Ed Christian's World

The Samaritan’s Choice…

Yad Vashem is the Holocaust memorial in Israel. Outside of it is a beautiful path of trees called, “The Avenue of the righteous of the Nations.” Every tree is named after a Gentile who saved Jewish lives in the Holocaust.

During the Holocaust, those who did evil were in power, and seemed like the unstoppable wave of the future. Those who did righteously, who hid Jews and risked their lives, were in the minority.

Their cause looked hopeless yet, in the end, those in power ended up in defeat; being killed, taking their own lives, or living as hunted fugitives with the shame of what they did forever.

But those who did right yet seemed weak ended up as heroes. No matter how powerful evil looks, or how unstoppable it may seem even as immorality seems to be the wave of the future, still in the end evil will perish.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 1:5-6

And no matter how weak the cause of the righteous seems, you who do right will be lifted up. The righteous will shine as the stars of heaven. And in heaven all these trees will blossom in the avenue of the righteous.

Today, share the Gospel with someone that needs the Lord. Don’t worry if they accept or reject. Just do the right thing.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Finishers…

Proverbs 19:24 says, “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish but will not even bring it back to his mouth to eat.”

It’s a dramatic picture of laziness to make a point. Many people never see things through; they start and never finish.

They start plans they never finish: jobs, marriages, families, big dreams, serving God, and ministries, but they give up. They get discouraged or run into problems and throw in the towel. They shrink back, get distracted, tempted, or they mess up and they give up.

You’ve got to follow through. If you don’t follow through you’ll never have the blessing. There’s always going to be conflicts and challenges.

If you don’t follow through in ministry, marriage, or with that problem, you’ll never gain the prize. If you’re doing something and you’re in the Lord, it’s of the Lord; ministry, marriage, parenthood, fellowship, love… your life is of the Lord.

Follow through! Keep going! Press on until you finish the course, win the prize, get the reward, and know the blessing. And you won’t end up hungry like the sluggard.

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

Today, follow through with something for the Lord that you have put off, let go, or just never taken up. Gain the prize!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Secret Of Milk…

All across the world, no matter the language, the word for mom usually has the sound ma in it. It’s because mama is a word created by babies.

It’s a common sound babies make when they want milk. A baby is born with the need for milk. When it cries for milk, its mother is there to answer its need before it even understands it has a mother.

In the same way, your heart cries out for God, for His perfect love, for what the world cannot give you. And just as your mother was there to answer your cry, God is there to answer the cry of your heart.

You were made for Him. His love for you is more basic to your soul than a mother’s milk is to her newborn baby.

There is an answer to every real need in your life. And the answer is God. So bring your every need to Him, your emptiness, longing, and cries.

As a baby is born longing for its mother, and the mother is there, you were born longing for God, and He too is there.

But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131:2

Today, cry out to God with your deepest needs knowing that He is there ready to meet them. And receive of the milk of heaven.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Sword Of Gideon…

Gideon’s army went to war with ram’s horns and clay pitchers with burning torches inside. As they advanced, they smashed the pitchers revealing the blazing fire.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels…” Earthen vessels is referring to our body, our physical being. It’s like the clay pitcher.

If you are born again, inside of you is the treasure: the presence or Spirit of God – that’s the fire. So what did Gideon’s army have to do to release that power? They had to smash their clay vessels.

So with you too. Do you want to be victorious and see the power of God manifested in your life? Let your flesh (the old self) be broken through. Let the power of sin be crushed.

Let your ego be broken down, so that people won’t see the outer man any more, but the inner man that contains the Spirit of God; the fire, the blazing torch.

For if we smash that earthen vessel, then the fire of the Spirit will reign and the great miracle and your victory will come – just as it did for Gideon’s army.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 2 Corinthians 4:11

Today, let the old self, the old nature, the old ego, be broken, so that the light and power of God can shine through.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Amazed In Cyprus…

The Jewish people, exiled from Israel because of judgment, were scattered all over the world. The Greek name for the dispersion of the Jewish people is diaspora, which means to scatter seed.

The Hebrew word for their dispersion is galut, which means the exile. Exile was a curse, yet the book of Acts reveals that it was through the Jewish exile, through the Jewish diaspora, that the Gospel was spread to the world.

God took the curse of the exile and turned it into the blessing of the diaspora. He used the diaspora to sow the seeds of the Gospel, which is what diaspora means.

It is the heart of God to take curses, and turn them around for good. He takes broken things and makes them whole – turning death into life, and sorrow into joy.

Are there things in your life you feel are a curse or you regret they ever happened? When you give them to God there’s no more regret. He will not just nullify that curse, He’ll turn it around for blessing.

You serve a God who has turned the diaspora, exile, and judgments into blessings of life and salvation.

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Psalm 126:5-6

Today, use the power of God to turn every bad thing, every problem, every conflict, every pain, every failure, every set back… into good, blessing, victory, and redemption.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Earthly And The Heavenly…

Eretz, the Hebrew word for earth, is singular. But shamayim, the Hebrew word for heaven, is plural.

In Hebrew, when a word that should be singular is rendered plural, it often indicates an intensity; like an exclamation point. It’s something to get excited about.

The word for earth has no exclamation point. Thus when you’re dealing with earthly things, don’t get too excited over them. Don’t treat the things of the world as the end of everything. Don’t store up your treasures here. Don’t get too attached and make idols. Don’t let your mind get all bent out of shape; panic, go crazy, or get depressed over it. It’s just things.

But the things of heaven are different, they have an exclamation point. You should get excited about heaven and the things of the Spirit. Get excited about the things of God: His love, joy, wonders, purity, peace, and His mysteries.

Then you’ll have true peace and joy, and everything will be alright. Because that’s the way it’s meant to be. The earth, eretz, is only singular. But heaven, shamayim, is always more. And that’s something to get excited about.

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17

Today, get excited about the heavenly things of God and keep calm about the things of earth.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Sailing Away…

When I came to the Lord, I had to decide what to do with my life. I fasted and prayed, and the Lord led me in a particular direction.

It would take years before I would see the real outworking of God’s purposes for my life. He didn’t tell me all the details because I couldn’t accomplish or even fathom them back then. All I had to know was the next step to take.

Psalms 119:105 declares, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet.” It’s a lamp, not a headlight. His Word and Spirit will generally lead you simply by giving you the next step.

You may have an idea, vision, or promise of things yet to come, but it’s more important that you know what God has for you today and that you do it.

Today is the only day you can fulfill His will and the first step will lead to the second, and so on until it all unfolds, and comes to pass.

Trust Him for the future, but obey Him right now. For the best way to know God’s will is to obey it.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6

Today, don’t worry about tomorrow. Just take the step of obedience that you know God wants you to take for this day.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Spirit Rulers…

There are stories of great military campaigns throughout history: King David taking Jerusalem, Alexander the Great conquering the walled cities of the ancient world, General Sherman taking Atlanta and turning the course of the Civil War to name a few.

The taking of such cities required courage, zeal, and often brilliance. However, Proverbs says that “greater is the one who rules his own spirit than the one who captures a city.”

Think about that. God’s saying it is more important to rule your spirit. Look at all the military conquerors of history, and all they did; all the challenges and obstacles they had to go through.

Yet, many of them couldn’t even control their own lusts and it destroyed them. Set your heart, and your goal on ruling your own spirit.

Storm that wall, conquer that stronghold, and win that victory. Then your life will be far greater, stronger, and more life changing than all the generals of history. For greater than the one who takes the city, is the one who rules their spirit.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

Today, make it your goal to rule your spirit by the power of God’s Spirit.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Dwell…

Jesus said He will only return to the world when His people say “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.”

For that to happen the Jewish people had to return from the ends of the earth to the land of Israel and dwell there.

Psalm 37:3 says “dwell” in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Only when the Jewish people dwell in the land can Jesus return to dwell with them.

Do you want God to come down and His glory to fill your life? Then learn the secret of dwelling. When you dwell with God, God will dwell with you. To dwell means, to wait in His presence not just occasionally praying.

It means meditating on and soaking in His goodness instead of rushing all over the place. Are you living in the blessings of God that He has for your life?

If not, chances are the reason is in the word dwell. Because the Lord’s will is to dwell with you, and have His glory dwell in your life. When you learn the secret of the word dwell. If you dwell, He will come.

For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Matthew 23:39

Today, spend time entering the deepness of His presence, receiving of His glory.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Your Brother In The Storm…

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Likewise Jesus was born to become your brother and to share in your adversity. He was born to become your brother – to share in your birth.

Not just to share in your joy, but to take up the adversity of the world – your pain, your burdens, and your sorrows so you would never be alone. When you’re in sorrow, in your valleys, in your time of loss, when it looks like you’re abandoned, you’re not going to be abandoned by Him.

He’s going to be there with you in your time of adversity. His presence may be gentle and often unnoticed, but He will always be there, your best friend and your closest brother.

How faithful is He to you? So much so that He was literally born to be with you in your worst times. A friend loves at all times, so love Him at all times.

Live a life worthy of what He gave for you. For a friend loves at all times, but Jesus, your brother, was born for adversity.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

Today, draw close to Jesus and soak in the love of your closest Brother and dearest Friend.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed