Ed Christian's World

Jesus and Buddha…

Buddhism is named after its founder. But Buddha’s real name was Siddhartha, a wealthy Indian nobleman, who found himself dissatisfied with life. He sought fulfillment in sensuality, and then self-denial.

One day, he claimed to discover that neither was the real answer but something in the middle; the middle path, thus Buddhism. Buddha means the enlightened one. His followers refer to most religious leaders and founders as enlightened ones, Buddha’s people who have seen the light.

But Jesus, Yeshua did not come as a Buddha. He’s not an enlightened one. He is the Light, and that’s a big difference. He doesn’t seek light; He gives us light. His whole life is light. That means that Buddha is not a real Buddhist.

Because only those who truly know the Light of Jesus can be truly enlightened. It’s a high honor knowing Jesus, the Light. You can never know him enough.

Spend time in His presence because He’s the True Light. The more you know Him, the more truly enlightened you become. And that’s better than Buddha.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:18

Spend time in the light of Jesus’s presence today. Let His light dispel all darkness and enlighten you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Experiences of Israel…

When leaving Israel after our tours, people are often sad because there are so many experiences that spoke to them coming to an end. In life, most people live for experiences, even believers.

They talk about experiences in the Lord, experiences in His Spirit, and that’s great, but the difference between experiences in the Lord Himself is, it’s not the end. The experience is not the destination. Don’t make the experiences of the Lord your aim, but the Lord of the experiences.

It’s not about how great the service was, because the services aren’t the point, the Lord is the point. Pilgrimages to Israel end, so do services and songs. But the Lord of the pilgrimage, the Lord of the song, He doesn’t.

Take His beauty from Galilee, His love from Gethsemane, and the price of His love from Calvary. It’s great that you have experiences of the Lord, but go deeper. Get beyond the experience of the Lord… to the Lord of the experience… Because when every experience has faded away , the Lord will still be there,

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25

Walk with Him, talk with Him, and share with Him all of your experiences today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Devel’s Plan For Your Life…

According to Jeremiah 29:11, God has a plan for your life. That’s the truth. But the enemy has a plan for your life as well. He wants you to be empty, ruined, destroyed, suffering, miserable, bitter, harassed, frustrated, tempted, and fallen. In his plan, your marriage, home, ministry, calling, reputation, and everything is destroyed.

The way to avoid the enemy’s plan for your life is to get more and more into God’s will and by not taking any step of the enemy’s plan. Stay far away from temptation. That’s why we’re told to continually seek the will of God.

Get into the plan that He has for your life, a plan of victory and blessedness in God. Get on His perfect path every day. Because you can’t be into God’s plans and the devil’s plans at the same time.

God isn’t the only one who has a plan. The enemy does, too. So, all the more seek God’s plan. Because the more you get into the will of God, the more you will be farther away from the plan that Satan has for your life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10

Turn your back on the enemy today and focus on God’s plan for your life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Jordan and The Galilee…

The Jordan, Israel’s greatest river, begins in the northern mountains. The Jordan – Ha Yarden in Hebrew means: The descender, because it continually flows down. It flows from the mountain heights into the Sea of Galilee and then continues out the other side. It’s a profound picture of divine heavenly life.

Jesus is The Descender; Ha Yarden. He’s the One who comes down from the heights to give His life for us. We, like the Sea of Galilee, have to receive Him in order to become alive. You have to receive His life, not just once, but continuously, the living waters flowing into you every day.

But it’s only completed when the Galilee gives of the water that it receives from the Jordan. So, in the same way, when you receive God’s love and forgiveness, then give love and forgiveness.

You’ve been blessed and touched, so bless and touch. That’s true life, Jesus flowing into us and out from us. It’s amazing. Let “The Descender” – the Jordan flow through you, and you will be as blessed as the Sea of Galilee.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. John 7:38

Allow the love of Jesus to flow through you by blessing or helping someone in need today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Two women, a pastor and a gun…

In Red China, a pastor and two Christian girls were sentenced to death. They promised the pastor his freedom if he would shoot the girls. The girls waited in the prison yard, only to discover that their executioner was their pastor. He explained the situation.

They said, “Before you shoot us, we wish to thank you for what you’ve meant to us. You taught us the way of eternal life. May God bless you for all the good you’ve done to us. You also taught us that Christians are sometimes weak and commit terrible sins, but they can be forgiven.

When you regret what you’ve done, don’t despair like Judas, but repent like Peter and God be with you. Remember that our last thought was not one of anger against your failure. Everyone passes through hours of darkness. We die with gratitude.”

The pastor shot them and was then shot by the Communists. A powerful and deep lesson from the kingdom. Whatever betrayal, hurt, disappointment, or injustice people have done against you isn’t anything in comparison. In this case, learn not from the pastor but from his congregants.

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

In your prayer time today, release all those who have wronged you in any way and choose to forgive them.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

He Left All For Her – A Love Story…

Genesis 2:24 says, “A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” In Ephesians 5, Paul quotes this scripture and then says, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Jesus and the church.”

It’s a deep thing. He opens a whole new revelation. That means that Jesus left everything. He left His Father’s house in heaven and came down to earth. He left His fellowship with His Father to be crucified on the cross. He left everything.

It says that the man shall be joined to his wife. He joined Himself to us on the cross. That’s so beautiful. He separated from everything. Whatever God’s asking you to leave, whatever that thing is, that treasure, that joy, that habit, that sin, that idol, let it go. Because that’s how you really join to Him.

He left everything for you, to be joined with you, to come into your life and save you. The Bridegroom left His Father’s house to come to you, to be one with you. And you, the bride, can do no less than that.

Remind yourself today that your Bridegroom has called you out and set you apart from the world for His glory and purposes.

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37-38

Remind yourself today that your Bridegroom has called you out and set you apart from the world for His glory and purposes.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Devine Leftovers…

Most people really don’t want leftovers for dinner. But Leviticus 19 says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, don’t completely reap it to the corners of your field, don’t gather in the gleanings… leave them for the poor and the stranger.”

It’s the law of “The Divine leftovers.” Biblical leftovers are holy. As God’s children, we must always have leftovers in our life; always sow more than we reap; give more than we take. We need to have leftover finances, leftover time for God, leftover service for the stranger, and leftover love.

We should think opposite of the “Take and get everything out of life” philosophy. In the end, our account balance should not be even. We should have been giving more than we got in this world–for the needy, for the poor, always having extra to give away.

Your life can overflow with extra love, extra blessing, or an extra word. Because it’s not enough to have enough. God gives you the best things. In Him, leftovers aren’t last night’s food. It’s a sign of life overflowing with blessing. Leftovers are the sign of heaven’s children.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35

Make your goal to give away more than you get. Be a blessing to those you come in contact with today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Dance of The Electrons…

When you look at creation, you see a pattern. The moon revolves around the earth, the earth around the sun, and the sun around the center of the Milky Way. The same pattern is in the smallest atom.

The electron from which we get electricity, magnetism, and radiation does the same thing as the moon, earth, and sun. It revolves around the center. This amazing pattern, from the largest to the smallest, shows us that everything has to revolve around something greater than itself – moons, planets, stars, electrons, and man.

The way of existence is not just to exist. You can’t just live for yourself. You have to revolve around something greater. God is greater! If you live your life centered around Him, then everything in your life will fall into place.

Worship is centering your life around Him, who is greater than you. One of the Hebrew words for worship is to dance in a circle. The dance of the electrons and the Hebrews is the flow of life.

Revolve your life, dreams, focus, ways, worship, will, and everything around Him, and you will be blessed. This is the way of creation and the dance of life.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Psalm 96:9

Today, worship Jesus as your center and join the dance of life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

As Being With Jesus…

In Acts 4, the Apostles are brought on trial before the Sanhedrin, not because of their ministerial degrees, diplomas, or liturgical garments, but because they recognized them as being with Messiah Yeshua, Jesus.

The sign of the disciple isn’t degrees, certificates, position or status. It’s that they are recognizable for spending time with Jesus.

Are you a disciple? If so, bear the sign that you have been with Yeshua, Jesus. Spend time with Him in prayer, praise, worship, and communion, receiving Him in the quiet. The more time you spend with Him, the more people will see that you have been with Jesus.

The mark of Jesus isn’t just for the first disciples but for you. Spend more time with Him, and it will even change the way you look. What’s the sign the world needs to see?

They need to see one thing–that you have been with Jesus and that they can recognize that in you. In the same way they recognized the first Apostles, people should see you because the more time you spend with Him, the more you will be like Him.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Spend some extra time with God and reflect His goodness to everyone around you today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

As It Is In Heaven…

In Acts 3:20-21 TLV, Peter says: “…and He may send Yeshua, Jesus appointed for you. Heaven must receive Him…” Heaven is the place where you don’t need anything. It’s perfect, full and complete.

But here it says heaven must receive. How can heaven need to receive? Heaven is not complete without Him. If heaven had everything else, streets of gold, living water, but didn’t have Him, it wouldn’t be heaven. Revelation 7:17 says, “For the Lamb in the center of the throne…”

If heaven centers around Him, how much more do we need to? Everyone needs Him. That’s why we must be born again to be saved. We had to receive Him. We need Him every day, every moment.

Let Him in, receive Him again. Let Him come in and you won’t be empty. Bring Him into every part of your life, every day. Bring Him into your home, your job.

Receive Him into your heart, your struggles, your failings, your weaknesses, your past, your dreams, your hurts, and your everything. Because even heaven must receive Him. How much more you and me? And that which receives Him becomes heavenly.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20

Receive Jesus into any empty area of your life today. Let Him make your life heavenly.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed