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Narrow?

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I once thought of the narrow path as a double track through the woods as compared to the multi-line highway where everyone else was, so I left the ways of my friends and ventured off into unknown territory. 

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Later,  I thought that the narrow path was the single track where I had to leave the comfort of the truck propelling me along – and instead ride my bike, pedaling along under my own power.

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Even later, I thought the narrow path was like a tight rope that I had to carefully walk perfectly so I left my bike behind, as I tried so hard to balance and to never fall off.

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And finally, I found that it was thinner than a hair and I had to leave myself behind and walk with Him. But when I did that, I learned how to soar in His strength and power.

One Way.
One Truth.
One Life.
Jesus Christ.

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Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. [Deut. 30:19; Jer. 21:8.]
Matthew 7:13-14 AMP
http://bible.com/8/mat.7.13-14.AMP

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Rare and Precious

NOW THE boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision. – 1 Samuel 3:1 AMP
http://bible.com/8/1sa.3.1.AMP

Just like in the days of Samuel,  the Word of the Lord today is “rare” and “precious” – and there is no frequent or widely spread vision. Someone might read this and say,  “but I see religious things posted all over Facebook, and there is a church on every street corner these days, how can you say it is rare?”

That question just goes to prove my point, because there is a valuable difference between the veiled or dead relationship most of the world has when it comes to the Bible – versus the life that it generates in a follower of Christ as the revealed Word of the Lord, as the vision, message, and purpose for our lives that we’ve accepted to lead and guide us. And this unveiling off His Word is for every person that accepts Christ, not just for educated or religious people.

What I’m telling you is that the revealed Word of God is bigger than our preconceived notions about a book written with ink on paper by the hands of mere mortal men. The Word of God is breathed out and inspired and it will breathe abundant life and understanding into the lives of His children, because they will recognize and hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, because it has been His same voice since the beginning.

Let’s get back to Hannah’s boy Samuel and be ministered to by his example –

Samuel wasn’t one of the sons of Eli that inherited a position as a priest, as a religious teacher. In fact, it’s the contrast of the darkness and rebellion of these hypocritical “teachers of the law” – that revealed this boy Samuel’s ministering as rare and precious. And it was because he had the vision to share the Word of the Lord, while the others just spoke of religious things. While the sons of Eli, the hereditary protests, were plunging the nation into debauchery, and making men turn away from the Tabernacle services – Hannah’s son, Samuel, was ministering unto the Lord, and even though he was no priest of Israel,  he was clearly a priest in the order of Melchezidek.

And isn’t this true of the overwhelming number of false teachers today that lead people into debauchery and lasciviousness while they print fake heaven tickets, sold for a practiced prayer and a payment plan? Aren’t these the same that are eager to speak of kingdoms and favor and honor while denying the righteousness that comes from a holy spirit of power,  love and self-control?

How rare it is today to find a Samuel. How precious it is to find someone with the vision and complete surrender to the Word of God in their life, not just in their hypocritical words.

One commentator explained Samuel as a white flower growing on top of a dunghill. I think this is a fairly accurate description of those faithful servants today who stand firmly upon the foundation and hold the Word of God as precious, rare, and more valuable than the corrupted, rebellious, and twisted opinions of men.

So we can see the contrast and identify both the value of a teacher like Samuel and the danger of teachers like the sons of Eli. But we can also see a comparison between the types of Christian “walks”. We can see a contrast between the Samuel type of faithful follower since birth growing and serving the Lord through – and the Paul type of apostle that was redeemed from being a persecutor of the church. In fact,  Timothy of the New Testament is more of the Samuel type even as he was a student of Paul.

And if we know that we are the Paul type of follower of Christ,  don’t we want our children to be the type of Samuel and Timothy who remain close and faithful to the Lord throughout their whole lives? We are grateful for the sheer quantity of sin forgiven from our lives, and the drastic change in our lives is a great assurance to ourselves and is great testimony to the redeeming power of the blood of Jesus Christ. But even through we know this life experience of a wasted youth saved by the arresting mercy of Goods grace is what makes us more earnest, humble, and whole-heartedly surrendered – we also recognize the serenity and continuity of a life grown up in the fear of God that has its own charm and blessing.

So it is my hope as a Paul type that my daughter will be a Samuel or Timothy type. McLaren comments on this passage –

“It is well to have ‘much transgression’ forgiven, but it may be better to have always been ‘innocent’ and ignorant of it. Pardon cleanses sin, and even turns the memory of it into an ally of holiness; but traces are left on character, and, at the best, years have been squandered which do not return. Samuel is the pattern of child religion and service, to which teachers should aim that their children may be conformed.”

You see,  I’ve walked that dusty road of an enemy of God changed by the blinding light at the Damascus road – and that life is not what I hope might be modeled and copied. In fact, it is the danger of that old life and the waste and ruin that it produced for a time that should cry out from the mountaintops that His way is better. I do not envy the Samuel way,  because I have died to that old life and now I walk as a new creation so that others might see my life’s testimony and choose a smarter path.

You see,  there is great value in the rare life surrendered and faithful to the Word of God. And it is so precious, that when we grasp hold off it,  when we become unveiled to its truth, we might even realize that the blessing can be given to our children as the double portion of a life like a Samuel, Timothy,  or Elisha. And I’m not just talking about our children by birth,  but doesn’t Christ bid us to go out and feed His sheep? Aren’t we each royal priests and ambassadors taking this Good News out to His children? How many might see the rate and precious life of a Samuel instead of a Paul if we were just faithful and spiritually mature and teaching them off His ways?

So are you a Paul or a Samuel?

Will the children of God you influence be satisfied being a Paul or will they know the rare and precious life of a Samuel by following the example of your life today?

Or there is one other option,  that you are neither a Paul or a Samuel – still a slave to your sin,  still lost in the darkness,  not yet a Paul or Samuel at all, not even unveiled or aware of the destruction that you have chosen for yourself.

Regardless of where you were up to this moment, choose to fill your life with more of this rare and precious Word of the Lord today. Let it breathe more abundant life into your heart. Decide to drink of this living water that Jesus Christ offers you freely and openly. Have your eyes opened to the living Word of God. Stand and walk upright,  friend.

hballingerLeave a comment

NOW THE boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision. – 1 Samuel 3:1 AMP
http://bible.com/8/1sa.3.1.AMP

Just like in the days of Samuel,  the Word of the Lord today is “rare” and “precious” – and there is no frequent or widely spread vision. Someone might read this and say,  “but I see religious things posted all over Facebook, and there is a church on every street corner these days, how can you say it is rare?”

That question just goes to prove my point, because there is a valuable difference between the veiled or dead relationship most of the world has when it comes to the Bible – versus the life that it generates in a follower of Christ as the revealed Word of the Lord, as the vision, message, and purpose for our lives that we’ve accepted to lead and guide us. And this unveiling off His Word is for every person that accepts Christ, not just for educated or religious people.

What I’m telling you is that the revealed Word of God is bigger than our preconceived notions about a book written with ink on paper by the hands of mere mortal men. The Word of God is breathed out and inspired and it will breathe abundant life and understanding into the lives of His children, because they will recognize and hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, because it has been His same voice since the beginning.

Let’s get back to Hannah’s boy Samuel and be ministered to by his example –

Samuel wasn’t one of the sons of Eli that inherited a position as a priest, as a religious teacher. In fact, it’s the contrast of the darkness and rebellion of these hypocritical “teachers of the law” – that revealed this boy Samuel’s ministering as rare and precious. And it was because he had the vision to share the Word of the Lord, while the others just spoke of religious things. While the sons of Eli, the hereditary protests, were plunging the nation into debauchery, and making men turn away from the Tabernacle services – Hannah’s son, Samuel, was ministering unto the Lord, and even though he was no priest of Israel,  he was clearly a priest in the order of Melchezidek.

And isn’t this true of the overwhelming number of false teachers today that lead people into debauchery and lasciviousness while they print fake heaven tickets, sold for a practiced prayer and a payment plan? Aren’t these the same that are eager to speak of kingdoms and favor and honor while denying the righteousness that comes from a holy spirit of power,  love and self-control?

How rare it is today to find a Samuel. How precious it is to find someone with the vision and complete surrender to the Word of God in their life, not just in their hypocritical words.

One commentator explained Samuel as a white flower growing on top of a dunghill. I think this is a fairly accurate description of those faithful servants today who stand firmly upon the foundation and hold the Word of God as precious, rare, and more valuable than the corrupted, rebellious, and twisted opinions of men.

So we can see the contrast and identify both the value of a teacher like Samuel and the danger of teachers like the sons of Eli. But we can also see a comparison between the types of Christian “walks”. We can see a contrast between the Samuel type of faithful follower since birth growing and serving the Lord through – and the Paul type of apostle that was redeemed from being a persecutor of the church. In fact,  Timothy of the New Testament is more of the Samuel type even as he was a student of Paul.

And if we know that we are the Paul type of follower of Christ,  don’t we want our children to be the type of Samuel and Timothy who remain close and faithful to the Lord throughout their whole lives? We are grateful for the sheer quantity of sin forgiven from our lives, and the drastic change in our lives is a great assurance to ourselves and is great testimony to the redeeming power of the blood of Jesus Christ. But even through we know this life experience of a wasted youth saved by the arresting mercy of Goods grace is what makes us more earnest, humble, and whole-heartedly surrendered – we also recognize the serenity and continuity of a life grown up in the fear of God that has its own charm and blessing.

So it is my hope as a Paul type that my daughter will be a Samuel or Timothy type. McLaren comments on this passage –

“It is well to have ‘much transgression’ forgiven, but it may be better to have always been ‘innocent’ and ignorant of it. Pardon cleanses sin, and even turns the memory of it into an ally of holiness; but traces are left on character, and, at the best, years have been squandered which do not return. Samuel is the pattern of child religion and service, to which teachers should aim that their children may be conformed.”

You see,  I’ve walked that dusty road of an enemy of God changed by the blinding light at the Damascus road – and that life is not what I hope might be modeled and copied. In fact, it is the danger of that old life and the waste and ruin that it produced for a time that should cry out from the mountaintops that His way is better. I do not envy the Samuel way,  because I have died to that old life and now I walk as a new creation so that others might see my life’s testimony and choose a smarter path.

You see,  there is great value in the rare life surrendered and faithful to the Word of God. And it is so precious, that when we grasp hold off it,  when we become unveiled to its truth, we might even realize that the blessing can be given to our children as the double portion of a life like a Samuel, Timothy,  or Elisha. And I’m not just talking about our children by birth,  but doesn’t Christ bid us to go out and feed His sheep? Aren’t we each royal priests and ambassadors taking this Good News out to His children? How many might see the rate and precious life of a Samuel instead of a Paul if we were just faithful and spiritually mature and teaching them off His ways?

So are you a Paul or a Samuel?

Will the children of God you influence be satisfied being a Paul or will they know the rare and precious life of a Samuel by following the example of your life today?

Or there is one other option,  that you are neither a Paul or a Samuel – still a slave to your sin,  still lost in the darkness,  not yet a Paul or Samuel at all, not even unveiled or aware of the destruction that you have chosen for yourself.

Regardless of where you were up to this moment, choose to fill your life with more of this rare and precious Word of the Lord today. Let it breathe more abundant life into your heart. Decide to drink of this living water that Jesus Christ offers you freely and openly. Have your eyes opened to the living Word of God. Stand and walk upright,  friend.

hballingerLeave a comment

Jan 15, 2016 – Dinner on Fridays

Psalm 9
English Standard Version (ESV)

I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.

Selah

17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

The verses in Psalm 9 tell us about:

1-2: How believers behave
3-4: How enemies behave
5-6: What enemies face
7-8: His Judgement
9-10: His Mercy
11-14: Believers’ response to His mercy
15-17: Warning to the wicked
18-20: Where Wisdom is found

Questions

What do believers do? (Psalm 9:1-2, 10, 11, 14) (1 Chronicles 29:10-20) ( Colossians 3:17) (1Thessalonians 5:18) (1 Peter 2:9)

What are believers lives filled with? (Psalm 9:2) (Hebrews 13:15) (1 Peter 1:3, 2:5) (Ephesians 5:19)

What do enemies do? (Psalm 9:3, 13, 16, 17, 19) (1 John 3:6) (Phillipians 2:15) (Matthew 24:10-13) (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

How does God judge? (Psalm 9:4-5, 7-8, 16, 19) (2 Timothy 2:19) (Romans 6:23) (Psalm 37:27-29)

What is in store for the enemies?  ( Psalm 9:5-6, 16-17, 20) (Matthew 25:46) (Revelation 21:8) (2 Thessalonians 1:9) (Psalm 145:20) (Hebrews 10:26-31)

What is His throne established for? (Psalm 9:7) ( Revelation 20:11-15) (Hebrews 9:27)

What does He judge people with?  (Psalm 9:7-8) (Ecclesiastes 12:14) (Deuteronomy 32:4) (John 12:48) (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) (Galatians 5:19-21) (Jude 1:7)

Who receives God’s mercy? ( Psalm 9:9-10, 12) (1 Corinthians 6:11) (Matthew 5:7) (Luke 6:36) (James 2:13) (Hebrews 4:16)

How do believers respond to receiving His mercy? ( Psalm 9:11, 14) (Colossians 3:12) (1 Peter 1:3) (Luke 6:37) (James 2:12-13)

What is in store for the wicked? ( Psalm 9:16-17) (Romans 1:18-2:9) (Revelations 21:8)

Where can we find Hope?  (Psalm 9:18-20) (Romans 2:10-16) (Jeremiah 29:11) (Romans 5:2-5) (Psalm 39:7) (Isaiah 41:10) (Romans 8:24) (Ezekiel 18)

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Lean and weak or fat and strong?

I read this and it continues to remind me that I’m just a fellow sheep and not the shepherd,  not the teacher, I’m a student – at best I’m a messenger and servant. I hope we can remain lean and weak (dependent upon God), not fat and strong (pridefully confident in ourselves), friends.

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God : Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.  “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : As I live, declares the Lord God , surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : Thus says the Lord God , Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. 

“For thus says the Lord God : Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God . I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. 

“As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God : Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord , will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord ; I have spoken.
Ezekiel 34:2-24 ESV
http://bible.com/59/ezk.34.2-24.ESV

My ears really perk up and my pulse quickens a bit at hearing this and having to check myself: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy.”

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Would you trade Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty for Hope, Faith, and Love?

Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.

These are characteristics of men and women that are valued,  advertised,  bought and sold for a price. A man can buy himself wisdom from a university,  or from becoming an apprentice in his trade or craft – by offering money,  or time in servitude, or loyalty and honor. A man can buy himself strength in exercise and training regiments or in the many contrived and created potions of the amazing advances in medical science which continue to manipulate with greater and greater precision the resources of this world to the benefit of those that can afford it. We can buy ourselves beauty in the expensive garments and coverings and scents that we mask ourselves in, or under the hand of the knife that cuts and alters our bodies under the skillful hand of those trained in such things.

You see,  all of these three (Wisdom, Strength,  and Beauty) come at a price, and all of the three are but temporary and do not last. Have you not seen a man old in his years that was once bright and brilliant and firm of mind,  but whose mind is now but a shadow of what was before? Have you not seen that same man old in his years who is weak and feeble and no longer firm of body and the strength that he once possessed? And whether it is easier to discuss as an old man or as a woman,  does experience not confirm for you that beauty disappears with age?

But in all these things, we have been speaking of outward things, of things of the physical world, of this of the flesh. And since the flesh just like this temporary world has its eventual end, it should not surprise is that these things are temporary when we are speaking from a purely human perspective.  But what if instead, we decided to speak of these same things from a spiritual and God centered perspective?

Hope, Faith, and Love.

If I decide to talk about spiritual wisdom, and enlightenment about heavenly things and the ways of God,  I cannot learn these things through the normal ways of education and study. This type of illumination, when true and not falsified, is given by God. It is revealed, not learned, because these things are of the Spirit and the heart and not of the mind. So this heavenly Wisdom is found in Hope, not in our own striving or studying. And it is the type of wisdom that God can impart just as powerfully to the simpleton as to the learned, proving that He is not a resource of titles or positions or persons. In fact, it is the fear of God when found, that demonstrates to us or need for such spiritual wisdom and guidance. And it is His response to our asking, knocking and seeking that unveils us to His truths.

And if I am talking about spiritual strength, it is clear that this is Faith in God, because without his ordain in it and allowing it,  I have no spiritual power or authority over things in that realm of existence. In fact,  even to perceive and discern the goings on of the spiritual from just the visible  evidence in the world around us requires a great deal of faith – as we dismiss the concepts of irrefutable logical progression and cause and effect and open our minds to the possibilities of miracles,  signs, wonders and influences outside of our comfortable control.

And finally,  if we are talking of inward beauty,  spiritual beauty,  we must be talking about love – that pure, undefiled measure of love that is full of things like joy,  peace, patience,  kindness,  gentleness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  and self-control.

And can’t we agree that when comparing the parallels between the temporary and physical nature of the first three to the eternal and spiritual nature of the other three that it becomes quickly evident which set is more valuable? Or do you believe that I’ve made a leap in logic in assuming that the spiritual is eternal?

Yes, this could be an argument in and of itself but do you not agree that Hope does not weaken with age but that those who have caught hold of hope and faith in their lives, that it is the very thing they grasp hold of most firmly at the end and that provides them a peace and readiness to move on to what lies ahead? And can we agree that the love that is poured out of these people’s words,  actions,  and service to others lives on after them as it is planned and grows and continues spreading as a result of their life’s example?

Then I wonder how often we decide to chase after the lesser, temporary things of this world, while giving up on the greater blessings? I wonder how often we are more interested in those things that we can strive for and buy for ourselves? I wonder how often we short change ourselves by settling for something less than the gifts and blessings and riches of God’s glory that He has in store for His children.

So let’s trade in our Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty – for His Hope, Faith, and Love.

God bless,  dear friends.

hballingerLeave a comment

Seeking evidence or having faith

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:29 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.20.29.NLT

Do we believe without seeing proof?

Matthew 16:4
Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

Are we seeking after miraculous signs and wonders and the demonstrated physical evidence of measurable results?

Revelation 16:14 ESV
For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

Do we realize that signs and wonders are not necessity evidence of true prophets or of teachers of truth?

Matthew 24:24 ESV
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Shouldn’t we examine the fruit as signs of the motives of those practicing signs and wonders to see if they are living lawlessly, being aware of any evidence that their activity is of Satan?

2 Thessalonians 2:9 ESV
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,

Can’t we see that seeking the supernatural isn’t necessarily seeking the will of the one true God?

Can’t we see that seeking spiritual things isn’t necessarily seeking a restored relationship with the one true God?

Unity within the body of believers and avoiding the foolish controversies over the traditions and dogma of men is good,  but there is no unity between light and darkness,  there is no unity between truth and lies.

A “Christian” that is not at war against sin, darkness and the evil principalities of this world – can they make their claims by name alone?

“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

hballingerLeave a comment

I can have my hearts desire

I can have my heart’s desire.

I wonder if that is as much of a warning as it should be, or if people glance over it as being a Hallmark greeting card, a promise for prosperity.

I wonder what percentage of most church goers’ budgets go to tithing, helping the needy, supporting orphans and widows. I wonder what percentage of their time is dedicated to loving God and loving others,  remembering Christ, surrendering their will to be a living sacrifice to honor the Lord?

I wonder what percentage of most organized religions budgets actually go to help the needy,  the addicted, the widows and the orphans who have no money to offer in return for the services provided? Compared to how much money is spent to provide services and benefits and comfort to those who will bring in more money.

How often do I examine my expenses to see what it tells me about my priorities?

How often do I examine the use of my time to see what it tells me about my priorities?

Is God clearly a priority or just an after thought?

Don’t my priorities truly reflect my heart’s desire?

If I am trusting an organization with the Lord’s money, what does their budget say about their priorities?

Do these priorities line up with the biblical call placed upon bodies of Christ followers serving as His Kingdom come on earth, as the body of Christ alive and at work reconciling this world to Christ?

Are they preferential towards those that can benefit them or are they open handed to the poor who have no material benefits to offer them?

Are they building up cults of personality following a charismatic teacher, there for the show,  just to have them all turn away when they encounter the cost of Discipleship,  a dedicated,  life-long commitment to becoming more like Christ?

“One who is  faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.  If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?  No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luke 16:10-13 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.16.10-13.ESV

Are we proving ourselves trustworthy with the resources entrusted to us by God, and are we using them to His glory and honor?

Are we trusting our eternally valuable souls to those whom we can’t even trust to make proper use of money?

We are to be like Christ.

1 John 2:6 ESV
Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Peter 2:21 ESV
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Christ is perfect. We are to be reconciled to Christ,  glory upon glory,  becoming more like Christ. Striving for perfection, walking His walk.

John 13:13-17
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV
To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Galatians 3:27 ESV
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Romans 8:29 ESV
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Is it our heart’s desire to be more like Christ? Do we desire Him most of all?

“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
http://bible.com/116/mat.22.36-40.NLT

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Reflecting on our life. Today? Tomorrow?

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
http://bible.com/116/2co.3.18.NLT

Usually when people talk about “reflecting on their lives” it is about the past. But God tells us about a type of reflecting on our lives that is for today and for our future. It is the reflecting of His glory in our lives.

It is the outpouring of His very Spirit and nature into our lives, as we become more and more like Him. And it is a process – not that we are yet perfected, but that is our aim and our goal – to become more and more like Christ each day.

May you be unveiled to the Truth and the Hope that is found in Christ Jesus, God comein the flesh, to die on the cross, as a sacrifice to bring you back into communion with the Lord, God Almighty, the Holy Spirit. May your life today reflect even more of His glory than it did yesterday. And may you continue to grow and be changed into His glorious image. Amen.

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Follow our example

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.
Philippians 3:17 NLT
http://bible.com/116/php.3.17.NLT

Will others around you look more like Christ by imitating you, by following in the footsteps of your life?

This question might either humble you by the lack of Christ’s power in your daily walk – or it might humble you in fear that you might judge others by considering more of yourself than you really are. However, if it immediately instills confidence in you about your spiritual state in comparison to others, I hope that there is a measure of humility paired with that boldness or you might be in pride, friend. This is the self examination that this verse leads me to initially.

To understand why I say that, it’s important to look at the surrounding verses, not just use cookie cutter verses to support our own opinions and desires and agendas. Even the devil tried to twist single verses of scripture to justify following His own purposes:

and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ”
Matthew 4:6-7 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.4.6-7.NLT

You see, the whole of scripture is where truth is found,  because the Word of God is truth. We are told to use the Word of God to test all spirits,  to examine all thoughts, tovtake them captive and to guard or hearts. The one truth, the one way,  the one life – found in Jesus Christ – is the life that is not in conflict with even a single verse of the Scripture.  And that is the example that we are to press in to follow. We might not yet be perfected,  but that is our aim and our goal.

When taking Paul’s bold statement of “follow our example” within the context of Paul’s message, we can understand that it is part of a message that is both humble and bold. You see,  Paul has just acknowledged that he doesn’t value his own efforts and that he doesn’t claim to have yet reached his goal,  but that he is striving and pressing on towards it. And it is this attitude of desperate pursuit of the Lord, it is this attitude of following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ that he is encouraging us to imitate. He is not saying “measure yourselves by my stack of evidence”, he is saying “measure yourself by Christ’s example, find yourself not yet a completed work,  and keep drawing closer to the Lord’s will until you are fully reconciled to be like your teacher” – because that is what I am doing.

Just before Paul’s statement encouraging them to follow his example,  Paul says:

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:8-14 NLT
http://bible.com/116/php.3.8-14.NLT

He isn’t speaking from a place of pride in himself. He is talking from a place of awe and wonder over this example laid out for us in Christ Jesus, God come in the flesh to bring light to a world of darkness.  He is talking from a place of faith where he sees the power of Christ changing his own life to be more Christ-like as he follows in His footsteps. He is testifying that He is a new creation in Christ. And he knows this because of the change in his life, because he is no longer participating in lawlessness,  he is no longer a slave to sin, He is a believer, follower, friend, and lover of God. And this has a marked effect on a life. The Holy Spirit is one of power,  love and self-control – which is quite different from the ways of the flesh and sin.

May your life be surrendered to the will and purpose of God, and to following in His footsteps, and to being and example and not a stumbling block to others – may you be the imperfect but striving church, alive and growing – so that you can say “follow our example”. Amen.