Ed Christian's World

If You Have A Shepherd – You Have To Move…

I’m sure you know it. “The Lord is my Shepherd…” It doesn’t say “The Lord is my Farmer.” If the Lord was your Farmer and you were a vegetable, then you wouldn’t be going anywhere.

A shepherd is one who leads his sheep through changing scenery – through mountains, valleys, deserts, plains, rivers, and then home to the sheepfold. ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ means your soul is to journey.

You’re not to stay in the same place, you’re to be moving. You’re to be stepping out and moving on. He will guide you. He can’t guide you if you’re not moving. Yet that’s what most believers do after a while. They stop moving. They stop moving in faith, maturity, strength, love, prayer, moving in the Spirit, changing, growing, becoming.

If God is your Shepherd, then you must be moving. It’s His job to shepherd you. However, it’s your part to move, follow, to go where you know He’s leading you. Break out of your pen of spiritual stagnation. For the Lord is your Shepherd, and you need to get a move on.

Nothing says it better than the 23rd Psalm: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Today set your goal to move in the Lord, to move forward, to go with God, where you never have before.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Dayspring…

In the book of Zechariah, Messiah is called the ‘Branch.’ When the Rabbis translated this prophecy into Greek, they rendered the word Branch as Anot-Ol-ay, the same word that is translated as Sunrise or Dayspring in the New Testament.

How do we get a sunrise out of a branch? The word for branch in Hebrew is Tzemach, which means that which sprouts, to sprout up, grow, bud, to spring forth. A branch springs forth, but so does the dawn.

Jesus will come forth springing forth like a shoot, springing forth like the dawn, the sunrise. For Jesus is the Tzemach. If you belong to Jesus, that means it’s your nature, in Jesus, to likewise, rise, blossom, spring forth as the dawn, and increase in light as the sunrise.

The sprout doesn’t start out fully grown, and the sunrise doesn’t start out light. Your walk might not be much, but that’s not the end of the story. It’s just the beginning.

For you are of the Tzemach. It’s your nature to rise and blossom. So rise, blossom, spring forth, shine like the dawn in the light of Him who is your Redeemer, the Tzemach, the Branch, the Sunrise.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Isaiah 60:1

Seek to grow today, to blossom, to not only shine your light but to increase and shine more greatly than you have before.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Our Commission…

In Acts 5:12, it’s written: ‘And at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico.’

There’s an important connection there. Apostles and miracles go together. The connection is found in the word ‘apostle’. It means the ‘Sent ones,’ or ‘The ones who go out.’

Apostles are those who go out in the Great Commission, step out in the Spirit, and journey out into the purposes God has for them. The first apostles went out and miracles followed.

However signs and wonders can’t follow, if you’re not going anywhere. You too, are called to be an apostle because if you belong to Jesus, then you have a mission. You are a ‘Sent one.’

Then leave the comfort of the old and the familiar that you might have the freedom of the new and the joy and the adventure of God’s best. For those who live in the Spirit must go forth in faith.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

There are miracles waiting to happen in your life. But if one who is sent, doesn’t go, then there’s no miracle. Do you want your miracles? Then get moving in the Great Commission, step out in the Spirit and live your life as if you were on assignment from God.

That’s exactly what your life is now. Get moving little apostle, and miracles will follow.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Matthew 8:38-39

Do one thing today that moves you closer to what the Lord desires you to do. Today get out of your comfort zone and share the gospel with somebody that needs to know about His love and joy!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The First Fruits of Nations…

Did you ever wonder why the Spirit came on the day it did, or why they spoke in tongues, or why all those people were baptized?

To understand it – you have to understand the law of the Bikoreem – the First Fruits. When you want to dedicate something “holy” – you offer up the very first fruits to the Lord before you harvest your land.

The first fruits represent and stand-in for all the other fruits that’ll be reaped in the future. Before the summer harvest, God gave Israel a Feast of First Fruits in which they would consecrate all the things they would reap at the harvest to come.

The feast was called – “Shavuot.” In Greek, it’s known as – “Pentecostes” – Pentecost. On that day the people would wave and sanctify the first fruits to the Lord. Every soul that came to salvation that day – every tongue that was uttered – would come to God from every nation.

So if you ever wonder whether God really accepts you – or whether you’re really declared “holy” – God has declared it 2,000 years ago, on the day of First Fruits – Shavuot – Pentecost. You are received. Live it by the Spirit of God.

Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. Exodus 23:16

Make today a day of dedication to the Lord. Offer up to Him the best first fruits – it’s you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Comfortable or Comforted…

Why aren’t you witnessing and sharing your faith? “Well,” you say, “I’m not comfortable witnessing and sharing my faith.” Is this Biblical?

Did the Lord ever say you should be comfortable? Or when he said, ‘Go out and make disciples of all nations…’ did He add in, and you should be comfortable?

The fact is, the greatest things that happen in your life will not be comfortable. Change and growth are not comfortable. But when you do it, you overcome, and your life becomes greater.

What happened before the disciples went out to the nations? He sent them His Spirit called The Comforter. He knew they would be uncomfortable. And so He provided His Spirit… so they would be comforted.

In the same way, the Lord has given you His Spirit, not to make you comfortable and not so you would avoid the uncomfortable, but that you would have the power to go out into all those uncomfortable situations and have victory.

Seek not to be comfortable. Seek your only comfort from the Comforter and you will witness, you will minister, you will share, you will fulfill your calling, and nothing shall be impossible for you.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

Step out of your comfort zone and spread the word, preach the Gospel of salvation.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Gift Of Barnabas…

If you read the Bible, you probably know the story of Ananias and Sapphira and how they gave a gift under false pretenses, lied about it and then dropped dead. But did you know about the gift of Barnabas?

It’s right before the account of Ananias and Sapphira. So why don’t most believers know about it? What Barnabas did was good and pure. And the fact that we dwell on Ananias and Sapphira and not Barnabas says more about us than about them.

It’s human nature to dwell on the bad and rotten things people did, rather than the good. But when they treat us with respect or kindness, we rarely go on and on. But the moment they mess up, we forget everything else.

You see, the gifts of Barnabas are all around you, but you miss it. Your loved ones, your friends, your home, the food on your table, your health, your heartbeat, and most of all, salvation and love of God.

Stop dwelling on the deeds of Ananias and Sapphira and start dwelling on the gifts of Barnabas. They don’t get as much press, but they’re all around you… just look.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. Acts 4:36-37

Go out of your way to bring an unexpected gift to a hurting person today: a kind word, a meal, whatever God’s leads.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

That You Might Know…

In the 1800s, a young English scholar journeyed to Asia Minor on a mission to prove the Bible wrong, specifically that what was recorded as history by Luke in the Book of Acts. Because his professors told him it was not true.

He began digging among the ancient ruins of Greece and Asia Minor. To his surprise, what he uncovered was this… the New Testament writings were accurate to the smallest of details.

The evidence was so convincing that the archaeologist became a Christian. His name? Sir William Ramsay, one of the greatest of biblical scholars. What do we learn? The Bible is true.

Archaeology has never disproved it, but has often and most amazingly backed up its words. The Bible is filled with promises and statements of faith. Test them out. Do what it says. Follow the commands. And you know what you’ll uncover?

You’ll uncover that God is real, His word is true, His promises are good, His power is strong, and His love is faithful. Go ahead, test His word, do what it says, and see if He will not open up to you the windows of Heaven.

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

Dig deeper into the word of God today. Believe that you will seek to find a hidden treasure that God has for you there.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Return of Jesus. – The Heavenly Return…

Shamayim is Hebrew for heaven. The disciples are standing on the Mt. of Olives . Jesus blesses them and then begins ascending into the heavens.

Jesus’s real Hebrew name Yeshua, means salvation. Yeshua came from heaven because salvation can only come from heaven. Yeshua ascended to heaven, because salvation must always return to heaven.

Jesus came to earth to bring God to man. Then He had to return to heaven to bring man to God. Salvation was only complete when Yeshua returned to heaven.

So it is with our lives. All good things come from God. However, the blessings of God are only complete when you give them back to heaven. We tend to covet our blessings.

If you want your blessing and your life to be complete, then you have to give it back to God. Whatever you own is not yours until you let it go. Only that which you give can you receive.

All good things come from heaven and all good things must return there. So give your blessings and your life back to heaven. Then your blessing will be full and overflowing, and your life complete.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

God has blessed you with so much – take inventory of your blessings and then take those blessings, the joy, the love, the power, and bless others.

So here we are today thinking about the end times, the tribulation, the second coming of Jesus. So let’s look at a little background.

The end of days, or latter days, first appears in Deuteronomy 4:30 – where it says this: “When you are in distress, and all these things have come upon you, in ‘the end of days,’ you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.”

The end of days will be a time of distress and tribulation, but it will also be the time of return and redemption. It’s only in the end of days that the Jewish people as a whole will return to the Lord, and only in the end that redemption will come to the whole world.

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14

So when you look at all the problems, challenges, and evils of the last days, don’t forget that there’s another side: The end of days is also days of return, redemption, and victory. Live like it!

Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:7

Don’t allow the evils of these end times to discourage you. But allow them to help you turn or return to the presence of God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Resurrection Of Zion…

In the late 1940s, Israel stood on the brink of being resurrected from the dead. On November 29, 1947, Eleazer Sukenik, an Israeli archaeologist had discovered the oldest writings of Hebrew in the world – the Dead Sea Scrolls.

On the other side of the globe, Sukenik’s son was reporting the vote of each country from the newly-formed United Nations on whether Israel would be reborn or not. Israel was declared a nation after 2000 years of dispersion.

At the same time, Sukenik was reading the ancient words of a Dead Sea Scroll prophecy based on Scripture, which lay hidden in the Israeli sands for 2000 years.

The words on what was called the Scroll of Thanksgiving said: “I was driven from my home like a bird from its nest. I was cast down, but raised up again…” Isn’t God awesome? At the very moment, He raised His ancient nation from the dead, letting his people know that it was by His hand that the miracle happened.

God keeps His promises, and is faithful, even when His people of Israel didn’t follow Him. How much more will He be faithful and keep His promises to you who follow Him?

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Encourage yourself today with this fact: God has kept His promises to Israel for thousands of years – He will certainly be faithful and keep His promises to you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Prepare Ye The Way…

For the observant Jew, Friday is a special day. It’s called the Day of Preparation. It’s the day given to prepare for the Shabbat, the Sabbath. So observant Jews will often rush around to do their shopping, to finish up what they have to in order to prepare for, and enter the Day of Rest.

Now when you read the Gospels, you come across an interesting phrase. It’s written that Jesus died on the Day of Preparation. The day He completed what He had to do, and then said, ‘It is finished.’ God gave His people the Sabbath, the Day of Rest and Blessing, so His people might find peace, healing, and communion with God.

This teaches us something very important. You need to prepare for blessing. If you want to enter God’s presence, you have to take it seriously and even, yes, labor to enter it.

You may even have to tie up loose ends, forgive that person, bless that other person, put away that other thing that has to go from your life. God has in store for you a Day of Blessing. But you need first to take a Day of Preparation.

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. John 19:31

Today, make preparations for your ‘Day of Blessing’ by spending some great time in the presence of the Lord.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed