Ed Christian's World

Join In The Joy…

As Christians we say, make the Lord the Lord. And that’s correct. Things can only be right when the Lord is Lord. We say, make God King. That’s right too. It can only be right when God is King.

But there is something else we need to do. Bach wrote a piece called Jesus, the Joy of Man’s Desire. Jesus is the delight, the joy of the universe. For things to be right in your life; He who is the universe’s joy must become the joy of your life.

We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. When we rejoice in Him, we affirm Him as Lord and King. We also are commanded to delight ourselves in the Lord. When we delight in Him, He becomes our focus.

It can only be right in our lives when the One who is the joy, the delight of the universe becomes our joy and delight. Have you made God, God of your life? Good! Have you made Him Lord and King of your life? Very Good! Now take it one step further and make the Joy of the universe the joy and delight of your life!

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Psalm 97:1

Delight yourself in the Lord and in all his ways. Let Him be the source of your joy and that’s where your focus will be.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Issue Of Under…

Recently, the Federal Court under the Supreme Court, in the Circuit Court of Appeals, declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of the words “under God.” God is being removed from American mainstream culture, but it is more than that.

It’s not just about the word “God,” it’s about the word “under.” Without God there is no under. The state becomes the final authority and everyone becomes a god. A true believer versus a false believer or a non-believer lives under God.

They submit their lives to God. They don’t just talk about God; they actually live under submission to His will. When God’s will is not the same as yours, do you submit your will, under God? When your life is not in accordance with God’s Word, do you submit your life under His Word?

The desire to remove the words “under God” is not good, but the real point is not simply the words “under God.” The real point is whether God’s people are actually living under God. Put “under God” in your own Pledge of Allegiance to God. Live your life as a true believer, one believer “under God.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:7-8

Make it your aim today to live a truly ‘under God’ day. Seek to do all things under God, under His will, under His purpose, under His hand and plan in your life; under God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Root Of Goodness….

Psalm 37:3 sums up a great theological truth in the New Testament “Trust in the Lord and do good”. If you don’t trust, it doesn’t matter what else you say, you are not going to be able to do good.

Trust, believe, and then act on your faith. Don’t try to do good without believing, don’t try to force it. Don’t just believe without applying your faith to action. Let every work come from faith and let your faith work.

There is an old hymn that goes, “Trust and obey, there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” That’s simple, but really profound. Believe the Word and then act on the Word. Trust and do good. Believe God’s love and then let it become works of love.

Believe God’s promise and then act on His promise. Believe God’s mercy and then do works of mercy. The key to abundant life is simple. Believe His Word and then just do it. Keep it simple. Trust in the Lord and do good. “Trust and obey because there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26

Today, focus on truly trusting God, more than before. Then put that faith into action.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always!

Ed

The Road Of The Magi…

The Magi were Persian priests of a strange religion called Zoroastrianism. They were pagans heavily into the occult. They were the ones who found Jesus because they were seeking God.

The Jewish priests and leaders knew about God, but they were heading away from God. It’s not ere in a bad position with the occult, but they were heading in the right direction for the Lord.

The leadership of Israel was in a good position knowing scriptures, but heading away from God. Better is the non-believer turning to the Lord than the one who knows all about God and turns away.

Better is the carnal believer who repents turning to full devotion than the one turning cold. Are you seeking God or did you stop? Paul said “I daily beat my body, lest after preaching to others I become a castaway. Forgetting what lies behind, I press on.”

He started out every day as if he were a new believer in the Lord. Have the same attitude of a new believer. Seek God again as you first did. It’s the road of the Magi.

Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. Matthew 7:7-8

Forget your yesterday’s; approach God with excitement and joy about what is in store for you today; renew your spirit by seeking His face.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The New Heaven…

Shamayim is the Hebrew word for heaven. The “im” at the end is always plural, but in heaven it has a special form which specifically means two. Shamayim means two heavens.

We think of heaven as that which comes after this life is over. Heaven is what happens then, but that’s not the whole story. Heaven is shamayim, and that means two. If one is coming after, then the other heaven is now.

Heaven can’t just be the place you go to after this life; it has to be the place you live now. For the child of God, heaven is not just something to happen in the future.

It’s what we live in now. We already have been born from above. It’s not just about getting into heaven, it’s about letting heaven get into you.

If heaven were only heaven, then you could never know it until you die. But heaven, shamayim, means there is more than one. Don’t wait until you die to start living in heaven.

Start dwelling in it right now. Don’t wait until you die to live in it. Heaven is too important to not live it now.

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

Live today as if you were in Heaven now. Have a heavenly day.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Priests Privilege…

In the Old Covenant, those who ministered to God were called the kohanim, the priests. They served God, and were given access to the Holy Place behind the veil. The priests had to dwell in the secret place.

Those who minister to God have to dwell in the presence of God. The more you serve Him, the more you do in the Kingdom, the more God uses you, the more you have to be dwelling in His presence, filled up, empowered.

You can only minister for the Lord as you receive from Him. The Lord has opened the doors of His sanctuary to meet you, His servant, in the secret place. If you are committed to doing His will, He will open the doors to show you His glory, to fill you with His power to do His work.

You are the spiritual kohanim, priests of the New Covenant. So serve the Lord with all your heart, draw near into the Holy Place where the glory, the power and the presence of God are waiting for you, His priests. Enter in the secret place, behind the veil, for that is your privilege and your access.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

Meet with God in His Holy Place today, dwell in His presence throughout the day, serve Him with the authority as a priest of God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Hitler’s Father

The Bible speaks of Isaac blessing Jacob, and Jacob blessing his sons. Generations of fathers bless their children. The father is supposed to bless his children, and children are to receive the blessing.

The greatest evil the world has ever known was by Hitler. He was responsible for the deaths of six million Jews, and millions of others propelled into World War II. Hitler never received his father’s blessing. He was treated harshly with anger and beatings. He was a cursed man who brought a curse on the world.

It’s important to receive your father’s blessing. Maybe you never did; maybe your life has been affected by it and you haven’t lived a blessed life. The good news is that you still can. If you are born again, you now have a heavenly Father and He will never refuse to give His blessing to the child He loves.

You are now a beloved child of God and you can receive your Father’s blessing. So receive it; it’s time to live as a beloved child. If you want a blessed life, you need to get blessed. Be blessed…your Father is waiting to give it.

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:14-16

No matter what you received or didn’t in this world – today make it your point to receive the full and unconditional blessing of your Heavenly Father.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Eretz Secret…

In Hebrew the word Eretz means world, land or the earth; specifically the promised land–Israel. In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Yeshua was quoting a Psalm, “The meek shall inherit the land,” meaning the promised land.

“World” is often used in the New Testament. Eretz means both the promised land and the whole world. As believers, wherever you are in the world, in every place, you’re meant to be dwelling in the promised land.

Live as if you are in the promised land, the land of promises. There is a way to dwell in His perfect will, in His blessings, in His promises and in His goodness. It doesn’t matter where you are, it’s Who you’re with that makes any place in the world the promised land.

It’s good to make a pilgrimage to Israel; it’s even better to dwell in the promised land no matter where you are. Learn to dwell there all the time. For God’s children, no matter where in the world you are, you have the blessing of dwelling in the promised land.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Learn the eternal secret of dwelling in Gods’ presence wherever you are. Find the center of His will today and you’ll end up living in the Promised Land, even here and now.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Revolutionary Eyes…

Much of world history happens through revolutionaries. They never see things or accept things as they are. They see the status quo as temporary; something will change. They see defeats as temporary setbacks, their dreams, already a reality.

Most believers are different; they accept the world as it is. We accept the situation, accept people as they are, resign ourselves to the darkness. But God called you to be a light to the world; to make a difference.

To be a true revolutionary; to see things in a revolutionary way. Whatever the darkness, whatever the sin, it’s not the final story. Your failures are no longer failures, only setbacks.

There are no more real problems for God’s people, only challenges; no more curses for you, only blessings in disguise. No more real enemies of the flesh, only people He died for. No more hopeless defeats, only victories and triumphs waiting to happen.

Then your life will stop being your life; it will be a revolutionary life. It’s time to change the world, my friend… time to live like a revolutionary.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Put on the eyes of the revolutionary for God. Push back the darkness where you are and be the source of Gods’ light and His love for the lost.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Devine Inversion…

Purim is one of the most joyous and favorite of holidays for the Jewish people. Do you know who came up with this most joyous and Jewish of holidays? Haman – the enemy of the Jewish people.

He came up with the date for Purim – even with Purim itself. When Haman decided to wipe out the Jewish people, he cast lots to find the date. The lots were known as ‘the Purim.’

Purim, originated by Haman for the destruction of the Jewish people became instead the day that commemorated the destruction of Haman and his plans of evil.

Profound. It is written – God works all things together for good for those who love Him. Purim is a prime example, for it bears witness that God will use all things in your life – even things that aren’t good, things set against you, problems, your enemies, and what looks like the worst things, and turn it all around for your good.

Be encouraged and lift it all up to God. Your sorrows will be turned to joy, your shame to glory, and your darkest days to celebrations of redemption and joy.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Give God all of your burdens today; release them to God – thank Him for turning all these things for your good.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed