Ed Christian's World

Trading 11000 Miles…

A Minute maybe you’re afraid of change, breaking out of your comfort zone, stepping out in the great commission, or moving into new things. I have a secret. You’re already moving on a journey, traveling 18.5 miles every second, 200 miles every ten seconds; about 11,000 miles every minute, about 666,000 miles per hour.

The fact is, the earth is traveling that fast and you’re on the earth. You’ve already traveled several hundred miles from where you were when you started reading. And you’re afraid of stepping out of your house and sharing the Gospel with that stranger or doing a new thing in God?

Step out in faith and courage. Break out of that rut and do what you have to do. Perform that courageous act of righteousness. Don’t worry about leaving your comfort zone or where you left your comfort zone about 10,000 miles back since you started this message.

Live all out, because you’re already moving away from your comfort zone at 18.5 miles per second.

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

Make an effort to do something for God that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Tell someone of His goodness. Pray for someone and show the love of Jesus today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Balaam’s Strange Prophecy….

The false prophet Balaam tries to prophesy against Israel but ends up speaking an amazing Messianic prophecy. He says, “I see Him, but not now. I behold Him, but not near.” I see Him, but not now.

What does that mean? Balaam had a vision but he didn’t really know salvation. He saw Him, but not now. That’s the way most people see Jesus – as something that happened a long time ago, not really here and now but in the past.

In the days of Jesus’s life, He was here and now to Mary and the apostles. That’s the only way to really know Him. The disciples and the first century are gone, but He remains here and now.

The same Jesus then and there, is the One who’s here and now for you. The same miracles and power in the book of Acts, are here and now. See Him now. See Him today, this moment.

Behold the reality of His presence. Receive His power. It will revolutionize your walk. Because Jesus will touch and transform your life here and now.

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

Today seek the presence of God… not somewhere else but here, in your situation, where you are, and not in the future. But now, right now in your life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

God With Us…

God First! What does it mean to put God first? Lots of believers try to put God first but get focused on their sins. We look at our pride, anger, or lust and grieve over it. Now that’s important. But if you continue dwelling on your sin or your compromise, you may think you’re being holy, but you’re not putting God first.

When you focus on your sins, you’re putting your sins first and you’re still focusing on yourself. Now, again, there’s a place for holy conviction, but repent and move on with it. Do you want to put God first? Then put Him first over your sins, problems, worries, fears, even over the fact that you haven’t been putting Him first.

Dwell on Him and forget yourself. Look at His glory and beauty and get lost in His awesomeness. Forget your shame and ugliness and get lost in His Righteousness that covers you. Put God first in your heart and soul.

Dwell on Him, because if He’s first in your life, He’ll be first in your thoughts. It begins when you put Him first and forget about yourself.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16:24-26

Put aside whatever has been taking His place in your heart, mind and life. Get your eyes off of everything else, even yourself, and get lost in Him.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

This Little Light…

There is a story I heard while growing up. During communism in Hungary, a young captain cornered a pastor and said, “What you preach is a lie.” He responded, “It’s the truth.” The captain placed a revolver to his head and said, “Say it’s not true or I’ll kill you.” He said, “You can kill me, but it’s still true.”

The captain put the gun down, wept and said, “I wanted to believe but I had to see if you would die for your belief.” He was won by the pastor’s willingness to die for his faith. The Greek word for witness is martyr. A martyr is a witness who isn’t afraid to give their life.

Your light has to be real to change the world. If your life’s more important than God’s truth, the enemy will use it against you, to make you live a half-life because of fear. Be like Esther and say, “If I perish, I perish.”

The disciples weren’t afraid of death because they knew Jesus was stronger than life. And they changed the world. God wants the same of you. Live your life as a true witness. Shine your light and change the world.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Ask the Lord to empower you to live as a witness to His goodness, glory and saving power to those around you. Shine your light today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Eternity In Their Hearts…

The Gedeo people of Ethiopia believed in a benevolent, omnipotent, creator god named Mageno, but they spent more time appeasing an evil spirit named Sheit’an. They believed there was distance between them and their god.

One day, a man named Warrasa prayed directly to Mageno that he would reveal himself. He saw a vision of two white men and heard a voice saying “they will bring you a message from Mageno.” Eight years passed.

In 1948, two Canadian missionaries came to the town where Warrasa lived. He received them according to his vision, and led 40,000 of his people to the God of the Gospel.

Ephesians 2:10 says “We’re created in Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” These missionaries had no idea how God had prepared their way. Set yourself to do God’s will. He’ll prepare the way before you.

It’s true for the Gedeo people. It’s true for the missionaries, and it is true for you also. When you commit yourself to do His will, the ground will be prepared, and you’ll find it was waiting for you all along to arrive.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9

Set this day all the more to fulfill the will of God. And you will walk into what has already been prepared and waiting for your footsteps.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Words Of This Life…

In Acts 5, an angel frees the disciples from jail and tells them, “Go to the temple… speak all the words of this life.” He didn’t say preach Christianity, the New Testament, religion or even the Gospel.

What does this mean? It’s simple. What is it that we’ve come to know? Life. Real life, that’s our faith, this life. Other things masquerade as life that aren’t really living. But God called you to this life.

Jesus is called the Prince of Life. It’s not just some doctrine or religious precept. It’s not merely some faith statement. It is life itself. It’s not a part of life. You can’t just fit it into your schedule. It’s the reason you live, the reason you work, the reason you talk, the reason you do everything. That’s what it has to be.

Get everything in your life, into this life. Get everything centered on Jesus. Make this the reason you do and say everything. Because this is not just some religion. This is not just even a major part of your life. This is life itself! This is life-your-life. Make it so!

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

Do everything as unto Jesus today. Make Him the focus of every aspect of your life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Jesus – Your Hearts Gift…

Jesus is a gift. Salvation is a gift. If you received the gift, your life must be characterized by the gift. The first evidence is that you have something. Not your bank account or material possessions, but your heart and your spirit.

If you received the gift, your life is characterized by that. A special thing has come into your life and you have something precious. It does not matter what is happening on the outside because on the inside you have a reassurance, this treasure.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

If you live with an attitude of never having enough or always wanting more to be happy, then you are testifying against the gift. If you are wrapped up and running around after what you do not have, your life does not evidence of the gift.

For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

We have this confidence, it is written. Stop dwelling on what is going on in the world and what you do not have. Focus on what you do have. You have this treasure, this confidence, this hope. You have this salvation. You have Him. Live like it. It is the secret of your life.

Treasure the treasure today – live as one whose life holds the greatest of treasures and walk today a priceless walk.

Love always,

Walk daily with God at your side!

Ed

The Christian Origins Of Science…

Some people say that science and the Bible oppose each other. But did you know that much of modern science actually comes from the Bible? Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

Bacon, Newton, Kepler and other founders of modern science believed in the Bible. Isaac Newton spent more time writing Bible commentary than science papers.

Modern science came from the belief that God created the universe. And if there was intelligence behind it, then the universe was intelligible. The same God who revealed Himself in the Word, revealed Himself also in the creation. Making it worthy of study because it could be understood.

From Bacon to Newton to Albert Einstein, the belief in God was critical for modern science to come about. So don’t believe it when people say the Bible and science don’t go together. The ancient words: “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” are still true.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

We have an intelligent God and the more you reverence Him, the more intelligent you’ll be. In God you’ll be wiser than Einstein.

Seek the Lord’s wisdom throughout your day today. He will give it to you generously.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Angel In The Wilderness…

In an angelic event, Gabriel appears to announce the birth of John; Yochanan in Hebrew. An angelic event not only because of Gabriel, but because John is called in Greek, and even in Hebrew prophecy, an “angel,” “malakh” in Hebrew, “angelos” in Greek, meaning messenger.

Not your typical angel. He was hairy, locust eating, blunt, shouting, convicting people of sin and dunking them in the water. An angel who spent most of his life not in glory, but in the barren wilderness.

God has unlikely angels, and if you’re born again, you’re to be one of them. You might be rough, blunt or hairy; nevertheless, you’re to be an angel on assignment with a message. Even if you’re in a wilderness, that’s okay. God has angels in the wilderness.

No matter your circumstances, live as an angel. Spend your life shining the light, waking up each day to say “I’m on assignment! Lord help me fulfill my mission today.”

Live as an angel and your life will be a heavenly mission, to spread the good news of the gospel, an angelic one, the life of His unlikely angel.

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Hebrews 3:1-2

Ask God what your assignment is today, so that you can be faithful to the mission He has for you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Ruth and Naomi…

Ruth is a beautiful story of love and loyalty. But it’s also an awesome truth about God’s plan for the ages. Naomi represents the Jews, Ruth the nations. In the beginning, Naomi’s life blesses Ruth’s life. But at the end, Ruth’s life blesses Naomi’s. Salvation came through and from the Jewish people, to bless you who are not born Jewish.

You’re blessed by them, and like Ruth, are now grafted in as a fellow citizen of Israel. You now have Jewish roots in Jesus and are a child of Abraham and an heir of the promise. But that’s not the end of it.

The story is only complete when you return the blessing, as Ruth with Naomi. The circle of love is only finished, when you see that the Jewish people were born to bless you and that you were born again to bless them.

So pray for the peace of Jerusalem, bless them and bring the Word to them. Support the giving of the gospel to them. It’s as simple as finishing the story. It’s time to bless Israel, those who blessed you back. It’s time for you to finish the story.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Psalm 122:6

Pray for Israel today, and all who dwell there, to receive the good news of Jesus.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed