Saturday, August 27, 2011

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.

Friday, August 26, 2011

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.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

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.

Friday, August 5, 2011

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!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

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.