Ed Christian's World

Arise My Love…

In the Song of Solomon, the Groom says to his Bride: “Arise my beloved, my beautiful one, and come away. For behold the winter is gone.”

It’s written that God is our Bridegroom, and we who have said “yes” are His Bride. These are also the words of God to us. What does that mean and why is that important?

It’s important because salvation is about the ending of winter and the coming of spring; the ending of the old life and the beginning of the new. When it says, “The winter is gone..,” it means literally, the season of hiding.

That’s what the old life is…the time of hiding and living in the darkness. It’s no accident that the Lord died and rose in the springtime. That’s because He came to end the winter in your life.

Why would anyone have to say, “For behold the winter is gone?” God is telling you, you don’t have to live in the old darkness, in the fears, bondages, and sins of your winter.

My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Song of Solomon 2:10-11

“For spring has come,” the Lord is saying to you, “Arise my beloved, my beautiful one and come away. For behold… the winter… is gone.

Make today your day of Springtime. Get rid of the old, heavy winter burdens.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

A Letter From Prison…

When you read the Book of Ephesians, it’s hard to imagine that it was all written in jail. That’s what makes it so amazing. In the natural, Ephesians would go like this: “What a dump this place is! The food is terrible. I could use a sweater.”

You don’t read anything like it. Instead, you find thanksgiving: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Jesus.”

You’d never have any idea that Paul was in prison. When you dwell in the heavenlies, even in prison, you’re not in prison. Just because you’re in your circumstance, that’s no reason to be of your circumstance.

If he could be in the heavenlies in his situation, how much more can you be in the heavenlies in yours? You have to choose it, and it all begins when you give thanks.

No matter where you are, thank God for all His love and His blessings, and no prison will ever hold you… only the heavenlies.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! ” I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Psalm 118

Choose how you will dwell on your circumstances today – from above with thanksgiving or from below with grumbling.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Peter And Judas…

At the beginning of the Book of Acts, before the Holy Spirit descended, it says that the apostles were in prayer. Why?

They had just been told to go out and spread the word to all nations. Why did they spend their time in prayer? No doubt they were feeling inadequate. They knew they were weak and needed the power of God desperately.

What happened? God poured out His Spirit, His power, and His adequacy. It was no accident. You find it again and again.

Moses thought he was too ineloquent, Isaiah thought he was too sinful, and Jeremiah thought he was too young to serve the Lord. God only chooses inadequate people to be His ministers to do great things.

If you’re not serving the Lord because you don’t feel good, holy, able, spiritual, old, or young enough – time to put away that excuse – time to rise to your call. God’s call always has an inadequacy clause – that is…

The only people who are adequate to minister for God are those who are completely inadequate. Let’s do great things for God. Why? Because we’re not adequate – but thank God, He is.

For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 2 Corinthians 13:9

No matter how inadequate you feel in your calling, all the more step out and take that leap of faith today. Know that great things are ahead for you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Spiritual Disciplines…

Grandfather would always point me in the right direction when I came to him with a problem. Being the Spiritual Leader of the Tribe he talked often about how easy is was to be tricked into believing what Satan was putting in front of me. He taught me spiritual disciplines and the Bible and showed me how to lead my life according to God’s will.

Spiritual disciplines are habits, practices, and experiences that are designed to develop, grow, and strengthen certain qualities of spirit — to build the “muscles” of one’s character and expand the breadth of one’s inner life.

This weeks lesson is about spiritual disciplines and concentrates on chapter 4 of 1 Timothy. This particular chapter of Paul’s letter marks a major transition in the focus of the letter. Here, the primary topic is dangers posed by false teachers and the specific responsibilities of various groups.

Grandfather referred to this chapter as being written in two parts: a description of the false teachers in Ephesus and practical steps for defense against these false teachers.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Let’s focus on what the Spirit says will happen in the end times. As we wait for the return of Christ, many will fall away from the faith. Some of these people will attempt to enforce false rules as conditions for following God.

One early example of such people, present when Paul wrote these words, was the Gnostics. This group taught that all physical matter was evil, leading them to denounce many foods, as well as marriage.

However, according to Paul, “everything created by God is good” and should not be rejected out-of-hand. Anything used as God intended, and with a thankful spirit, has been sanctified or “set apart” through the Word of God and prayer.

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:6-10

Now let’s shift our focus on combatting these false teachers and their teachings. His advice here is extremely practical. For the most part, these directions involve what Timothy needs to accomplish in his own life and teachings.

The goal is to point out these truths to others and discipline himself for godliness. He is especially commanded to set an example for the believers, persist in sound teaching.

So there must be some action or effort on your part to improve your outlook on life. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” Grandfather used that on me many times.

Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be challenging and difficult. There can be much inner resistance. So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Though books can bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

Grandfather would say take care of this moment! I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.

The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops me from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.

Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don’t worry about the next moment that you can’t control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences – or reflecting on past failures – of your actions loses its power. So it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Harvest Overflow…

The ancient Hebrews were given a very special and unique ordinance concerning the harvest. Whenever they reaped their fields, they were always to leave a portion of it unreaped. Further, whatever they dropped or missed in their reaping they were to leave.

They were never to go back to pick up anything they missed or lost but leave it for the poor. This is the law of leftovers. It’s a crucial principle for all God’s children.

Life is filled with missed opportunities, mistakes and mess ups. But you can’t dwell on them. If you belong to God, then you need to let it go. Whatever is passed is past. You want God’s best.

Leave the past behind – the Leave It Behind principle. It’ll lighten your load and free you to find God’s best. And it doesn’t apply only to the bad things but also the good. Even the good in the Lord you have to let go and move on.

God is now and God is moving ahead. Be like Paul who said, “But this I do, forgetting what lies behind, and moving on to what lies ahead, I press on….”

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

What’s in your past that keeps you going back for more? If it’s not God’s best, then leave it behind and move forward in Him today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

When Opportunity Knocks…

When opportunity knocks do you open the door or do you turn away? I ask this question for two reasons, one is that you just may be opening the door to your true calling and two if you turn your back on an opportunity, you just may be passing up on a blessing from God. So that makes the answer to the question very important.

I started my blog with the purpose of putting my life memories and lessons down to share with my readers. Over time I hoped to open people’s eyes to a different world, mine, with the hope that they would see life as a journey full of hope and love. Now, with over 40000 readers, I have found my purpose has changed to one of following God’s will and sharing His message of love and understanding.

Life doesn’t just happen, it’s a carefully choreographed path laid out for us to follow. Oh yes we have free will and do make choices that take us off that path, but He is always there to help lead us back onto the path. His love for us is so great that He will forgive us our sins and gladly guide us in the right direction if we just ask. Yet, in today’s world, so many have trouble acknowledging this love or even considering sharing it with others.

Grandfather had a saying: Life is a gift of Love, we need to share that gift by helping others see life as an opportunity to give love to all they meet. Love just isn’t love until you give it away.

As a Christian I see this as Jesus’s command to love your neighbor as yourself and as I have loved you. This leads me to believe that when I lend a hand or help pick someone up or shine His light, I am serving Him as He commanded. Yet, so many Christians look at this as a burden and would rather turn away a possible blessing.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:9-10

So I ask another question, why do you as a Christian feel it is beneath you to help someone in need when God lifted you from the depths of sin and saved your Life? Funny, I see so many who feel the under nourished and poor are there because they failed to get an education or could do better and are just leaning on others for support, so why should they help them. What they fail to see is this just may be God testing your faith and love for others.

Love happens when you realise that helping people isn’t a burden, but is an opportunity. It is your opportunity to shine His light within you so that all may see His love and blessings.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

What is a friend…

Many times over the years I’ve been asked to define just what a friend is. I usually respond a friend is one who sees you at your worse and at your best and can’t tell the difference. But that was not how I was raised.

Grandfather had a better definition of a friend. He said a friend is one who, when you needed to talk, stopped what he was doing and sat down and talked with you. Comforts you when you are hurting and lifts you up when you are down.

I have lived my life following Grandfathers example always making myself available when someone asks if we could talk. It sometimes has been hard on the family, but God asks us to love our neighbors as ourselves and I know when I need someone to talk to for a few minutes I would just love for them to do the same.

But, in today’s world, people don’t think like that. They look at life a whole lot differently and can’t stop and listen to a friend because it interrupts what is going on in their world. They say let me get back to you later. Most times later never happens.

That is what is wrong with our world today. Everyone has their agenda and can’t be interrupted to attend to a friends need. My prayer is that we all find the time to care for each other. You just may find that few minutes to help someone blesses you also.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Find the time to engage with your friends in need. The love you share blossoms ten fold.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Ambassador In Chains..

The apostle Paul found himself in prison for his faith and ministry. He wrote this:
“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Jesus; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident because of my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” Philippians 1:12-14

Here was Paul in a Roman prison, literally bound by chains and yet, he appears to boast of them. Not only do his chains not hinder the gospel, they have advanced them.

The point that Paul is making is that nothing can stop the purposes of God – not even chains – in fact, they will actually be used to bring all these things to their fruition. Bound by chains and prison walls,

Paul couldn’t preach to the tens or hundreds that he preached to in the marketplaces and squares and synagogues. Instead, he committed his word to parchment and would reach millions, even billions of souls – even us, to this day.

It was prison walls and chains that unleashed the gospel and unchained the Word of God to reach the world and every age.

That’s how Paul dealt with everything. His life was filled with obstacles, hindrances, problems, and adversities, he didn’t complain about them, he didn’t confess them away, and he never blamed them for preventing things. He always looked for and found a way to fulfill the calling he had been given.

If we look at our present circumstances it is easy to feel hindered, bound, prevented, limited, unable to do what we need to do, unable to advance God’s purposes, unable to fulfill our calling.

All the more we must take and apply Paul’s secret and strategy. No circumstance, problem, adversity, or hindrance can stop you from fulfilling the calling of God. They are nothing more than chains.

Don’t bemoan your chains, your situation, your obstacles – use them all for the glory of God. If a door closes, another will open. If the other door closes, He’ll open a window. Don’t ever stop.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Find the way, glorify God, fulfill your calling – and use the chains to bring forth the unstoppable purposes of God. And may God greatly bless you as you do!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed