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The Lord Hears

PSA 4:1-5 ESV
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have given me relief when I was in distress.

…

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds,
and be silent. Selah

Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord .

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Seek His Kingdom

Luke 12:29-31 AMP
And you, do not seek [by meditating and reasoning to inquire into] what you are to eat and what you are to drink;
nor be of anxious (troubled) mind [unsettled, excited, worried, and in suspense];

For all the pagan world is [greedily] seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

…

Only aim at and strive for and seek His kingdom, and all these things shall be supplied to you also.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
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Have faith.

Don’t worry.

Don’t waste your time greedily seeking the things of this world, because God knows what you need. Selfish living, chasing only pleasures and wealth is a dangerous trap that will leave one alone, naked, blind, and tormented in the end.

Seek His Kingdom, know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, live a fruitful life of righteous, upright living – following the helpful guidelines that He has provided, loving and serving others – and you will find that He is faithful and your needs are met – both spiritually and physically.

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Hear the Call

Isaiah 12:1-6 NKJV
And in that day you will say:

“O Lord , I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me, …
Your anger is turned away,
and You comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah , the Lord ,
is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”

Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.

And in that day you will say:

“Praise the Lord,
call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
Sing to the Lord ,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout,
O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”

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Not Legalism, Not Lawlessness

Psalms 5:8-12 NLT
Lead me in the right path, O lord , or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery.
O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O lord ; you surround them with your shield of love.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–

These enemies, they are spiritual and unseen powers that work through us if we allow them to. So if we have Christ in us, we choose to either let this Holy Spirit of Christ in us, of Love, work through us, bearing these fruits of the spirit – or we choose to live fruitless lives.

The right path, the narrow path, is to follow a path that we cannot walk on our own – in fact, it is against our very nature to walk this path, which is why we must walk with Christ. And to do this, we repent of our sins, we ask for forgiveness, we hope in His promise of salvation, we ask Him to come into our lives as our personal Savior, we seek Him daily in our lives through prayer, through time in the Word, through fellowship with other believers, through keeping His commandments, and through loving and serving others.

Our nature is to either fall into lawlessness, ignoring His commandments and living a life filled with all kinds of focus on self, trapped in things that initially seem only to be harmless pleasures, but that have consequences both seem and unseen –

Or our nature is to fall into religious legalism, ignoring His love and mercy even for those who are His enemy, still focused on self, but using His commandments to judge and accuse and condemn and tear down others instead of loving, and encouraging, and forgiving, and serving, and building up others.

Without Christ guiding us and making the path clear, our futures are not bright.

These spiritual enemies lie. They will tell those in the ditch of legalism to point their fingers at those in lawlessness and attack them and tear them down – not lifting a hand to help them – just kicking them while they are down.

These spiritual enemies lie. They will tell those in the ditch of lawlessness that Christianity is just the religion of those hypocrites that love to kick them and that hate them. They will tell them that Christ is just a bunch of jealous people who don’t want them to be able to enjoy their pleasures since their religious rules don’t allow allow them to.

But being a follower of Christ is not either of those. A follower of Christ has this Holy Spirit alive inside them – guiding and teaching and convicting them to repent of their sin, and to ask for forgiveness for stumbles – and bearing fruits to be shared in love, mercy, and forgiveness towards others.

The conviction is supposed to be a surgical instrument aimed inward at those things that need to be fixed in our own lives, not as a weapon raised against another person. The mercy is supposed to be shared with others, not hoarded for ourselves.

And people that don’t have Christ but who act the opposite, their own choices will be their downfall. Those who do not love God’s ways but love the darkness, those who deny Him in their lives because they love pleasures and self above God will get what they are asking for – separation from God. Those who do not love their neighbor, those who do not show forgiveness, and mercy, and love to others – they have not received forgiveness and mercy and love themselves – they have never known Christ.

Those that live by the sword condemning and accusing others, they will die by the sword of their own words of unforgiveness. The one that hates and condemns his neighbor for the sexual sin of adultery, will stand convicted for his own sexual sin of lustful thoughts towards the other’s wife or daughter. Who can expect to withhold forgiveness and mercy and love towards others, and receive anything themselves?

So if we do not take refuge in you, Lord, if we are in lawlessness, convict us strongly of our evil ways so we will understand our need for Christ in our lives, leading us to a repentant life.

So if we do not take refuge in you, Lord, if we are in legalism and have no love or mercy towards others, make our own sins come crashing down around our heads to humble us and make it clear that we need mercy, so we should show mercy.

Lord, please be gentle with your discipline for those meek and eager to listen and learn – but be strong and bold with a rebuke and with consequences to break through the strong willed and the hard of heart. Break us, Lord, and mold us into a vessel for your use.

To any that read this, my journal for the lesson that I am learning today, please have a blessed day. If this lesson is just for my life, I thank you for taking the time to care about what is going on in my life. If there is a lesson in this for you as well, I am thankful to the Lord that He provides.

hballingerLeave a comment

He wins this battle

2 Chronicles 20:6, 9, 12, 15-17 NLT
He prayed, “O lord , God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’
O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight.
Take your positions; then stand still and watch the lord ’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the lord is with you!”

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–

The Lord has offered us this free gift of grace, made us promises that if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, and believe in Him, that He has already won the battle for us.

And if we are His children, once we cry out to Him in HOPE during our times of trial or suffering or tribulation, He promises that He will be there – and HE WILL RESCUE US.

However, without FAITH, without relying on this gift of the Holy Spirit daily and even moment to moment – how do we expect to defeat an army under our own power? This is why He is so important – we need Christ in us, changing our lives and winning our battles – not a religion on a shelf that we use to try and learn how to be a better person. We need Him fighting and winning these battles, because if we are trying to fight an army by ourselves – the future is not bright.

And if we have Christ in us, if we have this LOVE living in us that changes and cleanses us on the inside, growing and bearing these fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives –

Galatians 5:22-25 NLT
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

If we are walking with Christ, letting Him live in us and through us in our daily lives – we are trapped into the vine of life – we are under the care of the Good Shepherd – we are hearing the voice of the one true God – we are unveiled to the love, mercy, and forgiveness that He has for His children.

And His Way is TRUTH – it is BOTH receiving grace, and mercy, and forgiveness, and it is repentance, serving, and loving.

Then, we – the children of God – the ones that He loves and cares for – wewillwatch as He will crush His enemies before Him. Those that are not His, they do not hear His voice of love, mercy, and forgiveness – no, they are not calling to Him to win their battles. No, they are trying to win these battles against God’s will on their own. I know because I was living as His enemy.

And because they are His enemies, because they are not His children – They only hear His voice of wrath, of judgement, of accusation, of condemnation – because they hate His true children and they are blinded by their own sins and darkness and hardened hearts – and all because they will not come to Him and surrender to Him and accept that He has won the battle – and that it is His battle to win.

We are in one side of the battle or the other.

If we are trying to fight this battle on our own, it either looks like a life filled with sin and lawlessness, or it looks like someone trying to earn it through their own actions who is being a religious practicer of law but bearing no love, no fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

It is when we are surrendered to Christ that we are walking this narrow path of HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, and TRUTH. It is when we believe and trust Him when He says that our faith is counted as righteousness – and when we rely on Him to fight and win our battles, it is then that we are on His side and He is working through us, and that we know His love and His power and His honor and His glory – because we see Him in action each day. We see Him loving and serving and touching the lives of others – and we see Him softening our hearts and growing and bearing these fruits of the spirit inside us – and we know that this work is not our own, but it is Him changing us, molding us into a vessel fit for His use.

But if we are the enemy. If we are trying to do this on our own. We have no power. We have no fruit. We only know about a dead an empty religion, that has no love and no power. We only know about a law, a book of rules that shows us our own darkness.

Come out of the darkness. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Believe and follow Him. See past the religions and get tapped into a surrendered life and relationship with Christ alive in your life, friend. Seek Him daily and you will find Him.

I love you, friend.

Have a blessed day.

hballingerLeave a comment

What am I Chasing?

HEB 13:5-6 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.”

So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–

What am I chasing?

We can usually tell by our excitement or disappointment over things that are happening in our lives.

The trick for me is to actually sit back and think about my reactions to things that have happened to me each day. How did I react?

What choice did I make when faced with a tough decision?

This begins to tell me what is guiding my thoughts,  actions,  and words.

If I see something wrong and I lash out AT IT in “punishment mode” – that tells me something different than if I choose to respond TO THEM in “loving guidance” mode – and that tells me something different than if I choose to wisely examine the situation,  pray about it,  and follow God’s instructions on how to deal with the situation.

Situation one can mean that I am being led by my emotions – an EMOTIONAL RESPONSE/REACTION to the situation.

Situation two can mean that I am being led by my pride – a SELF CENTERED or IMMATURE “I know what they need to be doing” response/reaction.

Situation three can mean that I am being patient and wise, waiting to be led by the Holy Spirit – a SPIRITUALLY MATURE evaluation of whether or not there is an opportunity for the Lord to use me as a vessel.

If I am going to chase anything,  I should be chasing the Lord.

If I have caught hold of this Holy Spirit, I surely shouldn’t want to let go of Him.

And if I have hold of this Holy Spirit in my life, if my life is being changed before my eyes,  if I am surrendered and following Him wherever He is leading, if He is welcomed into my life as a trusted friend – then what is there to fear?

That I will let go of His hand? That is probably worthy to fear if I was the only one holding on, because my grip at times may be weak – but His grip is strong. His grace is sufficient. My surrender is complete,  His victory is won,  and His promises are true.

So I don’t fear man. I don’t fear the enemy’s stumbling blocks that Christ turns into His stepping stones.

I don’t fear weapons formed against me, because Christ uses them to sharpen my skills with this sword.

I am not perfect,  and I will stumble at times because I am not yet free from this flesh – but my stumbling are not from chasing sin,  they are from running so fast towards the arms of my Savior that I may trip over something in my zeal to be in His arms and in His presence.

So even my stumblings, even my shortcomings,  let them be because I am trusting Him to guide my feet, because my whole heart,  body,  mind and soul is running to Him – is chasing after the way,  the truth, the life, down this narrow path.

I do not like the trials, but I do not fear them,  because they prove my faith.

I do not like the chastening and correction,  but I do not fear it,  because it refines my life and strengthens my walk with God.

And what can man do to me? Hurt this body I wait to be freed from? Yes,  pain and suffering may come, but even that is a blessing to be counted as sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

So help me be content.

Help me trust that God has me exactly where He needs me.

Help me be thankful that He has made me for this purpose.

Help me be mindful and obedient to His will and His teachings and His guidance for my life.
Pray for me friend,  not because I don’t trust God to fulfill His promises – pray for me that I will not forget this mercy and grace and power and honor and glory and blessing of His touch and presence.

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Keep the Faith

2 Chronicles 6:28-39 NLT

“If there is a famine in the land or a plague or crop disease or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people’s enemies are in the land besieging their towns—whatever disaster or disease there is— and if your people Israel pray about their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart. Then they wil…l fear you and walk in your ways as long as they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.

“In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.

“If your people go out where you send them to fight their enemies, and if they pray to you by turning toward this city you have chosen and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name, then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.

“If they sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to a foreign land far away or near. But in that land of exile, they might turn to you in repentance and pray, ‘We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.’ If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their captivity and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors—toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name— then hear their prayers and their petitions from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause. Forgive your people who have sinned against you.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

Keep the faith.

Share the message.

Return whole heartedly when we stumble.

hballingerLeave a comment

Who am I?

Psalm 144:3-4 ESV
O Lord , what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

…

I ask myself many times, “Who am I, that when I was even still His enemy, He cares enough about me to be lifted up on a cross for my salvation?”

And I realize that if He sees value in me, if He cares enough to look over my life and protect me and guide me and teach me, that He knows a lot better than me how He plans to use my life.

So I’m sitting back, enjoying this amazing time of being awake, of being taught, of being active in this walk of faith. I don’t know where we’re going Lord, but I’m sure not going to let go of your hand!

Where could I go without you? The lawless unbelievers hate me for shedding light and truth, and the religious practicers hate me for sharing love and grace. But they hated you too, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

You are my friend, closer than a brother. These enemies surround me and use these men around me to twist my words, to spread lies about me – to still judge me by that the works of that dead body that was defeated when I was raised in life with Christ. I have no interest in the words of men, nor in earning their respect, nor in accepting their titles or trophies.

Fill my life with Christ, with Love, with these fruits of the Holy Spirit, these treasures that nourish my soul for eternity. And keep me walking this repented life of grace, of renewal, of redemption, of service, of faith, of truth, of hope, and of love.

These fleeting moments will pass quickly enough and I will be a foreigner and a traveler no more – when I return home. This life is but a passing shadow of the life ahead.

NOTE: I journal and share what I learn. I encourage anyone and everyone to discuss and share together. The point of me sharing isn’t because I think that I can teach anyone – the point of sharing is so that we might share and fellowship and learn together. So if you find anything that I share compelling, convicting, or spoken carelessly – I encourage you to respond so we can discuss. I am seeking and learning daily, and I always find value in sharing and learning together. Sometimes discussions are iron sharpening iron, sometimes they are correction, sometimes they are refinement, and sometimes they are reassurance through agreement. Any input is valued and respected and my goal is to put my own content through the same testing that I would be examining another’s. It is hard to truly be unbiased, but my goal is to seek truth, not just defend my own position/tradition. Love you, friend.

hballingerLeave a comment

Good is good, Bad is bad

Evil does not change based on public or personal opinion. Good is good, bad is bad. One may decide to apply “relative morality” to a circumstance to try to justify actions comparatively, but that doesn’t change evil into good – it simply makes an attempt to compare one set of evils to another.

But it does matter how we use this knowledge of good and evil. Because the law can be executed unwisely by men in judgement and accusation who are blind to love – which represents a situation where truth and justice are not served.

For example, if a sheep is lost – isn’t it clear that helping that sheep is more critical than the letter of the law? Isn’t it clear that mercy, forgiveness, and love are the more perfect demonstration of God’s grace and the nature of His Spirit towards His beloved children? Isn’t this the lesson that Christ taught us about understanding the spirit of the law instead of focusing on the letter of the law:

Matthew 12:1-14 NLT
At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

Yes, He wants a relationship, He wants us to show mercy just like He shows mercy, not cold hearted practicers of religion:

Hosea 6:6 NLT
I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

I can stand my ground on what is right and what is wrong – while offering mercy, and forgiveness, and love, and hope for the lost – and while sharing this Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because it isn’t my job to judge the lost, it is my job to offer them this same grace that I received.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NLT
When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

If we are to follow Christ’s example, are we going out and sitting down with those that need this message of grace – and not in judgement, but in love:

Luke 5:27-32 NLT
Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum? ” Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Are we going out? Or are we comfortable hanging in the pew with our friends?

Mark 16:15-20 NLT
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

Give me the courage and strength and faith and reliance on Christ in me to go out – in Love, and to share this good news, not in judgement to strike fear and win converts, but to let others know this wonderful grace that I have, this amazing friend that I know – so they might know Him as well.

And yeah – He told us to do it. That’s probably a really good reason to do it too.

hballingerLeave a comment

Am I Loving?

I walk through this life.

I see broken and hurting people around me.

And I say,  “I’ll pray for you,  friend.”

But how many times do I wrap my arms around them with an encouraging hug?

How many times do I show up at their door with actual help, mourning with those who mourn, crying with those who are in pain, rejoicing with those who rejoice – versus throwing my words over the proverbial wall sprinkling my good intentions towards their lives?

How often do I care enough to act instead of just speaking?

Way too few,  I fear.

I tell myself that words have power and that this message is important – and it is.

But if I am only studying it, if I am only sharing it, if I am only teaching it – can I strongly make the argument that I am a theologian,  but weakly defend that I am a follower of Christ?

Am I finding myself satisfied just being a mouthpiece,  a noisy gong – because it isn’t as messy as getting involved in the dirty job of actually loving and helping others that are in pain?

Am I closing off my life from loving and serving others because I’m tucked away on my own with my Bible, and my concordance, and my prayers,  and my praise,  and my worship,  and my seeking to understand God’s will and direction for my life – blindly looking for the forest, and complaining about all of these trees that are getting in the way along my way to find the forest?

The greatest religious scholars may be great theologians,  but are they walking like Christ, trusting in Him?

Or are we “studiers of the Word” relying on our intellectual pursuit to put God inside a box small enough to be contained neatly packaged within the “safe” confines of our own understanding?

Or am I a friend to those in pain? Like He is a friend to me when I am hurting?

Please, don’t let me just be a student, I want to be a friend of Christ. And if I am a friend of Christ,  won’t I be like Christ – and be a friend to others? Even a friend to those who might think to themselves that they are my enemy.

Because isn’t this the amazing story of Christ,  that He was our friend – even when we were His enemy?

Isn’t this the part that is so hard for us to grasp with our hardened hearts and our intellectual struggles to understand what is so simple that a child understands it better than we do?

He loves, so we should love.

Love extended without an expectation that it be repaid.

Love extended in hope that it might be accepted.

Love extended to friend and to enemy.

Love extended.

Love.

1 Corinthians 13:2-7 NLT
If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

If I have one thing, let it be love.

If I can have two things let them be Love and Wisdom.

But please,  don’t let me mistake knowledge for understanding, nor understanding for wisdom, nor wisdom for love.

We are called to love.

And if we have this love of Christ in our jar, it need to be poured out into others as well.

I love you,  friend. Have a blessed Saturday.

Please pray for me to be a friend,  not just a student.