Ed Christian's World

The Huppah Christian…

In Matthew 9:15 you will read in your Bible about the guests of the bridegroom. But in Greek it doesn’t say that, it reads “children of the bridal chamber.”

But the key is that it’s the translation of a Hebrew phrase that’s filled with meaning ‘Binay Huppah,’ which means ‘Children of the Huppah’. The huppah is the wedding canopy. In every traditional Jewish wedding, the bride and groom come under the wedding canopy of the huppah.

It’s a symbol of the bridegroom’s love and covering over for the bride. So Jesus is saying that those who are disciples are the Binay Huppah, the Children of the Huppah, of the covering, of the canopy.

It means your life has a covering over it, a covering of love. It is not about what is happening in the situations in your life; it’s about what’s covering your life. So don’t get caught up in looking at the problems.

Start looking up, above your problem, and you will see the canopy of Jesus, the covering of His love.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

Trust in the Lord in all situations, look above any hindrance and lean on our Saviour. Come under the shelter of His love for you. He has you covered.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Patience Teachers…

Do you want to learn patience? You can go to a seminar, get a book, or get a CD on patience. But God has a course that is better than that. It’s called Patience 101.

Where is it held? Right where you are. When you are in your car in the traffic jam, that’s not a traffic jam, it’s God’s course, Patience 101. When you are dealing with an impossible person in your life, that’s not a problem, that’s Patience 101.

When there is nothing in the entire day going the way you want it to go, that’s not a problem, you are in a Divine Campus, you are in Patience 101. Don’t miss the lesson. So how do you learn patience? You need to have things not go as you want it, so you can become more like Jesus.

That means it is actually going your way. Don’t miss the blessing that is given you. Next time things don’t go the way you want and you are tempted to yell, listen to the voice of the Lord, your teacher. Become like Jesus. It’s not a problem, it’s a blessing.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Look at all the moments in the day where things don’t go as expected and view them as teaching moments. Use that moment for good – to grow.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

My Dead Pet Turtle

When I was 6 years old, I had a little pet turtle in my fish tank. I liked watching it. One day, it got out of the fish tank, and it died.

But for years, though, I kept that turtle in my pocket. I kept the turtle on my desk at school, and sometimes I took it on trips. People had pens in their shirt pockets, but I had an turtle

So I carried this turtle around for a long time until one day it hit me, and I said, “What am I doing carrying around a turtle?” So I threw it away.

Well, Jesus rose from the dead. When he arose, He put off the linens, the spices, and the wrappings of death. So, the power of the resurrection is also that you have the power to put away dead things.

Paul did that; he had to take off the wrappings of his old life so he could be free. You have the same power because Jesus removed His burial wrappings so you could remove yours. Or, to say it in another way, it’s time to put away that turtle

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

What dead things are you still carrying in your life, what old wrapping – take it off!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Jesus Under The Full Moon…

Why did Jesus die on the day He did? First, it was Passover and He is the Passover lamb. Second, it was the eve of the Sabbath and He was finishing up God’s work. But another reason,

Jesus died in the middle of the month, the middle of Nisan, a special time in the Hebrew month, was the time of the full moon. Jesus’s body was put in the tomb at the full moon.

It’s very significant. In the ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony, the groom would go to the bride’s house, pledge himself to her and give a price, a gift of his love, the mohar, which set her free.

The mohar was often given at the full moon. So Jesus died at the full moon during the month of Nisan, which means the beginning. Why? Because He is the bridegroom.

Just as the full moon was rising over Jerusalem, He said it is finished. He gave His life because He was paying the mohar, the price for you, setting you free from the old life. Walk today in the power of newness, because the price has been paid for you in full.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation  has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

The mohar gave the bride the freedom to walk into a new life. Your mohar has been given. Step out into newness and victory.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Leper King…

Will DieI grew up with the knowledge that Jewish people do not believe in a Son of God, or in Jesus who died for our sins.

Jewish people say, these two things are blasphemy. An ancient text, not written by Christians or believing Jews, found in the ancient Jewish book of Ezra 7:27-30, says, “My Son the Messiah shall die.” Jesus is the Son of God here.

As it turns out, it is Jewish to believe in the Son of God, Jesus, and that He will die. The first time the word love is used in the Bible is in Genesis 22, “Take Isaac your son, whom you love” God tells Abraham.

The first picture of love is a father offering up his son. What is love? It’s God the Father offering up His most precious Son for you. God so loved you, He gave everything.

So you need to do likewise. Love Him with a love that is so precious. Lift up your Isaac, your most precious thing into His hands, and like Abraham, you will be blessed. He gave all for you; you do the same for Him!

This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

God loved you and gave up the most precious thing, His Son. Give Him an offering, give Him what is precious, valuable, and loved.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Smash the Gods…

There is an old story of Jewish tradition that Abraham’s father was an idol maker and had a store containing all the gods of Babylonia. One day, Abraham smashed all the idols, except the biggest oneGod’s…

He placed a rod in its hands. His father was shocked by discovering the idols smashed. He confronted Abraham, “Why did you do this?” Abraham said, “I didn’t do this; I saw it happen. The biggest idol became angry with the rest and smashed them.” His father said, “That’s ridiculous; idols can’t do anything.”

Abraham replied, “Then why do you make them?” It’s just a story but has truth. Abraham and his children left the land of idols. If you’re born again, you are a child of Abraham. And the children of Abraham are idol breakers.

Even as believers, we tend to make idols – of careers, homes, people, churches. Father Abraham, asks, why? These things can’t save you; they’re just idols. There’s no life in them. They can’t fill your heart.

The Lord is saying, “Do,as Abraham did.” Leave the idols… even better, smash them. Turn your eyes back to the living God, the One who called you, your first Love, the only true God, the God of your spiritual father, Abraham.

“You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3


Carefully look at the things in your life. If any one thing is more important or has moved God into second place, it has become an idol and must be “smashed.”

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Home Front…

Come FromThe front lines and the home front are the two main areas in war. The home front empowers the front lines. If the home front is blessed, the front lines will be well supplied. If it’s cursed, the front lines will suffer, the battle cursed.

You are called to fight the good fight, but to do this, you need a blessed, strong home front. Your relationship with your parents is the home front of your life. If it’s not blessed, it will affect the rest of your life.

Do you want to be blessed? Bless your home front. If your parents are still alive, bless them. Whether you have parents or not, give thanks to God for them. It doesn’t matter what happened; God used it to bring you to Himself.

Stop cursing your past. Cease from holding bitterness or resentment. Bless them; give thanks for them. Tell them you love them. Do something to bless them. Warm their hearts. Help them.

Then, move on in blessing. First bless your home front, and the curse will lift. Then, your life will start becoming blessed, and your battle will become victorious.

“Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land, the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

Is there someone from your past, a parent, a guardian, a mentor, someone who blessed you that you need to bless – Go back and bless them and be blessed.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Bridegrooms Cosmic Journey…

When I was in sixth grade, I was going with a girl. One day, I walked across town to go to her house and just stood there doing nothing. I didn’t even go to the house. I can’t say why, I guess o was just too shy.

In the Hebrew marriage, the Khatan, the bridegroom, had to make a journey to the house of his future bride. Jesus is the Khatan, the bridegroom. You are the bride. The bride never journeys to meet the bridegroom; it’s the bridegroom who journeys.

You could never reach God. You could never be good enough, righteous enough, or holy enough. Jesus is the Khatan, the bridegroom, and He’s the one who travels to the house, whether it’s across town or whether it’s across the universe, as Jesus did.

The Lord loves you so much. He would span the entire universe to come specifically to you. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve been, how sinful, what condition your life is like, He’ll come.

He’ll span it to you specifically right now. Just open the door, let His joy in, His love, His truth. It has all come to you, the love of God, on a journey across the universe to you.

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5

Prepare your life to be ready for the day when the Bridegroom comes for His bride; to meet Him and join Him in our heavenly home. He is coming soon.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Pumping Spiritual Iron…

I’m going to take something you’re so familiar with in regard to the physical realm and apply it to the spiritual realm, and it’s going to be revolutionary. How do you stay in physical shape and grow physically strong? You exercise.

Exercising is using your muscles so they grow stronger and stay strong. Stop exercising, and your muscles will grow weaker. How do you become spiritually strong?

Exercise your spiritual muscles: your faith, love, forgiveness, worship. Something so simple, yet we rarely apply it. We’ll grow stronger by simply exercising. Want to be strong in your faith?

Exercise your faith, apply your faith, challenge your faith; stretch your faith. Want stronger love? Exercise that love. Challenge your love; apply that love, stretch that love; use that love. Want to get stronger in the Word?

Apply the word, use the word, and exercise the word in your life. Want to get stronger in perseverance? Then, exercise perseverance, integrity, prayer, and worship–especially when it’s hard. That’s when your muscles grow.

Exercise mercy, compassion, forgiveness and your spiritual muscles will become strong. You’ll become strong in the Lord. It can only improve when you start to exercise.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

Look at places where your walk could be stronger and just like different muscles in the body, exercise the areas that need a good workout in your spiritual life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Flickering Blue God…

What if a man came into your house living an immoral life, filled with perversions, committed crimes, was a murderer, and speaks against God? And he wants to babysit your children. Would you leave your children with him?

Many godly parents are letting him in their house, giving him charge over their children to teach and influence them. You’re leaving your children alone with an immoral, sexually perverse, God-hating stranger to influence them, mold them and teach them.

You think, I would never do that, but many of you have entrusted your children to this stranger. His name is television. He’s the stranger who’s filled with immorality, sexual perversions, violence, hatred of God, and you’ve given him to your children. You’ve left him alone with them.

If you found out someone left that man with your children, you’d run home and get him out. I’m not telling you exactly how to deal with it, but you must deal with it. Guard your children.

Bring them up in the way of the Lord: in moral virtue, godliness, sexual purity, love and truth of God, and keep them far from the immoral ways of the stranger.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Let us all guard our children, ever mindful that we are in the world but not of the world, shaping young hearts and minds, teaching the ways and keys of the Kingdom.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed