Don’t Let Your Heart Be Hardened

December 8, 2015 By: Angela Parlin

Image By Angela Parlin

If you’ve been here recently for this journey through the book of Hebrews, do you remember the day the ocean swallowed me whole and ate my sunglasses? It was my birthday, BTW. 🙁 More importantly, do you remember the first warning issued?

Pay the most careful attention to {the Gospel} so that you do not drift away. (See that post.)

Today, we find the second warning:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

The writer of Hebrews takes us back to the desert in chapter 3–quoting Psalm 95, which summarizes Israel’s history with Moses as their leader.

So, as the Holy Spirit says, Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for 40 years they saw what I did.

They saw what He did. With their own eyes, Israel witnessed God’s wonders on their behalf, time after time. Yet they continued to turn away from Him in rebellion and unbelief.

They even wanted to return to Egypt at times. To me, that seems hard to believe. In Egypt, they were enslaved and mistreated. They were repeatedly prevented from leaving–until God intervened supernaturally–parting the Red Sea and miraculously making a way when they had run out of possibilities.

Evenso, they decided it would be better to return to Egypt. They had witnessed God’s wonders, and still they doubted His plan, His way, and His timing.

But are we any different?

When we hear God’s voice, through His Word, we are free to obey God or to turn away. We always have a choice. The Holy Spirit continues to speak through this Psalm, with the exhortation to hear God’s voice and obey, an exhortation directed at New Testament believers and applicable to us today.

We need to be careful, that we don’t have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away in doubt.

Do not harden your heart as you did in the rebellion.

When we harden our hearts–or rather let our hearts be hardened–we don’t listen for God’s voice anymore. We don’t seek God, and His voice (His Word) makes no impression on a hardened heart.

The result for Israel, was God’s wrath for continued unbelief. That generation never entered the land, the rest of God.

That’s why I was angry with that generation; I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.” So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.” (Hebrews 3)

They were perpetual wanderers. Indebted because of His grace, yet prone to wander. They willingly ignored God. They didn’t take notice of His ways, of who He really was. Who He is.

We must be on guard, brothers and sisters. See to it that none of us has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

May we be careful, and honest, and prayerful, about our wandering hearts.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.

{Excerpt from “Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing”, Robert Robinson}

*I’d love to have you join us here…Subscribe in the box to the right!

Shouldn’t We All Feel a Little Unsettled?

December 1, 2015 By: Angela Parlin

Image By Angela Parlin

Have you walked through the process of building a house?

The house we live in now is our 3rd home and the 3rd house we watched builders put together from the ground up.

Before they even broke ground, we spent hours getting to know the layout of this house. We visited the model repeatedly, making notes and snapping pictures of every corner. I poured over house plans, figuring out space for every piece of furniture, while we stayed several months in a little townhome we called, The Waiting Place.

Just a couple years after we settled in here, we felt like God wanted us to let this house go.

It didn’t make sense. Let go of our dream house, when our dream had just come true? So we listed the house while our littlest was still a baby, and we kept it wonderfully clean for showings. 🙂 But after most of a year, we again felt peace–this time, about taking it off the market.

Years later, we wonder if that whole process was about becoming willing to let go of something we loved a whole lot. We still don’t feel certain we’ll stay here, in this house.

The truth is, whether we’re in a home we consider a long-term plan or the in-between, shouldn’t we all feel a little unsettled here?

This world is not our home. We’re foreigners, passing through. But how many of us live as if that’s really true? I’m guilty of trying to create some sort of heaven on earth, starting right here within these walls.

And speaking of these walls, how amazing is it to remember that the Lord calls us–believers–His house?

And we are His house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence, and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:6b

As the house of God, we are God’s people and members of His household (Ephesians 2:19). He lives in each of us and also builds us up together as a spiritual house, the church, where He dwells among us.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

In the Old Testament, the house of God refers to Israel or the temple. When Solomon finished building His temple, He raised his hands to heaven and dedicated it to the Lord, in awe that the uncontainable God of the universe would choose to dwell alongside human beings.

“But will God really dwell on earth with humans?

The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.

How much less this temple I have built!” 2 Chronicles 6:18

Yes, the Lord desires to dwell among His people. Yes, we are now His dwelling place, if we hold firmly to our confidence and our hope in Him.

But wait. IF? So what if we don’t hold firmly? Do we lose our place in His house?

This is not about losing salvation. It’s about proving our commitment to Him.

If we are truly in Christ, we will hold Him fast. Our commitment to Him will be proven over time.

We prove we are his house if we continue to hold firmly to Him.

Speaking of holding firmly, is there anything else you need to let go of?

What are the other things for you, the ones that get in the way of your trust and dependence on the Lord alone? Isn’t it time to pry open those hands and offer them to the Lord?

Because at some point, nothing else remains. Nothing but Christ is worth holding fast.

When Cities Go Dark

November 17, 2015 By: Angela Parlin

My alarm sings, and I swipe to shut it off. CNN flashes a list of alerts again this morning, and I groan. But I cannot look away. I both want to know, and I don’t.

There’s been another earthquake while we slept; this time, Greece.

The Russian jet that crashed over Egypt two weeks back? It was definitely a bomb, an act of terror, of which ISIS claims responsibility.

They’re recapping the details of the Paris attacks, and if we listen to the warnings, the terrorists say they’re coming for Washington, D.C. next.

I fell asleep, thinking about these things, wondering what’s coming next.

But every time I start thinking about these things, I end up at Jesus.

There is nowhere else to end up, at least for someone like me, because He is the only hope we have when people go dark, when whole cities go dark.

Jesus is the only hope we have. He’s not a last resort, or an insufficient hope.

Jesus is our only hope, our only real hope.

Our terror trial might become “contained” by governments, but it’s not going to be fixed by anyone other than God Himself. In this world we were promised troubles. We have an enemy, and he’s on the prowl. We’re in a battle, whether we’re aware of it or not.

In a world where it’s easy to get lost in the details, the difficulties, and the drama–what’s needed is to fix our thoughts on Jesus.

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. Hebrews 3:1

We’ve been making our way through the book of Hebrews on Tuesdays, and it’s fitting today to begin chapter 3. To begin with, Fix your thoughts on Jesus.

It’s what I need on all the days, but especially days like these.

The writer of Hebrews speaks to Holy Brothers & Sisters, who share in the heavenly calling. In other words, believers, people who fear God and believe in Jesus who He sent.

In my post, Brothers & Sisters, Jesus proudly calls us His siblings. His Holy Siblings. And now, people who share in the heavenly calling. Do you see yourself in that light today?

We have to start believing we are who He says we are.

The word “Therefore” points us backward, to the previous chapter, where we see Jesus as Son of God, who became lower than the angels for a while, fully human in order to break the power of death over us and atone for our sins. Because of all that–all He’s done for us–we should fix our thoughts on Jesus, who is both our apostle and High Priest. As apostle, meaning “one who is sent,” Jesus was sent into the world by the Father, as He often claimed.

To understand Jesus as our High Priest, it’s important to know that in Israel, only the supreme priest, the High Priest, could enter into the presence of God, the Most Holy Place in the temple, to make atonement for the sins of the people.

But now, Jesus is our High Priest, who ushers us into the Presence of God, inviting us into the heavenly calling, so that now, we enjoy the presence of God, at all times, in every place.

May we fix our thoughts on Jesus, the One who makes us holy, who makes us family, who calls us heavenward, who invites us in.

“My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.”

(My Hope Is Built, by Edward Mote, hymnsite.com)

Jesus, You’re my hope and stay.

* I’d love to have you along for this journey…Subscribe in the box to the right. Thank you!

Brothers & Sisters

November 3, 2015 By: Angela Parlin

I remember driving down an old dirt road in Genesee County, Michigan, with Dad behind the wheel, Mom up front next to him, and three of us girls sitting in the back.

Probably not even in seatbelts, because that’s how we rolled before the whole “Buckle Up” campaign spoiled our in-car freedom.

We were headed to some gathering, I’m not even sure what, and Dad was giving us his “Remember Who You Are” speech.

Let’s not go in there kids and act like hoodlums.

He didn’t actually say it that way, but the point was, you’re part of this family, you’re a Lenhart, you belong here, and you represent us.

That speech didn’t always produce the desired results for our parents, but it instilled in us a sense of belonging. We were proud to be part of our family, at least until certain seasons of adolescence. 🙂

I was proud to call my sisters mine—except maybe when they did something really embarrassing.

But we have a Brother who sits at the right hand of God in heaven, and He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.

He is the Word who spoke us into being and now sits at God’s right hand in heaven, God who became fully human in order to restore us to holiness.

Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. Hebrews 2:11

Jesus calls us brothers and sisters, and He’s not ashamed of us.

Isn’t that amazing? Because you guys, He already knew.

He knew the lies we’d tell and the pride we’d hold onto and the sin we’d excuse away because everybody’s doing it. He knew we’d struggle to fully believe and we’d cling to fears rather than clinging to Him. He knew the hurtful words we’d say, how we’d spend our time and money, and how wrapped up in our own selves we’d be.

Still, Jesus identified with us as humans, and He calls us His family, His sisters.

How does that make you feel? Does it change your outlook today? Maybe we should meditate on it, because it will take some time to sink in.

Jesus is not ashamed to call you sister. He calls us holy, even though we are still being made holy.

Hebrews 2 goes on to quote Jesus in three instances. Jesus declares God to his brothers and sisters and they praise Him together, He calls believers the “children God has given Him”, and He says, “I will put my trust in the Lord.” (v. 13)

Jesus gave us a beautiful example of dependence on God–which is the way each of us who are God’s children are meant to live.

When I read through the gospels, I’m always struck by how often Jesus goes off on his own, to a quiet place, even in the middle of His important ministry years, in order to hear from God. He shows us what it looks like to trust in the Lord.

I haven’t mastered this kind of dependence on God, but I press on. I look to Him. I get alone with Him. I wait for Him to give me direction.

May our days be marked by trust, sisters of Jesus.

I will wait for the Lord…I will put my trust in Him. Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me… Isaiah 8:17-18

I would love to have you along for this journey with me! Subscribe in the box to the right…thank you!

When Little Aches Turn into Giants in the Night

October 27, 2015 By: Angela Parlin

Jesus Frees Us From Fear

I laid in bed last night, awakened by the wind, and my mind wandered to the ache in my daughter’s back.

I need to get her to the doctor, I thought. What if it’s something real? What if it’s not growing pains, like I suggested? What if?????

What a horrible place to find yourself in the middle of the night. You want to get back to sleep, but instead worry about little aches and turn them over into giants in your mind. I’ve faced a lot of giants in the middle of the night, but few of them towered so tall in the light of day.

When I worry about things beyond my control, it robs me of sleep and displays my lack of trust in God. In those times, I’m thinking life exists for me and what I want or need.

I remembered a verse I’d studied the day before–

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Hebrews 2:10

I repeated the phrase–God, for whom and through whom everything exists.

Everything exists FOR God and THROUGH God.

This life isn’t about me and what I want. It’s God’s world, and I’m living whatever He allows me, in His time, with His plans, for His own purposes. This brings a different perspective up against my worries and fears.

Through Jesus Christ, God brought many sons and daughters to glory.

Don’t ever forget He is a good God.

His heart is to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness, to transfer us over to the Kingdom of Light, and He accomplishes this through Jesus.

God made Jesus–the pioneer of our salvation–perfect through His sufferings. Jesus’ suffering qualified Him to redeem us. He became fully human, fully like us in our flesh and blood, which made Him able to save us, and to understand our humanity.

He suffered in all the ways we suffer. He endured life’s hassles and difficulties just like us, enduring through hunger and thirst and exhaustion and loss.

All the while, Jesus trusted in God, leaning on the everlasting arms.

All the while, God worked through His sufferings to bring about His greater purposes.

Jesus is called the pioneer of our salvation. In the Greek, this word applies to a leader, ruler, or prince.

In this context, Pioneer carries the sense of Champion–the one who came to the aid of all who were enslaved to the enemy.

He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15

At one time, the devil held the power of death over us, because of our sin. He continues to tempt us, but no longer does he hold that power over us, because Jesus frees us. The devil no longer has any claim over us as believers, because Jesus has made us right before God.

Free, free, we are free at last.

We are free from fear of death, free from fear of all the things which turn into giants in the night.

Sometimes we just need the reminder of our freedom, the reminder of Jesus and who He is and all He’s done for us.

*Will you join me here each week? Subscribe in the box to the right–Thank you for being here!

« Previous Page

Pay the most careful attention to {the Gospel} so that you do not drift away. (See that post.)

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

But are we any different?

We need to be careful, that we don’t have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away in doubt.

Share this:

Like this:

Have you walked through the process of building a house?

Just a couple years after we settled in here, we felt like God wanted us to let this house go.

The truth is, whether we’re in a home we consider a long-term plan or the in-between, shouldn’t we all feel a little unsettled here?

And we are His house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence, and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:6b

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

“But will God really dwell on earth with humans?

The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.

How much less this temple I have built!” 2 Chronicles 6:18

We prove we are his house if we continue to hold firmly to Him.

Share this:

Like this:

But every time I start thinking about these things, I end up at Jesus.

Jesus is our only hope, our only real hope.

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. Hebrews 3:1

We have to start believing we are who He says we are.

But now, Jesus is our High Priest, who ushers us into the Presence of God, inviting us into the heavenly calling, so that now, we enjoy the presence of God, at all times, in every place.

* I’d love to have you along for this journey…Subscribe in the box to the right. Thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

I remember driving down an old dirt road in Genesee County, Michigan, with Dad behind the wheel, Mom up front next to him, and three of us girls sitting in the back.

But we have a Brother who sits at the right hand of God in heaven, and He is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.

Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. Hebrews 2:11

Still, Jesus identified with us as humans, and He calls us His family, His sisters.

Jesus is not ashamed to call you sister. He calls us holy, even though we are still being made holy.

May our days be marked by trust, sisters of Jesus.

I would love to have you along for this journey with me! Subscribe in the box to the right…thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Hebrews 2:10

Everything exists FOR God and THROUGH God.

Don’t ever forget He is a good God.

In this context, Pioneer carries the sense of Champion–the one who came to the aid of all who were enslaved to the enemy.

He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15

*Will you join me here each week? Subscribe in the box to the right–Thank you for being here!

Share this:

Like this:

Compassion International