Ed Christian's World

Jesus Doesn’t Follow…

In John 3, Nicodemus says, “Rabbi, we know you are from God.” Jesus responds, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he can’t see the kingdom of God.” His answer didn’t follow, as if He wasn’t listening.

Jesus didn’t always respond to every question, demand, compliment or curse. His interest was in Nicodemus, not Himself. He told him what he needed to hear. Jesus had a mission and that’s what He was responding to. He didn’t react to the world, He acted upon it. He knew His purpose and He did it.

You can’t live your life reacting to everything, rushing to every demand, answering every question, defending yourself against every charge or taking seriously all the compliments or rejections. You aren’t called to mirror the world, you’re called to be a light to the world, to be like Jesus.

Light doesn’t react, it acts upon. So stop reacting and start acting upon. Know your calling, your mission and fulfill it. Don’t follow the world, lead it. Remember, what Jesus does. He doesn’t follow, neither do you. You follow Him, but you don’t follow the world.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 3 John 11

No matter what the world tries to throw at you today, don’t react to it. But act upon it with the light and love of Jesus.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Sleeping Husband…

Ruth goes down to the threshing floor and waits for Boaz to fall asleep. She then lays down at his feet. Boaz wakes up to “behold a woman!” The same thing happened when Adam was sleeping, “Behold the woman!”

With Boaz and Adam, this happened before they got married. But with most men, it’s after they’re married. Boaz was sleeping and didn’t notice her. Husbands often fall asleep to their wives, getting used to them, taking them for granted, forgetting to behold the wonder of the other person, getting wrapped up in media or careers or a million other things.

Learn from Boaz, it’s time to wake up. This isn’t just for husbands. We all tend to take for granted the people who are closest and most precious to us. You only have a limited time to love them. Wake up to the treasures God has given you, behold them.

Husbands, it’s time for you to see the gift you were given to love and cherish. It’s time for you to wake up, look at that person who’s been with you all this time and say, Behold, a woman!

 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet! “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.” Ruth 3:1-9

Take time today to show your appreciation for those around you and those closest in your life. Do something special to bless them.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Blossoms Of Your Valley…

Song of Solomon 6:11 says, “I went down into the garden… to see the blossoms of the valley.” Believers often tell you they’re in a valley and they’re unhappy about it. The valley is a low place. It can be hard times, times of sorrow, loss, weakness and not feeling God.

But in Song of Solomon, it’s not a sad thing, it’s a beautiful thing. The valley can be a place of fruitfulness, one of the most fertile places, where the rain and waters flow. So in your life, the low times are often the most potentially fertile, the most potentially fruitful, and the most beautiful.

Generally hard times produces the greatest change, repentance or decisions for God. Most believers came to the Lord in the valley. So why do we despise it, if so much more growth, repentance and joy will come from the valley? Don’t despise your valley.

Go down, see the blossoms, the vine and the pomegranate. Look for the good fruit God wants to bring forth. In every hard time, you will find what God has being waiting for you, blossoms of the valley.

But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” Psalm 31:14

Remember that all your times are in His hands. Ask the Lord to show you the blossoms in your valley. And thank Him for them.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

When Harvard College Was Christian…

Harvard College was founded in 1638 by Puritans for training missionaries for the Gospel. Up to the 1700’s, over half its graduates went into ministry. But by the mid-19th century, the last embers of spirituality were quickly disappearing.

Yale University was founded in 1701 and from its beginning, taught students, “The Bible is the Word of God.” A group from the university travelled the country preaching salvation. But like Harvard, Yale’s evangelical stand soon disappeared.

These universities were founded for the glory of God and yet, they ended up completely lost in all sorts of other purposes, except the one they came into existence for. It happens all the time, not just to universities, but also to believers.

Maybe you started out pure, focused and full of zeal for the Lord, but got distracted, sidetracked, caught up in money, success, ministry or a thousand other things and forgot the very purpose for which you exist.

Reconsecrate your heart, mind, soul, and strength to knowing and serving the Lord. Come back to your first call and don’t end up like Harvard.

Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 1:3

If you’ve gotten distracted from fulfilling your purpose in life, get back on track. Reconsecrate your purpose and your path to God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Gettysburg Confession…

Gettysburg, an event in American history, occurred at about the same time as the fourth of July. It was the turning point of the Civil War. General Lee’s orders to charge across a large open field of grain as Union soldiers rained down bullets and canon fire upon them was perhaps the greatest disaster of the war.

Thousands of men were killed or wounded. As the Confederate soldiers retreated, they heard General Lee saying, “It’s all my fault boys, it’s all my fault.” A poignant moment in history, but also a display of a kind of greatness. Greatness is, when you’ve made a mistake, being able to confess and repent.

As God’s saints we still make mistakes, but we must confess and repent. You can’t grow if you don’t repent. You can’t repent if you won’t confess your sin. You can’t confess your sin without taking responsibility for your actions. You can’t change until you can say, “It was my fault. I was wrong.”

That’s the beginning of repentance, change, growth and blessing. Learn from Robert E. Lee. Greatness in God begins with the words, “I was wrong.”

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Is there something in your life that you need to take responsibility for, or admit wrongdoing? Today is the day to confess, repent and move on to greatness.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Jesus Sunset…

Jesus is called the sunrise in Luke. His rising makes all things new. But you can’t have a sunrise without a sunset. Sunrises are beautiful, but sunsets are equally beautiful and holy.

When the light of the world goes down, it’s sunset and the old day is finished. You can’t go back to it, it’s done. So Jesus came as the light of the world. He went down to the earth as the sunset to give you not only a new beginning, but to make an end of everything that’s old.

You can’t have one without the other. He’s the sunset. He gives you the power to say goodbye to the old life, the old world, the old sin and the old habits. Just as we rise in Jesus, we also have the power of the sunset, to die to the old life.

So let the sun rise, but first let it set. Say goodbye to it, make an end of it, because you can only enter the new as much as you exit the old. Jesus can only be your sunrise if He’s first your sunset.

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5

Let the sun of Jesus set on all that is old, your old life, your old hurts, your old regrets, and failures, everything. Then walk in the dawn of the newness of life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The One Who Must Change…

We often have a hard time with change. We want other people to change their ways and attitude. We want our spouses, children, parents, ministers, and our friends to change. We want our situation, finances, job to change. The more things we want to change, the more frustrated we get when they don’t.

The fact is that nothing has to change, but us. We think of ourselves as unchangeable. Only God’s unchangeable. He says, “”I change not.”” If we don’t change – we can’t grow, we die. Our salvation starts with change.

Repentance, growing in maturity, putting away the old self, putting on the new – that’s change. Becoming a new creation, being born again is the only thing you have to make positive changes – not that your situation changes, but that you do.

We have no control over anyone else’s change, just our own. Open your heart and mind today so you can change and become more like Him. Be a change for God, for God is the only one who changes not. That’s His job, to change not, and He shouldn’t. But your job is to change.

I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Malachi 3:6

Today, make it your aim not to change your circumstances, but to change yourself. What change does God want? Start changing today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Ed

The Power to Enter…

In the Hebrew wedding, first the bridegroom had to come to the house of the bride to be received by her. Then they would prepare. The second part was taking the bride to the house of the bridegroom.

In salvation, it’s the same as the Hebrew marriage. Jesus, the groom came to our house, to this world, into our lives. That’s the first part of salvation. He came to our house, our world, our realm so we could enter into His house, His realm, His world.

The second part is our journey as the bride, to move to where He is, into the heavenly realms. That’s the power of salvation. Not just to move toward heaven, but to enter into heavenly places. He calls and empowers us to enter His heavenly joy, His heavenly peace, His heavenly presence, the heavenly life now.

Start moving, start journeying, the first part of the gospel has been fulfilled. The bridegroom has come to our house. Now it’s time for you to get moving on your journey, the journey of the bride to enter the house of the bridegroom, the heavenly life.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

Today, take real steps to move forward from the old house to the new, away from the earthly and more in the heavenly. Dwell with God in heavenly places.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

It’s Only This Darkness…

Ephesians 6 speaks of our warfare against “this” present darkness. It would be much more natural if it said “the” darkness or against darkness. The key word is not darkness, but “this” darkness. “This” is a modifier.

It means it’s a particular kind of darkness. It’s not everything, it’s not all, it’s just “this” darkness, a particular darkness. When you’re going through something, and it seems to engulf you, overwhelm you, like everything is dark, it’s not darkness, it’s “this” darkness, it’s only for now, it’s not the end of the story; it’s going to pass away.

You’re going to pass through it. No matter what you’re going through, put a “this” in front of it. It’s not the end of the world, it’s “this” world. It means there’s a better one. It’s not the whole story, it’s just “this” story, which means there’s a better story. It’s not the whole situation, it’s “this” situation.

What you’re going through isn’t the whole thing, it’s only “this,” and “this” will surely pass. Be strong and you’ll pass through it and always remember even the darkness is just only “this.”

“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

Today, ask the Lord to adjust your thoughts and actions to the fact that the darkness in your life is temporary.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Two Seas…

In Israel there’s the sea of life and the sea of death. The Galilee is alive. The Dead Sea is dead. The Galilee is always giving water. The Dead Sea only receives water, but it doesn’t give anything. The one who gives is alive but the one who only gets is dead. The sea of life is always flowing into the Sea of Death; it never stops flowing.

So is the heart of life. At the heart of life you’re not limited by people who don’t give you love or who are selfish, because you’re a person of life. The more you give, the more alive you become and it doesn’t matter whether the people give back to you or not.

Love those who don’t love you. Bless those who don’t bless you. Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you. Don’t let their lack of love stop you from flowing in God’s blessings. Don’t be overcome by evil.

Overcome evil with good. Keep blessing, loving and giving. Because God called you to be like the ever flowing sea of life and not like the sea of death.

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

Ask the Lord to be your source of living water today so you can continually overflow to everyone around you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed