Ed Christian's World

Gates of Praise…

Jerusalem, the city of peace or shalom; it had walls and gates. Isaiah said that in the day when Jerusalem will be redeemed, your walls will be called salvation and your gates praise.

Gates open so things can go in and out: riches and blessings. If you are born again, you are a child of Jerusalem; it’s your city. How do you receive the blessings of that place?

Through the gates. It says you shall call your gates praise. When you praise God, your life opens like a gate and you enter in and receive the blessings of God. Become a person of praise. If you don’t praise Him, your gates are just gates. When you praise Him, the gates open, the blessings come and you enter in.

Praise Him… at home when you rise, when you work, praise Him when you drive, praise Him when you talk, praise Him when you think, praise Him when you are alone. Praise Him and the gates shall open up.

The blessings of God shall come pouring in because you are a child of Jerusalem and you shall call your walls salvation and your gates praise.

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150

Praise Him throughout this day and enter the blessings waiting for you just inside the gate.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Islam and Jesus…

Islamists maintain that the Quran, their holy book, is pure Arabic given right from heaven by the divine. The Quran is Arabic, but not quite pure. The language reveals borrowings.

Example: the word in the Quran for the Law of Moses is the Torah, obviously from the Bible in Judaism. Iblis is the word used for Satan, a distortion of the word in the Greek New Testament, diabolos; not Arabic. The word for “good news” is the word “injil” in the Quran. “Injil” clearly comes from the word “euangel” from the word evangelism, the Greek New Testament word for the gospel.

What does it tell us? Clearly, the Quran borrowed what they got, and got things wrong; an imitation. But you have the original. That the Quran’s “injil” comes from “euangel,” means it’s from the original gospel of God that you have.

Many religions try to claim Jesus Messiah as the prophet, as the New Age, as Christ conscientiousness. Don’t settle for a substitute; you have the real thing. Get back to the real Jesus. Stick to Him… close… and accept no substitutes.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:8

Go about your day today treasuring the Word of God. Hide it in your mind and in your heart, and use every opportunity to proclaim it out of your mouth…to a world that’s waiting and longing to hear.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Lessons From The Fish…

Jonah was the prophet who went against God’s will. He ran away, went on a ship, and was thrown overboard. In the original Hebrew, it says, “The Lord ordained a great fish.” This wasn’t just your average fish.

This was seminary material. The fish had never been to Bible college. Nevertheless, it was ordained. Having an ordained shark is a good thing – when a shark ministers, you listen! God has ordained sharks, not just in Jonah’s life, but in yours, too.

There are many sharks in your life-problems that look like they’re going to swallow you up. Yet the shark was ordained. It swallowed Jonah, but it was used to bring him back to God’s will. The shark was ordained to minister to Jonah.

So in your life problems are really ordained fish. God promises that He will work all things for good, so what looks like a problem is ordained to minister to you and bring strength, faith, patience, growth and new beginnings.

Don’t fear the problem. It’s an ordained shark fresh from seminary sent with a mission to be your minister.

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

Face up to that problem or that fear you’ve been running from. Look at it in a new way – it’s not against you – but in God, it’s an ordained fish – to be used for your blessing!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The No-Answer Answer…

In John 18:38, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” I remember in philosophy class my teacher said Jesus didn’t answer, he walked away. He didn’t walk away,

He was a prisoner. Yet it’s such a good question, why didn’t the Lord answer it? The fact is He did answer the question. He just stood there. He did answer by just standing there.

The truth isn’t an explanation, it’s reality. Truth isn’t summed up in something He said, truth is Him. Even as believers we often miss the whole thing because truth becomes for us words “about” the truth.

These things can be good, but these things are not Him. They are about Him. We as believers, as Pilate, miss the truth standing there. We want the things about Him and want to do all these things around Him, but He’s there.

Be still as He was and come back to the raw truth, because truth is not about Him, truth is Him. You will find He’s standing right there next to you in the quiet. That’s more than enough. That’s the Truth.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:10-11

Be still and know that He is God – Discover the reality of God in the quiet.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Borrowed Tomb…

The empty tomb wasn’t just borrowed, it belonged to Joseph. God didn’t do the resurrection without us because it was His life, but it was our death. We gave Him our death and He gave us the resurrection.

It’s a joint effort in that we provide Him the tomb. He can’t have His own tomb. He doesn’t die by His own nature. It’s our death, so the resurrection doesn’t happen without you. He didn’t buy a tomb, so we can give Him our tomb.

Your tomb is your place of death, the dark, empty places of your life. It includes your sins, judgment, sorrows, and hopelessness. That’s what He wants. It’s not meant for you to hold on to. It stays dark if you hold on to it–but give it to Him and it’s going to be changed.

The Lord wants to borrow your tomb. He’s not going to keep it, He’s going to give it back, but He can’t promise you it’ll be in the same condition.

Give Him that thing in your life. He’ll roll away the stone, because the miracle comes when it stops being just THE empty tomb and starts becoming YOUR empty tomb.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

Bring to God whatever sin, hopelessness, sorrow, darkness, shame, that issue that’s still in your life – and borrow His tomb to be finished with it – once and for all.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Freedom and Dedication…

Hanukkah is the festival that happened between the Old and New Testament. It’s about persecution and tyranny. The people of God had to rise up, commit themselves to serving God, battle and win the great battle. They won, cleansed the Temple, and dedicated it to God.

It was called Hanukkah, the festival of freedom. However, Hanukkah doesn’t mean freedom in Hebrew, it means dedication. We all want to be free from our sins or bondages. Yet, the feast of freedom is the feast of dedication.

The secret of freedom is dedication. Dedicate yourself to God’s purposes. Freedom comes when you’re in God’s will. If you’re half-hearted with God, double-minded, without commitment, you’re never going to be free.

If you’ll commit to God and His purposes for your life with your heart, mind, soul and strength, you’ll find freedom and victory. Victory that’s not just an experience – it’ll turn your failure into victory. Dedicate the victory to Him.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this: Psalm 37:3-5

Commit your actions, will, thoughts to God’s way and you’ll live victorious and in freedom. Therefore with your dedication will come your freedom.

Take a part of your day and dedicate it to the Lord by doing things His way – not yours.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Salt Of The Earth…

Now sometimes at home I smell something not quite right. I’ll go to the refrigerator and hunt through it until I find something. It might be a Tupperware dish to open up. It was something else in another life; but it died.

This food is now transformed. So, I throw it away. Well, what happened has much to do with you. You see, salt doesn’t go bad, and for the same reason it keeps other things from going bad or rotten.

Now, you look at the world and what’s going on in the nation, the media, the television–it doesn’t smell right, so you shut it up out of your house, out of your family. Good, but not good enough! Food goes rotten because it is untouched by any preservative and that’s what the preservative of the world is–You!

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, what good is it? Stop complaining about how rotten the world is. Start praying, fasting, share the Word, be part of the answer because it is your business. You are the salt and if you don’t do your job, then it’s a rotten thing.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13

Think of one way that you can be part of the solution today, to stop evil, to be the salt of the earth

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Transparent In Heart…

Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart.” The word used in Greek not only means pure, but it means clear. In fact, it’s used to mean heaven, the glass-like appearance of heaven.

Blessed are the clear in heart, blessed are the clear-as-glass in heart. Notice the link. You can see through glass, it doesn’t block out the light, it’s clear. What kind of heart do you need to have to see God? A heart that is clear like glass.

What does it mean? It’s not complicated, no ulterior motives, no scheming. Your worship is a clear worship. Your words are clear words coming from a clear heart, nothing hidden, like glass. Sometimes glass gets muddied up and you have to take out some glass cleaner.

So today apply this spirit to your heart. Clear up those hidden things, those dark complicated things. Be clear with God and be clear with man, be transparent in heart.

To love with a clear heart, praise with a clear praise, rejoice with a clear joy, live a clear life from a heart that is as clear as glass. For blessed are the clear of heart, for they shall see God.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Seek to do all things today out of a clear heart, no ulterior motives, transparent, like glass.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Your Divine Fiance…

When you deal with couples who are getting married, as a pastor, you need to encourage them to prepare. They end up preparing for the wedding but not for the marriage. That’s what it’s all about. The wedding is just one day, but the marriage is everyday of your life.

So with believers in the Lord. Many believers get excited about the second coming, which is good, me too. That’s the wedding, but you are not just supposed to prepare for the wedding; you are supposed to be preparing for the marriage.

How do you prepare for marriage? Well, how do two people prepare for marriage? They learn how to dwell together, how to abide with each other, spend time with each other, and work out things that would separate them.

Well, how do you prepare for marriage to God forever? Learn how to dwell with Him, spend time with Him, work out things, and make Him your chief joy now. Start practicing a heavenly life, a heavenly joy, heavenly love and a heavenly worship now, praising and loving. Because the wedding will come and go, but your marriage to God is forever.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Revelation 19:7

Today, take a step in preparing for your marriage to God – spend some great time today in the presence of the one you’re betrothed to.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The First Of Loves…

The very first mention of love in the Bible – where is it? The Hebrew word for love is Ahava. It’s found in Genesis 22.

Ahava is first mentioned when God said to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love (Ahava) and offer him up.” The very first love was clearly a shadow of the Father offering up the Son; ultimately Jesus being offered up by God – the Son of God.

This is the first love in the universe. All love comes from the Father and the Son. In Jesus we are joined in that love. God’s love is the involving of sacrifice. Are you going to love? Do you love when you feel like it and love when you don’t? In marriage, you love no matter what – sacrifice to love.

Choose to love when it hurts, that’s love. The highest, truest love of God is the sacrifice. The love He gives you and gave you, God sacrificed for you; so this love and the power of it is that of the sacrifice. For the first love is the sacrifice.

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Make a choice today to love that unlovely person – no matter what.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed