How Did Sunday Worship Arise?

From Sabbath to Sunday:

               Nowhere in the Bible does it authorize a change from the day of worship of Saturday to Sunday. If there is no biblical evidence that Christ or His disciples changed the day of worship from the Seventh day, then how did so many Christians come to accept Sunday in its place?

                The change from Sabbath to Sunday worship came gradually. The church of Rome, largely made up of Gentile believers (Rom. 11:13), led in the trend toward Sunday worship. In Rome, strong anti-Jewish sentiments arose, becoming even stronger as the time passed. Reacting to these sentiments, Christians in the town were trying to distinguish themselves from the Jews. They dropped some practices held in common with the Jews and initiated a trend away from the veneration of the Sabbath, moving toward the exclusive observance of Sunday.   

                From the 2^nd to the 5^th centuries, while Sunday was rising in influence, Christians continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath nearly everywhere throughout the Roman Empire. In the 4^th and 5^th centuries many Christians worshiped on both Sabbath and Sunday. Sozomen, a historian of that period, wrote, “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria.” This reference demonstrates Rome’s leading role in disregarding Sabbath observance.

                Why did those who were turning from worship on the seventh day choose Sunday and not another day of the week? A major reason was that Christ was resurrected on Sunday; in fact, it was alleged that He had authorized worship on that day. “But, strange as it may seem, not one writer of the second and third centuries ever cited a single Bible verse as authority for the observance of Sunday in the place of the Sabbath. Neither Barnabas, nor Ignatius, nor Justin, nor Clement of Rom, not Cyprian, nor any other author who lived near to the time when Jesus lived know of any such instruction from Jesus or from any part of the Bible.”

                The popularity and influence that the sun worship of the pagan Romans accorded Sunday undoubtedly contributed to its growing acceptance as a day of worship. It was “one of the oldest components of the Roman religion.” This popular religion made its impact on the early church throughout the new converts.

                The fourth century saw the introduction of Sunday laws. First, Sunday lays of a civil nature were issued; then came Sunday laws of a religious character. The emperor Constantine decreed the first civil Sunday law on March 7, A.D. 321. In view of Sunday’s popularity amount the pagan sun worshipers and the esteem in which many Christians regarded it, Constantine hoped that, by making Sunday a holiday, he could ensure the support of these 2 constituencies for his government. His law reflected his background in sun worshiping; it read, “On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits”.

                The Council of Laodicea (c. A.D. 364), which was not a universal council but a Roman Catholic one, issued the first ecclesiastical Sunday law. In canon 29 the church stipulated that Christians should honour Sunday and “if possible, do no work on that day,” while it denounced the practice of resting on the Sabbath, instructing that Christians should not “be idle on Saturday, but shall work on that day.”

                In A.D. 538, the year marked as the beginning of the 1260-year prophecy, the Roman Catholic Third Coucil of Orleans issued a law even more severe than that of Constantine. Canon 28 says that on Sunday even “agricultural labour ought to be laid aside, in order that the people may not be prevented from attending church.”

The 1977 edition of The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine contains this series of questions and answers:

“Q. Which day is the Sabbath day?
“A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.
“Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
“A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”

REFERENCE:
What Seventh-day Adventists Believe

T'was The Night Before Jesus Came

T’was the night before Jesus came and all through the house,
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were laid on the shelf without care,In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl in their bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap,
Was watching the late show while I took a nap.

When out of the east there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was a matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment that this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head,
It was Jesus returning just like He had said.
And although I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held on His hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as he searched for my name,
When He said, “it’s not here”, my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose heaven bound,
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late,
I waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and cried as they rose out of sight,
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear,
The coming of Jesus is drawing so near.
There’s only one life and when comes the last call,
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!


-Via Email: Author Unknown

Only God Knows

When things don't seem to be going right,
look to God for guidence and the
patience you need to endure the trial.

-Precious Moments painting by Bailey Muller

“Leave all your anxieties and worries with Him because He cares for you.”       – 1 Peter 5:7 ClearWord

               

                It was last year and I had gotten the letter I was anticipating; my acceptance into Advance Placement American History. I didn’t really have a particular predilection for history, but an AP class would look superior on my report card and to different colleges who would be considering my application in the future. I had constantly strived to challenge myself so this was seemingly the course for me. As I was handed the letter, my teacher briefly stated the essay that was mandatory to write in order to be enrolled...but I shrugged it off thinking nothing of it.

            Weeks passed and I was once again reminded that the essay date was quickly approaching. I made a mental note to write it on my calendar and make sure I didn’t miss it. When I got home and looked to see when I would have to write the paper, I was quick to realize that it fell on a weekend, and not just any day...but the Sabbath. Now I had a dilemma. I could take it on God’s set day of rest or not show up and miss the great opportunity that was within reach. My mind kept going over the possible outcomes of each road and then, I finally made the decision that I was going to take the test; after all, it’s not like I would be doing anything for my enjoyment...actually, I was pretty sure it would be very UNenjoyable. I figured it would be easier to just ask God for forgiveness than it would be to ask acceptance without the obligatory essay. (We should NEVER have this frame of mind. God expects us to follow His word, especially Sabbath. When we figure we can do what we want and play the “innocent” game later...God can’t truly forgive us.)

            Friday night, I kept recalling different texts that acknowledged God’s children as those who keep His Sabbath day holy and the more I thought about it, the greater guilt I felt of my previous mind-set. While lying in bed, I played with the various ways God could work it out if I didn’t take the essay...he could allow me to take it another day, perhaps not require me to write it at all, or MAYBE he was going to send me to Fountainview like I had been praying so fervently for...perhaps THAT’S why it was scheduled for Sabbath, because if I didn’t take it, it wouldn’t matter with me attending a different school. I figured God would work it out one of those ways, so I grudgingly shrugged off the idea and remained home that Sabbath afternoon rather than heading off to my school.

            Before school commenced this year, I knew that my attending Fountainview was out of the picture. There had been certain complications that prevented my presence, so what was God thinking when He stirred in my heart not to go take my essay!? Why didn’t He work something out? Did He not realize how important this was to me? I began school, yet longed to be in my AP class I had primarily been planning on participating in. As my school year has been progressing, however, my friend shares with me daily the struggles of the class. 50 note cards a week (full front and back) and a huge test on it all with an average of 3 people per class that receive the highest mark of 80% (most students actually failing). Looking at it now, I am so thankful that, even though I didn’t get to go to Fountainview like I had envisioned or be present in the class, God kept me from taking this difficult course.

            Sometimes the situations we are in don’t seem to be heading in the direction we had planned. If everything seems to be falling apart before your very eyes, take all your anxieties, stresses, and worries away and set them before your Heavenly Father. We may not see the positive side right away (like me, where it took over a year), and we may never see why specific circumstances fall into place, but when we get to heaven and see how perfectly God planned our lives, we will praise Him even MORE. Patiently endure your trials, and place your hope and trust in Him. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and pray for God’s will.

Can our "denomination" save us?

            I recently read an email from a friend of mine whom I've been keeping in contact with lately. It arose an interesting point of Christianity and whether or not our denomination can bring us salvation.

            When I was substantially younger I remember thinking that Adventism was the one and only way people could be saved. I began to feel sympathy toward those who were Catholic and Mormon and all the others who weren’t under the name Adventist. I recall a time when I deliberated the question, “If Adventism is the precise direction to pursue then why are there so many other various forms of Christianity and well...religion in general?”

            My answer came to surface when my eyes fell upon Matthew 3:9 which states, "Don't say to me, 'We're [Abraham's descendants], so nothing can happen to us.' That means absolutely nothing as far as your salvation is concerned, because God could create all the children of Abraham He wants to out of these rocks!" The different denominations arose from the various “interpretations” of Bible texts. I believe if the Bible is open to interpretation then God’s primary intention is lost in our feeble minds! If we could understand everything God set before us, we would be equal with Him. That is never and will never be the case! We will not always understand everything and that is the way God wanted it to be. When we have questions over text, we need to pray that God will give us guidance and wisdom to understand that specific portion. We are never to alter God’s Word, adding to or subtracting anything He said; when we do so, it becomes an enormous stumbling block in many peoples’ faith. God has called us to live in accordance to HIS Word; that’s it. We are to read and live the Bible in our everyday lives, to accept Jesus as our risen Saviour, to follow the 10 commandments from the adoration we have for Him, and to listen when God calls on us to do more for Him.

            This brings me to my conclusion...denomination, form, religious “name”...none of that will put a stamp next to your name “SAVED”. Salvation comes from works, works come from faith, and faith comes from the love we have for our Heavenly Father, Creator, and Deliverer.

He's Holding Everything Together

“He existed before anything was created, and by His power everything continues to hold together” Colossians 1:17

            Look at the world and all there is in it...what do you see? Is it evolution from a single atom that scientists still don’t know the origin of? And if we take an even closer look at the atom...secular scientists still have no idea what is keeping it together! They have a “theory” called the strong force and it’s as scientific as it sounds; a force holding the protons of the atom together. Bear with me as I share with you the construction of the atom. It is a complex structure made up of protons and neutrons. Protons (being positive) attract only to electrons (which are negative)...meaning that the protons repel other protons. So HOW then does the atom, which composes all things, stay intact? Protons should repel each other; so why are they bonded so securely? No worldly scientist knows, but we as Christians do. God holds all things together as Colossians 1:17 states.

            Those who defer from God and His creation, tend to spend much more time pondering different aspects of the world, when really...God tells us right in His word! For example, the earth being round is found in Job 26:10, “He draws a circle on the surface of the ocean’s horizon...” and Isaiah 40:22, “God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth...” God has given us the answers long before they were accepted and discovered.

            Yesterday I went to the dentist and learned something interesting from the lady cleaning my teeth. You see, I was born without one of my molars having an adult tooth behind it (a very common thing), so I should have my “baby tooth” for pretty much my whole life. She told me that the little tooth is very peculiar however, because with all the medical research, knowledge, and various studies...that tooth should fall out! They have no idea why, with all the different forces trying to push it out, it stays. When I heard that it really reminded me of God’s holding power. He holds the world together in His perfect hands and He’s the one that makes the world run like a timely clock. It also portrayed in my mind the life of a Christian. We are faced with many struggles, trials, persecutions, and to the extent of torture, yet seem to stay totally intact and at peace. People around and living within our life’s atmosphere don’t understand why we do the things we do with such concord.  What holds them together? Our Saviour!

            When I hear people questioning how this world is running, how it’s being held together, how it “evolved”...it makes me want to yell to the heavens, “DON’T YOU KNOW GOD!? DON’T YOU KNOW HOW FLAWLESSLY HE CREATED THIS WORLD, AND HOW HE HOLDS US AND EVERYTHING IN IT TOGETHER!? Would you like me to help you understand? Shall we pray together so He can give you the wisdom and understanding you need?” I wish I had the boldness and courage that I have in my thoughts...I tend not to be that straight forward with my remarks, but sometimes I wish I had. Though these scientists are questioning, I’m so glad that we have been given the answer.

FACTS FROM THE BIBLE:
A. Job 26:7, “He...hung the earth upon nothing” – God created the Earth and placed it in space...in “nothingness”
B. Isaiah 40:22; Job 26:10 (See above in 2^nd paragraph.)
C. Job 28:25, “He weighted the winds” – Long before scientists knew, God told us that air had weight.
D. Colossians 1:17, “By His power, everything continues to hold together.” (See above in 1^st paragraph.)

I have a request!

Windy night playing with fire! :D

Dear people of the online world, bloggers, followers, passing by-ers, and if you do not fit any of those categories...then you too!,
I have been contemplating over this particular ... thing (specific, I know). It's a question that has somewhat to do with my last post and I would really appreciate each and every one of your thoughts on the specific subject.

Category: Doing something to keep peace.
That's the broad side of it! If you would like to help me out by giving me your opinion than please email me at baileymuller@gmail.com so I can share with you the further story.

And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, or what I'm trying to say...just email me anyway! It is must easier to explain in detail.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and the picture was just to get your attention ( :


Verse of the day: "So be strong and full of courage. Don't give up serving the Lord. The work you do for Him will be rewarded." 2 Chronicles 15:7 (Clear Word)

Stoking the Fire Within

Human: God, please protect me.
*Hit by stone*
Human: Why God? Why!?
Jesus: I'm sorry, did I miss one? Are you alright?

                This is a rather general post because too much information is never always necessary. In due time, however, I believe God will use my stories, my encounters, my trials, and my simple testimony to help strengthen the walk of others. As of now...I’m hoping these little notes will suffice.

                Although my Thanksgiving break was rather uneventful, entertainment-wise, God never lets me down spiritually. Faced with a struggle that was diffusing my inner peace and tempting me to lash out at a certain individual, God gave me strength and showed me the amity that can evolve from a deep walk and total dependence on the Deliverer.

                Many things this weekend have erected new questions within... many things have grown me and rooted my life deeper in the Source... and many-a-time did God know explicitly the reason behind each one. Every time I was discouraged, it led to more fervent prayer and study. Every time I had the urge to throw out a few harsh comments to set things straight, it led to the cementing of verses such as “Love your enemies” in my heart.  Whenever I had a question, God was listening. Whenever I was confused and knelt before Him asking Him to forgive me and my war opponent, He forgave and lent me a helping hand.

                So a question I’ve been running through my mind...Should we do things just to keep peace? It depends on the variable, am I right? I believe God calls us to treat everyone as brothers and sisters in Christ. Siblings fight? Sure thing! Usually over simple things such as who gets the bigger piece of cake, who gets to sit in the front seat, who’s right. Jesus calls us to keep peace in these situations; but when something bigger arises...such as watching a certain movie that defiles God’s name, listening to a song that hails Satan, surrendering our beliefs to allow the “comfort” of others...does God want us to give in for the benefit of those around us? No. We are called to not waver like the waves of the sea, but to stand firm in the Lord. We just need to “pick our battles” and know when it’s okay to lay down our arms.    

                Should we run from every hurdle that seems virtually too high for us to conquer? Never. God places certain struggles, certain people, certain entertainment, specific things to help us grow! He never does so to tear us down and see when we will collapse. He is testing our faith. When we can say no to that movie, find something else to do than listen to that tainted song, and stand up for our beliefs no matter what others think it shows our Heavenly Father that we care about Him and not the view of man.

                So back to my weekend. Boring? Oh yeah! But did God work in my heart and continue to stoke my fire for Him? More than you know. (:

When Death is Immanent...

            Praise the Lord for His divine protection! My dad, brother and I were on our way home from a nursing home where we were playing instruments and singing hymns for the elderly who came to listen, and were reiterating the good time we had...when there were lights heading in our direction; there was a car coming directly toward us. My dad luckily had just enough room on the edge of the road to veer off, scarcely evading the vehicle. My heart was hammering as my dad hastily turned our car around and trailed behind the Sierra GMC pick-up. The truck was pulled to the side of the road sitting there for approximately 5-10 minutes before driving a few inches, hitting the breaks, stepping out of the car in attempt to reattach his sock, glancing at our car, and stumbling his way over in endeavour to talk to us. After explaining to us that he was on his way home (which apparently wouldn’t take long at all), that he was limping because he was shot in the leg at work, readdressing his story and elucidating how he was shot in the ear, and telling us it wasn’t necessary to follow him home because he lived in London (30+ minutes away)...he faltered his way back to his truck and slowly lurched out into traffic once again. By this time my dad had the phone in his hand and dialling 911 in effort to reach the police. My dad was on the phone the entire time as we continued to pursue the red vehicle; as we approached a round-about, he stopped (seeming as though he didn’t know where to go) and then entered it...driving in the opposite direction!! He exited the entry ramp as a car was approaching and was feet away from another deathly collision! We followed again, and the truck stopped, did a u-turn, and came to the round-about once again (this time travelling in the right direction); as he exited, he stopped, did another u-turn, and when he realized we were still following he stopped in the middle of the road and walked toward our car (remember, my dad was still on the phone with the police at this time)...he came over and said his house was right up the street and that we could leave (we had barely gotten anywhere) but as he went back to his truck the cops showed up and escorted him to the police car. We remained there and after conversing with the outwardly appearing 55 year old man, a police woman came to our car asking for candy saying that the man was a diabetic and needed it. Having none, she thanked us for the call and we were waved off to go home.
            Now, does it seem that this man was a diabetic? Perhaps, maybe that was a factor, yet there seemed to be more wrong when you think about it, doesn’t there?
            Either way, we left it at that. We were praising the Lord all the way home and thanking Him for sending His angels to keep us safe through the almost unavoidable accident, and from a man that potentially could have been much more dangerous. We live to see another night, which we spent reading Psalm 91...what we call the 911 verse of the Bible.

Taking a Stand

            Last night I faced a struggle that I could no longer push to the recesses of my mind. I could sense God calling me; beckoning in such a way that could not be ignored. Conviction in my heart was stirred and I am now striving to attain what I've been entitled to do. I previously asked God what He required me to do so I could grow and root myself still deeper in Him. God knows of my weaknesses and comfort zone limitations and He has asked me to extend my limits to the breaking point.
            Today at school I knew unerringly what God wanted me to do...He reminded me that “If you deny me in front of your friends, I will deny you in front of my Father.” Matthew 10:33. Praying in front of anyone that I know won’t understand is an existent struggle that I have yet to accomplish. Today I heard God’s voice calling and asking, “Is you’re comfort more vital than I am?” I promised Him that I would not eat my lunch at school if I couldn’t pray and show gratitude to the Lord for the food He so graciously provided for me.
            Sad to say, I went without eating lunch today. I sat there with my mind off in the distance thinking of what a cowardly Christian I am and how much more I need to focus my ENTIRE being on Christ. I opened the Fountainview Academy devotional and today’s quote was from Help in Daily Living pg 26, “We are to live, not to guard our feelings or reputation, but to save souls.” God is speaking directly to me and I need not to harden my heart, but to break out of this warm little bubble I’ve surrounded myself in and proclaim His name. God obviously has a lot of work to do in my heart...but I am willing. I will still not eat lunch until I have overcome my fear of the criticism others may throw at me. He is working, now it’s my job to respond with an eager heart.  

Innocence of a Child

“Unless people are as trusting as these little children, they cannot possibly have part in God’s kingdom.” Mark 10:15 ClearWord

            School was always an occasion of excitement, chaos, and learning. Running around, participating in class, then partaking in an assortment of games during recess were some of the reasons I loved going to school. However, I remember one particular day when my class had the opportunity to enjoy show and tell. Being in grade 1, the teacher had requested each of us to bring in something we cherished to class and illustrate it to the other students. There was no doubt in my mind what I loved and wanted to share.

            Being called up to the front of the room, I didn’t have the jitters or even second thoughts on what I was about to say. I didn’t care what people would think of me or my favourite thing. I was going to share with the class what I loved and that’s all there was to it.

            “For show and tell I brought my favourite thing; my Bible. I love my Bible and I read it every night.” I exclaimed as I held up my pink precious moments Bible for the entire class to see.

            Today, I am apprehensive when it comes to sharing my faith and why I do or don’t do certain things because of my religion and beliefs. I have second thoughts when I’m about to share Christ with someone who won’t accept, and I tend to care what people think of me and my desire to serve God. However, God is stirring conviction in my heart and reminding me that I should be as innocent as a little child. Whenever I think of this story of my past...it is reminiscent to me in that I should act the same way I did then, as I do now. God wants us to act like children in faith because of their innocence and because they don’t analyse things over and over in their mind to come up with the least painful outcome. I am working with God right now and praying for courage, faith, trust, and boldness like that of a child. I want to be able to proclaim His name wherever and whenever needed.

"I AM"

               Say you’ve been dreaming to go somewhere your whole life...or maybe just for a long time. You know it would be a great place for you to advance your relationship with God. You know you would be a blessing there. You know you would meet many new Christian friends, and in turn, have a great life. This place is all you’ve been thinking about. People want you to go there and are praying earnestly for there to be a way. You pray as well, “Oh Lord, IF ONLY there was a way. You can do it Lord, I know you can. You could also work it out in the future. You could have allowed it to happen last year as well. Lord, I want to go there. It would be best for me. Lord, do your will...but please allow me to go.” Reading this prayer we think to ourselves...man this person is selfish. I would never pray like that. I wouldn’t tell God what to do because I totally trust in His ways.

               Truth be told, we all have prayed like this at one point in our lives and MOST are still praying this way today. Our prayers point out the obvious: God is a God of the past. He was with Abraham, Moses, and David. He has worked in people’s lives before. We know God will work in the future. We know He has big plans for us, and that he will bring His people home at judgement time; however, we fail to remember that God is a God of the present. We neglect to see that God is working right now, that He is the “I AM”. He is working something magnificent in your life right this very second. He knows you want to go certain places, do certain things, serve certain people...He is the glorified Clock Maker. God is running your life so precise, that when the time is ready...when YOU are ready, it will fall exactly and perfectly into place.

               The “I AM” is showing you things such as patience, trust, faithfulness, and humility so that you will be even more ready to share the gospel and be a blessing to those that surround you. Serve Him one day at a time and don’t worry about tomorrow or the day’s that follow, for worrying will do nothing and go nowhere. Pray that He will shine through you and that He can remind you that He is the “I AM”. Remind yourself that He did not only work things out in the past, that He will not only help in the future, but that He is working right now.

God's Direction

“We know that God is able to bring something good out of every circumstance, as long as we trust Him and remain true to the purpose for which He called us.” – Romans 8:28

            We were at a cross road and unable to determine which direction we were required to take. Biking that day had been great! My family and I had been exploring and cycling all through the mountain train trestle routes in British Columbia, and now was our time to hit the steep slopes down into the city and back to our hotel; one problem...the map we had didn’t show us which direction to take because some roads were cut off. My instincts told me to take the road to the right that had a steeper downhill; my uncle`s sense of direction, however, told us to venture straight ahead.

            We all took the path that my uncle suggested and biked about 2 miles out when we saw a car stopped in the middle of the gravel road. Arriving closer to the car we found that he wasn’t stopped to look at the scenery, but rode right over a hole about a foot and a half to two feet deep. The front lights of the car were smashed and there was no way he was going to get the back end of the car over the rut. My uncle and dad immediately dispersed off the bikes and went to find logs, rocks, and other materials to build a bridge the car could cruise over; meanwhile the man in the car was complaining to my aunt, brother and I about the lack of road work in the mountains. We smiled and tried our best to comfort him. Soon enough the man was over and on his way, but it seemed to me he was complaining so much, he barely said an appreciative thank you.

            Continuing down the road, we got another 5 miles down the gentle slope when I asked once more to see the map; it felt as though we were making no progress homeward, but rather heading deeper into the mountains. I took a glance at the directional paper and become conscious of the fact that we had passed the big lake that was on the opposite side of the city. I stood there, looked up at the hill we’d have to travel back up and was quite frustrated. If only my family would have listened to me in the first place, we wouldn’t have gone 14 miles out of the way! Setting my thoughts and feelings aside, we all journeyed back up to the alternative road. While biking up the hill, I began to appreciate what God just did. He took a simple family bike ride, and turned into an opportunity for us to help someone and witness to them by a gentle smile and kind words. My irritated attitude was then transfigured into praise and thanks to my Heavenly Father. Even when I’m struggling in my walk with Him, and it seems everything is going wrong...I will always remember that God can create something good out of every circumstance, as long as I trust and remain true to Him.

One More Night with the Frogs

“He wants men everywhere to search for Him with all their hearts, and if they do so, they will find Him, because He is not far away. He overlooked our past ignorance. But now He expects people everywhere to turn to Him and change their ways.” – Acts 17:27, 30 ClearWord

            Ever have that feeling when you know you’re doing something wrong and you realize you’re sinning but don’t want to give it up just yet? God is trying to transform our lives, but we can’t seem to let go of this! Stubbornness is a part of every human’s life; one person we could see living this dangerous characteristic was Pharaoh.

            I’m sure we are all familiar with the story of Moses and the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians. 10 plagues were placed upon the Egyptians...9 of which Pharaoh would not budge...I don’t know about you, but I’m sure I would have been convinced that Moses’ God was the God of all gods when the first plague hit and the ENTIRE Nile River turned to blood. Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, killing of all livestock, festering sores, hail (wiping out everything), locusts, 3 days of utter darkness, and lastly the death of all firstborn sons...only the last of which Pharaoh surrendered. He was the king of obstinacy.  

            I heard a sermon by my father, of which he borrowed ideas from other pastors that made me think of the frogs the people had to deal with. There weren’t just a few toads here and there...but, it says in Exodus 8:3, 4, “They will come into your bedroom and even into your bed...They’ll get into the kitchens, brick ovens, and all over the baking pans. They’ll jump on you...whether you’re sitting up or lying down.” Pharaoh called back to Moses and Aaron to take the frogs away, and they simply responded they’d pray and just like that, the frogs would disappear; all Pharaoh had to do was say the word, yet his response was...tomorrow. TOMORROW!? It was driving everyone bonkers and God was willing to eliminate the frogs immediately, but Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow. I’ll take one more night with the frogs.”

            How many times have we said, “Just one more night. I know it’s unhealthy, I know it’s wrong, I know it’s hurting me, I know it’s sin...but I want just one more night! One more night with my personal bitterness, with my stubborn self, with my refusal to forgive, with my evil desires...just one more night! I’ll stop sinning Lord!!! ...Tomorrow.” We tend to find ourselves famous for what we’re going to do tomorrow. Hebrews 3:7, 8 says, “TODAY when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.” When the plea comes asking to give your life to Christ today, or fully surrender your life, talents, and money to God’s glory today, most people realize and know they should, plan on doing it sometime...but fail to do so and put it off until tomorrow.

            Hardening your heart is the most dangerous thing a person can ever do. If God is working, blessing, and protecting, yet you are still solidifying your heart, that’s as serious as it gets. Why should we want one more night with the frogs? The Lord is waiting right now for us to turn from our sins and stop waiting for that day we like to call “tomorrow”. If today God is stirring repentance or conviction in your heart and you hear God’s voice speaking to you, don’t harden your heart but repent of your sins. Come to Jesus, accept and obey Him, and follow His path so that you too may be saved while there’s still time left.

Strength in Numbers

“Two people are always better off than one because they can work together and enjoy each other’s company. If one of them falls, the other can help him up. But I pity the man who walks alone, because when he falls, he has no one to help him. Two can resist an attack better than one trying to do it alone. A rope made from three strands is much stronger than a rope made from one.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10, 12

            Summers are a great opportunity to work, keep busy, and best of all...accumulate a bit of pocket money. One summer while working at my dad’s business, he gave me the simple job of shredding papers. Boxes and boxes of files, receipts, notes, and miscellaneous documents were placed before me and as I began my job...hours passed by.

            With time alone, I began to think about what the Lord had done in my life, and the amazing friends He had brought to support and encourage me in the difficult times. Suddenly, my shredding became a mission; as I was grabbing and placing the stacks of paper through the inevitable tearing they had awaiting, quite often I would seize a pile the shredder could not handle and it would jam, shutter, and stop. It reminded me of a book I had read not long ago, Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. They wrote about a study that had been revealed to them; a single horse can pull an average load of 2,500 pounds. The test was then repeated with a second horse added. You’d expect the weight towed would double, making it a total of about 5,000 pounds; Not so. The two steeds working together could manage a load of 12,500 pounds! That’s five times the load a single horse could pull alone! There’s something in living beings that rises to accomplish exponentially greater things when part of a team.

            Keeping this in mind, I began my experiment with the shredder. I began with one sheet, than added a piece in numerical order until I reached the max the shredder could take in. The total was fourteen, but that’s beside the point; persisting with the test, it showed that each paper added to the bundle made it harder and harder for the machine to destroy those documents.

            The same applies in our own lives. Satan is the machine destroyer...as soon as he has a foot-hold of you it’s practically impossible to get out unscathed. When we have our spiritual friends and family to back us up and help us work through problems and hardships, it’s harder and harder for the devil to gain control. Jesus is there as our Rock. Mentally and physically he can jam that shredder and save us all from losing our faith. With mounds of papers and our Rock, that shredder has no chance. Keep your friends and family close and continue building healthy relationships with them and God, because there is vast strength in numbers.

Mulligans

“I will forgive them for what they have done and will remember their sins no more.” -  Jeremiah 31:34 ClearWord

            Chess, checkers, Uno, Sorry, and Monopoly...all games I have had the joy and pain of playing, and all games that I have mistakenly made the wrong move. We’ve all done it; positioned a knight right into the enemy’s headquarters, been forced to move that piece we’ve tried keep situated, laid the wrong colour down and opened the field for our opponent to pone, relocated our pawn directly outside home and gotten kicked right back to the beginning, and bought the erroneous properties that no one lands on...losing all money accumulated. Those moves can cost you the game in each situation...but what about mulligans!? A mulligan is a second chance, a do-over, to perform a certain move or action. In every game I have participated in, the other players weren’t willing to allow me the second chance; they didn’t want me to win by allowing a do-over.

            There is Someone, however, that distributes an unfathomable amount of mulligans. Without the second chances the Lord offers, we would lose the game; the game of life that everyone is playing. Every time I place myself into Satan’s centre of operations, when I don’t have the strength to say no and I end up moving myself into open territory, as soon as I make a little mistake where the Devil can overpower, even when I’m growing in my relationship with God and I make a big slip and fall back, and when I do the wrong things and don’t harvest hearts for Him...our Saviour is there to forgive, redeem, lift up, and give us a second chance. How awesome is it to know that we have a God who wants us to make it to the finish line and who desires our hearts to be set on Him. Let us remember that though His mulligans are endless...we should strive to please Him and lessen our faults for the eternal award of everlasting life. We are His children, and like a father forgives and nurtures his children, so our heavenly Father forgives and nurtures us.

My dad was reading the Bible Christmas Eve and I just pointed my camera and shot a photo without aiming or focusing and this is what resulted. How kind the Lord is!

Why is it so hard for people to serve God in unfavourable conditions?

Jesus was nailed on the cross and died to save us of our OWN sins.
What a thought! He, a Heavenly Being, came on earth in human form to take on sin and save us. We, sinful and ignorant human beings, are now given the opportunity to have eternal life! What are we waiting for?! For things to become easier? For there to be a favourable condition in which to show our love for Him? Jesus didn't deny God and say, "No...I'll wait. I don't want to have to go through this, and I think later on it'll be easier." Jesus didn't say that...so why are we? Truth be told...there won't be a simpler time. The world, as stated several times in the Bible, will only get worse and have more and more hostile conditions for us to venture through. If we can't show people our deep love for God at work or in the classroom, how can we on the mission field? If we can't defend God now, what makes us think we will in the future? You can't learn to ride a bike smoothly without trying and falling; after a while, it becomes easier...but until you take that first plunge...nothing will change.
Start and take a stand now! For me, being in a public high school has all sorts of challenges; however, it has MANY opportunities for me to share and live the gospel as well. It all depends on how you spend your school hours...sitting back for the ride being unnoticed by most, or stepping out into the "unknown" and leaning fully on God. We all have that cowardly personality in us that wants to sit back in our comfortable little lives letting others take charge and make the difference, but God wants us to take that charge to prove to Him that we do love Him. Job didn't give up when everything was taken from him. He lost his family, house, money, servants, animals, health, everything...yet he was still faithful to God. Think to yourself and ask...would I be able to do that? Do I have the strength?
God gives us those seemingly unattainable challenges and unfavourable times for us to grow and root ourselves in Him. We know He will always be there for us, we know He won't let us fall, we know that even if we are rejected or ridiculed...it will be nothing compared to His suffering and unending love.
I know that I am changing my life to fully serve the Lord. I will fall, no doubt, but He is my Rock. When I make mistakes and feel threatened or alone, God understands, forgives, and has compassion.

Never Ending Clutter

“Unless you change and become as trusting and harmless as this little child, you cannot even be admitted into God’s kingdom, much less be considered great. Such innocence comes to adults only by choice.” – Matthew 18:3, 4 ClearWord.

            Summer is the last time we would want to consider cleaning; however one day, while bored and finding nothing else to do, I decided instead of waiting and putting it off, I would give my room a quick dusting and organizing. Walking in my bedroom, many people would tell me how clean and systematized my room was, and how I did such a splendid job keeping the muddle out. There weren’t any big piles, so I decided this would be a quick job and I could get out and enjoy the summer sun in no time.

            The day slowly began to turn to dusk and while attempting to put things away, it seemed that something else always caught my attention and needed cleaning. Instead of becoming cleaner, it began to look like a big cluttered mess. Trying to put things in their rightful place called for other object’s placement to be moved and revaluated. Who would have guessed that something rather clean, could take so much work to purify?

            After a tiring and relatively hot day, I decided that I would quit the job. I sat on my bed and assessed what I had accomplished, which in the end wasn’t much. Glancing into my closet and to the shelves, I realized that in order for this room to be “perfect”, it would account for a nonstop process of discarding and reorganizing. My life works the same way. Because I am a Christian, people view me as a great leader; they see me as someone who doesn’t need that much work done, and who has their life under control and clutter free. Just like my room, from the outside my life looks clean and free of dirt, but as I grow in my relationship with the Lord... the massive mounds of clutter and imperfections, are revealed to my plain and sinful eye.

            Our cleansing process should be a never ending and fully committed adventure to change our lives in order to make our character more like that of our Heavenly Father. Though it is a tough, hardship filled, and long journey, the reward is great; we never have to get discouraged because our Best Friend is assisting us the entire way.

High with Confidence (Part 2)

“The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade… The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.” Psalm 121:5, 7 ClearWord

Going on through the itinerary, I was swinging, running, crawling, and leaping from platform to platform over 50 feet above the taunting ground below. I was doing everything with success. Nothing I ran into stumped me enough to cause my falling. Reaching my next trial, I was to grab hold of the rope and swing from one platform, to a net on the other side. “Pfft, this is nothing. Those other people did it, looks fun!” I thought, as I took hold and jumped off the edge. Next thing I knew I was spinning in circles not knowing which way was forward. I hit my destination with full force on my back; quickly realizing where I was, my arm lashed out and took hold of the swaying net but my body was already starting to back track the way I came. Holding with all my might, I found my footing and let go of my rope to continue my ascending.

My arms were tired, and I was just passed half way done. Next I was to walk across dangling, spinning balls that were held up by wires. WHAT! One foot forward, then the next, and I quickly found that I was no longer falling and slipping on the balls, but rather…dangling over the ground.

After pulling myself to the next wooden platform, I realized…if it wasn’t for the harness I had around my waist I would have been done for. The only reason I had the courage and false sense of confidence was because of the harnesses that I had yet to use until that point. Fortunately I had followed directions and was safely clipped into the ropes. I kept thinking throughout the rest of the course, that if I didn’t have the harness and the promise of safety, I would never have done what I just did!

We act the same way in life. God is our harness through it all. When all seems easy, we push through and continue with no worries. It’s until we face a battle and hurdle that we fully realize and remember our safety harness. God is there to give us strength in the hard times, and to lift us up when we stumble. He never fully allows us to fall, but sometimes gives us our hardships to remind us that He is still all-powerful and in control. So remember that, no matter what you face, God has his arms around you and will never let you go. You are safe in the hands of the Heavenly Father.

High with Confidence (Part 1)

“Jesus reached out, grabbed Peter’s outstretched hand, and pulled him back up. He said, ‘Why did you lose faith and begin to doubt? You need to keep your eyes on me.’” Matthew 14:31 ClearWord

The idea of spending a day in British Columbia doing a high ropes obstacle course in the trees, really got me excited! I was pumped and ready to go up. Before we advanced on the journey, our guide had to make sure we knew what to do, and had the rules down pat. We had to keep our harnesses buckled in at ALL times, and when going down the zip-lines, we were to keep our eyes straight ahead and arms protruding straight forward and grasping the clip.  “Come on! Let’s just go, I’m ready. This is a piece of cake! Those rules…I know, I know.” I, like most, didn’t care about what they were saying. I knew what I was doing and just wanted to get up there!

Finally, we headed up. I was ahead of my brother and father, and before long, I was cruising through and got so far ahead of them that I lost sight of the two. As the course slowly got higher and higher off the ground, I began to realize why we had to stay buckled and take our time to not miss a clip.

I approached to my first zip-line high off the ground. I followed instructions: first, the zip-line clip secured; second, the two harness clips; and I was off. Starting well, I gained courage to look at my surroundings and before I knew it, I was spinning in circles and fast approaching the end of my line. I forgot my instructions and quickly tried to straighten out by bending my arms and twisting the line. Right before the end, where I was to hit the stop pad, I straightened just on time.

How many times in life do we think we know what we’re doing? God is there trying to help us through, showing us which harnesses we need to clip to certain events. He tells us to never take our eyes off of Him. Like Peter, I got confident in myself, and lost the vision of the Lord directing. As soon as my eyes wandered, I found myself in a predicament. Luckily for me, God was watching and stuck out His hand for guidance.  Never take your eyes off of the Lord. He knows what He’s doing, and can direct you through it all, as long as you trust Him and follow with all your heart. When you make a mistake, call on Him, and He will answer.