Year: 2018

New Clothes

Last night as my 7 year old daughter was getting ready to go to to Spout (our church’s Wednesday night program for kids), and as her mother and I were getting ready for the Bible study that we have in our home during that same time — Mia pointed out a hole in the crotch of her leggings. Without hesitation, I told her that she “couldn’t go out like that”. In her innocence, she was both surprised and disappointed, wanting to pout because she loved the outfit she was already wearing. But Mia took them off, mommy grabbed her skewing kit, and we had them back on her “good as new” before she headed out the door.

And like many things these days, this teachable moment reminded me of scripture.

My daughter would be oblivious to the importance of clean clothes that aren’t torn to shreds or that don’t cover her body properly if her mother and I weren’t there to teach, guide, and help her. Just as many of us would be oblivious to the importance of godly living if we weren’t indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Christ in us. We would still be just as hopelessly wandering through the darkness, ignorant of the sad state of our being, maybe even mad if anything made us aware of our pitiful state, ready to pout and pitch a fit rather than see ourselves cleaned up and set on the right path.

I thought about it and looked it up to find that there are a lot of verses in the Bible about washing or mending clothes. From looking in the Old Testament alone, we can find verses like these (and many more):

Exodus 19:10
The LORD also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments;

Exodus 19:14
So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.

Leviticus 6:27
‘Anyone who touches its flesh will become consecrated; and when any of its blood splashes on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash what was splashed on.

Leviticus 11:25
and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 11:28
and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:40
‘He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 13:6
“The priest shall look at him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and the mark has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

Leviticus 13:34
“Then on the seventh day the priest shall look at the scale, and if the scale has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

Leviticus 14:8
“The one to be cleansed shall then wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe in water and be clean Now afterward, he may enter the camp, but he shall stay outside his tent for seven days.

Leviticus 14:9
“It will be on the seventh day that he shall shave off all his hair: he shall shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair. He shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water and be clean.

Leviticus 14:47
“Likewise, whoever lies down in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

Leviticus 15:5-8
‘Anyone, moreover, who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening;

Leviticus 15:10-11
‘Whoever then touches any of the things which were under him shall be unclean until evening, and he who carries them shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15:13
‘Now when the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, then he shall count off for himself seven days for his cleansing; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water and will become clean.

Leviticus 15:17
‘As for any garment or any leather on which there is seminal emission, it shall be washed with water and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15:21
‘Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15:22
‘Whoever touches any thing on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 15:27
‘Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 16:26
“The one who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp.

Leviticus 16:28
“Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp.

Leviticus 17:15
“When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean.

Numbers 8:7
“Thus you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean.

Numbers 8:21
The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.

Numbers 19:7
‘The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening.

Numbers 19:8
‘The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening.

Numbers 19:10
‘The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

Numbers 19:19
‘Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.

Numbers 19:21
‘So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 13:54
then the priest shall order them to wash the thing in which the mark occurs and he shall quarantine it for seven more days.

Leviticus 13:58
“The garment, whether the warp or the woof, or any article of leather from which the mark has departed when you washed it, it shall then be washed a second time and will be clean.”

Numbers 31:20
“You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and all articles of wood.”

Genesis 49:11
“He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.

Wow, that’s a LOT of washing!

And the New Testament talks about washing as well — the type of washing that the Blood of the Lamb does for us:

Hebrews 9:11-28 (NLT)

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come.He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.

That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool.

Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

Yes, we see that just like my wife and I make sure that my daughter’s clothes are washed or replaced before we send her out each morning, the Lord washes and replaces our spiritual garments as well. If I know how to be a good Father and look out for my own daughter, how much more does our Good, Good Father know how to do even more for His children?

We can all rejoice in the encouragement that we find all the way back in Lamentations:

Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT)
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

We can rejoice in the promise we find in 1 John:

1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

And we can be mindful of the warnings in Revelation:

Revelation 3:4
‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Revelation 7:14
I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Lord, we are so grateful that you are faithful to forgive us, to wash us clean from all of our sin and wickedness. And because of that grateful understanding of the sacrifice that you made at Calvary, on the hill at Golgotha, upon the cross for our sake — we plead with you to help us keep from soiling our garments. There is nothing good in us apart from Christ Jesus, so we long to abide with you and not be apart from Christ Jesus — but to be set apart from the world, as a holy, sanctified people to be used by you for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And not for our own glory or honor, but so that we might not stumble others, so that we might not be hypocrites, so that we might not be the same as we were before. We ask you to not only be our Savior, but to be our Lord. Take our lives and make them yours. Deliver us into your will, Our Beloved Father. Amen.

“I Can Only Imagine”

“I Can Only Imagine” Songwriter: Bart Millard

NOTE: Wendy Lee Nentwig wrote a wonderful article for Crosswalk about the origins of this song here.

https://www.smule.com/recording/mercyme-i-can-only-imagine/1276873554_2001249620/frame/box

I have to admit that I went full worship on this recording and took some creative liberties, but I was so excited with the thought… just the awe… of what it might be like one day.

NOTE: I’m not blissfully or blindly singing this tune longing for the day of the Lord, either — I know Amos 5:18-24 very well and take “working out my salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12-13) and a healthy “fear of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:17, Luke 12:5, 2 Corinthians 5:11, Revelation 14:7) very seriously.

This is a song about stirring wonder and revealing awe for El Shaddai, Almighty God. In fact, I think this song when lifted as worship in spirit and truth, reveals the very same kind of awe that we see evident in believers like those of Acts 2:43.

Let’s take a look at the lyrics as written by the songwriter:

I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Surrounded by You glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Romans 8:18

For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!

Philippians 3:7-14

⁷ But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life]. ⁸ But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him—a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ, ⁹ and may be found in Him [believing and relying on Him], not having any righteousness of my own derived from [my obedience to] the Law and its rituals, but [possessing] that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did]; ^{11 d]”>[d]}so that I may attain to the resurrection [that will raise me] from the dead.¹² Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on ^e]”>[e]so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me andmade me His own. ^{13 f]”>[f]}Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

So, even as believers and saints, we walk with Christ in us today — there is something still greater that we look ahead to that surpasses our wildest dreams:

1 Corinthians 2:9

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

In those first lines that say:

I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me

I am reminded of His promise recorded in Matthew’s gospel about those pure of heart:

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

And what of the promise in the Psalms:

Psalm 11:7

For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

Man, to even think of such things seems so far beyond my comprehension and understanding that I’m humbled, I’m brought to my knees, even as I long to jump up and down and praise Him. It’s that state of awe where you’re caught between falling on your face in reverent, passionate, overwhelming humility — yet overcome by the joy of the Lord and the praise welling up inside you.

Yes, this is what this song is sung about.

Surrounded by You glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

Yes, I wonder if the above would be our awe inspired state?

Will I dance for you Jesus

In our abandon for any concern about what men might think of us, would we dance undignified like David danced?

2 Samuel 6:14-23
And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts ¹⁹ and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat,^[e] and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince^[f]over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord.²² I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your^[g] eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Or maybe it will result in a different state:

Or in awe of You be still

I wonder if we would be still long enough to know the true awe that He is God, and we are His?

Psalm 46:8-11
⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

How will we react?

Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall

This reminds me both of the beloved disciple, John’s reaction in Revelation:

Revelation 1:17-18 ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

And I’m sure that John in Revelation as quoted above knew quite well of the confidence talked about in

hebrews 4:14-
¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

More desirable than prosperity and pleasures

What could be more desirable than prosperity and pleasures?

Seems like a bold claim.

What if an add on television made such a claim?

Would we immediately dismiss it as a lie?

Would we pay attention in detail to the claims they were making and then test it to see if such claims could possibly be true?

Would we sell everything we had to buy such a thing?

The Bible makes a bold claim:

They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. – PSALM 19:10 AMP

And for anyone who prefers KJV or references to the original Hebrew, you can dig in a little deeper to be sure we haven’t stepped of the reservation in this morning’s line of study:

Let’s look at that word gold and what is referring to:

So we can see that it is talking about gold, something shimmery, even metaphorically of the splendor of the sun or the heavens. It is talking about what is pleasing and valuable in the eyes of men.

Now, let’s look at that word for honey:

And now we are talking about soft, sticky, sweet delicacies. I can think of so many things that are soft, sticky, and sweet to my other senses of touch, taste, and even smell — clearly some that are meant as edible fullfillment, but even those that are sensually fulfilling as well. Yes, this is talking about what is pleasurable to be held and “partaken of” by men.

So this is quite a claim! Something more desirable than the desires of our eyes and more desirable than the desires of our fleshly cravings — that seems to truly be a bold claim. And recognizing those terms “desires of the eyes” and “desires of the flesh”, doesn’t that lead us to an interesting cross reference in scripture?

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. – 1 John 2:15‭-‬17 ESV

So the new testament in 1 John chapter 2 makes quite a bold claim indeed. It references both of these things we see from the Psalm 19 verse, and makes clear that these things, these types of desires “are not from the Father”. Bold indeed!

But you wonder if I’ve led you on a wild goose chase. You wonder if I’ve chased a rabbit out of context. The enemy would love for you to step away at this moment and miss out on what part of this truly is for you. And you wonder to yourself, “It couldn’t really be that me wanting that vehicle/ house that I really don’t need is revealing in my heart an opposition to God that needs to be surrendered? It couldn’t really be that my looking at things that aren’t appropriate, or aren’t glorifying God, or are stirring up desires in my heart towards prosperity and pleasures instead of towards God are evidence of a bigger problem could it?”

If you think that I’ve stepped outside of an original meaning or interpretation of the original text, look back to Psalm 19. Verse 10 sits right in the middle of the section it speaks to:

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord , my rock and my redeemer.
Psalms 19:7‭-‬14 ESV

I have highlighted in bold above, over and over again, we see this reference to the same thing repeatedly, described from different perspectives to make it clear and undeniable what is being spoken of — it calls it:

• The law of the Lord

• the testimony of the Lord

• the precepts of the Lord

• the commandment of the Lord

• the fear of the Lord

• the rules of the Lord

It does not say “the law of Moses” or “the testimony of Hop” or “the fear of poverty”. No, all of these are “of the Lord”, they are speaking to “the will of God” as opposed to “the will of man”. Yes, you have been opposed to God in many ways, rebellious man, rebellious woman! But the Lord God Almighty cries out to you, “Turn back to the Lord! Acknowledge your sin, confess it, repent, and choose today to serve the Lord! Lay down your life so that you might live, truly live! And it is then that you will know the treasure that is greater than what your eyes can see or your senses can indulge in. Come, meet with the Lord, and see that God is so good!”

And what is this “Law of the Lord”? If you know who the Lord IS, it is not hard to find a reference. Christ is the Lord, and all the law points to Him:

[Jesus Christ spoke:] You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
John 5:39 ESV

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9‭-‬11 NLT

We see, then who the scriptures testify is Lord, it is Jesus Christ!

And what is His law? This law that is more valuable than prosperity or pleasure — what is it?

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 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

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36‭-‬40 NLT

Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV

Treasure this truth.

Let go of what is worthless in comparison. Cling to what is truly valuable. May the Lord bless you through His Word that is shared today, and may you call upon Christ as YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, fully surrendered and trusting in Him to see you through. Amen.

My response to compliments

If I’m a better person today
than I was in days gone past
It’s because true “Jesus change”
Is change that always lasts.

You see,

I used to try and try
To always get my way
No matter, whatever the cost
No care, whatever the play.

But I met this wonderful man,
I found Him in this book,
It’s called the Holy Bible,
And He’s changing my whole look.

I can see the changes
These things He’s teaching me
To care about you
To love all of WE.

I know it seems religious
I know it resembles the fake
But this Jesus living inside me
It’s something I just can’t shake.

He’s touched me and He’s changed me
He’s making all things new
And if you’ll get to know Him closer
He’ll do a great work in you.

So when you have that need
And when you hear that call
Reach out reach out to Jesus
And make Him your all in all.

For nothing will shine brighter
And nothing taste as sweet
As when you meet my Jesus
And kiss His nail pierced feet.

His love is overwhelming
His forgiveness is complete
And when you meet my Jesus
Your new start will be complete.

So step out on this journey
step out, step out in faith
This narrow path we follow
Won’t forever wait.

Our every day is numbered
Our time is drawing near
So cry out to my Jesus
And He will meet you here.

He lovingly made you precious
And beautiful in His own eyes
He speaks to you the truth
And casts away the lies.

For He is your dear Father
In heaven up on high
And when you call on my Jesus
It’s you He can’t deny.

So call on my dear Jesus
And know Him close and dear
And nothing, even death
Shall you ever fear.

But even more than that
You’ll begin to take His form.
He’ll be recognized in you
And that’s far, far from the norm.

So walk with my dear Jesus
Stay right there by His side
He will never leave you
And He will never hide.

Look up look up to Jesus
In Him you can truly trust
And if you want to truly live
In Him, in Him you must.

—-

God bless you, Tonya Pinkleton, for honoring Him this morning by honoring me. Your kind words inspired me to put this poem down in words this morning. Thank you.

Happy Days

Tonight we had a beautiful time together as a family. I had originally thought that I would be at a gathering in Greer tonight — but Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled program was pre-empted by a more pressing matter, time with Mandee and Mia. I felt that was the way things were headed, but on the drive home when my usual ride on Tuesday night was needed in a different capacity, it was like a refreshing confirmation of what was already on my heart — “go home, love your family well” my spirit seemed to sing to me.

And tonight was a wonderful mix of dinner together, unpacking and preparing supplies for the Good News Club we are starting up next week, tickle wars, pillow fights, mad libs, teaching Mia sudoku, and praying and praising the Lord together. It was sweet and precious and valuable beyond measure.

What an amazing life! What happy days I get to enjoy.

Last night I sat with a friend at Spruce Pine Apartments and we just talked in awe about what God has done, is doing, and what is to come. It wasn’t some academic Bible Study, it was two men in utter awe of the things of God for an hour and a half where a physical Bible wasn’t opened, but so much Word of God was spoken, and so many stories, parables, promises and instructions were recalled, revealed, and rejoiced.

Where did this amazing life rise up from?

When did such glorious things begin to manifest so overwhelmingly in my life that my only arguments seem to be with well intentioned men of God so passionate about “getting it right” — and that even then heartfelt apologies outweigh my insistence upon “proving myself the smartest guy in the room”.

I’m amazed. I’m in awe. Even though I am still imperfect. Even though I still fall short of His glorious and perfect example, I can see an awakening, a change, welling up from the inside. And it seems to infect EVERYTHING!

For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
1 Peter 3:10‭-‬17 NLT

And the good times are so sweet, even as the fiery trials are so hot, but even when the serpents bite I can shake them off and crush their heads under foot — because my eyes are on the work of the Lord — He is God and He is good in all of it.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/229912988

Come, catch fire with me friend.

Harmony/Unity

Last night I got to join some new friends at their house to hang out, spend time getting to know each other better, and then fire up the mics, instruments, and amps and sing and play together until it was time to go home.

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dxew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.
Psalms 133:1‭-‬3 NLT

Some translations here use the word unity here instead of harmony, and I like both. Because I see the need for both words in order for someone to really understand what is being said here. If we only had the word unity, people might believe that we each had to talk and act and behave and look exactly the same on the outside to be “in unity” — but that isn’t the way the body of Christ works.

With the body of Christ, we have a unity of the spirit of Christ, but we each have specific gifts, callings, purpose, and personalities — and the work in harmony to sing a beautiful new song together.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice ; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
1 Corinthians 12:4‭-‬11 NLT

It is quite easy for people to gather with like minded (or like gifted) persons and create a country club/clique for those who fit into what is familiar to them. This is called division, it is called preferential treatment, and it is not of God.

“Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
Leviticus 19:15 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/lev.19.15.NLT

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
James 2:1‭-‬13 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.2.1-13.NLT

I pray that today we would not just “leave room for one another’s differences” but they we would wonder in awe at how the Lord God uses such unique and flawed individuals tho build this beautiful body of believers that go out and love and serve otters as the body of Christ. Isn’t that the amazing testimony of the Good News? It wouldn’t be that amazing orc shocking for someone to make a beautiful crown out of precious metals and jems. But our God is gaining Himself a beautiful bride out of the dust of the earth, out of the filthy of our wretched sinful state, from the midst of those who were once His enemies — He is doing a mighty work to mold us, refine us, rebirth in us something new and different and beautiful. And it isn’t in us the unique individual quite so much as it is in us as the unified harmonious body of believers.

So I encourage you to come back into unity, into harmony, into fellowship with your brothers and sisters. Forgive where forgiveness needs to restore that flow and connection. Lift up and encourage and help where there is one who needs your hand. Do not turn away to the other side of the road from one who is not comfortably “just like you”, but appreciate what is valuable in each other, because you are created in the image of Almighty God and He loves. Yes, He loves.

[Small Group] Psalm 65 – My Journal

So here’s my journal entry for Psalm 65:

I’m making this post so you can see what my journal looks like for Psalm 65. I walked through each step in detail in the posts demonstrating how this process works, but you don’t need a whole book when you’re going through this process on your own. Most of my notes that I included in the previous posts were to help teach and guide you through the process itself.

If you’re just now tuning in, our study of Psalm 65 kicked off here: https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/small-group-a-new-season-of-faith/

We first examined the question of WHO?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/small-group-psalm-65-who/

We next examined the question of WHERE/WHEN?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/small-group-psalm-65-where-when/

We then examined the question of HOW?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/small-group-psalm-65-how/

And finally, we wrapped up examining the question of WHY?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/small-group-psalm-65-why/

It may seem complicated and like a lot of work if you look at the detail that went into my individual posts, but you can see that the process actually goes pretty quickly on paper when you aren’t having to walk through your explanation of each item. I encourage you to keep it simple, manageable, and enjoyable — remember, that the only point of this exercise it to get the scriptures to be come more real, more memorable, and more applicable.

Don’t make it a chore, make it a game — reverting to that child-like faith. We’re exercising our imagination, our mind to see things that aren’t right in front of us — and from my experience, intentionally practicing this opening up of sorts in our time of study — this allowing ourselves to get past the academic study and into something close an personal — will help us to begin seeing the Word of God come alive even when we aren’t actively “going through this process”. It will ignite the Word that is written on your heart so that it is brought to your remembrance more readily when you need it during the trials of life. And if you practice this regularly in your study time, you’ll find yourself more often meditating upon and contemplating scripture during your quiet times rather than dwelling on thoughts that might bring anxiety, worry, etc.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His spirit settle upon you and lead you, guide you, teach you, and even correct you, to walk in His way. Amen.