The Season for Truth

25 years ago the whole world was fretting over Y2K. The term Y2K referred to the transition from the year 1999 to 2000. We were all led to believe that on midnight of December 31, 1999, everything that ran on a computer was going to dysfunction and would shut down when it rolled over into the new year of 2000. There was concerns over power grids, complex computer operating systems etc. As best I can remember, all disaster was avoided.

As we sit here today 25 years later, artificial intelligence “AI” is all the rage. There seems to be a lot of good things that AI can produce; but like most everything, there will be some negative side effects that we will discover over time.

My intent is not to debate the pros and cons of AI, but rather to make a comparison with AI and our belief system. AI can be incredibly effective if it is fed accurate information - output always equals input. Inaccurate and/or biased input will produce inaccurate/biased output. How can we trust that the input is always true? I believe that we all know it isn’t.

If we think about this in a spiritual sense, we face the same issue. How do we know if we are feasting on accurate input that is shaping our Christian worldview? Each of us have the opportunity to control our input. We get to choose what church we want to attend and what other spiritual content we want to listen to. We process this information through some sort of internal filter and then decide what we want to hang on to. The information that we digest shapes our beliefs and actions.

If we believe that the Bible is the ultimate standard of truth, then it is logical that we would use it as our filter for discerning truth. I wish that I could say that the Bible is always straightforward and easy to understand. The reality is that it can be confusing at times. Fortunately, we have many resources to help us understand Biblical truth. Teachers, commentaries and authors all provide great resources to guide us. With technology, they are easy to access - we just have to know the right ones to pursue.

As we read through the Book of Luke this month, we find the truth behind our beliefs. Truth gives us security and comfort. The deeper our conviction to our truth, the more confidently and boldly we will live out our life of faith. I would encourage you build the routine of staying in the Word all throughout 2025 and beyond. If we are to rely on it as our standard for truth, we should build a great knowledge of God’s Word.

The Bible isn’t just a book about God, it is a book from God.

Have you read it?

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The Election

We are going to elect a new Administration this week. I didn’t say President specifically because I believe elections are far less about '“who” you are for and far more about “what” you are for. I say that not to diminish the office of Presidency but to acknowledge that while our votes are cast for people, it is the policies of the entire Administration that we will have to live with. Our votes must align with “what” we are for.

Presidential elections are always very emotional times. I have been through quite a few at this point and one thing that seems to be a constant is that they always seem to be “the most important election of our lifetime.” I don’t disagree with that based solely on the premise that it is the one in the present - right before us. The stakes are high and it’s no different this time around.

As I write this blog, I have no idea which party is going to win. I certainly hope and pray that the Republican Party wins because it aligns far more closely with my beliefs than the opposing party on the issues that are important to me - sanctity of life, national/border security, economic policy and others.

Here are a few of my thoughts as we embark on the Election this week:

1. Our identity is in Christ and not a political party. The politics that we favor should align with our beliefs but they do not guide or shape our faith. We should live a life that reflects the gospel, rather than having our lives defined by a particular political view.

2. The power of Christ’s love will do far more to change our culture than the gaining of political power ever could. A political party is not going to be “salt & light” to its constituency and its political opponents. As Christians, we have the call and opportunity to do both.

3. Our faith and hope is not in the Federal Government or even the United States of America. Both of these have been shaken, are being shaken and will be shaken in the future. Our faith and hope is in a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

   Hebrews 12:28-29 "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken

4. This election is an opportunity for each of us. Regardless of the outcome, it is an opportunity to show those around us that our faith and trust is in God alone. Whether we get an electoral victory or defeat, the One in whom we trust has already won the bigger battle. We are on the winning side and part of His unshakable Kingdom. Let them know.

   Stay hungry,

   Big E

   Matt. 5:6

The Humble

When I prepare for teaching, I always run across great quotes. These thoughts can be very helpful in framing the Biblical principles I am trying to introduce or reinforce. These words certainly don’t add to Scripture but they do illuminate the spiritual truths in Scripture. I recently found a couple of new quotes that I really love.

Pride is the at root of every sin and humility is at the root of every virtue.

This is brilliant. In one sentence it captures so much about the contrast between pride and humility and the resulting consequences of each.

Pride is an obsessive concentration or absorption with oneself that sees everything through the filter of self. It’s an attitude of self-importance, selfishness and self-exaltation in relation to God. Any of the sins we commit - anger, envy, sinful speech etc… all have pride at the root of our behavior because we are prioritizing “self” over God and others.

The humble have a posture of prioritizing God and others over themselves. This produces virtues like charity, purity, kindness, self-control, patience and gratitude. The humble live with a spirit of dependency upon God while the prideful live with a spirit of self-sufficiency trusting in their own power and resources. The humble give credit to God for their accomplishments and blessings while the prideful take the credit for themselves. The humble make it a point to be lifelong learners while the prideful believe they already have all the answers. Lastly, the humble respect authority and try to live a life of obedience. The prideful are not respecters of God-given boundaries.

Humility is a virtue to be greatly sought after but never claimed. Once claimed, it is forfeited.

Humility is the highest of all virtues and is to be highly sought after. However, it is elusive in the sense that it can never be claimed. We cannot believe ourselves to be humble; we can only dedicate our lives to pursuing it.

Both the Bible and our lives around us are full of people that have taken great falls. The sins that can take us down are varied - greed, lust, discontentment, addiction etc… At the root of all of these sins is pride. Humility, on the other hand, is the virtue that helps us avoid the bondage of these sins.

Pride is something that is a lot easier to see in others than ourselves. When we do see it in others, we find it very unattractive. We all need to pray that God will expose the areas of pride in our lives. Dear Lord, open our eyes and help us to see these prideful blind spots.

Stay humble,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

Last Sunday we were getting ready to leave the house and head to early church. I was teaching Sunday School later that AM on the topic of “unrighteous anger.” Just as we were about to leave Cody scooted out the front door and off to parts unknown….you know the drill.

I am totally dressed for church at this point but decide to go and try to track him down before he gets off too far. I find myself traipsing through the woods across the street in my “Sunday best” in a futile effort to try and catch him. Needless to say, I was mad and frustrated at the situation. And then it hit me - I’m angry over this and I’m trying to get to church so that I can teach others about the perils of anger. At that point I had to laugh because God was trying to teach me something in that moment. I just wasn’t quite sure what it was yet.

When we arrived late for church, we walked in with a friend also arriving late. We got into a conversation with him and he told us about some tough health news that he had just received. I don’t think that he had shared it with many people but it seemed like he wanted to talk with someone as we stood alone in the church lobby. We ended up sitting together at church in the balcony and I had an opportunity to pray with him after the service. It felt like a divine appointment for us to have that time with him.

I don’t know the answer to the question of whether God has a sense of humor - though I expect He does. What I do know is God is sovereign and His purposes are often accomplished through His people. If Cody had not gotten loose, we would have never been late to church and had the special encounter with our friend that day that needed someone to talk to.

The next time that we are inconvenienced by circumstances that we don’t expect, pay close attention to what is going on around you. You never know when God has something He wants you to do that wasn’t on your agenda that day - a divine encounter.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Are You Worth Your Salt?

I am sure that you are familiar with the old saying - Are you worth your salt? What you might not be familiar with is where this expression came from. The phrase originated with the ancient Romans, who highly valued salt. Salt was used not just for flavor but also as a preservative, which was very important with the lack of refrigeration.

In ancient Rome, salt represented great power and value and was even used as currency for payment. Some of the wages the Romans paid soldiers wages were in salt. The English word "salary" comes from the Latin word sal meaning salt. Thus was born the phrase - Are you worth your salt?

I heard a great sermon at the lake this Summer from an elderly pastor and I wanted to share this great message with you. There are two key Biblical references to salt and both have excellent application for us.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

As a believer, our words must be seasoned with salt – meaning, a preservative to others, respectable, and valuable. Our words should be intended to build up and not tear down. Words are powerful and they are also duplicitous. On one hand they can hurt people, end relationships and even start wars. On the other hand, they can bring people together and offer encouragement that can sustain people through difficult times. Words matter and they need to be seasoned with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Are we leading “salty” lives? Do our lives give others a flavor for walking with God or do we just provide another taste of the world? If our lives are truly “salty” it will create a “thirst” in others to have what we have. Just like salty food creates thirst, are we making others thirsty because of our saltiness?

If we “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” it will be noticed. Some will not understand us and may not want to have much to do with us, but others will desire what we have - the joy and peace that comes with a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Confidence

The man who has confidence in himself is able to gain the confidence of others.

Confidence is an interesting thing. False confidence can be a real turn-off that makes others move in another direction. On the other hand, real confidence that is based on preparation and experience is loved and appreciated by others.

Most people would say that future King David’s biggest battle in his younger years was fighting Goliath. I believe that his biggest battle actually occurred just before he stepped in the ring with Goliath. This was when he had to convince King Saul that he was up to the challenge to defeat the ginormous Philistine.

At the time David was too young and too small to even be part of the army. The Philistine’s had proposed this “representative fight” where their best man (Goliath) would fight Israel’s best man. The challenge went on for 40 days and nights with no takers on the Israelite side. The battle would be for all the marbles so King Saul’s head was literally on the line here. How would young David convince the King that he could win?

It cannot be overstated enough that David was prepared. He had faithfully served as a shepherd and had successfully defended his flock time and time again against predators with his sling shot. David looked at Goliath as just another threat that he could take down with his shooting skills. The many battles he had already fought prepared him for the big one against Goliath.

David’s preparation also readied him for the conversation with Saul. He had to have shown the utmost confidence in himself to gain Saul’s favor. False bravado wouldn’t do the trick here. Any fear or trepidation on his part would have ended the conversation. David’s confidence was based on a deep seated believe that God had him ready for battle. He wouldn’t have shown any fear at all.

It is reasonable that we can live a life without fear? Probably not. Even though we are told many time in scripture “do not fear,” it is still a natural human emotion that surfaces at times for each of us. To the extent that we have confidence that is built on preparation and experience, our struggle with fear subsides. Many of our greatest desires lie on the other side of fear.

1 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.

David was living a “Spirit-led” life. Fear was not his master. We have the opportunity to do the same by living a life led by the Spirit that is marked by power, love and self-control as we face our future with confidence.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt 5:6

Things Are Not Always As They Seem

I heard this week that the Broadway show Wicked is coming out as a movie. Certain daughters of mine seem to be very excited about that. Interestingly enough, I read a great devotional this week that employed a Wizard of Oz reference. I couldn’t let this coincidence fall by the wayside without writing about it.

The author of the devotional made the point that in every great story, things are not what they seem - there is a whole lot more going on than meets the eye. He used Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as an example. After the she wakes up from the tornado, she finds herself in a whole new world - the Land of Oz. The producers brilliantly waited to introduce color in the movie until this point. Everything had been in black and while until then. After the screen explodes into color, she tells her dog, “Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.”

On the road to Emmaus, two followers of Christ are headed away from town after the crucifixion. They are devasted at the perceived loss of their Savior. Meanwhile, Jesus sort of sneaks up beside them and joins their conversation. They don’t recognize that it is him. What might we be failing to see?

We live in two worlds - the seen and the unseen. It is dangerous to live by sight alone. Our eyes cannot always be trusted. They deceive us at times and lead us into living in fear, jealousy, lust, pride and all sorts of other sin and destructive thinking.

Living by faith requires that we rely on the unseen to help us make our way and to make sense of the seen. Living by faith recognizes the unseen realm that followers of Christ are a part of while acknowledging the existence of darkness. Living by faith recognizes that there is more going on than meets the eye. Far more.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

The Brooklyn Tabernacle

I am currently reading a book called Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. It was written by the pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle - Jim Cymbala. He has been the pastor there for over 50 years. We are actually going to get to hear he and his wife Carol speak at The Cove (Billy Graham Ministry retreat) in November.

We were first introduced to the church through their music ministry. Carol started started the now famous Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir decades ago and they have since won 6 Grammys and five Dove Christian music awards. If you want some great, soulful Christian music to listen to, tune them in on Spotify.

When Pastor Cymbala started the church in 1971, it was a small fledging church with no clear path forward. It took many years of struggle to get momentum and stability to grow into the 10,000 member, multi-racial and diverse ethnic church that it is today. Now in their early 80’s, Jim still pastors the church and Carol still leads the choir that truly has a global reach.

I want to share a couple of great truths that are highlighted in the book. These are spiritual principals helped fuel this great story but can also be directly applied in our own lives.

God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for His power.

We are conditioned to operate from strength. That is the American way and is a very rational approach to most everything that we do. However, one significant downside for this is that it can create a spirit of self-sufficiency. If we only look to our own strength, we aren’t leaving room for God.

I believe that each of us can look back upon the most significant achievements in our lives and see where God has his handprints all over them. We might have thought we were in control of the situation but God was leading us through. As we mature in our faith, we should embrace this attitude of dependency on the front end and not just in hindsight. We must leave room for God’s power and work.

“I have seen God do more in people’s lives during ten minutes of fervent prayer than in ten of my sermons.” Jim Cymbala

The pastor attributes the success of their church to their regular Tuesday night prayer meetings they would have each week. The Brooklyn Tabernacle was birthed and nurtured through faithful prayer. It was their secret weapon in a battle that seemed too ominous to win.

This is a great reminder to each of us. I believe that none of us would say that our prayer life is everything we think it should be. Yet, we have the daily opportunity to make it everything it can be.

In the Bible churches are referred to as ‘Houses of Prayer’ not ‘houses of sermons.’ Yet, instinctively, we connect great worship to meaningful sermons. While sermons are certainly important, this is not where worship ends. Sermons are meant to point us to God. As we are directed to God, we are to connect with Him in prayer.

Whatever you are doing in our prayer life right now, take it up several notches this week. I plan to do so. James 5:16 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Olympics - Opening Ceremonies Revisited

I wasn’t planning on doing a mini-series on “what points us to the Cross” but it has sort of worked out that way. Last week I wrote about the stark contrast between light and darkness that I felt on Friday of the Opening Ceremonies. There has been a lot written and discussed since then on the implied mockery of The Last Supper. Will sent me a response from a Baptist pastor that is a really good perspective and helped shape how I feel about the matter. Here is what the pastor said:

“I am a pastor and have something to say. Christians that get online and spew hate towards nonbelievers anger me much more that nonbelievers spewing hate toward my religion. I have no idea what the table at the Olympics was supposed to represent, as the official statement contradicts the larger opinion. But what I can say is that every single person at that table would have been invited to Jesus’ table. Jesus not only spent His time on earth with sinners, He invited them to the very table everyone assumes the Olympic table represents.

Matthew was a tax collector. Peter was about to doubt His resurrection. Judas was about to betray Him. Jesus ate with them anyway. Jesus was with the ‘sinners’ all of the time. In fact, it’s one of the reasons the church people hated Him and wanted Him killed.

Please allow this to serve as a reminder that people who are not Christians are not our responsibility to regulate. Jesus gave us an example to follow of welcoming everyone and pointing them toward the love of Jesus. Remember that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, not the shouting of His angry followers.

This doesn’t mean that I condone any religion being mocked - especially my own. In fact, it is wrong. But my heart doesn’t hurt for what they are doing to Jesus. My heart hurts for people that are likely not in a loving relationship with their Creator. Jesus doesn’t need me to shout about sinners sinning. He wants me to shout about the hope and the love they are missing out on.

Before you share an angry post, or shout at people that Jesus died for, think for awhile, and ask yourself if He would do the same. You already know the answer, He wouldn’t. He didn’t. He died for them just as much as He died for you. Angrily shouting at people that don’t know Jesus is a direct contradiction to the example He gave us on the Cross. Jesus flipped tables on people in the temple, not people outside of it. Remember that.

This is an excellent perspective. In the prior two blogs, we referenced many things that pointed us back to the Cross. This brings up a new one - the sins of others. It’s easy to condemn others for public sins while failing to acknowledge our own private sins like pride and envy. All sins separate us from God and only the Cross can bridge the gap. Seeing the sins of the lost should produce in us both sadness for them but also gratitude that we have a saving faith and deliverance for our own sins.

It’s natural that we would be offended by the pagan display in the Opening Ceremonies. I don’t think that this pastor is suggesting otherwise. However, we must also remember that Jesus wasn’t harsh with the lost. His critique was directed toward the self-righteous and those that paraded around under the guise of religion for their own personal gain.

Thank you Will for sharing this and thanks to the pastor for his words of wisdom and truth.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Another Day of Light and Darkness

I went to Pensacola last week and got to go on an awesome walk on the beach early Friday AM. As I was driving along the coast looking for a place to park, I realized that I needed a landmark to be able to find my car. I was planning on a long walk and everything looked pretty much the same. I happened to see a small parking lot with a cross at the top of the dunes right next to it. It was a such a nice little surprise and I knew that God led me right to it. I had great prayer time that morning and the cross standing in the dunes led me right back to my car.

That night I was able to watch some of the Opening Ceremonies from The Olympics. As I was watching the different teams from each country float by on the Seine River, I noticed that the news and social media starting blowing up over the earlier controversial and blasphemous part of the Ceremonies that had drag queens and the like attending a depiction of the Last Supper.

I’m sure that all of you have seen this by now along with the outrage from the Christian community around the world. The response has somewhat overshadowed the Games to this point. Predictably, the Christians are highly insulted by the production while most of the liberals are either silent and supportive of the artistic expression. The most shocking response to me was from Jill Biden who called the Opening Ceremonies “spectacular” and wondered “how we were going to top this” when the Games come to Los Angeles in 2028.

Sadly, there aren’t many things that surprise me anymore. We know that we have “light” and “darkness” in this world and that they are constantly in conflict with one another. However, it does feel more offensive in a situation like this when someone has gone through great planning, time and effort to try to make a mockery out of something that we Christians hold dear. The French Olympic Committee had a blank page to do anything they wanted and they made the conscious decision to come up with this. They knew who the audience was and were trying to make a statement of some sort about inclusion. They have since claimed that they accomplished their mission. The official response was, “We believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”

This will be talked about for awhile and then the news cycle will reset with something new and fresh. However, it will always be part of the story of these Games and a stark reminder of what can happen to a country that seems to have completely lost is spiritual footing. Europe is in a post-Christian state and our nation is in danger of the same.

There will be times when we all feel like darkness is winning. Darkness is real and it is in our midst. Yet, we know that Light wins in the end and that we are part of the Light. That was the reminder that God gave me on the beach that morning as I looked for a landmark. Thank you God for your daily reminders that point us back to the Cross.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

What Points us to the Cross?

Hiking up to the Cross at JH is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Not only is it an amazing experience each time I do it, but it also brings back awesome memories of the times that I have hiked up there with most of you.

As I made my trek up the mountain last week, I thought about the signs that lead us - the little white crosses along the way. I probably could find my way up without them but it sure is reassuring to see them on the journey. The signs point us to the Cross and keep us from getting, well, temporarily misplaced.

The signs also bring up a bigger question - What points us to the Cross in our daily lives? I thought of several answers:

• The awareness of our sin and fallen position before God

• The emptiness of this world apart from the Cross

• The desire for a relationship with God

• Prayer requests

• We need strength

• We need wisdom

• We need peace

• A grateful heart

• The need for Christian fellowship

• Hope in the midst of crisis

• Protection from the enemy

I’m sure that there are more but these are all things that point us to the Cross on any given day. We need signs that continually point us back to the significance of the Cross each day. They help us stay grounded and on track instead of finding ourselves lost in this world.

How are your quiet times going? Small groups? Corporate worship? Each of these play a great role in keeping us on the right path.

Welcome Mark William Edwards IV! We love you and are so glad you are here!

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Abigail - Wise & Courageous

When David was on the run from King Saul, he and his men came across a wealthy herdsman named Nabal. He was a savvy businessman but described as a fool with poor behavior. In contrast, his wife Abigail was known as “wise and beautiful.”

David made an arrangement with Nabal to help oversee his herd in exchange for food and supplies. When it came time for Nabal to honor his part of the deal, he reneged and acted like he didn’t even know David.

This angered David greatly and he prepared his men to go and destroy the household of Nabal - which they could easily do. The instability that David had to deal with at this point in his life made it understandable that he might react this way. He was a national hero but was being hunted by his king and father in law. Fortunately, God sent an unlikely intermediary to stop him from doing something rash out of anger

A servant of Nabal’s warned Abigail of the harm coming their way. He said to “consider what you should do” because Nabal is worthless and he won’t listen to anyone. Abigail quickly took action by sending food and supplies for David and his men.

It was extremely rare in OT culture for a woman go around her husband like this. She also rose out to meet David and his men - which would have also been extremely rare in these days.

Abigail falls at David’s feet and begged him to let her speak. It was the longest recorded speech by a woman in the OT - full of wisdom and prophetic statements. She also asked for mercy for her family and spoke God’s blessings over his life. She didn’t know about Nabal’s dealings but apologized on his behalf and tried to rectify the situation.

Abigail encouraging David not to have this blood on his hands, This was an insignificant issue for a future king and not worthy of his vengeance. Let the Lord have his vengeance. Great wisdom on her part.

Her words have a great impact on David. He recognized that God sent her to help him from doing something foolish. Abigail saved her entire household. Nowhere else in scripture is there a women who has stopped bloodshed like this – other than Esther.

Meanwhile Nabal is hosting a big party for the shearing of the sheep. He was drunk and she said nothing to him until morning. In the morning Abigail shared these things with him and he had a stroke and was rendered as a “stone.” 10 days later he died.

David hears of this and realize that God has taken the matter into His hands as Abigail said. David then sent for Abigail with an offer to take her as his wife. Abigail humbly accepted his proposal to become the wife of the future king of Israel.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Wisdom is available to each of us from God. It is not a permanent condition so we need to ask for it on a regular basis. God is pleased to provide it to those who seek it. Ask him this week.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Light Travels

Light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. Darkness doesn’t have a speed because it isn’t a physical property. It is simply the absence of light. On our recent trip to Amsterdam, Germany, France and Switzerland, I thought about the contrast between light and darkness a lot.

Every city and village that we visited had a majestic cathedral. The towns were built around these lavish places of worship when they were constructed. They still stand as the physical centerpiece for these communities but likely not in the way they were originally intended. Most people seem to be more intrigued more by their beauty and historical value than anything else. There seems to be somewhat of an attitude of “we’ve advanced as a society beyond this and have moved on.”

This is a sad reality but not surprising. It’s well documented that Europe is in spiritual decline. When you travel there, you are confronted head on with this starker contrast between light and darkness. Those in darkness aren’t particularly unkind or overtly hostile, they are just lost - which is easy to do with the absence of light. In some ways, this feels like a glimpse into the future for where our country is headed. Let’s hope that changes.

We got to worship on two different Sunday’s - once in Amsterdam and once in Lucerne, Switzerland. While Amsterdam’s service was in Dutch and Lucerne’s was in Swiss German, we felt very much at home in both. We couldn’t understand the sermons, but we could follow the Bible references and knew most of the songs. We even got to take communion in Lucerne. It was so refreshing to have the opportunity to worship with other Christians. The language barrier was overcome by a kindred spirit.

I am still trying to figure out all of my takeaways from this trip but I think that biggest is the reminder that those who walk in the Light are attracted to others who do the same. The Christian life was intended to be lived in community with others. We all need as much of this as we can get. Christian fellowship is a gift from God that we should never take for granted or undervalue. Take advantage of all the opportunities we get.

Light travels well. Our trip was a good reminder of that for me.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are the peacemakers...

Matt. 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

What is a Peacemaker? First and foremost it is one that has peace in their own heart. You can’t give away what you don’t have. A peaceful heart flows from the last beatitude which is being “pure in heart.” If we lack purity of heart – we will struggle with peace.

Peacemakers are instruments of peace. They contribute to and do not take away from the peace of their family, their circle of influence and the body of Christ. Conflict follows some around because it lives in them.

Peacemakers plan for peace. They get ahead of conflict and try to cut it off before it comes. Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.

Peacemakers work for peace when there is conflict. They are able to bring peace to others because they have it themselves.They know how to de-escalate a situation by being willing to take the first step. This means that at times they must step forward in love first before it is shown back to them. This is exactly what Jesus did for us.

Peacemakers show humility and don’t look to humiliate. They don’t seek to claim victory because they prioritize peace. A good example of this is the father in the Prodigal Son story. When he saw his son returning to him from a distance, the father ran to the son before he even knew why he was returning. He had been humiliated when his son asked for his inheritance and then left the family. The father humbly sought peace with his son and for his family.

Peacemakers are willing to give up their own rights when necessary for the sake of peace. They trust any injustices they have suffered to God. Sometimes we want to stand on our rights which may get in the way of peace. Thankfully Jesus did not do that. He gave up His rights for us.  We are never more like Jesus than when we are peacemakers.

Peace,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are the pure in heart...

Matt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Pure in heart? We have to be “pure in heart” to sit under the full blessing of God? Most of us wouldn’t feel like this describes us all the time. Fortunately, being “pure in heart” is not a state of being without sin.

So how would be define “pure in heart?” I’ve seen it defined a couple of different ways. First is a desire for purity and a hatred for impurity. Another framed it as - to think what is right, desire what is best, and to love and feel only what is good.

These are helpful ways to think about purity of heart but there are two particular characteristics that bring full clarity to what Jesus is speaking of:

A Heart that is Undivided: Our God is a jealous god. There is a long list of incidences in the Bible where people worshipped other gods. This never ended well for those that took that path. Worshipping other gods mean that one has a ‘divided heart.’ James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

God doesn’t want us to be “double-minded” in our loyalty to Him. We will never be without sin but our allegiances can’t be split amongst other ‘gods.’ Keep in mind that we create these same ‘gods’ by making idols out of things that are often blessings given by God himself. Money is a good example of this. We can’t love both God and money. We can’t be a slave to two masters. Our loyalties must lie with only one. An idol can be anything that competes for our affections for God.

A Heart that has been made Clean: Not only do we have forgiveness for our sins but we also have the blessing of being cleansed from them. Like the old hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

We don’t have to “Murph” (wear a weighted vest) our way through the monkey bars of spiritual growth. The cleansing of our sin washes away all of the stain. We don’t have to carry the baggage around with us. The joy of the Christian life is that, even though we are not perfect, we can live every moment with the confidence that our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus and we have been pronounced “clean” by the final Judge.

A cleansed and undivided heart is what it means to be pure of heart. The pure of heart will see God. What a great reward for loyalty. Purely perfect in every way.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are the merciful...2 of 2

Matt. 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Last week we talked about the different aspects of how we are called to show mercy to others. This week we are going to focus on one key aspect of mercy - forgiveness. Forgiveness can be both a real challenge for us but can also be a great gift that we can give to bless others and ourselves. The call for us to be good forgivers is not a optional for us as followers of Christ. It is the fruit of a life lived in Christ.

Ephesians 4:31-32  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Forgiven people are known by their ability to forgive. The more we are able to embrace the fact of how forgiven we are, the easier it is for us to forgive others. Our pride often stands in the way of forgiveness. Pride impairs our ability to see just how much we need and depend on forgiveness ourselves. If we struggle with forgiveness, it is likely a pride issue.

Holy Spirit helps us forgive. We might not be able to do this in our own strength but we have a Helper for forgiveness and reconciliation in our relationships. We need call on and trust in this promise.

Don’t dwell on the offense. As it states in the verse from Ephesians above, “put away” bitterness, anger and wrath. These are fires that need to be fueled. If we stop fueling them, they will go out. It’s been said that “our Enemy helps fuel the fires of bitterness and anger and then warms himself in the flames.” We need to set our minds on other things - we all have too many blessings to even count.

Don’t seek vengeance or vindication. Romans 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Remember that we will need the forgiveness of others. We will offend others either intentionally or unintentionally and will need their forgiveness. Accepting this truth helps us have compassion for those that have offended us.

What if the offending party isn’t seeking forgiveness from us or doesn’t even know if they have offended us? We can have a spirit of “attitudinal forgiveness” towards someone that falls in this category based purely on the concept of grace. In others words, forgive as you want to be forgiven. The Bible says to “Matt. 5:44 love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Reconciliation is different in that it requires involvement from both parties. If the offender is unaware, we may have to take the first step towards reconciliation with them. I am sure that all of us would certainly want to know if we have offended someone.

Have mercy,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are the merciful... 1 of 2

Matt. 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Something that I have found interesting in this study on the Beatitudes is they get progressively more challenging. Each one is a little more difficult than the one before like a higher rung on the ladder toward spiritual maturity.

Mercy is the character of God. Our entire faith is based on the fact that he extends mercy to us. The fact that he is “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4) indicates that we should try to be the same. I have seen mercy defined as one who has a tender heart that cares and acts for the good of others. We are not only to extend mercy but we are called to “love mercy.” Micah 6:8 And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to humbly walk with your God.

We have many opportunities each week, even daily, to exercise mercy. Here are some of the key ones:

•  Material needs of others - We should do our part to help restore the dignity of others. 1 John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

• Those who are lost or struggling in their faith - Jude 1:22 Be merciful to those who doubt

• Blind eye / deaf ear - We should mercifully be willing to overlook the mistakes and weaknesses of others remembering that we have our own deficiencies.

• Our words - We should be merciful with our words to others and about others. Don’t contribute to taking away another person’s good name in gossip. Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Psalm 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

• Unreasonable expectations of others - Matt 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

• When we have been wronged - Think about Joseph and the wrongs that were done to him. God used them for His purposes and Joseph’s good.

Mercy can be very challenging. No one promised that the Christian life would be easy. However, since we rely on God’s mercy to give us eternal life, shouldn’t we freely extend mercy to others in this life? Next week we will look further into our call to be good forgivers. Until then…

Have mercy,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

Matt. 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

We should all be very familiar this this verse. It’s been my life verse verse the past several years and it’s the sign-off of every blog that I write. It certainly has special meaning to me and I’m thrilled to be able to offer some more insight to these powerful words from Jesus.

Of all the Beatitudes, this one might be the easiest to understand. At face value, it means exactly what it says. What I find very interesting is what it doesn’t say. The verse does not say “Blessed are those that are righteous.” The verse tells us that the blessed are those who “hunger and thirst” for righteousness. It is the desire to be righteous that is blessed - not righteousness itself.

Romans 3:10 tells us that There is no righteous person, not even one. Since we cannot be righteous, the only true hope we have for righteousness is merely the desire to “hunger and thirst” for it. This should be an encouragement to us. We are not going to be held to an unattainable standard.

To hunger and thirst is completely natural response from us. However, appetites can be cultivated. We can train ourselves to come to appreciate certain foods and build a tolerance for ones that we want to stay away from. If we have a true saving faith, we should possess a desire to be righteous - an appetite for it. We can cultivate an appetite for the things of God.

If we feed only on the secular, we will crave more and more of the world. If we feed appropriately on the things of God, we will desire more of Him. Diet shapes appetite. What are we feeding ourselves? What are we hungry for?

One way to build an appetite for the things of God is to extend ourselves in the service of others. If we only spend time feeding ourselves, we’ll never hunger and thirst. Serving others builds an appetite for righteousness.

Lastly, we need to believe in the promise Jesus is making in this verse - they shall be satisfied. We all want to be satisfied. If we truly trust Jesus in this, we will believe it when he says that we will be satisfied if we will hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is the only true path to satisfaction. All others ones will fall short. He wants us to trust Him in this. I’m in, how about you?

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are the meek...

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

There was a TV commercial several years ago featuring Charles Barkley in which he stated “The meek may inherit the earth, but they won’t get the ball.” This was a clever quip for the purposes of selling basketball shoes but I believe it goes further than that. It actually captures our culture’s view of the meek. We don’t consider meekness to be a virtue. America is about winning and out-performing the competition. How can meekness co-exist with a conquering spirit?

Like the other beatitudes, there is a misconception of the meaning of a key words - meek. In this context meekness means to be tamed or subdued. Think of the taming of a wild animal and its submission to their master. An unbroken horse is not of much use to anyone, but a horse that has been broken and is under submission to his trainer is of great use.

Would you want your favorite football team to exhibit a spirit of meekness? Of course. Wouldn’t you rather them submit to their coaches and the spirit of team ball rather than just running around playing an unbridled and selfish brand of football. This is why Briarwood has won so many games against more talented teams year after year. It happens at all levels of the sport. Discipline and team play usually trumps unbridled talent.

We are also called to be in submission to an authority other than ourselves - God’s. Resisting God’s authority would be the opposite of meekness. What does that look like in our lives?

• We will exhibit self-control. We will have control over our tongue and our actions. This doesn’t mean that we live weak and fearful lives. That is not what meekness is. It is power and love under control. 2 Tim. 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

• We will submit to obedience of God’s Word. This shapes and molds us into men and women of God. James 1:21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

• We seek and submit to God’s will. God reveals His will for us through The Word and through our relationship with Him. Are we paying attention?

• We consider the interests of others more important than our own. This aspect is very challenging. It can only be carried out in faith. We’ll never do this perfectly but a spirit of meekness will help us think of others before ourselves. Ephesians 5:21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Meekness in not weakness. Weakness is for those who only want to operate under their own power. The meek sit under the blessing of God.

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6

Beatitudes - Blessed are those who mourn...

Matt. 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

As we look at the second Beatitude, we come to another one that seems very unappealing. This verse tells us that we will sit under God’s blessing if we mourn. Mourning is not something that we would all naturally aspire to. They way that we use the term “blessing” these days, there doesn’t seem to be any connection at all between blessing and mourning.

Digging deeper into the use of the word mourning here, the key to understanding these words of Jesus is to understand what it is we are to mourn over. Rather than the natural mourning for a loss that we typically think of, this passage if referring to spiritual mourning. Mourning in the spiritual sense is a sorrow for our sins that leads to repentance. That completely changes the way that we see this verse, doesn’t it?

Here are some of the marks of spiritual mourning:

1. It arises from humility. This really goes back to the first beatitude where we are called to be “poor in spirit.” We mourn our sins because we know that we cannot save ourselves and we are completely dependent upon God for salvation. This produces a humble spirit that has godly sorrow when we sin.

2. It produces a change of heart. We should not be content in continuing in cycles of sin. That certainly doesn’t mean that we won’t sin, but it does mean that we won’t be content to live in unrepentant sin. Confession names our sins before God - repentence means that we take a new direction by turning from our sins. 2 Tim. 2:19 “The Lord knows those who are His;” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness.”

3. It is infused with hope. Our Enemy wants us to live defeated lives - to be despondent. If we were relying on ourselves to have to keep the Law to be saved, this is exactly how we would feel. But, we have Jesus. He is our hope. We will fail to be fully obedient but when we are at the end of ourselves, we have the hope that Christ offers waiting for us.

   Do we mourn our sins? Do we feel the weight of them? These are important questions to think about. Feeling the weight of our sins doesn’t mean that we are to carry them around. It means that we are to be sorrowful for them before God in prayer. Confess and then repent. Confess and repent again.

   Faith and believe are not the same thing. James 2:19 Even the demons believe—and shudder! Faith transforms. We don’t become a perfect creation but we do become a “new creation.” If we have spiritual mourning in our lives, this beatitude tells us that we will be “comforted.” It is our faith, not just our belief that will lead us to this comfort - the comfort of knowing that in Christ our sins are forgiven.

   Stay hungry,

   Big E

   Matt. 5:6