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Habit or Love?

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV
http://bible.com/59/1co.11.25.ESV

Life Application Study Bible
———————————————‘
Jesus said, “Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” How do we remember Christ in the Lord’s Supper? By thinking about what he did and why he did it. If the Lord’s Supper becomes just a ritual or a pious habit, it no longer remembers Christ, and it loses its significance.

Personal Commentary
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It’s supposed to be about our hearts, not just our minds or our outward actions.

This is why we can’t argue theology hard enough to bring someone to Christ – that will only teach someone how to study religious things closely. That might win what Jesus called a “religious convert” when He was rebuking the Pharisees and explaining that they cross the oceans to win converts who were twice the devil they themselves were. Religious practice, even works, if they are void of love,  if the Holy Spirit is not the one actively manifesting those things,  then they are nothing but empty religious sacrifice,  like filthy rags in the eyes of God.

Practicing religion doesn’t buy you a stairway to heaven. Attending church and tithing doesn’t pave the way to earning God’s favor. Doing great works for the needy doesn’t convince the Lord that you are worthy of His love. Yes, all of these things are morally good, and if a person is Holy Spirit filled and led, these things should be manifest from the love that fills our heart towards God and towards others, our of the grattitude that we have for this gift of grace that we have received.

But if it comes out of obligation to try to meet the requirements of the law,  if it comes from our trying to be perfect,  or our trying to earn honor or respect our titles or position – we must ask ourselves if we are striving in vanity and pride or if we are humbly seeking a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior.

People can trade in their opportunity for the Word of God to bring them closer to understanding and knowing Him and settle instead for intellectual pursuit of high minded theology and understanding. But His resolve is for us to lean not upon our own understanding,  but to trust in the Lord. Do you see that He’s bidding us to participate in a trust filled relationship with Him – not a religious or theological exercise. Isn’t this part of what He means when He tells us that He desires mercy and not sacrifice?

When we look through the repeated examples of those imperfect people mentioned in the Bible,  don’t we uncover a recurring theme that proves that He uses imperfect lives, imperfect people, even people with clear and visible faults and failings – but when they truly desire a close relationship with Him, that His power and His grace and His glory is demonstrated perfectly and clearly as His work and not their own. I wonder why this is such an easy message to overlook? Is empty religious practice maybe one of the most slippery and sly tactics of the enemy use to tempt us to take our hearts and our eyes off of a close,  restored relationship with the only prize worth having?

Isn’t this why even the religious will look at a sold out, Christ loving, life surrendering, self sacrificing disciple filled with Christ the hope of glory who lives in them – and they will be confused about a God that draws near and close to His children and that is involved in every aspect of their lives,  both blessing and disciplining those who are His, and providing for them in every way that is best for their eternal growth, many times at a cost to their worldly comfort and pleasure that the world can’t understand is a blessing of sharing in the sufferings of Christ. The religious happily lift things to their “gods” on occasion as ceremony and practice,  but never draw close,  and are satisfied to put their religion back on the shelf whole they return to their worldly lives until it is time once again to offer sacrifices.

But this is not the story of a Child of God. This is not the description of you who love the Lord. You see, those who know the Lord,  those who love Him, those who truly seek to be drawn closer and closer to Him,  to be reconciled into His presence – those who seek Him not only as Mighty God, those who not only seek Him as Lord, those who do not only seek Him as Savior – but those who seek Him as their love,  as their portion, as their prize – this is us, friend.

Please, do not settle for religion when you can have relationship. Do not settle for practiced sacrifice when you can have presence and mercy and power. Don’t settle for ceremony when you can enter into worship and experience the breath of life touching and moving and stirring your heart. Don’t settle for surface examination of the Word of God,  or even in theological examination,  when you can let the Word of God be written upon your heart and applied in your life as we are changed and revoked in the potter’s hands.

Are you in His hands today? Are you close and in His arms, friend? If not, are you running back towards His house, seeking to return to His house,  His presence,  His love? His loving arms are open,  friend. His forgiveness,  His mercy,  His grace is there for you.

Do not settle for separation, do not think that one day, after you die you will see God – for that is true of many who will meet Him at judgement and who will hear,  “Depart from me,  I never knew you, you workers of iniquity!” Know Him today,  do not say,  “I will tomorrow” – you do not know that life will allow you another breath. Turn now from whatever is capturing your eyes and your desires and your ginger and your thirst for laser things that will only drag you into the pit of flames with them – and know and love the only one that has true, sacrificial,  godly love for you that will fill that emptiness in your heart forever.

Yes, He is your soulmate. Yes, He is the love that is meant to take over your life. Yes,  He is the all consuming fire that is meant to fill our lives to overflowing.

Has His love taken over your life?

Do you want it to?

Or are you “just fine” on your own?

Wake up, or realize today the death that you are walking in. One way or the other,  hear the warning cries of His messengers,  and decide not only who you will serve,  but who it is that you truly love.

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”  And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Luke 10:25-28 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.10.25-28.ESV

hballingerLeave a comment

Freedom “from” not “to”

Questions regularly come up from those wanting to discuss “freedom” and “no condemnation for those in Christ”. And usually, the question doesn’t come from someone seeking relief from the heavy burden of trying to live a pure and perfect, pious life which is only resulting in their own spiritual pride and striving through good works – usually, this question comes from someone who is trying to justify their own sinful ways and build a mental argument that they can use against the conviction that the Holy Spirit is giving them about some area still not surrendered in their lives.

So if we are considering the divine instruction of the Word of God discussing freedom and no condemnation, shouldn’t we ask ourselves which ditch we are closer to? Shouldn’t we say to ourselves – “When examining the actions and example of my life, am I closer to being a legalistic hypocrite with the outward appearance of piety but with no love (ditch 1) – or am I living a life that is confirmed to this world,  still involved in sinful things, and worldly practices and pleasures that aren’t bringing glory to God (ditch 2)?” You see,  there are wide,  broad ditches on either side of the narrow path – and they lead to destruction. One is legalism without love or mercy – and another is lasciviousness without repentance or righteousness.

And if we know which ditch our lives are closest to, then we should also know which direction is leading us back towards the narrow path and which is just our deceitful hearts and the trickery of the enemy twisting andpervertingandstealingaway the truth while pointing us back towards that old,  familiar ditch.

I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”  And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.10.1-13.NLT

What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?
You say, “I am allowed to do anything” —but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
1 Corinthians 10:19-24 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.10.19-24.NLT

It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
1 Peter 2:15-16 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1pe.2.15-16.NLT

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.
We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God!
Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:1-23 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.6.1-23.NLT

hballingerLeave a comment

Do I have to? Do I want to?

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Yes, truly caring for someone can be a consuming and thankless job. And there are those that can be an especially heavy drain on our resources, time, and effort. There are those that will come to you not to share their lives with you, but who will only want to use you for what you can provide them in this world, with no real, genuine interest in the message of love that can provide for them eternally or in a relationship of love with one another.

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And it should humble us, that we usually do not love others enough to persevere through even their lack of it towards us and continue to love and serve and forgive them – because that is the example that Jesus gave us. He didn’t just love and serve and provide for his friends and the faithful. The ones that he fed with a miracle are the same ones that left in droves when He called them to the heavy cost of true discipleship and when He called them to eat of His flesh and drink of His life.

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Many have no real interest in loving like Christ, a life of sacrifice, putting the needs of others (yes, even of our enemies) ahead of our own lives and wants in this world. Many want to play religion and practice ceremonies, many are even okay with trying to live up to the law, but few are truly interested in loving each other – in serving each other – especially when it comes to those who won’t repay our kindness in turn. But that’s why it is a narrow path and few will find it.

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You see, I’m studying this lesson and I’m being chastised over this topic because recently I have grown weary of certain people’s demands upon my life. And doesn’t me calling it “my life” speak volumes about the state of my heart and perspective? You see, I slipped out of the “everything is His and I’m just a steward” into thinking MY stuff, MY life, MY time, and MY resources. Yes, I got distracted and took my eyes off of, Christ and Christ alone and look where it has landed me once again – humbled by my own prose and selfishness – coming to the Father yet again, brokenhearted at my own foolishness and vanity.

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Praise God from whom all of our blessings flow – and is any greater than His mercy and grace – that can take an old, busted, imperfect vessel like me to carry His Holy Spirit – and that in the process He changes me, He reconciles me to be more like my teacher. Not that His work in me is yet complete, because I am still in the potter’s hands. But He is reshaping me and working through me – I know it even if others might not yet see it.

And I know it because I love Him and because I am getting to know Him closer and closer each day as He draws me closer, as my steps bring me closer to my Father’s house along this journey. And the path is narrow, but there is only one destination worth reaching. I’m so glad He is the one ordering my footsteps, and that I’m learning to walk by faith, not by sight.

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When I remember that His way really is best, and when I remember the joy that comes in giving sacrificial and following faithfully, and when I remember the undeserved gift that He has given me – it stirs me inside. Not just in my thoughts and my logic and my examining – but in my heart. And then I realize that I WANT to love others, that I am compelled to love others, that the drive of the Holy Spirit in me does overcome the concerns of the Flesh in this world. And it isn’t about HAVING to do it to live up to God expectations – that would be someone under the curse of the law. It’s about WANTING to do it – and that comes with a heart change that only He can make inside.

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Have you asked Him to touch your heart today, friend? I pray that He will touch yours and mine. God bless your day ahead and the example and testimony that your life will demonstrate of His love alive in your thoughts, words, and actions.

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:44-48 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.5.44-48.NLT

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Powerless? Or powerful?

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.6.19-20.NLT

Please hear this journal entry from a voice of love and concern for you,  friends – I cannot condemn you or judge you – I can only share the Truth of the Word of God.

There is no such thing as cheap grace. There is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian. The choices are salvation or judgement. This is a pass/fail test. We cannot be living in lasciviousness and debauchery and refusing to repent and dishonoring God while claiming to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit. We are either, saved by grace and walking with Him – or we are still headed to destruction.

If you do not know this truth,  you are deceived. Being a Christ follower is not about escaping consequences or about working towards rewards. It is about grattitude, love, obedience,  and service – it is about a change on the inside that demonstrates itself outwardly in a changed life.

If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
John 14:15-17 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.14.15-17.NLT

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.  Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.
John 14:23-24 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.14.23-24.NLT

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
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. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Galatians 5:19-26 NLT
http://bible.com/116/gal.5.19-26.NLT

And some will say, but I prayed a prayer,  I “accepted” Christ as my Savior,  so I’m free from sin and I have my heaven ticket, so even though I continue to sin,  He has forgiven me, the work is done, and I have nothing to fear, right? Please read for yourself the Word of God and know that you are deceived. 

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.
When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.
Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.
Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
Hebrews 6:1-12 NLT
http://bible.com/116/heb.6.1-12.NLT

And those without understanding will say,  then what good does it do me to participate in this Christian religion? And I will tell you that the religious practice alone, nor hiding your sins from others and making the appearance to others that you are religious can no sooner save you from the condemnation that you are facing,  than openly practicing the true desires of your evil heart for the whole world to see.

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3:7-9 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.3.7-9.NLT

It isn’t about talking or knowing about righteous things,  but about doing them. And not under our own power,  but through the, Holy Spirit who lives in us who are His.

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.  You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.  A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.  So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.  Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Matthew 7:15-23 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.7.15-23.NLT

1 Corinthians 4:20 ESV
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.2.14.NLT

So we must examine ourselves to be sure that we are in the faith.

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you ; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT
http://bible.com/116/2co.13.5.NLT

Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord . Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say,
“We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.
“You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy. You have hidden yourself in a cloud so our prayers cannot reach you. You have discarded us as refuse and garbage among the nations.
“All our enemies have spoken out against us. We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.”
Tears stream from my eyes because of the destruction of my people! My tears flow endlessly; they will not stop until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. My heart is breaking over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.
My enemies, whom I have never harmed, hunted me down like a bird. They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. The water rose over my head, and I cried out, “This is the end!”
But I called on your name, Lord , from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!” Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear.”
Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have redeemed my life. You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord . Be my judge, and prove me right. You have seen the vengeful plots my enemies have laid against me.
Lord , you have heard the vile names they call me. You know all about the plans they have made. My enemies whisper and mutter as they plot against me all day long. Look at them! Whether they sit or stand, I am the object of their mocking songs.
Pay them back, Lord , for all the evil they have done. Give them hard and stubborn hearts, and then let your curse fall on them! Chase them down in your anger, destroying them beneath the Lord ’s heavens.
Lamentations 3:40-66 NLT
http://bible.com/116/lam.3.40-66.NLT

And if you find yourself not in the faith, friend, I encourage you to seek Him while there is still time. Believe in your heart and declare with your mouth and your life.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
Romans 10:9-11 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.10.9-11.NLT

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.  Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’
“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.  If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Luke 13:6-9 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.13.6-9.NLT

I am pleading on your behalf. Christ is pleading on your behalf. Repent and seek first the Kingdom of God AND righteousness.

Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.  When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’  Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’  And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’
“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.  And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God.  And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. ”
Luke 13:23-30 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.13.23-30.NLT

hballingerLeave a comment

Tricks of the Devil

1 Peter 5:8 ESV
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

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I started my online journal back in the end of February and it has now been active for 9 months. I share some of what I am studying and learning each day. I’m sure than many thought that my primary reason would have been to reach out to the lost with the Gospel, but you’d be wrong – my foremost reason was for others who are wiser than me to examine what I’m studying and to provide feedback and correction and guidance in case I headed off into error. My primary reason was to have other believers hold me accountable and come alongside me to grow and learn and sharpen one another. I really thought that maybe my parents and a few other pastor friends would be the only ones occasionally checking in on me and giving me gentle correction and guidance. But God had other plans.

My daily journal has gone from something that a handful of people that I knew in real life looked at a few times a month, to something that has opened up friendships with other believers across the globe. It has turned into something that is reaching 7-8 people each day with the Word of God. That might not sound like a lot, but when I consider that I have lived many days of my life without ever speaking about God a single time to other people around me, it is encouraging to know that every day people are interested in hearing about God, and that I get to be a part of that conversation. When I realize that those few people consistently each day add up to 1058 different times that I was able to share the Word of God with others in a 9 month period – it takes on a whole different meaning. That’s 1058 times that someone was interested in knowing more about Jesus Christ and I was able to help them through something that is the start of my day each morning.

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But here is the rub. If I look at that and I’m proud, I’m not being watchful, I’m not being sober-minded. You see, the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour, and if I think that I can claim credit for any of this, as little as it is, I’m mistaken. In fact, if it is my own work, it isn’t anything worth claiming anyway, as it is filthy rags in the sight of God. So my hope and my confidence lies in the fact that it isn’t mine at all – that I’m just the messenger, that I’m just the vessel, that I’m just a conduit for the Good News of Jesus Christ to reach out to the world. And if He uses me for little, I’m grateful and thankful for the opportunity even to be used. And if He uses me for much, I’m humbled that he might use even me.

Subtle-trap

Yes, learning to be content… not insisting on being a world changer myself… not insisting on doing great and visible things for God… but being thankful for how He is already using me… and pressing on to find new ways to open my life up for Him to use me – that is the safe place to lay my head and rest, in His will, in His arms. And I say this because each day I’m learning things that need to be corrected and expanded in my life and especially in my knowledge and closeness to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Contentment

You see, I don’t think that I’ve got it nailed. I don’t claim to have it all right. But I am seeking Him sober-minded and being watchful to the best of my ability. And I’m not relying only upon my own ability. See, He gave me this gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in me and teaches me, and convicts me, and guides me, and over time changes me. So my goal is to do my best to get out of the way and let Him shine through. Yes, Jesus Christ lives in me and in you who are believers and followers of Christ. We together are the body of Christ and He manifests himself into this world, He brings His Kingdom Come through our lives – not just our words, but through our actions and our decisions, and yes even through our innermost desires that affect our thoughts and decisions.

inward-contentment

So I don’t ask myself what did I do yesterday for Christ. Nor do I ask myself did I once upon a time say a prayer to Him. Nor do I ask myself if I will one day be able to walk with Him in heaven. I ask myself, am I walking with Him today, even now? I ask myself what am I going to do right NOW to bring Him honor and glory? What am I doing right NOW to cling to Him and to deny myself? What am I doing right NOW to remember the sacrifice that He made for me upon the cross? What am I doing right NOW to show His mercy and love to others? What am I doing right NOW to share Hope, Faith, Love and Truth from the Word of God with others?

now

So right NOW, I’m sharing with you, in hopes that we might find unity and purpose together in serving the Lord with our lives. And tonight, I’ll be attending classes and training so that I might one day be ordained and be able to expand my territory. And this week, I’ll be sharing the Good News in the jail, and in my home, and in the streets, and in church, and yes, even on the Internet so that it might through YOU reach the ends of the earth. And it won’t just be with talking about it, but doing it. Loving and caring about the people that are hurting and in need of help.

flame

So my hope is that it doesn’t stop here, but that you take this Word of God and spread it. My hope is that this light will be multiplied and spread through you to others. That’s how it works, unless it stops. So today, I hope you will choose to shine your light and share. Don’t let the light stop. Go, shine, carry the flame forth today, NOW.

And while you’re at it, be a good Berean and examine what I share closely, and be sure to hold me accountable and correct me with gentleness in anything that you might believe is in error – so that we both might be sharpened together and find unity upon this narrow path. May God bless you and  quicken you and draw you even closer into His arms as you go forth, Child of God, Servant of Man.

Additional Reading: http://www.openbible.info/topics/tricks_of_the_devil

 

hballingerLeave a comment

Building this temple or destroying it?

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV
http://bible.com/59/1co.3.16-17.ESV

We who are followers of Jesus Christ, those who believe, who repent, who surrender our lives – we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives in us. The Spirit of Truth is not for the worldly,  who are blinded by the enticements of this world, and who do not value those things eternal that truly matter. But we who are His know His voice and have a restored relationship with our Lord,  Savior,  creator,  and redeemer.

“If you love me, you will  keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:15-17 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jhn.14.15-17.ESV

This relationship is not meant so that we can continue destroying this vessel,  this temple, by participating in sin that leads to death and destruction. His offer of grace is not a license to sin and a freedom from consequences – it is an unveiling of the truth for us to understand that we are holy and set apart for His use as He reconciles us to be more and more like Himself. As we spend time with Him, the very imprint of His nature,  of His glory,  of His ways become more apparent to us and we are drawn closer and closer to Him as our lives are overcome by His presence. It is a process of growing and changing – and the trials and sufferings and persecution that we face offer the opportunity for us to demonstrate His nature instead of our own.

There is a way that we would react to trials and sufferings in our old fleshly, worldly nature – by grumbling, by focusing on material things, by becoming angry or envious if others, by focusing on ourselves. But He gives us this gift of the Holy Spirit so that we might walk in the Spirit,  not in the flesh – that we might demonstrate love to one another,  especially in those c times of v trial. And we demonstrate love through joy which is not dependent upon our circumstances. We demonstrate love through the peace that passes all understanding when the world expects us to be angry or distraught,  but we have our hope in the Lord, and that even this to shall pass and will be for His glory and honor. We demonstrate love through our patience with others and situations that are imperfect just like us.  We demonstrate love through kindness to those who we do not expect to repay us. We demonstrate love through gentleness in sharing truth and accountability with those who are lost and deceived and who have not yet received or yielded to the Holy Spirit of Truth. We demonstrate love through faithfulness to follow God’s will even when it is not the easy choice, or the obvious choice, or what we would choose for ourselves. We demonstrate love through our willingness to be long suffering for the cause of Christ because we know that the temporary sufferings of this world are nothing in comparison to an eternity with our Lord,  our Savior,  our Creator,  or God.

So we must ask ourselves, do we see Him when we read the Word of God and when we speak to Him in prayer? Do we know His nature? Do we recognize Him? Do we know Him?

My hope today is that toot answer is a bold and confident yes,  but for you who are in doubt, who have not yet found your confidence in the Lord – I ask you to call upon His promises:

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord , that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord . 
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord , an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Isaiah 55:6-13 ESV
http://bible.com/59/isa.55.6-13.ESV

“Ask,  and it will be given to you;  seek, and you will find;  knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11 ESV
http://bible.com/59/mat.7.7-11.ESV

“For  God so loved  the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not  perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John 3:16-21 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jhn.3.16-21.ESV

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 
even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 
And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;  the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Acts 2:17-21 ESV
http://bible.com/59/act.2.17-21.ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 10:9-11 ESV
http://bible.com/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.  Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:15-20 ESV
http://bible.com/59/rev.3.15-20.ESV

hballingerLeave a comment

Do you hear what I hear?

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
1 Corinthians 2:13 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1co.2.13.NLT

Godly wisdom, spiritual wisdom,  discernment.

These are things that come from being close to the Holy Spirit of God, not from reading and thinking and examining alone. Because the Pharisees,  the religious leaders of the time used human wisdom to examine the law and come up with ways to work around the letter of the law but to still have evil in their hearts – missing the whole point of the law.

This is because their minds were veiled to the truth, they were trying to understand God’s perfect and divine instruction from a perspective of worldly understanding and of intellectual reasoning and of theological debate alone – but their ears were closed to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd who brings the Word of God to life in our hearts. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God is written on our hearts,  not just loaded into our minds. Yes, this is an important difference.

A detective who has gathered all of the facts and evidence detailing the events of a crime,  but who has no insight into the desires or motivations or intent of those involved in the circumstances is not going to be very effective in reconstructing the crime – in putting together the “whole picture”. The same can be said for those who call themselves Christians. If we just have our own intellect to rely upon, we might take pieces of the Word of God and use what we like to support our own opinions while ignoring the rest. But the Holy Spirit brings us discernment, it teaches us the value of the whole Word of God, it convicts us in ways that press us into uncomfortable areas of growth,  and it chastise us in those areas where we are not in God’s will.

And just because we aren’t convicted against something doesn’t mean that it is okay for us to do. It might mean that we are refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. There are other spirit voices out there that are more than happy to tickle our ears with deception, giving us something less than God’s will to set our desires upon,  which is why we are given the Word of God to test all spirits.

Salvation isn’t a flip of the light switch and all is perfect, this is a ministry of reconciliation as we are restored to the image of Christ,  as we are taught a lesson at a time,  as we grow trial by trial and struggle by struggle,  as we choose with each breath whether we will respond in our flesh nature or allow the Holy Spirit to shine through.

Salvation isn’t a heaven ticket purchased once upon a time to someday get to turn in after we die as much as it is a race to the finish where we get to participate in seeing God’s Kingdom come and His will be done through us today and each day until we return into the fullness of His presence.

And if that sounds like works, if that sounds like striving, you can’t hear my voice – you are only looking at the written words, with no understanding of the message that I am trying to convey. You see, it isn’t out of obligation that I want to obey the Word of God – it is out of gratitude. And I am grateful because I believe, and I have discernment to understand because of the Holy Spirit alive within me.

This is why belief, faith,  is the requirement. Because without faith, we might fall into empty religious practice, lifting up sacrifices of works and ceremony,  hoping to one day trade them in for a reward,  but having no true love for God,  having no real relationship with God, having no change within our child,  hardened hearts. Because without faith,  we might see a promise of grace and use it as an excuse to remain in the darkness of our sinful lives, never seeking to be doers of the Word of God, because we were never seeking God and His righteousness, we were just hoping to escape punishment and to enjoy the treasures and reward.

But I tell myself this – since Jesus is our portion and our prize,  and since heaven is a righteous place filled with the glorious radiance of His presence all day long, every day – I can understand why before I fell in love with Him that I had no real interest in being there for eternity – but now that I know that there is nothing else worth having,  where else could I turn?

This is why I say to you,  friend,  choose today who you will serve. So not be lukewarm. If you do not love the Lord,  if you are not yet fully surrendered – take heart,  because He is eagerly awaiting you to turn to Him and follow. We,  your brothers and sisters in Christ are eagerly awaiting you to join us in running this race and seeing this fight through to the end. But know that an end is coming,  and the day will come where the goats will be separated from the sheep, and some will be sent to their destruction and eternal torment,  while others will know the glory of His presence. I do not say this to scare you into a religious conversion, because neither fear nor religion alone will bring love to your heart for your Lord and Savior – but I do tell you so that you might know the truth, so that you will not be surprised on the day of judgement. And maybe,  just maybe, you will understand Godly wisdom because you are meant to listen to that voice of the, Holy Spirit bidding you to come home to your father’s house.

He is waiting for you.
Hear His voice.
Answer the call.
Love Him.
Show it.
Serve.
Fight.
Live.