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Who have you invited?

Who we invite says a lot about us.

Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”
Luke 14:14 NLT

The natural man understands these three things:

  • Inviting rich and respected people who can pay him a good return on his investment in inviting them
  • Inviting those very much like himself in appearance, standing, opinions, and passions to build support for his own causes
  • Inviting a poor man as long as his display of pity towards the man can be applauded and praised

But what about the man whose heart for them drives him to invite just as easily the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, the rich, the comfortable, the healthy, and all men of all walks of life?

Could we say that such a spiritual man was just, and impartial, and kind, and humble — and might have a glimpse at what great value lies beneath the varied outward coverings in every case?

Might we do well ourselves to lay down those familiar traditions and perspectives — and turn away from those old, natural ways of invitation contrived for the means of manipulations and exclusions?

Lord, help us to see your example of grace and mercy — giving us what we could not earn nor could we ever repay. Help us treasure this in our hearts and be molded and shaped to be more like you. Amen.

hballingerLeave a comment

A Tested, Tried, and Proven Firm Foundation

I love science, physics, math and logic — because they are based on physical evidence and verifiable truths that can be proven time and time again. There is “substance” that they are based on.

And I understand how things “unseen” or that “can’t be directly verified by our senses” can very be a challenge to comprehend, much less believe.

But the extremely cool thing about what faith has done for me over time (not like a genius granting wishes immediately), is that by establishing this connection via “faith”, I have seen the physical evidence — in my life experiences, in my thoughts, in my words, in my actions, and in my circumstances — prove time and time again the verifiable truth that my God is good and that my faith has a substantial and positive impact.

Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Love this quote:

“It is easy to mock or dismiss faith, but that’s only for those who have never truly experienced it.  For those who have experienced it, it transcends any earthly experience and makes us so certain of the Lord’s abiding presence, that we could almost reach out and lay our head on His bosom.”

A Tried Stone

https://atriedstone.wordpress.com/2021/07/16/hebrews-111-faith-is-the-subtance/comment-page-1/#comment-4667