Ed Christian's World

Why Does God…

I received the following email the other day:

Ed, my name is George and am in Mike’s Sunday school class. I really enjoy your emails. I wonder if you would share your thoughts on why God allows bad things to happen to good people.

I responded:

George, If we, as Christians, believe God doesn’t let anything happen without reason then we also have believe it is a teaching moment. Our technology, medically and otherwise, has grown from someone looking to fix something bad that has happened to someone else.

Our growing experiences have come from learning from our mistakes or the mistakes of others we have learned from. That would be the simple answer, but there are many answers to your question as people have been asking it for years. Suffering is a way of life because we share our grief, feelings, loss and Love. Then we turn it all over to Jesus, who suffered more than any of us will ever have to. He gave his life to redeem us and give us eternal life.

When I was injured in Vietnam I almost died and was actually pronounced dead, but God had other plans for me and brought me back to share that experience and show His grace and compassion. Am I a good person? Biblically no, for God is Good, I am nothing but a sinner. None of us can be considered good compared to God.

To completely answer your question, I don’t think there is one good answer for He wants us to learn and grow to help others have a better life. I just have Faith that He will let me know when I stand in front of Him. That being said I use every experience, good and bad as a lesson to be learned and faithfully seek to find the blessing with each.

Then I take those blessing and share them with everyone who crosses my path.I hope this gives you some insight towards the answer you seek. Respectfully, Ed

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I, over the years, have answered that question about 10 times for different ministers and they usually come back with rebuttal something like how can that justify the suffering?

I usually offer this response: God offers us eternal life, but doesn’t promise us life will be easy. Do you know the phrase “If I only knew then what I know now”? Just think of all the suffering we could have avoided if we knew then how to prevent it from happening in the first place. That is the lesson we learned – how to prevent it.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

I write about my life experiences because I want to share the blessings I have received and the lessons I’ve learned. My hope is that they enlighten others about the strength of the love, light and hope He wields while watching over us. He is giving us this strength in the form of blessings to share with others. I can only shine my light and hope others learn from it.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Redeem The Time…

Modern life is filled with time saving devices and instant everything. We have washing machines, dishwashers, microwave ovens, instant coffee, oatmeal, pudding, banking, computer shopping, fast food – fast, instant everything.

It’s amazing how much time we’ve saved. With all these time saving devices, products, and services…. how come we’re always out of time? There should be a time surplus, a storehouse of extra, saved up, U.S. government surplus time! Where is it? How come there’s never enough time to go around? It doesn’t make any sense.

The answer is, “In the beginning, God…” Time began with God. Time comes from God, not from appliances and computers. Time comes from God and is given to the heart. Unless you spend time with God, in His Sabbath peace, and receive from God His shalom, His fullness of life, you’ll never have enough time.

You’ll never have enough of anything. Forget your time saving and start receiving time and life which only comes in the presence and peace of God. You don’t have time to be with God? No my friend, you don’t have time not to.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Spend time with the One today who took the time to create you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The City On The Hill…

Harvard College was founded in 1638 by Puritans, for the purpose of training missionaries for the gospel. Up until the year 1700, over half of its graduates went into ministry. By the mid-19th century, the last members of spirituality were quickly disappearing.

Yale University was founded in 1701. From the beginning, its president taught students on subjects such as “The Bible is the Word of God.” A gospel group from the university traveled the country preaching salvation.

Yet, like Harvard, Yale’s evangelical stand soon disappeared. In one graduating class, 54% said they had no belief in any God. All these universities eventually left the gospel and became secular.

They all were founded for one purpose, the glory of God – yet they all ended up completely forgetting the purpose for which they were founded. It happens all the time, not just to universities, but to believers.

Maybe you started out pure and full of zeal to serve the Lord. However, maybe you’ve gotten distracted, caught up in other things and forgotten the very purpose for which you exist.

Come back. Re-consecrate yourself to knowing and serving the Lord. Don’t end up like Harvard.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,  faithful in prayer. Romans 12:11-12

Don’t go by your feelings today. Don’t give in and don’t give up in all that you do for Him.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Rock Of Ages…

When everything around us changes, becomes chaotic, or comes crashing down, it’s easy to wonder where God is, or where in all these things is His hand, and His promises.

Yet it is the very nature of this world and of our circumstances – to change, to become chaotic, and to fall – that underscores the reality of God. All things change but Him. Thus, while the world is linked to sand, the Lord is called “the Rock.”

If we stand, build, rest, our lives on the world and our circumstances, then we’re building on sand and will be easily shaken, moved, and cast down. But if we ground everything in our lives, our thoughts, our emotions, our hopes, our joys, our faith, not on this world but what is beyond it, on Him, the Rock, we will not be moved. As it is written:

“God is our refuge and strength
A very present help in trouble
Therefore we will not fear
Even though the earth be removed
And though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea…”

The thing that convinced me that God was real was the fact that what was written in the Scriptures thousands of years ago was now coming true. The Jewish people would be scattered to the ends of the earth but then, in the last days, God would gather them back and bring them into their land.

He would resurrect the nation of Israel from the dead. Thus, it is not only that God is real and His Word is true, but that God is faithful. When He makes a promise, He will keep it.

Throughout all the turmoil of our times, there exists a nation of Israel as a witness that stronger than the chaos of this world is the faithfulness of God. And it’s not just the chaos and turmoil of the world, but the chaos and turmoil we encounter in this life. Stronger still is God’s faithfulness.

If He keeps His promise to the children of Abraham, after two and three and four thousand years, He will surely keep His promise to you. And His promises are many. He will keep you. He will never forsake or abandon you. He will be with you always. He will work all things in your life – the good, the bad, and the ugly – for good, for blessing, for glory.

It is upon that which you must build, ground, and establish your life, your hope, your heart, your faith. He is our Rock. And upon Him, we shall not be shaken. May God greatly bless you as you stand upon the Rock.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Knowing God’s Will…

Do you spend time seeking the will of God? Who should I marry? What job should I take? What house should I buy? There’s something to all this… But the will of God is much deeper.

What most believers miss, and never get to, is that the will of God is the will of God. You can’t have a will without a heart. So if you’re going to talk about the will of God, you have to talk about the heart of God.

The will of God is what God desires. You can’t know the will of God unless you know the heart of God. And to know the heart of God is to have the heart of God; to desire the things that God desires; to be passionate about things which God is passionate; and to be broken by those things which break God’s heart.

You want the will of God in your life? Then seek the heart of God in your life. Read the Bible. Find out what He longs for, and make that your passion. Seek the heart of God, and the will of God will follow.

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22

God already knows the secrets of your heart. Now it’s your turn to go after His heart, like David did.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love.always,

Ed

The Price Of The Costly…

Do you want a good life? The world seeks all the pleasures one can get. But to really live the good life you have to live a life that is characterized by goodness.

For goodness, you have to look to Jesus, the only one who lived the good life completely. It was a life of paying the greatest price, of taking up the cross.

If you want to live a life in which you never pay a price or bear a sacrifice, you’ll never live the good life. You want to overcome? You can’t overcome without paying the price of overcoming.

You want a life of righteousness, a life of love? You want a good marriage? Pay the price of it. You want a good relationship with your children? Pay the price of it.

You want a blessed life? Pay the price of it. You see, the good life is a gift, given freely by God; but a gift that costs us everything we have. Pay the price of righteousness and you’ll reap the blessings of the good life.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Be an overcomer today and do only what is good in the sight of God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Beginning Of Days…

In the beginning, God said, “Y’hee Or!”- Let there be light! This is His very first act of creation, and the foundation of all His work. God brings light out of darkness. One can only say; “Let there be light,” when it’s dark.

This is important and profound. Most believers curse and fear the darkness, or avoid the darkness. That may be you.

Chances are there is some darkness in your life or on the horizon that you fear or look upon as a negative thing. But according to the ancient Scripture, darkness is not something to be cursed, feared, shunned, or avoided.

Darkness, according to the ancient Scripture is the raw material from which miracles come. For in God, out of darkness comes light. For only in the dark can you say, “Let there be light.”

God doesn’t fear the dark, He brings miracles out of it. And you need to do the same. You’ve got a dark situation? Good! Stop despising it and in the name and power of God, let’s hear it: “Y’hee Or!”- Let there be light!

Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2:5

Walk in the beautiful light of God today and let His love shine all around you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Overflowing Heart…

When we were children, we had to learn how to pour water into a cup. One of the things we had to learn was to stop pouring when the glass was full.

The Lord pours His Spirit not into a cup, but into your heart. And He wants you to overflow. Too many believers get filled up with God to a certain point, and then they stop seeking Him. They stop receiving, stop growing, and they stop being open.

Could that be you? God never wills to stop pouring or for you to stop receiving. Your life is not a cup that has to stop receiving. God wants you to keep receiving, and then to receive even more.

You don’t want a cup to overflow. But the spirit must overflow. The way to overflow is to never stop receiving and to never stop seeking more. So never tell God! ‘Stop!’ Let it pour, let it flow, and let it overflow. For hearts, unlike cups, are only full when they overflow.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

Start over again with learning all there is about God today, but this time let Him fill you to overflowing.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Thanksgiving…

This Thanksgiving I give thanks to God for family, friends and loving peace. When I look back over the past year, I am amazed at all the blessings He has given me, in spite of my short comings. Thank you Father for loving me and showing me how to love.

I’m sure we all have many things to be thankful for and I sincerely wish each and every one of you a wonderful day full of love and thanksgiving. Share your blessings with every one that crosses your path. Be the shining light He intended you to be.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with song. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:2-3

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Key Of Victory…

There were approximately two million Israelites in the wilderness and yet, for the most part, only two of them entered the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb.

The reason the Israelites didn’t enter the land was because they didn’t believe God. They didn’t trust Him. If they had trusted Him, all those things would have made no difference at all, and they would have been victorious. Instead, that blessing went to their children.

This teaches us an important truth. God has called us to enter into His blessings: a land of promise, a place of blessing, joy, abundance, and victory. But most people and believers never enter into the blessings God has for them.

If you don’t really and fully believe His love and the good news, how can you enter His peace or joy? On the other hand. If you do really and fully start believing and receiving His love, promises, good news, and power, you won’t be able to stop yourself from entering the blessings of His peace, joy, and victory.

Start believing with all your heart and you’ll be victorious. Take a lesson from two million Israelites: You’ll enter in when you believe.

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism. Acts 10:34

Grab a hold of God’s promises and His truths today, and believe them. You will have a more blessed, a more productive, and a more victorious life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed