hballingerLeave a comment

I give myself away

Readings:

Exodus 29, 30

Mark 6

Proverbs 5

Exodus 29:13-14 NLT
Take all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, and burn it all on the altar. [14] Then take the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burn it outside the camp as a sin offering.

https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.29.13-14.NLT

I love considering what the various things symbolize. It is curious to me how the bull and ram sacrifices differ. The bull is a larger animal than the ram & only it’s insides were burned on the altar as an aroma to God. Everything visible was burned outside the camp as a sin offering. This reminds me how it isn’t the outwardly visible acts that are what is pleasing to God, but He wants a humble and surrendered heart.

I’m also reminded of the “Micah Mandate”:

Micah 6:8 NLT
[8] No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

https://bible.com/bible/116/mic.6.8.NLT

  • Act justly: Do what is right and fair, not just what is popular.
  • Love mercy: Show loyalty and faithfulness to God’s love by loving others.
  • Walk humbly: Be mindful of how you live before God, without arrogance.

We should look to the example of Christ in his humility and lay aside our own interests for the interests of others. Christ is our “well of goodness and hope and justice and mercy” in us, and we share that with our neighbors. 

You know,  I don’t have anything worthy to bring to the God of all creation. There is nothing that God needs from little old me or you, and isn’t it obvious that there is nothing we could do to earn a truly righteous and holy God’s favor. We’ve all made mistakes. In fact, we’ve all done things intentionally that we knew were bad, that hurt others, that hurt ourselves, that weren’t good, honest or just.

So no matter how far we’ve fallen our strayed from where we know we should be — it really isn’t about how good or bad we have been. If it was about how good or bad we’ve been, one person would say “but God made me this way” as an excuse for their wickedness — and another person would say “look how much better I am than those sinners” — and neither would know God or understand anything about Him (no matter their choice of religion or tradition).

But God offers an invitation through Jesus Christ to come as you are,  to give yourself away,  with a promise that He will do the work in and through you — that His grace and mercy and love will be sufficient to endure you through to the end. What a miraculous and very different thing than all of the false religions and checklist laws of mere men! A God who says and proves that He can and will change hearts and lives from the inside out!

I sang this worship song last night that reminds me: https://www.smule.com/sing-recording/369168369_5021686997

This is a worship medley with some impromptu free worship that I encourage you to listen to and join us in from wherever you are — consider the call of the lyrics, look to Jesus personally, and see for yourself that He is good.

Love you,  my friends!

hballingerLeave a comment

What is expected?

On a hike with a bunch of ex-military guys from church, the question came up of “What is expected of us as men?” My heart remembered an Old Testament verse that included “what is expected/required of you”, so I looked it up on my phone right there and shared it:

‭No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 NLT‬

What is expected of us?

1) Be Just

2) Love mercy

3) Walk humbly

We might look at the Ten Commandments or the list of laws and all the teachings of the prophets to find that they are teaching us these simple things about God’s person and nature. They are preparing us to be “Holy as He is Holy” — not to be some dead religious rule keeper — but a wise, just, merciful, loving being that is alive with the fire of life —  like our creator God who is Father and Friend.

hballingerLeave a comment

When no water reveals a flood of blessings…

Yesterday morning, we woke up to no water in the house. We discovered that our deep freeze had died some time ago (ruining all of the food in it) and that it had tripped the GFCI. That circuit also powers the heat wrap for our well, so we also found out that our well had frozen outside and the pipes/tank had burst.

So I put a call in to the well company and tried to figure out how I could work dealing with the well repair person and getting this freezer and ruined food to the dump in the middle of a horribly busy day.

But thankfully, I was working from home today, and I have an amazing team that I work with who are all trustworthy, hardworking, and who are supportive whenever something comes up in our “real lives” for any team member. I just let them know what was going on and that I might be AFK (away from my keyboard) a few times throughout the day dealing with everything. Mia and Mandee were also very understanding and used bottled water for getting ready for school and work.

The well ended up being really costly repairs, but we are now better prepared for the future, and the unsightly shack we had built around it is now replaced with a less noticeable fake rock. And the money that was left over from the insurance paying for my stolen truck (along with funds from our Dave Ramsey inspired “Emergency Fund”) helped us cover the expenses. No doubt, it will have implications on our budget for a year or so, but my wife and I remembered earlier times in our marriage where we would have been looking to help from others or paying high interest to cover our emergencies — and we had an opportunity to thank God together. And we got to share with so many how the unexpected situation of a stolen truck ended up being a blessing in the end.

And I was able to load up my trailer and make it to the dump literally as the last person they were letting in. I got everything unloaded and even had employees at the dump driving out right behind me to leave for the end of their day! And I made it home in time for time with family before covering a long night of scheduled maintenance work for my team that helped cover for me during the day.

Several times, as I hit what seemed like roadblocks, I just humbly prayed, “Lord, I could really use some help with ____” and thanked Him — and my wife and I had a great conversation about how amazing it is how heartfelt, surrendered prayer when we are beyond what we can control have a miraculous way of being answered time and time again. What a wonderfully exhausting and grateful sleep I had after such a crazy day!

Then, this morning I woke up to Facebook reminding me of this graphic that I created 7 years ago:

What a great reminder to do be JUST, be MERCIFUL, and be HUMBLE in everything we do.

If there is something worth making a resolution for this year, it’s that my life will better reflect these three — and I need the power of Love, the power of the Holy Spirit, of Christ in me, to fuel this into who I am at my core.

We have so much to be grateful for that even the emergencies, even the unexpected expenses, even the unexpected inconveniences have the handprints of God’s justice, His mercy, and His willingness to humble Himself to be a part of “our little lives” daily.

Thank you Jesus!

hballingerLeave a comment

The Idol of Self

Idolatry is asking a god to help us GET what we want.

Christianity is asking God to help us GIVE all we can in service to Him.

Are we rubbing a lamp looking to RECEIVE, or are we grateful and thankful seeking to SERVE?

Are we seeking glory and honor for ourselves, or looking to give God all the glory?

Are we idolaters, following a god that we’ve made up in our minds in hopes that we will receive what we ask for?

Or are we Christians, worshipping the God that created us, who we know is real, and to whom we have surrendered our lives?

Continue reading “The Idol of Self” →