Walking With Jesus

Are You Able?

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NLT)

If you’ve been around church or Jesus followers for any length of time you’ve likely read or heard the above verse. If a branch is removed from an apple tree how many apples will it bear? None, right? It’s not rocket science. If you have a connection with Jesus, you have the potential to bear fruit; however, if you have no connection there will be no fruit.

What’s hard for many of us is to realize how helpless we are without Jesus. Even as believers we tend to look at a verse like John 15:5 and say something stupid like: “Oh, that just refers to ‘spiritual’ things.” Yeh, I get it, I used to say dumb things like that also. Think with me for a minute. Take a breath! Seriously, take a deep breath.

Did you take that breath all on your own? Careful, don’t let thoughtless words leave your mouth. Just so we’re clear, no, you did not. We do nothing, literally and absolutely nothing without Jesus. Even if someone isn’t following Him, they still can’t do anything without Him.

Timothy Keller wrote: “We aren’t even capable of truly wanting Jesus without His help.” Even the desire to seek Him comes as His Spirit directs. The Lord formed us in our mother’s womb even before we had a mind to think. He is with us when He breathes life into us at the moment of our birth, He’s with us in our moment of death when He enables us to express the last breath of air from our body, and He’s with us in every moment in between.

He sets in motion each of our bodily functions and nothing moves in, through, or on our behalf without His help. Very smart people who don’t walk with the Lord can toss a ball in the air or kick a rock and say: “There, I did that all by myself,” not realizing there is no oxygen without Jesus, and without oxygen there’s no life.

Even the functions of our human body are orchestrated and ruled by the Lord. If we’re ever going to do anything of eternal value as a child of God, we have to realize that it’s got to originate and grow out of our absolute dependence upon the Lord. To think we can do anything of spiritual significance on our own is to seek glory for ourselves that should only be given to the Lord.

Obviously, the Lord gives us the capacity to think, to reason, to love, to care, to serve Him and each other, but the energy to do any of that originates with the Lord. He is the supplier and sustainer of everything we need to be everything He desires us to be. However, there is one thing the Lord gives us that is independent of Him – our will.

We can choose to follow and obey Him, or to do what only pleases us or to submit to His authority and do what pleases Him. The irony is, as a human being under the influence of our sinful nature, we struggle nearly every second of every day to learn to harness our “wild side,” and to willingly and whole heartedly yield our will to God’s.

Satan is a defeated foe who is destined to spend an eternity in hell with his devilish emissaries and with each human being who has chosen to follow their (Satan’s) will rather than God’s will. So, the one area in which we exercise complete control is our will, unless and until we yield our will to God. Even then in each moment we must decide who we’ll follow; whose will, will become ours? God’s or the enemy? You alone must decide.

My prayer for you as for me is that we’ll be able to make the right choice in this minute and the next and the next.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s It Costing You?

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” (Luke 14:28-30 NLT)

Have you ever started something with full intent on completing it, but got sidetracked, so it stands as a monument to your inability or lack of desire to finish it? Two boxes in my office hold cameras I intend to install, but I’m now going on my second month, and they haven’t moved. It’s sad when it’s a house project, it’s sadder still when it’s your life.

In the verses that precede the ones above in Luke 14, Jesus uses some of the strongest and perhaps some of His most misunderstood words in the Bible. His audience is a large crowd, not unusual at this point in His ministry, but it’s as if He’s purposely trying to rattle their proverbial “cages” to get them to think seriously about what it means to be His disciple.

In verse 26 He says: “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life.” As in virtually every verse in the Bible, seeing and understanding it in context is critical. When He spoke these words, Jesus was moving toward Jerusalem, which in His mind was the Cross.

Everything Jesus has thought, said, or done to this point in His life has been to prepare Him for the Cross. He above all people knew where His journey was leading and I can imagine, nearly on a moment-by-moment basis, He was counting the cost of His life and ministry. Might He have ever doubted? Based on such seeming frivolity and lightheartedness of those who were following Him, perhaps at times even among His trusted twelve, did He ever question why He was even making this journey?

Surely if anyone had, it was Jesus who placed His love of God the Father above every earthly relationship. Did that mean He couldn’t or wouldn’t love generously those in His literal and spiritual family? Of course not, but in light of the agony of His own heart and mind, He wanted to convey to those who were following Him, in the strongest possible language, what it meant to be His follower.

“Hate” in this context isn’t to be taken literally. As one commentary I checked said: “In the most vivid way possible He told them that the man who followed Him was not on the way to worldly power and glory, but must be ready for a loyalty which would sacrifice the dearest things in life and for a suffering which would be like the agony of a man upon a cross.”

Not every person who follows Jesus is a disciple, that’s why so many bail out when it gets hard to walk closely with the Lord. Pastor Alistair Begg wrote: “If our Christianity costs us nothing, it is worth nothing.” Counting the cost of following Jesus isn’t anything that should seem unusual to any reasonable person. We count the cost, or should count the cost, before buying anything of significance; before investing our savings into an enterprise; before getting married or starting a new job; certainly we can’t jump into a relationship with Jesus without giving it considerable thought and consideration.

The reality is, following Jesus is going to cost us our life – certainly as we follow Him day after day, but in the world in which we now live, the possibility of literally giving our life in death because of our faith in Him is becoming a more real possibility with each passing day.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When Words Aren’t Needed

“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed – and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.” (Acts 3:16 NLT)

The man to whom Peter referred in the verse above was a crippled beggar who was carried to the Temple every day so he could beg for enough money to enable him to survive. It’s interesting that his name isn’t mentioned, only that he was a beggar.

How like the thousands of people we pass by in the course of our daily routine. As we drive the streets of our city or walk to a shop, encountering nameless faces who mean nothing to us until one day we finally see ourselves in their lonely, frightened, and needy faces. Every face has a story, and every heart has a need.

As I’ve shared before, I’ve wrestled with bouts of depression throughout my life. There are times I feel anxious, yet uncertain of the reason I feel that way. I’m on the verge of bursting into tears, but I don’t know why. My wife and I were watching a program on TV, and I couldn’t hold back the tears. I know I’m loved by the Lord and many others, so why do I get so emotional?

Honestly, I wish I could explain it, but of this one thing I’m sure – in those times, at least in my life, but I suspect in others as well, I don’t need an explanation, I need a hug. I need to feel the warmth of my wife’s loving presence without the obligation to provide an explanation.

Pastor Rick Warren lost his son, Matthew, to suicide. He wrote in a recent Daily Hope devotional: “Our small group came over after Matthew died. They said, ‘We’re spending the night at your house. We’re not going to leave you here alone. We’re going to be with you.’ They didn’t try to give us any words of wisdom. They just gave us the ministry of presence. They slept on our couches and on the floor. I’ll never forget how it held us up.”

He said in the same article: “The deeper the pain, the fewer words you use.” Paul gives us needed insight when he wrote in Galatians 6:2: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” In a group meeting I attended recently I sat beside a man and his wife whom I know, but we’re not buds. We met at church, but we go to different services, so we don’t see each other very often.

Last year his daughter died, and a few weeks after, his dog died. My daughter owns my heart and there’s no comparison between the loss of a daughter and the loss of a dog, but they both tear your heart out. I had no words of wisdom to share with my friend, but I simply said, “I pray for you and your wife every morning.” He choked up and I wish I had hugged him, but we were both sitting down, and it would have been awkward.

The point is simply this: be sensitive to the needs of people around you. When I’m “down” my wife picks it up before I speak a word. The Lord built her to be sensitive to the needs of others. She has devoted her life to helping people in need and continues that ministry to this day. It’s ironic that even though I’m prone to emotional struggles, I’m slow to recognize them in others. It’s sometimes hard for me to share my emotions with anyone, partly because I literally don’t know why I feel as I do.

All I know is God’s presence is the most satisfying and needed gift that you or I could ever need. I love Pastor Rick’s mention of “the ministry of presence.” How rich and comforting when the Lord’s presence is so real no words are needed.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Where Are You Investing?

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’” (Matthew 25:26-27 NLT)

What is the largest investment you’ve ever made? Be careful, I’m not talking about money, and neither was Jesus in the parable referenced above. The most valuable gift you’ve ever been given is your life. What are you doing with it? How are you investing your life in the Kingdom of God?

Like so many areas of our lives we tend to believe the life we’ve been given is our own, but it’s not. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

To what “high price” is Paul referring? Certainly not dollars and cents, but the blood of our Savior, God’s perfect, holy, sinless Son. Jesus gave everything, including His life, for you and me. What we do with the life we’ve been given is how we honor the Lord for all He did for us, not just in dying, but in living His life as a perfect example of what our life should look like.

And yes, of course, none of us is perfect, but isn’t that our goal? Remember Jesus’ words in His sermon on the mount: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The word Jesus used in this verse doesn’t mean without flaw or mistake, it means: “of full age, brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing for completeness, mature.” (Strong’s)

In much the same way as children grow and mature, we, as Jesus followers, are to grow and mature in our faith. “But how?” you may ask. By investing our lives in God’s Kingdom. “But what might that look like?” It looks like a life fully devoted to the Lord Jesus; a life that is centered and focused on doing God’s will, not our own.

Perfection in the life of a Jesus follower is our intentional endeavor to be approved by God. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul writes to his young protégé Timothy: “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

“Approved” means “pleasing, acceptable.” How do we gain that approval? By living like Jesus. By living lives that reflect His character; by making choices that result in a standard of living that is centered on pleasing the Lord and not ourselves; by living a quality of life that backs up and affirms our words when we are speaking to someone about the difference knowing and loving Jesus makes in our lives.

Corky Calhoun said: “Eventually we all have to rest in the places we invest.” Like the servant in the parable above to whom Jesus gave the single talent, rather than make an effort to invest himself in ways that would benefit his master, he was lazy and fearful and chose to do nothing.

How like so many who profess Christ’s holy name today. They’re satisfied to warm a pew and live their lives to their glory rather to His. But one day, having chosen to invest themselves in themselves, they will “rest” in a place they never desired to be; a place of separation, torment, and darkness.

We must take stock of our lives and determine for whom we’re investing the one life we’ve been given. We only get one shot at living it well, to the Lord’s glory and honor. We dare not mess it up! And by “mess it up,” I’m not pretending that I or anyone else will get it 100% right. We don’t mess it up by not getting it perfectly right, we mess it up by not trying at all.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s Your Choice (Part 2)

“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50 NLT)

How many times have you or I said something that the second the words crossed our lips we regretted them? That’s one of the reasons the Bible is so clear that we’re to control our anger, and our words that are carelessly spilled as a result.

In yesterday’s post we looked at the potential damage that can be caused by allowing our emotions to be stirred to the point of anger, then choosing to say and/or do something we can never take back. What if there was a way to prevent those things from happening, especially when it involves someone you love very dearly and deeply.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It’s ironic on some levels that the one or ones we hold most dear are the very ones we’re most prone to hurt with our words. But doesn’t it make perfect sense? If I don’t care about you, I’m much less likely to allow your words to get under my skin. It’s only someone who knows how to push our “buttons,” someone with whom we’ve shared our inmost thoughts and dreams who can take advantage of that knowledge to hurt us.

It occurred to me recently that, especially in marriage, we grow in our frustrations with one another because we’re so different, yet imagine how boring it would be if we were exactly alike – if we loved the same food, loved to go the same places, play the same games, watch the same movies, etc. And, yes, I can see that it might be good on some levels, but the Lord didn’t put us together to be the same.

It’s our differences, while they may get in the way at times, that generate the groundwork for needed change. Think of two alcoholics that have drinking as their commonality. They drink themselves into a stupor, then awaken to help one another clean up their messes. Of course, nothing bothers them because they drown whatever sorrows or dislikes in alcohol and mutual condolences. But is that the answer?

More to the point of yesterday’s post, what if we come to a place in our relationship, whether in marriage or otherwise, where we’ve just had it, we’re ready to walk away. What then? Sometimes it seems that our disagreements are rooted in our understanding that we’re not the same person, but in some weird way we want the other person to be more like us.

Think about it. If you could see “you” from “my perspective,” wouldn’t that help you see everything more clearly? In other words, what if the problem is that you’re upset because you want me to think and act like you? But I can’t because I’m me! Isn’t that the critical point? And if so, why must it lead to separation? Why can’t it lead to reconciliation?

Think about it! Why not, with just the two of you, or in the presence of someone else or maybe another couple you trust, you begin to explain to one another exactly why you said or did whatever it was? Understanding is the basis of agreement, so if you can come to an agreement on why something happened the way it did, it may lay the foundation for a much stronger relationship.

However, realizing that even two Jesus followers, married or otherwise, may not in their angry or disagreeable state, be able to think clearly enough to work through something that is long standing. What if one of you went to a Pastor, Counselor, or close, objective friend and asked them to help you get started on a plan for reconciliation. Make the choice for health in your relationship, then seek the help you both need to make it happen.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What’s Your Choice?

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings, and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)

Researchers at Cornell University estimate we make 226.7 decisions a day related to food alone. Based on those kinds of statistics it stands to reason that we clutter our brain with nonessential choices. Could it be we’re so engrossed in things that don’t matter, we have very little time or even interest in making choices about things that do matter, things that have eternal significance?

While billions of people likely give this no thought in the course of any given day, there will come a point in each of our lives when it will literally be too late to make a choice between heaven and hell. If asked, many people default back to something like: “I’ve lived a good life. I haven’t hurt anyone. I pay my taxes. What else can I do?”

Many ponder whether there is a heaven, given all the hell they see on earth, while others write off the idea of God altogether because of man’s inhumanity to man. Yet, the very fact we recognize evil is a strong argument for the existence of God. Where do the ideas of right and wrong originate? How can someone define what’s wrong without the existence of an eternal good? But, for our purposes today, let’s look at a more practical application of this issue of right and wrong.

Have you ever had a disagreement with someone that became “heated?” Rick Warren wrote in a recent Daily Hope devotional: “When you meet someone to resolve a conflict, you first have to confess your part of the problem. Then you need to listen for the other person’s hurt and perspective. In every conflict—from our personal relationships to politics—we think we argue over ideas. But we actually argue over emotion.

Anytime there’s a conflict, someone’s feelings were hurt; somebody felt abused or slighted. It’s not the idea that causes the conflict. It’s the emotion behind the idea. Hurt people hurt people. The more someone is experiencing hurt, the more likely they are to lash out at everyone else.

People who aren’t experiencing hurt don’t hurt others. People who are filled with love are loving toward others. People who are filled with joy are joyful toward others. People who are filled with peace are at peace with everybody else. But people who are filled with hurt are going to hurt others. They’re going to lash out.”

What are you and I filled with? If we’re walking with Jesus, we profess that we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are, but how often, during an argument do we get our “feelings hurt,” then swiftly kick the Holy Spirit aside and with our attitude take control of our “discussion.” We make the choice to defend ourselves and in the process damage close relationships that can lead to lifelong regret.

How many divorces are the result of unresolved conflict with our spouse? We argue over the same things day after day until there comes a point we decide: “This is stupid! I give up! I’m not doing this anymore!” Marriages are ended, men, women, boys’ and girls’ lives are forever affected by a bad choice that could have easily been avoided if we’d just looked in the right place for the answer.

So, what is the right choice? “To seek the Lord!” is the “right” answer, but how we do that and to whom we turn for help is the critical piece of that answer.

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

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Details of God’s Plan

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT)

Make no mistake, God has a call on your life. So, the logical question becomes: What has God called you to do or be? Has He mapped out a strategy for you to get from where you currently are to where He wants you to go, or to what He desires you to become? The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Have you ever tent camped with small kids? Inevitably, in the darkest point of the night you’ll hear this little voice: “Daddy, I need to…!” So, what do you do? You fire up the lamp and lead them to the bathhouse. Unless there are other lights, the lamp doesn’t show you the whole way to your destination, only the next step or two.

That’s very much how God works. Initially, when God asked Noah to build a huge boat, He painted the big picture, but as Noah began the project, God didn’t leave him to figure out the details on his own. He gave Noah explicit instructions, not only for how to build the Ark, but what to do during the storm and after the flood waters receded.

Being a human being, my sense is that even though Noah heard God’s words, he likely didn’t understand all that their meaning entailed, and how could he? He’s been asked to build a boat, but there’s no water nearby, nor has it ever rained. Yet, there’s no indication that Noah asked God a lot of questions. He simply accepted God’s directives and began to go to work building a huge boat. Unfortunately, we join him in not understanding completely what God has in store for us, but we also aren’t always as quick to respond as Noah was.

Likely depending on the assignment, the Lord may lay out His plans in full and whoever He’s speaking with understands and sets in motion God’s plans immediately. But that’s not been the case with me. Matthew Henry wrote: “Those who have the new Jerusalem in their eye must have the ways that lead to it in their heart.” That sounds wonderful, but what does that look like in my life and yours? Yes, of course, there are some similarities, but there are also differences.

David Jeremiah wrote: “Ecclesiastes 3:11 might be a summary of the whole Bible: ‘[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in [our] hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.’

This earth, God’s creation, is beautiful. Yet we long for more; we long for eternity, for the roots of humanity in Eden. But our longing requires walking by faith because we can’t know the details of God’s plan by our own efforts.”

You’ve likely heard the adage: “The devil is in the details,” but so is the Lord. Think of what might have happened if Noah had improvised on some of God’s instructions. What if he’d failed to seal everything correctly or not packed enough food?

The truth is, we never know exactly where what God is instructing us to do will lead, yet we must, with diligence and determination, make every effort to do exactly what God tells us to do, because often the details aren’t given until they’re needed.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Do You Know Your Limits?

“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)

What’s your strongest temptation? How long has it been an issue? Are you gaining victory or being sucked in even deeper? Temptation is not a sin, but it can quickly lead to sin if we don’t learn how to divert it – QUICKLY!

The irony is, Satan isn’t smarter or stronger than us, he’s just more persistent. He comes at us the same way over and over and over again, hoping to wear us down and cause us to sin, but we have Jesus and He will lead us to victory, if we’ll let Him. That’s why it’s so critical to know our limits.

We all have loved ones or friends who are addicts. Some may even profess faith. Some actually believe God has given them His blessing to continue in their sin. Because of social pressures some have begun to believe that having an addiction to alcohol, drugs, sex, or violence are just expressions of who they are. Sin has a numbing effect on us. We can believe almost anything we do habitually is okay; “otherwise,” our twisted logic goes, “why hasn’t God delivered me from it?” Or “why hasn’t He taken it away?”

When I was younger, I was addicted to lust. In my sick mind and heart every woman was more beautiful than my wife and I imagined doing things with them would be so much more satisfying than with my wife. Do you want to know when I got my “wake up call?” When my wife walked out the door into the arms of another man – a man who saw her for the wonderful, gorgeous woman she was.

Fortunately, sickness, even sin-sickness, has a cure. His name is Jesus and His chief Agent lives in us when we confess our sin and receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and cleanser of our sin. However, while yielding our lives and allegiance to Jesus immediately restores our right relationship with God, it doesn’t always immediately free us from our addictions.

It can and sometimes does, but knowing and learning to love Jesus sets in motion a journey of healing and wholeness that includes others who have wrestled with our sin of choice. The first and most helpful step is to admit we have a problem. And, yes, of course, it’s a “sin” problem, but like me with my lust, I couldn’t be set free until I admitted my need and sought help.

Am I healed of that “disease?” Yes and no. Yes, I’ve been forgiven, cleansed, and freed from the tentacles of a lust-filled mind, but as with any recovering addict, I’m always and only one thought from relapse. So, how do I handle wrong thoughts? First, by God’s grace I had to train my eyes. I can’t prevent my eyes from seeing attractive women, but I can train them to not look a second time or stare. I’m also compelled to redirect my thoughts.

Regardless of your sin of choice you have the tools you need to defeat Satan. First, your will must be aligned with God’s will. You’ve got to want to stop lusting, drinking, drugging, viewing pornography, participating in immorality – whether heterosexually or homosexually, gossiping, or whatever else you’re struggling with.

The only way you’ll be free is to confess whatever your sin is to God and to someone else who loves and is openly and unapologetically committed to Jesus. If you can align yourself with someone or even a group of believers who are now victorious over that sinful behavior, that would be great, but start with a Pastor or close friend you trust.

You have to get help in setting limits and training your heart and mind to desire Jesus more than your sin of choice. It’s worth the pain you’ll experience to finally be free.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Do You Want?

“Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8 NLT)

What do you want to be when you grow up? Were you asked that when you were a child? When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cowboy, like Roy Rogers, a Firefighter, or a Police Officer. They seemed noble endeavors then, and still do in my mind, but unfortunately for me, the Lord didn’t open those doors of opportunity.

Today, my goal isn’t to have us reminisce about things we can’t change, rather I’d like for us to consider what we would like to become now that we’re maturing in our faith and, hopefully and ideally, we’re no longer babes in need of just “milk.”

There is a chorus I sang as a new believer that came to mind today and stirred my heart. It says: “To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus! My desire – to be like Him! All thru life’s journey from earth to glory, My desire – to be like Him.” That desire has never been stronger than it is today, but am I living that desire out in this season of my life? How about you? What do you want?

If you’d asked me 30-40 years ago, I’d likely have told you the same thing, but it would have meant something quite different than it does now. Then I wanted to be like the “Jesus” who drove a Shelby Mustang and was married to the “Babe of the universe.” It was all about me and what I wanted for me. I should let you know, though I never have owned a Shelby Mustang, I did, thanks to my son, get to drive one. But I did get my “babe of the universe” and I wouldn’t trade her for anyone.

Now, to get back on track, seriously, whatever season of life you’re now in, what do you want? Whatever it is, what’s it worth to you? Because if you want it badly enough it will cost you your soul! You will, consciously or otherwise, give your soul to gain what you really want. I used to envy the movie stars, sports figures, businessmen and women, and others who drove the fancy cars, dressed in the most expensive clothes, lived in mansions that covered acres, but now I see the shallowness of their smiles and the emptiness of their hearts.

Satan seeks to sell us a bill of goods on which he can’t deliver. He promises all the things the world can offer, but he never tells you what it’s going to cost you until you’re on your death bed, but by then your thoughts are only on “good things,” of which hell is not a part.

My heart’s desire in this season is to love, honor, and serve the King of kings and Lord of lords, but what does that look like? Of course, I attend a great church, I serve and give money and read my Bible. I write a blog and love my wife and family. My heart aches to see my kids, family, friends, and neighbors come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, but there’s more.

Today my heart aches, not only for those who have no knowledge of Jesus, but for those who profess a knowledge, but their heart is still empty. They jump through the proverbial religious “hoops,” but if you could open their mind and see into their heart, Jesus isn’t on the throne of their life.

What I most want now is to BE like Jesus, not simply know Him. I want to think His thoughts, walk in His shoes, love like He loves, sing like He sings, laugh like He laughs, let my heart break over the things that break His heart. In short, I want Him to live His life out through me as though I were dead and only He remained.

How about you? What do YOU want?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are We Selling Our Soul?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:31-33 NLT)

Do we really understand why we’re working? The long hours and endless fretting – are they really leading to the “secure future” we’ve dreamed of having? And even if they do, will it be worth the price we will have paid?

Ron Hutchcraft wrote: “I remember this seminar where I was teaching years ago about Peaceful Living in a Stressful World. A man in his 30s was there, and he was very successful in business. He told me he’d come that day to find out how to be more successful. At the end of it he walked out in tears. He told me, ‘All these years I’ve been climbing the wrong mountain. And I want the rest of my life to be in the service of the Lord.’”

Consider the view from the “mountain” you’re climbing – lots of money, prestige, position, privilege. You can travel the world, have the best accommodations, know all the “right” people, give your family their every wish, but at what cost? And, yes, I understand, the things I listed above don’t automatically exclude you from loving and serving Jesus, but too often it’s like trying to ride two horses, at some point you’re going to have to decide which horse you’re going to ride.

Jesus will not bless a narcissistic endeavor that’s desired and designed by you that has nothing to do with “seeking first God’s Kingdom.” First means first, not somewhere in the middle or, most likely, last. Something I’ve never been able to wrap my head around is the fact that the moment we close our eyes in death everything we’ve worked a lifetime to have becomes someone else’s junk to get rid of or horde until they die. What’s the point?

The Lord has given me everything I could ever want and more, but I don’t worship my “stuff.” I realize it all belongs to Him and once I stand in His presence my sense is I’ll never give it another thought. We won’t sit around in heaven missing our big screen TV or our car that could go 0-300 in a millisecond. None of it will matter then.

All that will matter then is that our name is written in the Lamb’s book of life; that we’ll have an eternity to celebrate, worship, and honor Him with every ounce of our being. It’s incomprehensible to us as we waste away continually seeking more for ourselves, what eternity with Jesus will be like. We get glimpses in Scripture, but we can’t possibly understand how rich, enjoyable, and eternally satisfying it is.

To gain the whole world, but lose our soul is the epitome of stupidity, shortsightedness, and unimaginable regret. How many times have we thought or said: “If I’d only known then what I know now.” Hell will be that thought on steroids.

Even as I write I realize that yes, of course, we need to make a living, but there can be a huge difference between making a living and making a life. If your idea of a “living” is a driven determination to have everything this world offers, hopefully, I can save you a lot of heartache. How? By letting you know that all the world offers is the glitter and glamour of the kingdoms of this earth, which are nothing compared to the majesty, beauty, and breathtaking excitement of being a part of the Kingdom of God.

It’s the difference between combing the earth for every worthwhile sight, knowing you can’t possibly see them all in one lifetime, and taking your time to explore the galaxies knowing you’re no longer bound by time. The view from the top of the Kingdom of God is not only more beautiful than words can express, but also more expansive than anyone can imagine.

Please don’t sell your soul for trinkets when you can have the Treasure of knowing, loving, and serving Jesus – FOREVER!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊