Walking With Jesus

Do You Feel Like Giving Up?

“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town and his land. You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king.” (Joshua 8:1 NLT)

When are you most likely to be discouraged? It’s ironic, but many of us are most likely to get discouraged after some kind of high point or spiritual victory. Sounds crazy, but that’s how Satan works.

In the chapters preceding the verse above, Joshua and the army of Israel had annihilated the city of Jericho after following the Lord’s instructions, but in the very next battle they got badly beaten by a much smaller army. But why? Because they’d disobeyed the Lord’s directives!

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That seems to be a pattern in our lives as well. We have a mountain top experience, then, because we’re feeling spiritually “invincible” we cut corners. “I don’t need my devotions today, the Lord is feeling so close,” or “I think I’ll go out with my lost friends rather than attend church, so I can witness to them,” never stopping to consider, that’s the time we’re MOST vulnerable to Satan’s attack.

The hours after our “defeat” are critical. Like Joshua, we’re feeling powerless and exposed to the enemy. We wonder about our fitness to fight the army we’re facing, but thankfully, the Lord knows exactly how we feel, why we feel that way, and what needs to happen to put us back on track.

The Lord gave Joshua a strategy for winning the battle with the same army that had beaten them so soundly just hours earlier. I believe the Lord does a similar thing for us. Discouragement is a master at debilitating us and causing us to believe, not only that we’ll lose the battle, but we should actually run in the opposite direction before the battle begins.

The Lord’s strategy was to hold back a portion of the Israelites army, by letting them hide from the enemy in the back of the city, while the other portion of their army feigned fear and fled before the attacking army as their enemy left their city vulnerable, thus allowing the rest of the Israelites to attack and capture the city with relative ease.

What’s the lesson for us? First, defeating discouragement is a “team” effort. Alone we are too at risk of doing something stupid. Our feelings are not trustworthy, but ironically, sound most believable in our weakened state. The reality is, God will supply the right person(s) to walk with us through our “battle,” but it may not be who we would normally go to, or who might normally make themselves available to help us. Why would the Lord do that?

Largely because we’re not the only ones who need to see a victory in our lives. Though the whole army of Israel didn’t personally experience the defeat firsthand, they all experienced low morale and a weakened desire to put themselves at risk for another defeat. That’s why God’s strategy, whatever that may look like in our case, needs to be followed to the letter.

In a community of faith, we rarely fall or fail without our brothers and sisters feeling our pain. In any healthy family there are those who know us well and willingly offer to walk with us through our season of discouragement. The kicker is, too often we’re not in a place where we’re smart enough to accept their help. That’s why we can’t trust our feelings when we’re discouraged.

After many bouts with discouragement the Lord has given me three rules of thumb: first, don’t trust your feelings, second, don’t allow yourself to isolate, and third, stick to God’s plan. You need friends and loved ones to walk with you. Entrust yourself to the Lord and a faithful few you can trust with whatever you’re feeling and whatever is causing you to feel that way.

God always has a strategy if you’re willing to see it and follow it without giving up!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

How Do You Measure Yourself?

“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” (Colossians 2:8-10 NLT)

Have you ever met someone who was full of themselves? Perhaps they made a lot of money, had a nice house, car, or other material things, a prestigious position that gave them access to powerful people, and a part of you found yourself thinking: “Wow! What I would give to be that guy!”

When you measured yourself with that person, you found yourself falling very short, but why? What if you measured that same guy with Jesus? What if you measured yourself with Jesus? Yes, of course, you’d still fall short, but the beauty of measuring ourselves with Jesus, He’s never trying to “out-do” us, He’s always seeking to pull us up, to be better than we can be ourselves, to enable us to be more useful to Him and to His eternal Kingdom, thus far more than we ever dared dream we could be.

Discouragement is the breeding ground for greed, lust, pride, envy, covetousness, and a host of other negative attitudes that Satan uses to destroy our effectiveness for the Lord. If the enemy can keep us focused on what we don’t have or what we can’t do, or can’t be, or can’t have, he’s got us exactly where he wants us to be – useless for the Kingdom of God.

On the other hand, if we allow the Holy Spirit to continually teach us God’s Word, affirming us in the Spirit and enabling us to see beyond who or what we are, to who or what we can become in Christ, there’s no limit to what God can do for, in, and through us to His honor and fame.

Early in my ministry I would often wonder why God didn’t gift and equip me like that speaker or that teacher or why couldn’t I pray like that Pastor? I hadn’t yet realized that God will never make us like anyone else, because we can be of value to the Kingdom only when we allow Him to make us the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be.

The closer I get to Jesus the more my heart longs to be like Him, to love like Him, serve like Him, pray like Him, and allow Him to so fill and use me that He gets all the credit for my life. No longer do I long to be like anyone else but Jesus. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon said: “Let us measure ourselves by our Master, and not by our fellow-servants: then pride will be impossible.” Why would pride be impossible?

Largely because pride seeks to build us up and make much of ourselves in the eyes of others. Measuring ourselves by our Master keeps our eyes on Him, thus desiring nothing except honor, glory, and recognition for Him. The closer we get to Jesus the less recognition, honor, fame, and glory we desire for ourselves and the more we desire to stay in His holy shadow.

If you’re discouraged today because you don’t feel you’ve gotten the breaks you deserved or the prestige or recognition your contribution to the Kingdom of God deserves, your focus is on the wrong person. One thing I’ve learned in my long life is this: all I want is to be at the feet of Jesus, rendering to Him the glory and honor He deserves, and to wait patiently for the words that will mean everything to me from the lips of my Master: “Well done My good and faithful servant!”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Myths We Believe

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teaching that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 NLT)

Life is hard for a believer. Every morning I pray for those who are living every second under the threat of persecution and death. They have no promise that this won’t be their last day in their house, with their family, on this earth, yet they persist with undeniable confidence that they are God’s child and whatever happens to them is inconsequential compared to knowing, loving, and standing strong in Jesus.

For us in America and other places on the earth where living for Jesus doesn’t put us in the literal “crosshairs” of those who hate even the thought of Jesus and His Church, we often mistake hardship or “bearing our Cross” for someone taking our parking spot at church or cutting in front of us in the Starbuck’s line.

On many levels we have no concept of what persecution or sacrificing for the cause of Christ really looks like. We believe “myths” or “lies” that give us confidence in a false Jesus who indulges our every whim and protects us against every threat.

For example, we believe in a “fairy tale” marriage. C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity wrote: “People get from books the idea that if you have married the right person you may expect to go on ‘being in love’ forever. As a result, when they find they are not, they think this proves they have made a mistake and are entitled to a change. The sort of thrill a boy has at the first idea of flying will not go on when he has joined the R.A.F. and is really learning to fly. The thrill you feel on first seeing some delightful place dies away when you really go to live there.”

Just as in marriage our relationship with Jesus may begin with a lot of emotion. We hear verses that teach that He will “never leave me or forsake me,” and wrongly believe that that means we’ll never lose the strong emotional connection that we felt when life in Christ was new. But that verse and others like it aren’t given to keep us on the proverbial “mountain top,” they’re given to sustain us in the valley.

Janel Breitenstein, in a Family Life devotional, wrote: “Your lack of stomach flip-flops isn’t a sign you’ve got the wrong kind of marriage. Life on this side of heaven will inevitably leave us hungry. (Not even a relationship with God provides endless butterflies and happy-hormones.) This world is a prescription for faithfulness and perseverance, preparing us for a world we can’t see. So set aside some of the emotion—and buckle down for a far more rewarding level of devotion.”

When we believe the Lord desires everyone who follows Him to be rich in the trinkets of this world, we believe a lie from the lips of Satan himself. On my first mission’s trip I met believers whose life expectancy was early 40’s, largely because of poor nutrition caused by their annual income of only about $400 a year. Yet, I could literally tell who loved Jesus by their countenance.

Meeting these brothers and sisters gave me insight into what loving Jesus should really mean and helped me curb my insatiable appetite for the things of this world. It also taught me that love for Jesus doesn’t result in an ever present emotional high, any more than marriage or any other love relationship.

Loving Jesus, like marriage, is a decision to love regardless of the “curves” life throws us, realizing that whether He blesses us with a new Mercedes or whispers His love as we’re turning in the car we can no longer afford, His love never changes and every circumstance He allows in our lives is meant to draw us ever more closely to Him, not to diminish our trust, but to build our trust in Him.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Are You Ready?

“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ dies once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him. Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT)

Readiness is an issue with which we must deal in virtually every stage of our life. As children our “readiness” is mostly our parents’ responsibility, but as we age and begin assuming more responsibility for ourselves, our lives can become very complicated. “Are you ready yet?” may be a resounding echo of our parent’s voice or our siblings, our spouse, our employer, and on and on it goes.

“Are you ready?” can stir our heart and mind as we prepare for a part in a play, a test at school, get ready for our first date, as we try out for a sports team, apply for a job, as we contemplate marriage, as we invite our first child into the world, as we anticipate the death of a family member or friend, or even as we come to the end of a relationship.

Ron Hutchcraft said: “If our dreams reflect our fears, then there must be this fear deep down inside of many of us that we won’t be ready when an important moment comes.” And while some of those moments generate more anxiety and fear than others, none should concern us more than readiness to meet Jesus at the end of our time on this earth.

It sometimes occurs to me that for everything we do there will come a last time to do it. Things as simple as opening or closing the refrigerator door, picking up the mail, or driving a car, to kissing our spouse or hugging our child for the last time. Part of the irony is, we never know when we do those things if that will be the last time. And while all those kinds of things will happen while we’re still alive, none of them will matter as much as whether we’re ready to meet Jesus when we take our last breath.

Ron Hutchcraft continued: “So, the moment you take your last breath, there’s God. Earth appointments? They can be postponed. They can be canceled, but God has this one in indelible ink in His calendar. The One who gave you your life is the One you will meet at the end of your life. The question the Bible raises is, ‘Are you prepared?’ You say, ‘Well, yeah, I’m a good person.’ Unfortunately, that doesn’t answer the question.”

Since becoming a Jesus follower I’ve asked dozens of people: “If you were to stand before God and He was to ask you ‘Why should I let you into my perfect heaven?’ what would you say?” Do you know what the vast majority say? Some version of “because I’m a good person.” Do you want to know the sad truth? Most of them were good in many ways! But our personal goodness is not the criterion upon which entrance into heaven is based.

Acts 4:11-12 reminds us: “For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Each of us has an unavoidable appointment with God. Each of us will stand alone before the King of kings and Lord of lords to give an account of our life. What does that mean? It primarily means “What have we done with Jesus?” Did we receive the gift of eternal life that only He offers? Or did we try to find another way, like trusting in our own goodness or our adherence to some religion?

If you aren’t certain that Jesus is your Lord, that He has forgiven your sins and filled you with His Holy Spirit, please click this link to Ron Hutchcraft’s Bridge to God. It’s the only way to be ready to meet Him when you die!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed

What Kind of Christian Are You?

“If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.” (2 John 10-11 NLT)

There are those in our churches and who attend our gatherings who not only don’t believe the Truth of God’s Word, they are radically opposed to it, and I say, “Praise the Lord!” Where else will they learn the Truth? However, when they become “evangelistic” in spreading their lies, it’s time to take action.

Alistair Begg wrote: “The Word of God is the means employed by the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of Christ.” Only the Holy Spirit can penetrate the barriers sin has erected in our heart that keep us from God, from learning His holy Word, and from applying His Truth to our lives. No one anywhere in any time has or will know everything the Bible teaches except the Lord Jesus Himself.

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Every believe is lacking when it comes to the knowledge of God’s Word. But having said that, it should encourage us to a life-long mission to learn as much as we possibly can and apply it rightly to our lives.

It doesn’t take long when we’re talking with someone about the Christian Faith to find areas of disagreement. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Very likely both parties are lacking in one area or another.

Preston Perry made an interesting observation when he wrote: “Judgmental Christians have a lack of understanding of God’s grace. Which is why they should be given grace even more.” Just because someone has walked with the Lord a long time doesn’t in and of itself make them more knowledgeable or a better “Christian.”

Anytime we try to more sharply define “Christian” we lessen it and cheapen it. How so? Anytime we add a descriptive term such as “carnal,” “fully committed,” “Spirit-filled,” “growing,” “backslidden,” “Calvinist,” “Wesleyan,” “Armenian,” “Baptist,” “Pentecostal,” or any of a thousand other denomination “tags,” we’re driving a wedge between believers.

The early church knew none of those divisive “titles,” and the Church grew quickly and harmoniously. Yes, of course they had their issues, but nothing to be compared with what we have to deal with today. Bob Goff nailed it when he said: “We won’t be distracted by comparison if we are captivated with purpose.”

Having traveled to other countries and made new friends who are believers, I’ve never been asked about what kind of Christian I am. We embraced one another in love recognizing we all belonged to the same Christ. That’s one of the things I love about the family of God I’m a part of now. We don’t talk about titles or tags, we accept and welcome one another based on our mutual love, acceptance of and mission for our only risen Savior. Jesus IS our unity!

Corky Calhoun wrote: “There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance and humility is the filter.” We’re sinners saved by grace – period, end of story! But I’m not naïve. Just as there were in the first century, we have rascals who seek to infiltrate and divide churches today. Hello! That’s how Satan works, but God gives His people who are filled with His Spirit discernment that enables them to recognize and deal with heresy. However, heresy isn’t what someone says or does that violates what we believe, it’s what they do or say that violates God’s Word.

Please, I know this is a sensitive subject, but even in light of all the bad press the term “Christian” receives, can we just decide that our oneness is in Christ alone, by faith alone, and let our titles die a quick and painless death?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Habitat Rule

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT)

Do you know how to love? I’m an old man and I still mess up at love nearly every day. Love isn’t unilateral, in the sense that we can love everyone the same way. Sometimes love demands that we speak up, but at other times it means to be quiet. There are times love looks like being proactive and other times when it means doing nothing. Sometimes love looks like standing our ground and fighting with every ounce of energy we possess, but other times it demands we walk away.

So, I’ll ask again: “Do you know how to love?” Would you agree love is a long-term process that has a sometimes very long learning curve? In a Family Life devotional I read by Ben McGuire, he wrote: “We have a rule in our house: ‘The Habitat Rule.’ As long as the bugs or pests stay in their natural habitat, they live. But once they cross that line between nature and our home, they become a threat or a nuisance, and they die a swift, merciless death.”

And you may be thinking, as I did when I first read those words: “How on earth could that possibly relate to anything related to spiritual growth and development?” But then he said: “In moments of stubbornness or fragility, I can erect those same kinds of barriers in my marriage. As long as my wife stays outside my established perimeter, we’re good. But if she violates the threshold with uninvited personal questions, constructive criticism, or helpful correction, she crosses over into the category of threat or nuisance.

The last thing I need, though, is for her to remain distant. As much as I might try to push her away, I need her to press into my heart. Obviously, she is no cockroach. God created us for intimacy on all levels, especially in our marriage. My wife knows me better than any person on this earth. She sees me at my worst and doesn’t ever give up … because she loves me. It’s out of love that she is willing to risk crossing my sometimes-well-fortified perimeter, to risk being hurt by me.

It’s because I know she loves me that I should tear down my defenses and invite her in. ‘The Habitat Rule’ will keep your house insect or rodent free. But it will kill your marriage.” It can also kill other relationships.

As believers it’s important that we set boundaries, how else can we guard our purity of heart, mind, soul, and body? But love sometimes has to cross a barrier that someone has built to keep us out, in order to share with them the truth of the Gospel.

Jesus crossed a lot of “boundaries” the Pharisees and others had built to protect their “religion,” and we too often do the same thing in an effort to protect what we believe is truth. However, there can be a very thin line between “protecting our beliefs” and closing the door to new revelation that God is trying to teach us. Just because someone doesn’t believe exactly like us doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wrong.

Yes, of course, there are things people believe with all their heart that are clearly wrong, so if what they believe, and that which they’re trying to convince us to believe, doesn’t coincide with the truth of Scripture and the Truth of who Jesus is and taught, our love for God demands that we eradicate it from our belief system as quickly as we’d kill a rat that gets into our house. But we must still love the one who holds that wrong belief just as Jesus loves us in our quest for Truth.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When Grace Wins

“So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14 NLT)

There are several words with only a one letter difference, but none so graphic for a believer as grace and grave! Apart from Jesus the grave is a terrifying prospect. To leave this life without Jesus is to enter an eternity of misery and suffering separated from the light and life of our only Redeemer.

Five times in the book of Revelation separation from God is described as being “cast into the lake of fire.” Think of the pain of burning your finger by touching a hot surface, yet that’s only one of several ways of describing the agony and torment of being separated from God with no recourse, no hope of ever being with Him again.

The grave holds no fear for those who have yielded their life and allegiance to Jesus, but for those who have no relationship with Him, their “hell” begins long before their last breath leaves their body. Having walked with the Lord for many years I can’t imagine the Lord Jesus not being with me. His grace, mercy, kindness, and goodness are so much a part of my daily living that the thought of not having Him in my life is literally terrifying.

Please, I implore you, if you don’t yet have a personal love relationship with the God of the Bible through faith in Jesus alone, by faith alone, please click the highlighted link and learn how you can begin your walk with Jesus today, before it’s eternally too late. Click on Ron Hutchcraft’s Bridge to God.

Another set of words that is closely akin to grace and grave are fail and fall. One thing that is common to every believer, regardless of when they lived, is failure. No one except Jesus has ever traveled flawlessly in their walk with God, yet, because of God’s grace, failure doesn’t have to be final. While none of us likes to fail in our walk with God, since it’s common to each of us, often the most healing aspect of failure is confession, not only to God, but to each other.

May I assure you, based on the authority of God’s Word, the Bible, regardless of how far you’ve fallen, God’s Holy presence is never far from you. The only sin that’s unforgivable is the sin for which no forgiveness is asked. You haven’t fallen so far that the hand of Jesus can’t reach you. Though you may not believe you’re worthy of forgiveness, and I assure you, like me, you’re not, Jesus died for you and His blood is able to cleanse you and free you from the guilt and shame of every sin.

A few weekends ago I attended a Men’s Retreat in the California mountains. It was a beautiful setting for an enjoyable time together with Christian brothers from several states and churches. We enjoyed wonderful times of worship together in one large group and in many smaller group settings.

On Saturday evening at the end of our worship time, one of the Pastors explained that as a rule men keep secret from others about 10% of things with which they struggle. We may confess to God the things that haunt us – the pornography, lust, greed, pride, unfaithfulness, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, envy, drugs, alcohol, and many other things that seek to debilitate us in our walk with God – but we’re very hesitant to confess those things to one another, as the Scriptures instruct us to do.

An invitation was given for men to come to one of the men standing in front of the chapel for the express purpose of confessing the 10% that was holding them back. After dozens of men came forward to confess and pray with another brother, we all went together to an amphitheater where there was a firepit in the center. We worshipped and shared communion together. It was among the most celebratory and moving moments of my life.

Please don’t rob yourself of an opportunity to be free of what’s holding you back in your faith. Find a brother, if you’re a man, or a sister, if you’re a woman, confess to one another, then pray for one another as James 5:16 directs, and be healed. It’s a beautiful thing when we let Jesus crush Satan and He enables us to let grace win!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Are You Crying? (Part 2)

“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15 NLT)

In yesterday’s post we looked at crying in the context of our sin and essentially asked the question: “Is our crying the result of being caught in our sin, or because our sin grieves the heart of God; are we unhappy about the consequences of our sin we have to face or are we disappointed in ourselves and desiring to move beyond our sin to become more like Christ?”

The truth is there are a lot of reasons we cry, not necessarily because of our own sin, but because of the fact we’re a part of the human family. We rightly cry when a loved one dies, a friend loses someone or has to deal with a sickness or disease, or when someone close to us loses their job or suffers loss in other ways.

Just as it’s appropriate and common to rejoice with those who have good fortune – birthdays, graduations, promotions, etc., it’s also right and befitting to cry with those who are having difficulty and experiencing tragedy. These things won’t happen in heaven, but we experience them on earth because of the fall of Adam and Eve.

We may live in this world of evil but, as believers in Jesus, this is not our home. Our home is in heaven where everything will be perfect. There will be no sin, thus, no reason to be afraid of calamity or harm. There will be no fear or needs of any kind. Life will be filled with joy and celebration because there will never be a circumstance that isn’t motivated by and filled with love.

But that’s not life on earth. Here, because of our corporate sin as a human family, we face fear, death, defilement of unspeakable measures. As I write today it’s in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel and the murder and capture of civilians against whom have been committed unbelievable atrocities. And the agony and torment that is added to the suffering is its acceptance and support from many across our world, even in the U.S.

It reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 16:20: “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to Me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.” We agonize over many things with which we have to deal as human beings, but as believers in the risen Christ, one day, sooner than any of us can imagine, we’ll stand in awe in the presence of our reigning King Jesus, celebrating His victory over sin, death, and the grave forever.

A Christian brother and his wife recently had to make the decision to allow life support to be removed from their severely injured daughter, the agony of which I can’t begin to imagine. Their tears will one day be dried, the heartbreak that accompanies them, will one day be healed, and their faith rewarded. Many things we experience in this life aren’t designed to make us bitter, but to enable us to become more like Jesus.

The writer of the Hebrew letter reminds us in 5:7-8: “While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue Him from death. And God heard His prayers because of His deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered.”

Regardless of the cause of your tears, know this – if your heart beats to bring pleasure to Jesus, one day all your suffering will come to an eternal end, the bliss of your new environment will erase every trace of whatever suffering you have experienced on this earth, and every tear will be wiped from your eyes. Be comforted by that hope and share it with others as our lives on earth are being drawn rapidly to a close.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Blessings, Ed 😊

Why Are You Crying?

“A funeral procession was coming out as He approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. ‘Don’t cry!’ He said. Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. ‘Young man,’ He said, ‘I tell you, get up.’ Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.” (Luke 7:12-15 NLT)

Unless we’ve experienced a similar miracle, we can only begin to imagine the elation and joy that would fill our lives.

The doctor who told me of my then 16-year-old son’s leukemia said later that she was surprised that I showed so little emotion. She couldn’t see what was flooding my heart and mind. The only person I’d ever known who had leukemia was a friend in eighth grade who lived about six months.

When I heard the doctor’s words, it was as if she was stabbing me in the heart, pronouncing a death sentence over my son. I was in shock and disbelief, but beyond that, I guarded my emotions in an effort to protect my son. The doctor didn’t see me moments later in a closet agonizing in spirit, sobbing uncontrollably, begging God to give me cancer instead of my son.

But what grabs my attention in the above passage isn’t the anticipated response of the mother and her friends, but of the Lord Himself. It doesn’t specifically say that He wept, but the word used conveys His agony of spirit as He immediately made the decision to end this mother’s heartache and misery by bringing her son back to life.

It brought to my remembrance the many times tears have been caused by my own terminal disease. It’s called sin. How many times I’ve disobeyed God, resulting in weeping and begging God to forgive me, but mostly to change the series of events I set in motion by me sin. John Piper wrote: “Many people weep at the consequences of sin who still love the sin.”

Our love affair with our own sin is a hard relationship to end. All seems good and right, until we’re caught or the stench of our disobedience to the Lord becomes obvious to others. Then we’re begging God to forgive and change us – until the dust settles and the “heat” of our sin subsides. Then it becomes “business as usual” until the next time we’re called out by God or someone else in our life.

Some reading this may wonder what the big deal is. We’re sinners, so why the fuss? Isn’t sin what we do? Isn’t sin our constant companion in this life? Yes, of course it is, but we have a choice as to whether we give in to Satan’s demands or not. John wrote in 1 John 2:1: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ the One who is truly righteous.”

Yes, of course, the Lord will forgive us, but on some levels it’s like our child asking to borrow the car, then taking it out and deliberately wrecking it. The first time we forgive, but if it continues, we will forgive, but unless we have a limitless income or we’re out of our minds, we’ll revoke their driving privileges.

To believe we can sin without consequence is to not understand the Scriptures and the basis of our relationship with God. John continues in verses 3-6: “And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him.”

Let’s look at this from another angle in tomorrow’s post. And so you know, the Lord spared my son’s life. Today he’s 48 years old and the father of my only grandchild.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Sweaty or Sweet?

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT)

What is the worst, foulest, most offensive odor you’ve ever smelled? For me it was a visit to a rendering plant! I went to see someone, but I could hardly breathe it was so rank. Do you realize that the way we treat someone leaves a lasting aroma? Not that they can necessarily smell with their nose, but that leaves an indelible effect on their soul.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in the verses above that our responsibility as a Jesus follower is to love others, “following the example of Christ.” Have you ever wondered what love had to do with aroma? What about children who have a special “blankie?” Or a pet that gravitates to the same pillow or chair. Why? Could it be the aroma reminds them of something that brings peace, comfort, or assurance emotionally? A place of safety and security?

Have you ever met or been in the presence of someone who made such a strong impression you didn’t want your time with them to ever end? I once heard Charles (“Chuck”) Colson speak and I was mesmerized. His presentation was about an hour long, but it seemed to me like five minutes. On the other hand, I’ve heard people speak for five minutes that seemed like an hour.

What makes the difference? What’s the appeal of one over the other? Ron Hutchcraft wrote: “The fact is, we all give off some kind of fragrance with the way we treat people, and the way we handle stress, and whether we make people feel more or less important, whether we bring sunshine into a situation or clouds. This would be a good day for you to evaluate: what kind of trail, what kind of life-fragrance do I leave?

Whether we’re sweaty or sweet smelling is secondary to the impression we make on others. Having watched many episodes of The Chosen, it caused me to wonder how Jesus smelled after hours of healing and preaching under the hot sun. Is there any indication in all of Scripture that people cared how He smelled?

But imagine the “aroma” of His presence as He touched and healed the leper; opened the eyes of the blind; gave voice to the voiceless; and hope to the hopeless! Consider those to whom He spoke words of life, those who were struggling to validate their existence, or healed children of parents for whom Jesus was their only hope.

There was a Christian singing group in the 70’s that traveled widely. I had the privilege of having them come to an event I helped plan, so I got to meet the director. I’ve never smelled such horrible breath, but it didn’t hinder his effectiveness in leading the singing group. What’s my point?

As children of God, we should always present ourselves in the best possible way, but even if we smell like a fresh cut flower, if our heart is dark and “smelly,” that will matter more to the people with whom we have contact than our words. A good guide to lead us in how to treat another person is the fruit of the Spirit. Are we conveying with our words and our life the fragrance of “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊