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Choice

Why do people resist the gospel of Christ?

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. ”
John 3:19-21 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.19-21.NLT

Many who resist are either:

A) not willing to believe there is a God (Denying the Father)

B) not willing to acknowledge that what they are doing is sinful (Deny the truth)

C) not willing to believe that God came in the flesh as a man to save our sins (Deny Jesus Christ)

D) not willing to believe that God can overcome the sin in their lives and in the world (Deny the power of the Holy Spirit)

Continue reading “Choice” →

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A proud look

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/pro.6.16-19.NKJV

As men of flesh, we are very good at coming up with laws, at coming up with rules and lists of DOs and DONTs. We are even better at trying to measure and compare them to decide which one is worse than the other. We are good at coming up with grand ways of talking about and examining wickedness in detail and elaborating upon it in our words.

Continue reading “A proud look” →

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What is grace, and why do I need it?

What is grace, and why do I need it?

Search your heart and ask yourself if there are selfish, prideful things that you have done that benefitted yourself in the short term, but that have negative consequences – either unconsidered costs that you came to realize later, or costs to others that were not a concern to you at the time, or even the bad example that your life choices served for those little eyes around you watching to later replicate your actions.

Does your heart not cry out to you and press you to examine your life and to see a change? And have you not found that your imperfections, your flaws, your addictions – these unseen enemies within you that drag you along in chains into consequences that you would rather avoid – that they are strong and overcome you when you battle them alone?

You are not meant to make war on your own against these unseen enemies,  man of flesh. You are not meant to accept defeat or to be content participating in war against your fellow brothers and sisters. You can know victory.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
John 1:12-13 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.1.12-13.NLT

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.16-17.NLT

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
John 4:13-14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.4.13-14.NLT

The battle is not yours to win alone,  but you can choose to be on the winning side. You can choose to bring positive impact and love and change to the world around you. You can live a life guided by the strength that overcomes. You can be alive to a renewed life in Christ, and freed from the slavery of your old life of sin.

I’m not selling you a religion, friend. I’m not convincing you to buy into a once a week religious practice. I’m not manipulating you to put part of your money into an offering plate,  friend. I’m telling you that religion will send many to hell.

What I am telling you is that Christ can take hold of your whole life. He can live in you and through you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – and even more importantly,  breath by breath,  thought by thought, loving action by loving action. You can realize that everything that you have is a blessing rained down upon your life by the creator. You can realize what you deserve by your life’s works is nothing c short of hell,  but that by His grace, He offers you nothing short of heaven, of being a born again Child of God.

We are not just men and women of flesh and blood,  friends. Know your true self,  know your true value in eternity as a Child of God. Cling to your right to become a Child of God. Seek first the Kingdom of God and those things eternal. See past the veil of this world’s lies and substitutions that have no glow at all beside the light of His grace and glory.

Know victory.
Know His grace.
Celebrate His Glory.

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Looking Back: Oct 6, 2014

HOPE:
Faithful is the saying:
For if we died with him, we shall also live with him:
if we endure, we shall also reign with him:
if we shall deny him, he also will deny us:
if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for he cannot deny himself.
– 2 Timothy 2:11-13 ASV

FAITH:
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
– 2 Timothy 2:3-6 ESV

LOVE:
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.
God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
– 2 Timothy 2:22-26 ESV

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
————————————

Our HOPE is in the promise that He has made to us that if we accept Him,  He will not forsake us.  So we know that if we believe, and if we hold fast to our beliefs, even our stumbles will be forgiven,  for this is the glory and wonder of His Amazing Grace.

But if we truly believe,  we are not to use His grace as an excuse to continue in our old,  sinful lives – we are to grow in our FAITH, not wavering in our trials and tribulations,  because can a faith that is not tested be trusted? We are to remain faithful and grow each day, not neglecting to spend time in His Word, in prayer,  and in fellowship with each other sharing encouragement,  seeking to draw ever closer to Him and to His will for our lives.

Our LOVE for God and for others is proven in our kindness and patience and gentleness,  even with those that are in opposition to the truth – and we love like this because this is the example that Christ gave us,  to LOVE or enemies,  and to forgive them for they know not what they do. Because it is our HOPE for their lives that God will draw them near to Him, grant them His Grace and mercy,  and that they will repent and escape the clutches of evil

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Ritual or Remembrance

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”
Luke 22:19 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.22.19.NLT

There are things that we do as Christians to remember the Lord,  to learn more about Him, to grow and sharpen and equipment ourselves for His service.

For example, most Christians participate in the Lord’s supper, where we break bread and drink to remind us of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins. And the point is to remember and to share a time together where we remind each other what the Lord has done for us so that we can collectively as a unified body of believers worship the Lord and give thanks.

However, there is a danger that comes in group participation if there is not a genuine belief and a focus on drawing near to the Lord. There is a danger that it becomes an empty ritual. There is a danger that it becomes dead religious practice instead of a living relationship with the Lord.

And this can be true of many things that we do when it comes to our luff in Christ. If we are attending a fellowship with each other on Sundays out of obligation, or to appear to others in the community as a person with honor and integrity, or because we know that our children need to learn the lessons to keep themselves or of trouble – then can we say that we are participating in a relationship with a God who lives in us,  or can we only lay claim to dead religious practice?

If we are doing a daily devotional out of habit and practice, and enjoying the knowledge and wisdom in the advice, but it is not bringing us closer to the Lord,  nor is it impacting our daily lives to share the Love of Christ with others – are, we settling for the false substitute of dead religious practice instead of fanning the flames of the fire inside us that is Christ who lives in us and through us?

It is a fine line between religious practice and remembrance. Maybe that’s why Christ said that it is a narrow path and that few would find it. Because we have to ask ourselves whether we are actually seeking Him, or if we are just seeking something for ourselves? 

Are we seeking God in hopes that He will bless us because of our faithful sacrifices?  Are we looking to trade our faithful ten percent for a guaranteed return of prosperity – treating God like our banker or our stock broker and asking Him for our inheritance paid out now upon this earth, or are we seeking Him as our inheritance and our portion? This is the difference between a false gospel of prosperity and worshipping mammon as opposed to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. If we are trying to use God for our own purposes,  or if we are trying to earn our way to heaven through ritual,  we may have missed the very belief and relationship that is required.

If I’m praying at set times out of habit and practice,  but I’m not truly talking to God, and asking Him for help,  and seeking His answers, and listening – but I’m just checking it of of the list of things to do, aren’t I missing out on the very communion with God that we say we look forward to having one day in heaven,  but proving that we don’t want it because we refuse to participate even today when we have the opportunity.

You see,  we have a choice of what we want. And many will choose no religion at all, because they don’t want Good,  nor do they want to associate with those hypocrites that practice religion but clearly hate one another by the evidence of their actions. And many will choose religion that is empty of any real connection or relationship with God, because they want to associate themselves with the hypocrites, but they don’t truly want to associate themselves with God. But there are also the few who are not interested in empty ritual or religious practice,  but they, are eager to participate in anything that brings glory and honor and remembrance to their Lord and Savior.

It is easy to see the visible difference between the one who sits ritually in religious practice and one who does not. But who can know the hearts of men and tell the difference between one simply practicing ritual and one truly in fellowship with the Lord? I can’t know for you,  my friend. But I can examine myself and answer that question truthfully and humbly before the Lord – just as we each should regularly. Not regularly so that we fall into practice,  but regularly so that we remain deeply in love – with our Lord and Savior who is the only portion worth having. Let them have this world, give us our relationship with God,  let us be reconciled to His grace and glory, let us be lifted up from this temporary dwelling place as we travel as foreigners awaiting our return to our home eternal in His presence.

Don’t just practice ritual and religion,  friends. Celebrate remembering the relationship that you now have with Christ who lives in you. Fan the flame.

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Watch out! Danger Ahead!

image

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,  like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.  Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.21.34-36.NLT

OBSERVATION

He tells us:
1) Don’t let our hearts be dulled
2) Don’t be caught unaware
3) Keep alert
4) Pray for strength

1) Guard your heart
So first and foremost, Jesus is talking about our heart. Scripture tells us many things about our heart. Do we know there are different types of hearts?

Deceitful Hearts

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Matthew 15:18-20 ESV
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.

New/Clean Hearts

Psalm 51:10 ESV
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Ezekiel 36:26 ESV
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Pure Hearts

Matthew 5:8 ESV
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

And God’s Word tells us that He must be the one to replace our deceitful hearts,  our hearts of stone and replace them with new hearts of flesh. And then He gives us instruction for guarding that heart and for exercising it and “getting the blood flowing”, for getting the living waters active in our lives, for activating His Word in our daily lives.

HOPE: Trust in Him

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

FAITH: Walk Faithful to His Word

Hebrews 4:12 ESV
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Proverbs 4:23 ESV
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

LOVE: Walk in His Spirit

Luke 12:33-34 ESV
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

1 Timothy 1:5 ESV
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

2) Don’t be caught unaware
And we should know why our heart is so important.

Examine your own heart

Proverbs 21:2 ESV
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Romans 1:21 ESV
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Know the kind of heart Good seeks

Psalm 51:17 ESV
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Find the brokenness through Repentance

Acts 8:22 ESV
Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

Believe in your Heart

Romans 10:10 ESV
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Pursue God

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

3) Keep Alert
And we are to keep alert, ever vigilant and awaiting His triumphant return. Running this race to the end, and being aware of the distractions of this world which seek to dampen our light,  which seek to darken our testimony, which work in opposition to His will.

Do not let yourself become hardened / complacent

Romans 2:5 ESV
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

Find Assurance in Faithfulness

Hebrews 10:22 ESV
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

4) Pray for Strength
And if we try to accomplish  this under our own strength So that we might claim victory for ourselves in prideful vanity,  we will encounter mountains that we cannot move. But if we have faith,  if we pray to God in that faithful brokenness of humility,  relying upon His strength to deliver us – we will know His strength and His victory.

Precious,  heavenly Father,  who rains down upon us your many blessings and your glorious favor out of the very nature of your being as creator and give of life. We ask you to help us examine our hearts in the light of your Word and to have the discernment to see those things in our own life that need to be cut out and removed by your forgiveness,  healed by your loving touch,  and strengthened by our repentance to follow your will. Let our reliance upon you be a testimony of your strength,  Lord. Let your name be glorified by our lives today. We lift our prayers to you Lord, we receive your Holy Spirit by the blood of Jesus Christ she’d upon the cross, and we ask that your Holy Spirit living in us who knows better than ourselves how we might pray would lift this prayer as a wonderful incense and testimony to your glory, we trust that Jesus Christ who is raised from the tomb and sits triumphantly upon the throne as our advocate has pleaded for our lives and forgiveness of our sins and that c we are yours, Lord. Keep us mindful of your Kingdom work today,  as your will is done on earth through our lives loving and serving others and spreading this Good News of the reconciliation of men to your glory through your grace and by our faith, made possible by the way,  the truth,  and v the life of Jesus Christ. Let us lean not on our own understanding,  skills,  or talents for these are creations – let us instead rely upon the source,  the giver of life, the creator,  the one true God for our strength. We love you,  Lord – teach u, guide us, equip us, use us as you see fit,  Lord. Your will be done. Amen.

PUT IT IN ACTION
Let Christ be our example.

Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.
Luke 21:35-38 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.21.35-38.NLT

Teach daily about Christ who lives in you in the testimony of your life – your actions,  your words,  and by taking captive your thoughts and the desires of your heart. Do this relying upon His strength,  not your own, and experience the victory of a blessed life, walking in His will and purpose for you.

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Not just giving, nor just sacrificial giving, but Grateful and Generous Giving

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.  For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
Luke 21:1-4 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.21.1-4.NLT

How many of us are giving just from our surplus, just from what we’ve budgeted that we can afford to give, which takes no faith in God to do amazing and wonderful things? How many of us have grown comfortable not seeing, God active in our lives because we aren’t willing to extend ourselves to a point that requires trusting the Lord to provide.

And don’t get me wrong,  this isn’t a finger pointed out at you in condemnation – these are arms wide open saying,  “You don’t know what you are missing.”

My wife and I were in bad shape, financially speaking, maritally speaking, spiritually speaking – until we made a decision and we stepped out into waters over our heads, and placed our trust in the Lord. And now,  with every new step that we take – not as a sacrifice,  but in a new level of gratefully trusting and relying on God to provide, we find Him faithfully pouring out, His blessings upon our lives.

So I’m telling you not to guilt you into trusting God – I’m telling you that what the world tells you is foolish is sometimes the very solution to your problems. When we were facing foreclosure on our house and bankruptcy as our only viable solution a few years ago and we were trapped in our worldly thinking, we felt hopeless. But when we decided to be not only faithful tithers, but also generous givers of our time,  money,  and love unto others – we look up just a little while later and we are caught up on our bills and getting ready to hopefully be debt free in the coming year.

When we gave up keeping score in our marriage and decided to each do our best to serve one another, our marriage was healed to a partnership entwined with God,  and with our daughter living and seeking after God, and with family bonds tighter than ever before.

When we made time in our busy schedules and put God first in our mornings with family devotionals,  with service unto others,  with encouraging and loving and counseling others in the Word of God, our lives became blessed with a closer relationship with God, with days more free from the consequences of our old foolish actions, with new friends who are faithful and encouraging and comforting.

You see, we aren’t sacrificial givers of our money,  of our time, of our talents. We’ve seen past the lie that any of it is ours anyways. The veil has been lifted and we now understand that it is all His,  given to us – so we are grateful and blessed with the opportunity to use it ALL for His glory and honor. And that He doesn’t stop purring out the blessings,  as we pour out,  it just makes room for Him to pour more in.

So we aren’t sacrificial givers – even though the worldly minded might place us in that category. We are grateful and generous givers,  because we have learned these traits from our Father who lives us and who is generous to us.

Don’t miss out on the blessings that He has for your life and for those that you can help with your pouring out of your love,  your time,  your talents,  and yes,  even your money. There are many that are in need of help,  of hope, of salvation,  of purpose,  of meaning in their lives. Be a part of the solution – stand up and start walking with Him out across the waters,  trusting Him in greater and deeper ways. You won’t drown.

hballinger1 Comment

Crazy? Yes. Foolish? No.

Faith. Crazy faith.

When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
Luke 18:22-23 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.18.22-23.NLT

Crazy faith is the demonstration of a changed heart.

When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Luke 19:5-10 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.19.5-10.NLT

Zacchaeus loved money more than he loved people. The evidence of this truth about his heart was that he cheated others so that he could have more money. He was a swindler. He didn’t break into people’s houses or take their things,  but he was shrewd and unfair, a liar and an opportunist who took advantage of his position of authority to build up his own wealth by taking it from others. And that is all wealth is – either giving or receiving and then either pulling it up to rust or using it for His glory and the service unto others. The danger in piling up wealth and treasures is that there is someone else who could be touched and their need could be met and we might be the very vessels who are meant to bring the love of Christ by offering them relief from their oppression.

You see, Zacchaeus didn’t understand his responsibility towards his fellow man before he walked with Christ. Zacchaeus was only worried about himself when he was lost. But Jesus Christ touched his life,  and a transformation occurred within his heart. When Zacchaeus laid his hands on true,  crazy faith in the Lord,  it rocked his world. Walls fell down that he had built around his heart and the things that he once clung to and protected,  he was ready to get it out of his life,  because he knew both the sinful dishonesty that it represented, and he knew that he had deprived others through his actions. And he did not repay them just what he “owed” to be just. Nor did he repay them double the original amount which could be considered “restitution”. No, he repaid them for times as much as a c demonstration of His new love. Then he gave half his wealth to the poor.

Now here is the important point. If he had just been touched by guilt or shame, he might have given the amount or double the amount. But his grattitude for what he received from Christ that day in his forgiveness and salvation – His realizing the value of what He had received in Christ compared to the relative worthlessness of his wealth and possessions – it led him to demonstrate some crazy faith.

What would people around you say if you all of a sudden started giving back love to the people you have cheated and hurt in the past? What would people around you say if you started loving those who you used to consider and treat like your enemies? What would people say if you started giving open handedly to the poor and to those in need who could never repay you. The world would either think you a fool or know you to be touched by Christ.

They might see the testimony of your life as a living sacrifice of grattitude towards the loving and merciful Good that lifted you up out of your empty life of only serving yourself. They might catch a glimpse of Christ who lives in you.

And this is crazy faith,  not that we follow some list of rules to prove to others that we are good people – but that we are so overwhelmed that God would accept us as His even when we know ourselvescas sinners, that we don’t care what people will think or say about us, we just want to share the Love of Christ with them.

And when this is the state of our hearts,  when we have been touched by the healing power of Christ,  when He comes and lives in us and through us in our daily walk, we might not yet be perfected,  but we will be recognized by the world as a peculiar people. The world will know that there is something different about our relationship and our closeness with the Lord. It will be undeniable.

Crazy faith tells us to do things the world will see as foolish.

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord .”
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.1.18-31.NLT

So today,  I ask you,  friends. Has the Lord touched your life yet? Do you know his overwhelming grace? Is your life a demonstration of your crazy faith? Have you reached that humbled place where you are amazed and grateful for the forgiveness that He has extended to you? Have you reached that amazing place where you realize that his amazing grace is available to save another filthy wretch like yourself just by their hearing the message and coming into contact with the Christ who lives in you? Are you alive with Christ?

Examine yourself. Realize the gift that has been given. Know the price that has been paid for you. Admit your unworthiness to receive such honor and glory from the Lord your God, but c trust that He knows better than you the value and purpose of your life in His Kingdom. And walk in the authority that He extends to you as a child of God,  not so that you walk proudly as a king,  nor knowledgeable as a teacher,  but as a humble servant to others and as a wise, anointed vessel of His love.

Be crazy in love with Christ today,  my friends, for this truly is the blessed life.

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Blessed

The word “blessed” is used 82 times in the new testament. Would you be surprised to know that not once is it discussing wealth or physical prosperity?

“Blessed are  the poor in spirit, for  theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  
“Blessed are  those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  
“Blessed are the  meek, for they  shall inherit the earth.  
“Blessed are those who hunger and  thirst  for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  
“Blessed are  the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  
“Blessed are  the pure in heart, for  they shall see God.  
“Blessed are  the peacemakers, for  they shall be called  sons  of God.  
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for  theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely  on my account.
Matthew 5:3-11 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.5.3-11.ESV

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Matthew 11:6 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.11.6.ESV

Yes, Jesus turns the teachings of the world on its head when it comes to blessings, because He is more interested in opening or eyes to see past the veil of this temporary physical existence and its comforts and pleasures that we can choose to buy and lavish upon ourselves. He wants our eyes to be open to the treasure of having Him in our life,  the treasure of saying “you can have all this world,  give me Jesus”.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where  moth and rust  destroy and where thieves  break in and steal,  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.6.19-21.ESV

His teachings tell us to be more focused on helping those in need, and less in building up our own empire our wealth.

Luke 12:33 ESV
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

In fact, He warns us that our lavish living will testify against the true desires of our hearts.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
James 5:1-6 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jas.5.1-6.ESV

Ezekiel 16:49-50 ESV
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.

Because how many look to their choice of mammon as their god, seeking personal prosperity and wealth and honor for themselves and moral compromise and unfaithfulness – not looking to the one true God who tells us to love God with our everything,  to acknowledge that everything is His and that we are merely stewards of what we have been entrusted to manage responsibly, to love and serve others giving to the needy with an open hand,  and lending to anyone who asks. But instead, we cling to our idols and we know little of the truly blessed life, because we are trading it for pieces of silver.

So we should ask ourselves,  are we seeking a blessed life of service unto the Lord and unto others, our does our heart desire something else? Are we content with Jesus Christ as our portion and trust that our needs are met, or do we desire to be rich and prosperous in this life?

1 Timothy 6:7-10 ESV
For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Hebrews 13:5 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Matthew 6:24 ESV
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Proverbs 11:28 ESV
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

So we should examine ourselves and ask what do I truly desire most? And if it is not Christ,  if it is not living and serving God,  if it is not laying down our lives for one another – then we should repent,  we should call upon the mercies and grace of our loving c Father to forgive us,  and we should all that He change our cold hearts and that He alone should be our desire and our portion.

Or if we have no interest in picking up our cross to bear it and only have interest in claiming His name with our lips but denying Him in our actions – we should be turned away now into the darkness and be made aware of the desperate state of our wicked and rebellious hearts – so that we might count the cost of being a disciple of Christ and choose today to serve the Lord.

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord . And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord , choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .”
Joshua 24:14-15 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jos.24.14-15.ESV

Lord, strengthen us so that our choice to serve you does not testify against us. Let it be your grace and power that establishes our steps. You are Faithful and true,  Lord. Let your Holy Spirit overcome our lives and let us resist evil and resist not your divine will and purpose for our lives.

But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord , for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord .” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord , to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord , the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord . And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
Joshua 24:19-28 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jos.24.19-28.ESV

Let us decide now what our inheritance will be – an eternity of hell traded for some silver coins and a bowl of soup – or an eternity walking with Christ who lives in us even today. Let us not seek to gain the world,  but to gain Christ. Whether we give our receive,  whether we live our die, let us count it all for loss of it is not in Christ.

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  For what can a man give in return for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mrk.8.34-38.ESV

And let’s not do this out of sacrifice or obligation as if we were trying to earn our seat at the table – but let’s understand the grattitude that comes from being a free child of God, saved by the blood of the Lamb and reconciled to a life eternal with our Heavenly Father, trusting that He has prepared a seat for us at His table but testing ourselves to prove ourselves His.

Colossians 3:17 ESV
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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What God wants

“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer : ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!  I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:10-14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.18.10-14.NLT

Will we choose to humble ourselves?

Or will we find ourselves humbled?

When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?  The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”
Luke 14:7-14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.14.7-14.NLT

Let us come before God in the right position of heart,  humble.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Psalms 51:16-17 NLT
http://bible.com/116/psa.51.16-17.NLT

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 NLT
http://bible.com/116/hos.6.6.NLT