Ed Christian's World

The Children of Leah…

Leah the unloved wife of Jacob, always tried to earn his love. She bore him children to gain his love. Leah’s children are children of rejection.

They learn to work for love and believe they are unlovable. They can never accept love, so they spend their whole life trying to prove themselves. If I do enough, people will appreciate me and love me.

As a believer in God, we can do the same thing. Like Leah, we think we can be good enough or bear God enough fruit and He will love us.

That was Leah’s mistake. You never bear a child so your husband will love you. You bear a child because your husband loves you. The child is the fruit of love.

With God, we do not bear Him enough fruit or good works for His love; you bear God’s fruit because He loves you. The good works, love, joy, holiness and self-control in your life are the fruit of God loving you.

Stop trying to earn the love of God. You are loved. In that love go forth, bear Him the fruit, the fruit of His love is in you.

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

Stop trying to prove yourself, impress, or earn anyone’s approval. Receive the great, overwhelming, complete, and sufficient love of God and what He has for you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Heirs of Heaven….

In the world, people may inherit a fortune when someone dies if they are named in the will. Sometimes the will has stipulations, but if they are named in the will, they will receive an inheritance. So it is important to be in the will. When the will is read and your name is there, you are an heir.

The Bible says you are an heir to the inheritance if you are in the will. The question is, are you in the will? This is not about predestination; this is about being in the will of God now.

Is your life really in God’s will? If not, there is no inheritance. God has a living will. If you abide in His will, then you will be an heir of the blessing that He has.

If you are outside of the will of God, you are outside of the inheritance and the blessing. In the will of God, you will find the blessings, promises, your calling and the inheritance that God has bequeathed to you. Get in the will.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

Do you want to walk in the blessings of the inheritance? Then today make it your aim to get your life more and more walking in His will.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Manger People…

Now Jesus said He had no place to lay His head. He didn’t really own anything. He was born in Bethlehem, but that really wasn’t His place. He grew up in Nazareth and he was called Jesus of Nazareth, but that really wasn’t His place.

He ministered in Galilee, but that really wasn’t His place. He went through Jerusalem, but it was not really His home. He did not belong to a place. He belonged to heaven. And so we are His disciples. He is our master, and if our master has no place, then neither do we.

You are not to be defined by your place or your circumstance. You do not belong to your culture, your past, your situation right now or your problems. Do not get wrapped up in all these things. You don’t even belong to that sin anymore, you gave it to God.

We can’t be situation based, we need to be Jesus based. Follow Him wherever He takes you. He will bring you to where you never imagined. We have no place in Jesus, but we have Jesus and He is much better than anything is.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-58

Ponder this reality – you don’t have any real place in this world – you don’t even belong to the sin or your past – you belong to Heaven. Live free!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

She Like The Dawn…

In the Song of Solomon 6:10 says the bride is like the dawn. The Hebrew word for dawn is Shakhar, which means to break forth, to break through.

If you are born again, you are the bride; you are like the dawn or the Shakhar. The bride is like the dawn because she also breaks forth, she breaks through. Is there a problem, obstacle or fear in your life?

It does not matter because you are the bride and your nature is Shakhar, to break forth or to break through. You are not bound to your old nature. Your new nature is to break through that thing, that habit, that wall, darkness or rut.

Break through that bondage, lack of victory; break through the distance between you and God, through that problem, fear or whatever. The bride has the power of Shakhar. Who is this who goes forth like the dawn, like the Shakhar?

You the bride, have the power to breakthrough, you have that in Jesus. So breakthrough that problem or obstacle. The Beloved is like the dawn. That means you have the power to break through!

For everyone born of God overcome  the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

Whatever the obstacle, the hindrance, the bondage, the sin, the habit, the past – You have the power of Shakhar in God. Use it – Break through!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The ANI-LO Response…

How do you live holy, victorious, committed and righteous? The answer is in the Song of Solomon. In Hebrew, the bride says: Dodi Li V’ani Lo my beloved is mine and I am his. The bride is totally committed to the beloved; totally his.

Why? Because she first can say, my beloved is mine and I am his. She knows he’s committed to her. Her commitment to him is based on his commitment to her. Her love is based on his love for her. That’s the secret of a victorious life in Jesus.

We struggle to commit our lives and to live 100% righteous. But it doesn’t have to be. When the bride says, Ani Lo, I am his, it’s not a struggle. It’s a response. The bride isn’t centered on what she has to do or on herself, she is centered on Dodi Li, my beloved is mine and I am his.

You too can’t have that commitment, that Ani Lo, without that Dodi Li. Realize His commitment to you, His holy love for you. Focus on Dodi Li, my beloved is mine, and your life will become Ani Lo and I am His.

My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. Song of Solomon 2:16

Learn, ponder, receive the mystery of Dodi Li – and then commit yourself all the more to Ani Lo!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Outside the Synagogue…

The gospel of Luke tells of Jesus being kicked out of His own synagogue. He went outside; He left. They went on with their services, rituals, routines, and their social lives, but everything was dead, empty and lost.

God’s presence moved on. His miracles went on, outside the synagogue, rituals and routines. The healing and the good news went on outside. The release of the captives went on, freedom to the prisoners, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, all the miracles that His own synagogue couldn’t contain.

His own religion could not contain Him, and neither can ours. You want miracles, blessings, the presence of God? Then you have to step outside of your routine, your rut, even the rituals in your life. You have to break out beyond the walls that contain your faith.

The walls of Jesus’s religion couldn’t contain Him. He had to go outside for the miracles to keep going. We too need to step outside our narrow walls and walk with the King in the excitement of the newness and adventure of Him. The blessings He has for you are so big, they cannot be contained indoors.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, Luke 4:18

Today, step outside the walls of your routine. Step out in the adventure of faith that God has for your life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Song of the Resurrection…

Song of Solomon is a love song between a man and woman, an allegory of God, the Bridegroom, and us, the bride. It speaks of His death and resurrection, of the Bridegroom coming into a garden of spices and a bed of spices. God, your Bridegroom, in His love for you, came into a garden, a garden tomb, and on a bed of spices, burial spices.

In the Song of Songs, two of the spices are myrrh and aloe. These are the same spices that were brought to the Lord as He lay in the tomb. In Song of Songs, spices are given as gifts of love. Myrrh represents sorrow, and death.

Give your Beloved your sorrows. Aloe was linked to healing. Take all your wounds and place them upon Him. He comes into your tomb because your tomb needs Him to bring light to your darkness. Let your Beloved come in to your darkness so He can touch it.

Lift your myrrh and aloe, your sorrows and wounds, and bring them to Him. Let Him come in, and the tomb will become a garden of spices. As it is written, “May my Beloved come into His garden.”

My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. Song of Solomon 6:2

Take time today to let God touch the dark places, the wounded places, the secret, or shameful places, or the hardened places of your heart and life.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Dawn, The Moon, and The Sun…

SHAKHAR is Hebrew for dawn. Song of Solomon reads, “Who is this who grows like the dawn?” Hebrew reads more literally, “Who is this who looks out the window at the dawn?”

It’s talking about the Bride… us. It means we’re to be as the dawn. The dawn is light that increases. It’s not enough to be a light, you need to be a light that increases and gets brighter.

What about the “looking out the window” part? It could be translated as “Who is this who peeks through like the dawn?” The dawn peaks through as the rays of sun break through the horizon. Dawn is a break through.

Become a person of breakthrough… to learn how, in all situations, especially the dark ones, to break through in hope and victory, and turn any night into morning. For every darkness breaks through like the dawn.

For every gloom, break through with hope, in every bitterness, break through with forgiveness, in every guilt, break through with grace, in every fear, break through with courage, and in every end, break forth with a new beginning. You too will be one who grows like the dawn.

Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession? Song of Solomon 6:10

Make a commitment today to grow, to increase in God, to grow like the dawn. Start by taking steps today to the next level.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Jesus’s Sabbath…

A friend of mine was telling me how he grew up and became a Christian. Growing up Jewish, before he accepted Yeshua, Jesus, as Messiah, he could never understand how Good Friday could be called “Good Friday.” It made no sense.

It was the day that Jesus died. Why would His people call the day their Lord died – “Good?” It certainly didn’t resemble anything good by a long shot. Yet it was good. This fact shows us how radical our faith is. We don’t have a faith that denies trouble or one which cannot deal with sorrow.

Our faith is a Good Friday faith. A Good Friday faith teaches us that goodness is not dependent on circumstance. No circumstance can make you good, no circumstance can keep you from being good. Nothing can stop you from the good life, but you.

The “good life” isn’t a life of riches, comfort or success. Nor is it a life free from hurt or sorrow. Stop being oppressed, suppressed, repressed and depressed over your circumstance.

Your circumstances are irrelevant. They cannot stop you from living the good life if you will not let them. Start living the good life today my friend – for Jesus died on Good Friday. And we… have a Good Friday faith.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

Make it your aim today to live unconditionally, uncircumstantially – Determine that no matter what, come hell or high water, you will live a blessed day in God!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Price…

When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him … Yeshua, Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.’ He’s naked, hanging on the cross, the Roman nails through his hands and feet.

His body is wracked with excruciating pain – and what’s He doing? He’s praying for those who nailed him to the cross. He’s thinking about their needs! He’s bleeding to death and He’s more concerned about their future and salvation. He’s forgetting about Himself and doing what love does – putting Himself in the shoes of others.

It’s one thing to put yourself in the shoes of another. It’s another thing to put yourself in the shoes of your enemies. It’s another thing to do this while you’re hanging naked on the cross, bleeding to death. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in your problems, needs, worries, and desires.

When you’re wrapped up in yourself, you can’t love. If He, in all His pain, could forget about Himself, how much more can you forget about yourself, and love others, even your enemies? Do something divine today – forget about yourself and love someone.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

Whatever you might be going through today, instead of being focused on your issues, seek to focus on others, and how you can be a blessing to everyone you meet.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed