Ed Christian's World

Behold The Maiden…

The Jewish people as a whole don’t believe in the virgin birth yet. But hidden in the writings of the rabbis, it says “Jesus’s going to be born of the Shekinah: Glory of God.”

They actually believe that Jesus’s going to be born of God’s glory. That sounds like Luke 1:35, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Jesus is born of the glory of God.

Because salvation can’t be of the world. It has to be from God’s glory, so He could overcome the world. Your new birth is born from heaven; from God’s glory, also. Whatever’s good in your life, joy, faith and love that you didn’t have before, that’s of God’s glory.

You can’t produce good on your own. It has to be born from heaven. Receive it. Jesus was born from God’s glory. Everything good is born from His glory, so receive it each day.

Let the glory of God overshadow you and each day your life will be filled with the blessings of Jesus. For you too, are born of His glory.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Matthew 25:31

Spend time with God today and invite Him to overshadow you with His glory, to touch every area in your life.

Walk daily daily God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Processing Heaven…

In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “For theirs is the kingdom.” Not theirs “will be,” but theirs “is.” The kingdom belongs to the children of God – now. Heaven and earth are connected.

We can’t truly own anything on earth because it’s temporal. The only things we can and are supposed to own are heavenly possessions. It’s okay to be possessive about heaven. The Scripture says “Rejoice for your reward is great in heaven.”

You should know what you own in heaven and rejoice in it. Rejoice because your name’s in the Lamb’s book of life. The reason we get possessive of earthly thing is because we’re not possessing things in heaven. Rejoice over what you have in heaven and you won’t be possessive about earth or covet what you don’t have.

Start realizing you own a piece of heaven, more than a piece, the whole kingdom. You’re rich. You’re blessed. That’s enough to live a life of joy and let go of petty, earthly and temporary things. Because you have something so much better. Live as someone who’s rich, blessed and joyous. For yours, yes yours, is the kingdom of heaven.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Don’t let temporary things take your focus away from your eternal possessions. Be joyful today that your treasure is in heaven.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Earthly Bridal Chamber…

When a couple goes out, it’s generally the woman who takes more time to prepare. In the ancient Hebrew marriage the bride generally had a year to prepare for her wedding; to make herself beautiful.

In the same way, Scripture says we’re the bride. Our souls are made to be joined to God. We have a wedding coming. We’re here on earth as a bride, not to make money, to become popular, to become comfortable or to get a big house. You can have those things, but that’s not what it’s really about. You’re here to become beautiful.

In life, you don’t have to win that argument or get somewhere on time, more than you have to be beautiful. If you’re in a traffic jam, it’s not about the traffic jam, it’s about being beautiful inside your circumstances.

Don’t get so wrapped up in what you think you have to do or what you think you have to have. Life is about you becoming beautiful. You’re the bride. Get into that chamber, into the presence of God and start becoming the beautiful bride you were meant to be.

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Revelation 21:2

Today, put aside the pressures that say you have to have more or be more and spend time with Him. Make it your aim, to become beautiful in God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Disciples and Unfollowers…

You say you follow the Lord. But to follow the Lord also means to not follow. When Jesus called the disciples, He called them first to stop following what they were doing before. “Drop your net,” wasn’t about nets, but a different way of life. Matthew stopped being a tax collector.

You have to stop following something in order to follow Him. So if you’re the Lord’s disciple, then you have to also become an un-follower. You can’t serve two masters. You need to stop following what you’ve been following your whole life.

As you follow Jesus, He gives you the power to un-follow the voice of temptation, the voice of the flesh, the voice of anger, the voice of lust or the voice of addiction.

You don’t have to follow it. You’re an un-follower now. You don’t have to follow the past, the world, the television, the internet. You don’t have to follow them anymore. You have the power to drop your nets and make a clean break.

Because the Lord has not only given you the privilege of being a follower, but the power of being an un-follower.

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21

It’s time to un-follow your sins today. See yourself following Jesus, walking with Him and leaving your past behind.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Al Capone and The Untouchables…

During the years of prohibition in Chicago, Al Capone rose to power and corrupted everyone around him. He even had judges on his payroll. Because Chicago was so corrupt, there was nothing that could touch him.

But then Elliott Ness was brought in and put in charge. He along with nine young, idealistic, law enforcers, came to bring down Al Capone and break the underworld.

They were called the Untouchables, not because they couldn’t be killed or hurt but because they couldn’t be bribed, corrupted or intimidated.

They ended up getting Al Capone on tax evasion. He was touchable because of his lack of integrity. The Latin root for the word integrity is the same for the word untouchable.

God is calling you to be one of His heavenly untouchables. A person of integrity, who can’t be touched, compromised or bought. If you’ll rid your life of compromise, go all out for God and not let that sin, that temptation touch you anymore, then you’ll become one of heaven’s untouchables. You’ll pull down strongholds and even transform a city or even change the world.

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21

Make a decision today to be one of God’s heavenly untouchables by committing to live a life of integrity before God and man.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

That Which You Give In To…

1 Peter 1:14 says, “Don’t be conformed to the former lusts.” When you give into sin, you become conformed to it. If you submit to something that’s low, you’ll become low. Submit to something higher and you’ll become higher.

You become what you give in to. If you give in to anger, you become an angry person. Give in to fear and you become fearful. But the good news is the other side. Give into righteousness and you’ll be conformed to righteousness. Giving in to holiness, starts you becoming holy.

If you start giving in to integrity, you’ll become that. If you start giving into prayer and worship, you’ll become a person of prayer and worship. You become what you give in to. Do you want to become something higher than what you are–holy and more wonderful?

Then start giving in to it. To become more like Jesus, start giving in to Jesus. Don’t be conformed to the former lust, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, by His Spirit. Give in to Him. Soon enough and sure enough, you’ll end up being conformed to His image.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your . Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Stop giving into that temptation. But give in to the leading and impulse of God’s Spirit.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

It’s Your Glasses…

I went to a store I thought was open, but it looked dark with a few dimly lit lights. I saw a man walking in the store and knocked on the door to ask why it was closed. He said, “It’s not closed.” I replied, “Then why are the lights off?” He said “Maybe it’s because you have sunglasses on.”

Forgetting I had them on changed everything. It showed that life is not always what it seems, but how you see it. People can look at the same thing and see something bright or something dark; the situation as hopeful or hopeless; disappointment or divine appointment; a closed door or a challenge.

We’re all wearing glasses. Some people have lenses of gloom, being a victim, rejection or fear. Others have lenses of faith and no matter what, they can rejoice and be encouraged.

Jesus said “If your eyes are good, your whole body will be filled with light.” So stop calling things dark, when in God there’s no darkness. He promises that all things work for your good. Take off your sunglasses and go in. The store is open. Rejoice, you’re blessed.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. Matthew 6:22

Is there something in your life that you have viewed through lenses of darkness? Replace them with the clear lenses of God’s Word. See it in His light today

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Treasures In Heaven…

There are believers who know the story of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and when the angel says, “Hail Mary full of grace,” they think of liturgy, as in the “Hail Mary.” But back then it wasn’t liturgy or a ritual, it was just an angel greeting Mary.

Here’s the problem. We often take the things of God, things of real life and take them out of life and make them religious, so they don’t apply to our lives anymore. For the people in the Bible, it wasn’t a religious book, it was life itself. It’s not a religious part of life.

It’s not two different spheres, one way in church and another way at home. Jesus is God. He came down to touch every part of your life, from mowing the lawn to taking out the garbage, doing whatever it is.

For Mary, there was no Hail Mary. It was simply, Yeshua; Jesus coming into her life. Let God become real to you, the same way, in every part of your life. It’s not religious, it’s life. It’s as simple as saying “Hail Mary.”

For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. John 6:33

Today, take the Word of God and apply it to your real life, your real thoughts, your real circumstances, everything.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Jesus’s Missing Description…

When you read a biography, there’s usually some description of the person. Even before photographs, there were drawings, paintings, records and descriptions. Julius Caesar was tall and thin. Alexander the Great was clean-shaven and so on.

But in the Gospels, there’s no description of what Jesus looked like, other than he had a beard. Messianic prophecy about Him in Isaiah 53 says, “He has no form that we should be attracted to Him.” Paul says, “We do not know Jesus after the flesh.”

Because He’s about truth and truth is not about appearance. So when you follow Him, you must live by faith and not by sight. We’re to be people who don’t live by what we see. God wants you to be less dependent on your physical senses and more in tuned with living by His Spirit.

The things that we see are passing away. The things that we can’t see are forever. So look away from what’s seen and live more by His Spirit, by truth, the Word and by Him who is beyond description. He’s the One who can only be seen with the eyes of faith.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17

Today, look at every situation with eyes of faith instead of what you see in the natural. See everything through the love of God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Most Critical Rung…

You can’t climb a ladder with a missing first rung. No matter how high the ladder is, you won’t go higher. In our lives there’s often something missing that can make or break our walk. The difference between success or failure, may be just one rung.

That one thing you need to do. The first step that gets things started. There’re so many things that could and would happen in your life. But a victorious walk will never happen without you taking that first step.

The ladder that reaches up to heaven can’t go there without that first rung. The first step seems the hardest, but when you take it, you’re on your way.

God’s calling you to take that action, that repentance, that new beginning, that step of faith, that step of holiness, courage, restoration, forgiveness, healing, your ministry, your calling and your victory.

It’s waiting. You don’t have to do it all at once. Just take the first little step today. Begin ascending on the heights by putting your foot on the first rung of the ladder.

Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, Deuteronomy 6:18

Ask the Lord to show where you need to take a first step to accomplish His will in your life, then do what He shows you. Take that step today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed