The Gospel Race

You’ve trained your whole life and now you’ve made it; the Olympics are within reach. The entire summer you’ve set the morning to run and the afternoon to lift weights in preparation for the physically straining times ahead. Now you are an official participant of a running race and are planning your next moves fairly strategically.

            As the days approach, you think you have the entire route memorized and every hurdle’s position learned. The entire map of your run is set to memory and you feel strong and confident in your upcoming events.

            It’s race day and you still have the map in your mind. You know where to jump, where to turn, the “secret passages”, and everything else you believe your components wish they knew. You begin to run and things are going just as you have planned. You see people falling behind you and snicker. You feel on top of the world.

            Another bend and you realize you don’t know where you’re going. The trail of the race has taken an unexpected twist and you find yourself bewildered because it wasn’t in the plan. You stop and try to look for a sign, something that will show you that you’re going in the right direction, but there’s nothing. You still have energy to spare so you continue the race. You come to believe that the officials changed the route a little so that no one could cheat their way to the top. You don’t want to give up because you’ve trained so hard; nothing is going to stop you from finishing victorious.

            You’re near the end and see the finish line approaching. As you cross, you remember how, when the change in the trail occurred, you stopped and you beat yourself up for it because you know you should have kept going. You could have run faster. All this fades now as you see the man coming with your trophy. You’ve won.

            Just like this race, we are running a race as well. God has prepared us and “trained” us to be His disciples. When running a race in the Olympics, some small change wouldn’t stop you from running harder and faster. God has our path all marked out. We believe we have a plan for our lives and know what we want to do and where we wish to go, but God’s plans could be different. We can’t let changes in our lives hurt our chances of “winning” our gospel race. There is something that’s different in God’s race however because in His race, everyone who crosses the finish line wins. God’s race doesn’t call for you to pass others falling with a chuckle, but to stop and help them up reminding them of the prize at the end.

            God is calling you to be an advocate for His race. He promises you that, even though there may be changes in the route, He will reward you a great prize at the end; eternal life.

The Life-Changing Room: PART FOUR

            2 more hours passed before we were escorted to our car and then back into Canada. The house that we have been living in for over 4 years, still full with furniture, clothes, and appliances, would now be desolate from any from of moving life. Our school was left behind along with our friends and acquaintances. The tears never ceased to flow as the trip prolonged.

            We approached the Canadian border once more, "You know you have to do something with this car? I'm going to have to guide you over to that building over there and they'll tell you what you need to do."

            We knew this was going to happen. My mom still had payments to pay on her Pontiac so the border is entailed to impound it until we are able to finish paying the expenses. Parking the car, we didn't even need to exit before guards were at the driver's window asking questions. Someone looked familiar. It was a woman. She looked with compassion and seemed to understand what was happening. YES! It as the Canadian lady we had talked to while first entering the country. She knew our situation and with the sympathy instilled in her heart, she waved us off with our car reminding us that if we couldn't make the payments soon, we would eventually have to do something about it.

           

            This life experience left my whole family and me in the dark. We are still trying to figure out what we are going to do about school (which is SO different it would be practically impossible to finish here), about our house there, about my mom's job…we're blind to the future.

            You hear about people who lose everything, they have no hope and their life is falling apart, so they decide to take their own life. Without God, I'm sure something like that would happen to me (maybe not as life-threatening as that, but something that would eternally hurt me). God is so good. He gives me peace at heart as everything is shattered. He knows how to reconstruct for the better. I don’t understand how this will end up benefitting anyone, but God does. He sees the future, whether tomorrow or the end of time. I am given hope, willingness to use my circumstances for Him, and ever-growing patience! It's extremely hard, but worth it. Prayers are constantly being sent above for guidance and for the salvation of lives due to our pain here on earth.

The Life-Changing Room: PART THREE

            Friday morning we were packed, loaded, and out by 10am heading to the Detroit border. As the car ride continued, the vehicle grew increasingly silent. The car rolled to the gates and my mom entered the building to return our temporary living slips we were given to live there the extra 10 days. She returned to us with a gruesome look on her face as she announced that the guards there weren't going to allow us to cross; they required us to drive back to the border that first denied our visas, Port Huron. Another hour and a half later we arrived at the gates. We had to go to the same border and the same person that first denied us to try and get it renewed again. This is impossible. There is no way that the person who first denied us so discourteously will have a change of heart.

            Crossing into Canada was a breeze since they didn't want us in America anyway. We explained to the Canadian lady our predicament and she understood our condition. She gave us hope as she explained that we should try to schedule an appointment while Tim wasn't there (the guy who denied us first). We thanked her as she wished us the best of luck and we were on our way.

            Half an hour into Canada I was given an idea; my mom should call the Port Huron Customs and see if Tim was in. If he was in that afternoon, then she could always come back at a different time. She took this into consideration and made the call. After a few moments our vehicle was turning around and heading back in the direction of the gates. With the car still pin-drop still, we came to the border once again, this time being walked over to the building which would determine our entire future.

            "Phones and all other electronics are to stay in the vehicle! You can take your wallets and money, but nothing else," they directed as we piled out and into, once again, the "secondary inspection" room.

            This place brought back terrible memories. Cold faces glared back at us as if they had no heart or sense of kindness within them. Silence crept with the occasional tapping of keys on the computer. A voice finally vocalized asking my mom for the papers she brought this time around, "Why do you think you should qualify now if we have already denied you? We shouldn't even be taking this case! You should have scheduled an appointment with the man who first denied you! He's the one who knows all there is about visas and you obviously didn't meet the criteria then! We can schedule you an appointment with him, but we're not going to process you today."

            Stunned, my mother reluctantly agreed and the man went to get Tim's schedule to place us in for an appointment.

            A lady with a familiar face appeared with fire sweltering from her eyes, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? Why do you have the nerve to come in here and waste our time!?! You don't qualify and that isn't going to change!"

            My brothers and I glared at each other, each of us itching to lash out and illustrate to that woman what she rightfully deserved. Horror moved stealthily into my being as tears permeated my eyes. The officers turned there back as if not to notice a young girl sobbing in her rather uncomfortable chair. Discussing for a moment then fiercely looking into our eyes, they had the nerve to deny us the meeting with Tim and also the requested meeting with the supervisor.

The Life-Changing Room: PART TWO

            We weren't to tell anyone about our predicament. My mom had a plan to try to get them back; her work hired a lawyer right away and prepared to fight their reason for us not receiving the paper (that my mom needed a 2 year degree for her job, even though she's worked with the company for 12 years). My nerves were itching and I was relatively quiet at school the following day. When I conversed with my dad I longed to explain to him our predicament and pray with him, but I was restricted.

            The next day my mom gave us the OK to spill to our friends and teachers what was happening. She figured there was a chance that we wouldn't be returning, so she wanted us to advise our teachers in case we didn't return. My teachers were devastated and reminded me to not lose faith. They encouraged me by saying that wherever I am placed, I will go far; but they hoped I would come back. My friends cried. During lunch, my best friend Mirna was awfully quiet and as we were leaving the cafeteria, I saw tears stream down her face as she turned away.

            Our last week passed by slowly. We packed nothing in hope of returning. My friends tried to hang out with me as much as possible before my departure. Homework didn't lessen, but neither did my effort. I continued to keep up with everything in anticipation of my return.

            My last day was hard! My best friend Emily brought me a "We Will Miss You" balloon and in my French class (the last hour of the day) people brought in snacks and we had a little going away party. My teacher informed me that if I returned I would be the one who needed to bring in food for the rest of the class. After school ended, I went to my friend Nadine's house with Emily, Mirna, and Stephanie. We ate 2 of the 7 pizzas and talked the rest of the night. Pictures were taken, and as we all departed Nadine's, tears were shed. It finally hit me that that moment could be the last time I see my friends. Emily's mom cried when she dropped me off at my house. It was a bad day all around.

The Life-Changing Room: PART ONE

It was Wednesday, Valentines Day, and I was scheduled to depart from school early. My mom, brothers and I were heading to the US border to renew our expiring visas that allow us to live in America. We have renewed the visas 3 times before and never had a problem so we thought nothing of this one particular trip.

Time passed as we sat in the chairs and listened to the voices of my mom and the officer, let's call him Tim, talk about our renewal. As people were meandering by, my attention was lost but regained as a stern voice called us through and demanded us to take a seat in the "secondary inspection" room. That's never a good thing to hear. We watched as the officer commanded my mother to fill out a piece of paper with various fields of required information. As she asked what the papers were for, they enlightened her that these papers were for withdrawal and we would not be entering back into the States that evening, or ever. What!? My school! My friends! Our house….. By this time my mom was crying, "We have our house to worry about! We can't leave now…our dog is still at home!"

            They questioned us, rather annoyed, "There's no one home with the dog? What about your husband? Ma'am, I can ask if we are permitted to give you a few days but we don't usually do this."

            "Sir, I don't have a husband. If I did, he would obviously be here with me. My children have school, what are we supposed to do?"

            "You should never have fully moved here in the first place! Every person in America on a visa should have a back up home in Canada, or any other country, waiting for them because these documents don't last long. That's your problem to deal with, not ours."

            With tears streaming down the faces of my siblings and mother, I was there to comfort. My older brother had his girlfriend to worry about, my younger brother was crying because my older brother was, and my mom had a lot to think about (job, house, our schooling, her car, and everything else). Why am I not crying along with them? We now have 10 DAYS to leave the country and … I am not shedding a tear.

Hands Reaching Out

My hand reaches out longing for relief,
My eyes swell as I wander.
I focus my mind praying for belief,
Doubt is real as I ponder.

I think of the joy that once filled my heart,
Laughter and smiles galore.
Now times are rigid and I fall apart,
The days are battles and war.

I blame myself for the times that I face,
The things I shouldn’t have done.
I wish I had a foundation and base;
A fortress, joy, just Someone.

With all the problems occupying mind,
I neglect my Saviour God.
He is calling my name, “Come, be refined.”
I’m discomfited and odd.

I open God’s word and to my surprise,
He loves all, forgave and died.
He wants me to be free, honest, and wise,
Putting downbeat thoughts aside.

Now when I struggle with hands reaching out,
God is the first one I call.
Peace fills my spirit and casts away doubt,
I know I never will fall.

--A poem I wrote this week while I was getting discouraged and questioning the moments taking place in my life. I neglected to remember that God is always there and holding me every step I take. It seems as though when circumstances deteriorate and my emotions and life is at a low, that I cloud my thoughts with everything negative and push Christ away. May I always remember to raise my hands in prayer to God for comfort, and peace will transcend over my soul.

Climbing the Hills

For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. Job 23:11

We were trudging up a rather snowy, elongated incline and my legs were beginning to wear out. I began to realize, however, that when I kept my eyes attentive on my dad’s footsteps in front of me and trailed the path he formed, it permitted a more bearable hike. As soon as I took my focus off of the track before me and set my eyes upon the rest of the climb I still was obligated to finish...I became disheartened and wearied much more quickly.

This reminds me of Jesus. He is guiding us and leading the way. As long as we are sure to follow in His footsteps and the path He has marked out, the trials and hardships we are hurdling over at that instant don't seem as treacherous. However, when we focus our eyes on the seemingly endlessness of our problems, we quickly become dismayed which increases in us the urge to give up.

God has a path right in front of you; focus not on the apparent boundlessness of your struggles, but upon the feet of your Saviour.

Keep Your Eyes Straight Ahead

“Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” - Proverbs 17:24

 My dad and I were walking across a snow-covered tree that had fallen over a ditched river in the woods. Being very cautious so that we were sure not to slip and fall, we made our way across. Upon reaching the other side, my dad made a comment to me, "You know it's funny how our minds perceive depth. If this log was up as high as the CN Tower, you wouldn't catch me walking across it." Isn't that true for the most of us? Sure, we can do something when there is no/little danger at stake, but when there is a substantially greater margin with which to fall, we back out. The same is with our spiritual lives...we are willing to serve God through thick and thin; when it's easy and there isn't much room for error. However, as soon as the stakes are high and we face the chance of ridicule, failure, rejection, persecution, etc., we tend to back out with our hands above our heads.
              God wants us to keep our eyes on Him. If I were to have walked ahead on that log, not knowing what was underneath me, I have no doubt I could have done it with much more ease. The same is with God; we can handle those heights as long as we keep our eyes up and not look down at the world and the numerous ways to fail. God is our refuge; even if we lose our footing...He is there holding our hands and continually ready to pick us up when we falter. Turn your eyes to the Lord today and don't look down at the ways the world taunts you. God is there and is your refuge.

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