hand, we can’t be obnoxious, “in-your-face,” but kind, considerate, loving, and caring, being attentive to how they’re receiving what we’re saying. Our goal is to make a friend, not an enemy.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

You Matter!

“Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is Your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of Your wings.” (Psalm 36:5-7 NLT)

While walking my dogs a few days ago I noticed a little lizard laying upside down on the sidewalk. We had similar little creatures when we lived in Florida that we called Geckos. The males grow to about 2.4 inches and, at least in the area where we now live, they mostly come out at night. And you may be thinking: “Who cares?” Exactly!

Like ants, flies, mosquitos, gnats, or termites, we don’t give them a thought until they begin to invade our space, then all we want is for them to be gone. Unfortunately, too often we can feel that way about people and, in ever-increasing numbers, we can begin to feel that way about ourselves. Who would even notice if we disappeared?

We see the vastness of the heavens and the enormity of the oceans. We hear about the multiplied billions of people on the planet and wonder if there’s going to be enough food and water for everyone in a few years. Like a little dead lizard on the sidewalk, we walk by without giving it a second thought. And why should we? You may wonder. Why does it even matter?

And, in the overall scheme of things, it doesn’t…if it’s a lizard. But what if it’s a family member, co-worker, neighbor, or friend? Someone living in the shadows of our lives until one day they take their lives and almost no one cares.

In a recent devotion, Ray Majoran prayed: “Admittedly, while we proclaim Your great power and declare Your sovereignty over this world, we sometimes find ourselves unraveling when we face various trials and challenges. Please help us rely on You, the One who holds all things together.” That “all things” include you and me.

When our lives begin to unravel, we tend to think we’re all alone to face whatever problem it is. I remember standing in the grocery store with fifty cents trying to find something I could buy to eat, wondering if anyone knew how desperate I was. Did anyone see me? Did anyone care? I knew intellectually that they did, but when you’re alone what you know doesn’t make you feel any better.

Loneliness is epidemic in our world today, and people are wondering if there’s even a reason to be alive. Can they justify taking up space on the planet? If you or someone you know is feeling that way, may I assure you based on the authority of God’s Word and my personal experience, the answer is a resounding “YES!”

When I was at my lowest two very critical things happened. God showed up and He sent me one person who made it clear to me that I wasn’t alone. God is ever-present, but invisible, so we need God to come to us with “skin on.” We need someone we can see, hear, touch, and with whom we can cry and by whom we can be held. Dear friend, the Lord sees you, loves you, cares about every detail of your life and will send you someone who will walk with you through this difficult season. Please don’t push them away.

And, by God’s grace, if you’re doing well, please be on the lookout for someone for whom you can be Jesus. It will not only change that person’s life, but yours as well.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Praise Him! Praise Him!

“Praise Him, skies above! Praise Him, vapors high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued His command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked.” (Psalm 148:4-6 NLT)

As a new believer it wasn’t unusual to hear comments related to how old and unreliable the Bible was, especially as it related to science, and I didn’t know any better. It was intimidating, largely because I didn’t have any rebuttal. Johannes Kepler, the famous mathematician and astronomer, once said, “Science is simply thinking God’s thoughts after him.”

Rick Warren in one of his Daily Hope devotionals wrote: “The Bible wasn’t meant to be a scientific textbook. You don’t study the Bible to build a rocket. And the Bible doesn’t use scientific language. But the Bible never gives bad science! In fact, it’s always ahead of science.

For example:

For thousands of years, people believed that the Earth was flat. But God said 2,600 years ago in Isaiah 40:22 that God is enthroned above the sphere of the Earth.
For thousands of years, people believed something held the Earth up. Hindus believed huge elephants did it. The Greeks believed Atlas did it. The Egyptians believed five columns held the Earth up. But the Bible never says that anything is holding the planet up.
For thousands of years, people believed that the number of stars was finite. But Jeremiah 33:22 says the number of stars can’t be counted.

The laws of science don’t work one day and then stop working the next. Each and every one of them always works—because they are true and made by God. And truth doesn’t change.

Over the years I’ve learned that many things I believe may not be able to be proved scientifically, but that doesn’t make them any less true. There’s not a formula for forgiveness, peace of mind, or freedom from sin, but when I met Jesus, He gave me those things as a gift of grace.

Does it seem strange hto you that human beings are the only one of God’s creation that doesn’t instinctively obey the Lord. Years ago, I read an account of a man who was locked up and left to die, but he survived because the Lord instructed a rat to take the man sweet potatoes every day. Like me, you may think that’s not ideal, but if I’m starving it would be a welcomed provision.

We’re so spoiled, especially as Americans, and ungrateful. Every dimension of God’s creation worships the Lord and gives Him praise, adoration, and credit due His holy Name simply for who He is. But not us. Human beings, for all our positive characteristics, must be convinced of nearly everything we do or experience. And what’s the measure we use? Usually our feelings, the most unreliable of all our faculties.

Will you join me in celebrating the creativity, glory, and majesty of our heavenly Father? Without God there wouldn’t be any science, or anything else for that matter. Scientific “research” essentially is the process of discovering what God has known all along. We will spend eternity discovering things about Him and His creation that will continue to boggle our minds and fill our hearts with joy and adoration.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Role of Prayer in a Believer’s Life

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45a NLT)

What we believe about prayer is first reflected in whether we pray and, if so, the things for which we pray. That’s why the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6 is so vital. It’s essentially a guide in how to put God first in every prayer. How so?

Jesus didn’t simply pray to get answers, He prayed to glorify God in and through His life in a way that would challenge people to take the time and make the effort to get to know His heavenly Father. Does that mean that Jesus never asked His Father for anything? Of course He did, but Jesus bathed His prayers in respect and honor for His Father, never assuming, even as the Son of God, that God owed Him anything.

Jesus never made demands of God, only requests, but even then, He only wanted what God, His Father, wanted for Him. How unlike many of my prayers. Do I not want God’s holy name to be reverenced? Am I not desirous of seeing God’s Kingdom come soon and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven? Of course! I ask for that every day.

But implicit in my asking is that God would position my heart in a posture of expectation and determination. How so? If I don’t have expectation that at any second Jesus could return, I won’t live with determination to reach the lost with every ounce of my being. Why is that so vital to understand?

Because Jesus’ return will mark the end of opportunity. If our loved ones, neighbors, and friends haven’t met Jesus by then, it will be eternally too late. It’s in that context that we ask for food, forgiveness, and strength to turn from temptations and from the evil one. I want to be at my best in every area of my being if I’m going to be effective in my witness, if I’m going to be the purest vessel through which the Lord can flow in speaking life into the lives of those in my spheres of influence.

Prayer is the glue that enables me to hold God’s hand tightly as He guides me through my day. I don’t want anything more or less than the whole will of God for my life. And the best way to express that is by asking and expecting the Lord to prepare me in every dimension of my life to submit to His will.

Prayer isn’t to get what I want except to the extent I want what God wants for me. For me material things are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves. A car is for transportation, not a status symbol. My clothes shouldn’t draw undue attention to me but be appropriate for where I am to enable me to point people to Jesus.

Money isn’t to show people how important I am, but to support the extension of God’s Kingdom where I live, my community, my city, my country, my world for the sake and to the glory of my Savior. I only exist to do God’s bidding and prayer is the doorway through which I learn God’s agenda.

To be a believer and not pray is like a dolphin that never gets in the water – it’s a recipe for disaster!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Do You Pray?

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6 NLT)

Why do you pray? What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to use God to get your way, asking God to help you understand or carry out His way, or something else? What about Jesus, why did He pray? Is it only about reward or is there something much more meaningful and appealing involved?

What is prayer? Is it little more than wishful thinking? A rub on Aladdin’s lamp? A spin of the wheel of fortune? Or is it, in some mysterious and unexplainable way, a lifeline to the heart of our Father in heaven?

What you understand and believe about prayer is going to be a major motivator in whether you actually pray, and to what end. J.I. Packer wrote: “The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God’s hand, but a humble acknowledgement of helplessness and dependence.”

The rubber meets the proverbial road when we start asking these questions in a very personal way. In my mind and heart there has to be more to prayer than obligation or responsibility. On some levels you can think of it like sex in marriage. At first its pure bliss, it would take a major act of God to keep you apart. But, over time, it can take on an air of obligation or responsibility. It’s no longer “get to,” for some it’s more “have to.”

“How are those things even related?” you may be asking. Admittedly, I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box, but as I understand prayer and sex the goal of each is intimacy for the purpose of growing a meaningful and fruitful relationship. That’s part of the tragedy that sex is so misunderstood and distorted by those who want to use it for their own pleasure and gain.

Prayer is about our relationship with God, not getting answers or chalking up brownie points with Him. Are your prayers resulting in greater intimacy with your Father, or greater frustration because you’re not getting that for which you’re asking? Sometimes our prayers are acts of desperation and dependency, which is fine, but if that’s all they are we’ll never learn to hear His voice.

If prayer is only us speaking to Him, while valuable, it’s destined for emptiness and disappointment. Prayer is a conversation that results in greater intimacy with God or on many levels it’s a waste of effort. If we have no expectation of hearing God’s voice and following His directives, we may be talking to ourselves.

While reading Scripture is a valuable way to hear the Lord’s voice, if that’s the only time He speaks it’s like reading a bedtime story to your child, but never speaking with them as their mom or dad. Prayer is the joining of two hearts, two minds, two spirits in an effort to find oneness and to a large degree, wholeness in our relationship.

God is our Father before He’s anything else, yes, even before He’s our Savior. We have a Savior because we have a Father who loves us; otherwise, He would have never allowed His Son to die in our place.

Let’s look at this further in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Ugly Side of Life

“Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. ‘How can Satan cast out Satan?’ He asked. ‘A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.’” (Mark 3:23-25 NLT)

What is it in your life that is preventing you from being all that God has called you to be? If you’re anything like me, it’s likely not something life threatening or major in the overall scheme of things, but an irritation caused by an argument or disagreement with a family member, co-worker, friend at church, or with someone during the activities of daily life.

Someone cuts you off in traffic, jumps in front of you in a line in which you’ve been waiting a long time, or maybe it’s a call with a “support rep” when you’re trying to get information you need to pay a bill or fix a problem. Whatever it is it likely makes you feel demeaned, discounted, or unnecessary. What’s the basis of that feeling? Very likely it’s the evil one.

One of Satan’s emissaries is trying to do what the enemy of our soul is always trying to do – push us away from Jesus. It’s like static in the phone line when you’re speaking with a loved one, it’s not necessarily anyone’s fault, it’s just part of being a citizen of planet earth.

Life has an ugly side and whether or not we’re a Jesus follower, we’re going to be forced by virtue of our humanity, to deal with emotions that are unpleasant and hard to handle. And the irony is, it’s often with the very ones we most want to love effectively and, in a Christ-honoring manner.

When my high school sweetheart and I weren’t seeing eye to eye it often put me in a foul mood. My dad would notice I was “off,” and would sometimes say: “She sure knows where your goat’s tied!” If you’re young, you may need to think about that one 😊. It just means she knew how to get me riled or, depending on the nature of our disagreement, how to hurt me.

As a rule, the only ones who can hurt us are those we love, those with whom we most want to get along. And, yes, there’s a sense in which they are those with whom we most need to have a meaningful and enjoyable relationship. Our spouse, our boss, our teacher/students, our co-worker, or fellow Jesus follower.

It’s ironic on many levels that the people who know us best have the capacity to hurt us most deeply. Meaning, of course, they are the very ones whom we can hurt the most as well. To me that’s among the ugliest realities in my life. How so? Who, as a rule, has the most potential to hurt someone? Someone who’s been hurt or is hurting.

Rick Warren wrote: “Hurt people hurt people.” That’s why it’s often important to remove ourselves from environments or conversations that are toxic for us. There is a time to stand our ground and a time to retreat and regroup. When we’re tempted to say and/or do something that will dishonor the Lord, it’s time to clam up and remove ourselves from the situation if at all possible.

There’s little that is more damaging to our witness for the Lord than responding negatively to the seeds of contention that are sown by those we love the most. Our ugly side is never revealed so quickly than when we allow ourselves to be drawn into an unhealthy conversation or activity that gives the devil a foothold in our mind and heart.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Irresolvable?

“Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.” (Philippians 4:2 NLT)

Disagreements are unavoidable, but how we handle them exalts or demeans Jesus in our lives. Too often we come to an impasse, concluding that since our conflict has no apparent resolution, we must part ways. And what is usually the basis of this conclusion? Each person believes they are right, with the obvious given that the other person is wrong. But what if no one is wrong? What if it’s simply a matter of varying opinions?

Barbara Rainey wrote: “Approximately 69 percent of couples’ conflicts are irresolvable and will be with them in one form or another for the life of the marriage. Um. Is that supposed to be encouraging? Here’s why this truth is hopeful. John Gottman, the author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, has been studying marriages for decades. He explains, ‘The reason they are irresolvable, or perpetual, is that no one is wrong concerning the issue. The issue they are disagreeing on is merely a matter of preference.’ No one is wrong. I like that part.”

And, yes, this speaks to marriage, but the concept can be applied to many areas of our lives where disagreements are rampant – i.e. work, children, church, neighbors, etc. We all have and value our opinions and we like to believe our opinions are valid and valued by others, but each of us needs to understand the basis of opinions.

Opinions are basically our beliefs. The foundation upon which our opinion is built is what we believe at the core of our being, and, unfortunately, sometimes those beliefs are highly personal, but not necessarily wrong. For example, when I was young, I liked red cars. My first two cars were red. That was my opinion, but it didn’t cause me to project my opinion onto anyone else. It was my preference, but you were entitled to your opinion, and I could live with that.

Where problems can occur is when I have my opinion and you have yours, but we both believe that our opinion should be everyone else’s. That’s an irresolvable problem unless or until one or both of us decides to compromise for the sake of the higher good. The plot thickens when it’s an opinion that’s based on questionable or clearly wrong information.

In 2 Timothy 2:16-18 Paul addresses a serious error that was having very negative effects on the Body. Paul wrote: “Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.”

In a case like that where it’s evident that the basis of the problem is Satanic and motivated by a clear misunderstanding of Scripture, we have to cut our losses and walk away. However, most disagreements among family, friends, and fellow believers are based on our opinions, to which we can stubbornly hold, or, in honor prefer our brother and sister, agree to disagree, but continue to love and care for each other.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Abiding In Christ’s Love

“You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in His slaves. Now you are My friends since I have told you everything the Father told Me.” (John 15:14-15 NLT)

This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, but there’s a lot that I don’t know. In this season of my life, I truly believe I actually know less than I’ve forgotten (I’ll let you think about that one 😊). However, there are some convictions the Lord has given me that I hope will make sense to you and will be valuable as you move forward in your walk with the Lord Jesus.

Let me summarize yesterday’s post like this: The Lord has commanded us to love one another, but sometimes that’s not very easy. So, what should we do to keep the Lord’s commandment? There are so many “fronts” upon which we’re required to do battle, yet Satan is the author of confusion, not Jesus. What can we do to keep Jesus’ commandment to love our fellow pilgrims in our Jesus walk, while not having to believe exactly the same on every point of doctrine?

“Abide in Christ’s Love” “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”

The Lord has blessed me with a church family that is very diverse on many levels. There are more than 50 language groups represented in our congregation that include people from all over the world, but it’s a beautiful thing when we come together on any given Sunday and blend our hearts and voices in worship of our King Jesus.

Do we all believe exactly the same? I’m quite sure we don’t. Are each of us on the same level of spiritual maturity? Nope. There are lots of things that could divide us if we let them, but my church has a couple very strong convictions that serve in some very practical ways to keep our focus on what connects us, not what divides us.

How do they do that? They preach and teach that the Word of God is our rule of faith; that Jesus was God in human form as He walked earth’s pathways; that He died a cruel and painful death on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sin; that we can be forgiven from sin when we place our trust in Jesus alone by faith alone; that the Holy Spirit fills and empowers every believer and is our constant companion and guide as we seek to follow Jesus together.

We believe that prayer is the work, then God works, so, in every service we carve out specific time just to pray. We believe the only hope for the world is Jesus because He is the only way to heaven. How do we know these things? Because the Bible is clear on these basic tenets of the Christian Faith.

There are many other things the Bible teaches, but these are a few of the basic elements of faith on which I hope most every believer can agree. What too often happens is we begin to nitpick points of doctrine that aren’t critical to our salvation. I personally don’t have the gift of speaking in tongues, but some of my closest brothers and sisters in the faith hold fast to that teaching. We love each other while continuing to follow our understanding of what the Bible teaches.

I’m learning in this season of my life that if we let the Spirit flow in and through us, it’s a lot easier to love others as the Lord desires than if we try to love them in the energy of the flesh. Are other believers going to get on our last nerve? Absolutely, but they don’t have to be a believer to do that. Anyone can get under our skin, but by God’s grace and with the Spirit’s help, we can love them anyway.

You want to know what the Lord is showing me? The closer we get to someone, the easier it is to love them. My conviction is that we have a lot more in common than we have differences, so, if we start with those things, the Lord will help us to deal with one another’s differences. You know what? It’s beginning to sound a lot like marriage!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Loving One Another

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love…This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:9-10, 12 ESV)

You get that what Jesus is asking us to do is impossible, right? How is it humanly possible to love like the Father loves or as Jesus loves? Yet, that’s our commandment, and the Lord never asks us to do something He’s not willing and able to equip us to do. We may never fully “get it,” but we should go to our graves giving it our best effort.

Why do you think it’s so hard to love our brothers and sisters in Christ? And I can almost hear some of you thinking – “It’s not that hard for me. What’s the big deal? I sincerely and genuinely love my brothers and sisters in Christ.” And I’m not here to rain on your parade. I sincerely hope you can and do, but in my more than 60 years of walking with Jesus I’ve run across more than a couple I’ve really struggled to love.

And yes, I’ll admit, it’s pretty easy to love those who are like us – same church, same beliefs, same backgrounds, etc. But what about those who carry a different banner or who hold to a different doctrine? How about those of a different race, ethnicity, language, or who hold to beliefs that we don’t?

What if I’m a strict Calvinist and I meet someone who is a strict Wesleyan-Arminian? What if I meet someone who holds fast to Eternal Security, but I believe someone can forfeit their salvation. Or they believe in the Rapture or they speak in tongues or have a different view of the Millenium? Or what if they do believe those doctrines, but I don’t? How about those who profess faith in Christ but have adopted an openly homosexual lifestyle? Or what if I meet a couple who believe in Jesus, but who live together out of wedlock? Or what if I travel to other countries and can’t speak the language of someone whom I’m told is a Jesus follower? How easy is it to love them?

Have you ever wondered why there are thousands of little churches of the same denomination or persuasion? When I was pastoring, I had “brothers and sisters” leave the church because I wanted to adopt a more Biblical approach to church governance or because we painted over the beloved (but far outdated) paneling in the sanctuary. What does it even mean to love like Jesus loves?

Doesn’t it make sense to figure this out if it’s a commandment that Jesus has given us to follow? Does His command assume we have to agree on every detail? Does it mean we have to believe exactly alike or follow the same pattern for worship? Do we have to sing the same songs or use the same translation of the Bible?

He tells us to abide in His love, then sets the measure of what that looks like by saying: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…” All of the original disciples were Jewish, as, of course, was Jesus. There was a big battle as the Church began to grow, between Jews and Gentiles, but, miraculously, the Church came to agreement on the basic structure of what the Gospel should contain, which became foundational for much of Christendom today.

But as the Church began to grow and many people of different cultures, races, and religious backgrounds began to be saved, the writers of much of the New Testament were busy putting out fires and trying to keep the Church on track. Then factor in the false prophets who were deliberately bringing false doctrine into the Church and add a couple of thousands of years to the mix, and you begin to see more clearly why we’re in the shape were in today.

Let’s continue this conversation in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊