saving grace

“My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” ~ 1 John 2:1-2.

When a soul dies before its time against the Maker’s will, whereforth does it go? Does the assurance of salvation still remain and will our good Lord have mercy on those who lost this battle of life? We have so many demons to battle with, coming from every angle, breaking us down and tearing apart our hearts…and in the end, we are only human.

I have wondered long and hard what happens to the ones we have loved and lost to suicide. Is there anywhere in God’s Word that proclaims eternal damnation upon these poor, helpless, and broken ones? They are His after all, given Him to keep, in this life and forevermore.

All of us sin, terribly and day by day. Jesus Christ, our Advocate, will speak for us on Judgment Day. He paid for our sins once and for all, it is finished. And it is enough. Surely, His sacrifice will cover over the murder of our own souls. Surely, God’s love and mercy will wash over those who chose to leave this life early, and He will bring them home.

I pray and believe with all that I am that God will hold those of us who hurt the most, who somehow believed there was no other option. May their souls not be wandering and lost forever, dear Heavenly Father. Carry Your children and lost lambs in Your arms until the very end of eternity. May we not be separated from the ones we loved and lost, the ones we could not save. Only You can save them now, so let them not be lost forever.

O Heavenly Father, remember the ones You love, the ones You gave faith to, the ones You breathed life in. We are all flawed and broken and daily need your grace and mercy. For the lost, I pray for Your guidance. For the poor, I pray for Your hope. For the fallen, I pray for Your healing. Your Love is steadfast and new every morning, and You are ever faithful and true. I know not where their souls are as we wait between heaven and earth, but I pray You be with them always. Let them never feel lonesome, lost, and abandoned. May You make Your presence known to them, and may You give them rest. O Lord, I pray You let these poor souls sleep in the healing arms of Jesus Christ. He has redeemed the whole world and set us free from the clutches of evil. Though the best of us may fall out of life along the way, I pray You will save them still and give them another chance to be with You. You are righteous O God and You know all things and all hearts. Please bless and keep the souls of our loved ones safe in Your love for all eternity. Thank You Lord. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

A Simple Question that Changes Everything...

Psalms 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.

Hebrews 12:1-2 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. 

The more years I spend limping and struggling through my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, the more and more I realize His call on my life. I am deeply humbled by his promise to never forsake us (Matthew 28:20). Oftentimes I am driven to tears realizing that such a worthless sinner like me would receive so much love and mercy. O the beauty of our Lord. May we revel and marvel in how good he is to us...

As I am a person who is often distracted by my own thoughts and driven down winding roads and inconsequential roundabouts, it takes a lot of effort for me to fix my eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, but this is what he has asked us to do. 

A simple powerful question that usually obliterates every "pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5) ....at least in my mind is this: 

What am I putting before Jesus Christ? What am I allowing to impair my vision of him?

We should ask ourselves this not just as a daily question, but as a moment by moment wake-up call and reality check. 

The material, corporeal world is blinding, this is why we have been instructed to look only to Jesus Christ. As a child have you ever held a magnifying glass up to an insect? Do you remember how big it gets? The psalmist tells us to magnify the Lord in our hearts. 

Do you wonder how big of a space the Lord actually occupies inside of you? Although I may spend time with the Lord daily, I would not in the slightest be surprised if it was perhaps only a microscopic portion of my heart. How easy it is for me to direct my attentions elsewhere! 

Dear God, thank you for your mercy and grace for all of us who believe. Thank you for cleansing us through faith. Despite the sin that is ever so pervasive in our hearts, thank you for your kindness and your purposed plan of redemption. Dear Lord, you are too good to us and we don't deserve it....there is no part of who we are that deserves you. 

like stars in heaven

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” ~ Luke 10:19-20

My conscious battle in spiritual warfare began two years ago. To know about the power I have in Christ, the power He has shared and bestowed me with so that Jesus will always come through whenever I call upon His Name, is life-changing and healing. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can command away the unclean and ungodly. He saves and protects me from such spiritual intrusions and disturbances.

It can be the most frightening of things but it can also be the most enlightening. To know the power of God lies within me, wherever I may go through valleys of death and the darkest of places, they cannot touch me within His will and protection. I have everything indeed when I have God. To know too that God’s heavenly angels are engaged in battle in the spiritual realms makes everything we believe in so startlingly real. Our faith is not a joke. As a believer and warrior, I must be aware of what this battle is that I have come into, what God has armed me with as His servant.

This is not a simple do-good-feel-good religion; we are dealing with the dark forces of all ages, we are in a battle that began before Man and will go on till the very end. We have our faith and salvation set in Christ, and we have our duty to help fight for and save those who do not yet know Him. To remain in the dark of what goes on in the spiritual realms is to remain ignorant, because we can only go so long without knowing the depths of what we believe in and what Christ has done for us in this battle across ages.

And yet, Jesus tells us not to focus solely on the authority He has bestowed upon us. Yes, it is in every sense absolutely essential as we walk this broken and plagued earth, but it isn’t everything. What is worth more is the blood of Jesus that has covered over our sin, thus opening the gates of heaven to let us in for eternity. Without Him, we will remain estranged in the outer courts forever. We can cast out demons in the power of His Name but if our names aren’t written in the Book of Life, what would we be rejoicing for?

The crux of our faith, the reason Jesus Christ came to die for our sins, was to bridge the deep chasm between heaven and hell, so that we would have a fighting chance to be with Him forever. I thank the Lord for those of us whose names are written in heaven, for our sojourn on earth will not be in vain. And when You are ready to take us across life and death, we know where we will be going. We know we will not be lost forever. Like stars in heaven, we will always shine by Your everlasting light.

the chances we take

I said, "How do you account for the formation of the world?"

"Oh! Force and matter work together, and by chance the world was created."

I said, "It is a singular thing that your tongue isn't on the top of your head if force and matter just threw it together in that manner."

If I should take out my watch and say that force and matter worked together and out came the watch, you would say I was a lunatic of the first order. Wouldn't you? And yet they say that this old world was made by chance! 

~ The Overcoming Life by D. L. Moody ~

I took a biology class on evolution back in my first year of undergraduate school and it really opened my eyes to how closed people can be. Needless to say, being in a secular university, the majority of students and professors are atheists/agnostics. What I don't appreciate is professors allowing their personal beliefs to bleed into their lectures. How absolutely professional. My lecturer had a big bone to pick with Christianity and creationism and made fun of it in class. And in the online forum, it appeared like I was the only one standing up for the faith. With every post or comment I made in favour of God, I was ripped apart brutally, as if I had just made a strong, personal insult against them (and their family), people I did not even know.

What is it about faith and religion that gets people all up in arms? And why are they particularly defensive when God or Jesus or the creation of the world is mentioned? If something held no truth, shouldn't it hold no threat? 

It's quite a beautiful irony when people proudly proclaim their subscription to the evolution theory, without having even read The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. If they had, they would realize (with a horrid start) that Darwin mentions a CREATOR in his masterpiece. O wait a minute, I thought evolution had NOTHING to do with a creator and was the antidote for those who needed something other than a god to believe in? Make what you will of the following quote:

"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone circling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved." ~ The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin

I wonder how many would still choose to believe in the origins of evolution if they had read this. The bottom line thus appears to be: Know what you believe and inform yourselves. I've thought deeply about the issue, written about it in school, and tried to continually read about creation and science, and thus, my conclusion is firm. A simple example I'd like to pose is that of a wooden chair. It appears as a rather simple object, but for a chair to become a chair, requires an incredible process. From the felling of a majestic tree in the heart of a forest to the manufacturing and assembling process in a factory, all of this requires machinery, labour, tools, etc. All for a simple, humble chair which serves us well and daily. No one would ever declare that it came out of nowhere, plain as it looks. So what more can we say about the xylem and phloem in a plant, how a bird takes flight in the endless blue heavens, the shining stars in our infinite universe, and the human body that works amazingly and tirelessly to keep body and soul together until we leave this brilliant earth?

We all have choices and with that, chances. Tell me then, what chances are you taking with all that you believe in?

What does the "Church" mean to us??

There are many profound and penetrating descriptions of what it means to be the Lord's "Church." This week my Willingdon Discovery Bible Study Group engaged in an activity where we drew what the church meant to us. The activity was deeply enriching and revealed a lot about our perceptions of the church and our place in it. What resonated throughout all the pictures was the ideas of unity and dependency, with Jesus Christ as Lord over us all.

Artist: Mauri -- Here the church is represented as a chain with unified and connected links. We all support each other, are built upon each other and contribute to an overall structure connected with Jesus Christ as head (do you see that the hook at the end looks like a J? *wink*)

A literal portrayal of the church is first mentioned in Acts 2. Here we witness the utter devotion, unity, commonality, selflessness, dedication, gratitude, and sincerity of heart that stirred in the souls of the early believers. They were deeply entrenched in the faith and had abandoned themselves to God's word and each other. We truly see through this portrayal that the early believers laid down their lives for their brothers and sisters in the faith, for this is the greatest form of love we can show (John 15:13).

Acts 2: 42-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  

The Church is described in the Bible through various images. For one, the Church is understood as a structure or building "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:19-22). We learn through dictionary.com that a "cornerstone" is a stone that is the starting point in the construction of a monumental building. It is a stone that joins two walls and is the base of a corner of a building. As the Church we must then fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ as the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We must look to him for guidance because without him we would crumble.

Artist: Lily  -- The church here is portrayed as a pyramid or structure, built on the foundation of the apostles, prophets and exemplary women and men in the faith (Hebrews 11). The Bible says that only together with us are these faithful followers of God made perfect (Hebrews 11:40) emphasizing the importance of unity and togetherness in the faith. As Ephesians 4:4 states, there is only ONE body and ONE spirit. We are called to ONE faith together.

Artist: Kristina -- In this portrayal, the church is looked at as a school bus on a journey towards a destination. As the journey progresses, more people hop on. The fuel for this bus, what keeps the bus going, is the inspired Word of God. Jesus Christ is in the driver's seat leading us towards that destination.

The Church is also characterized in the Bible, as the Bride of Christ. We are called to submit to Christ (Ephesians 5:22). In Ephesians 5, language is used to represent a self-sacrificing, loving relationship between a husband and wife. This relationship illustrates our position as bride and Christ as the husband, who sacrificially gave himself up for us and unites with us as one body. We must remember that we can only bear fruit if we remain in Christ Jesus (John 15:4).

Artist: Wayne -- Here the church is distinguished as a living body, each having its own separate function and duty. 1 Corinthians 12:12 communicates that the church body has many parts but importantly they all comprise one body. The Bible says that there should therefore be no division in the body and that all its parts should have equal care and concern for each other - "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it" (1 Corinthians 12:25-26)

(Above) Artist: Ken. (Left) Artist: Imogen

In these two pictures the church is depicted as a vast group of people from all different backgrounds (race, ability levels, nationalities, age, sex, etc). In the same way that Jesus Christ united Jew and Gentile, the faith unites people from all corners of the world. We are unified under one God, with Christ as our foremost and center. As we look upwards to Christ for guidance and sanctification, we are able to show love to our brothers and sisters in the faith. In this sense, we are considered Christ's flock with him as shepherd. John 10:14-16 --

"I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father ; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "I have other sheep,which are not of this fold ; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice ; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."

There are many ways to describe our position as the Church of Christ but it's important that we take our role seriously. May the Lord help us to achieve that vision of unity, oneness, and complete devotion to Christ which is profound to our role.

First Love

"God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it." ~ C. S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain.

Who is your first love? When I first read these words, I was overwhelmed. Why of course! Our soul can find no rest or peace in a world without God. Because He was the One imprinted on us from the beginning, He is the One who breathed us into being. There is no one else.

To have a God prepare our souls for life on earth, and then life with Him in eternity... is mind-blowing and beyond human conception. It reminds me of the beautiful verse in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

I remember back in March when I was incredibly nervous and anxious about a potentially life-changing event. I settled down to do my afternoon bible reading and this was the verse presented before me. I could have cried as I was so touched, relieved, and I knew that whatever came to pass, would be beautiful. Even though it didn't go as I had planned or wished, I know it's all for good. And I know that while God is fashioning a wondrous place for my soul in heaven, He too is creating something beautiful for me while I walk His earth.

God is our first love, whether we recognize it or not. And we are His.

"They have made God's law their own, so they will never slip from his path."
Psalms 37:31 

Do we make God's law our own? Does it become the way we think, live, and breathe? Or just something we turn to in moments of trial and need? 

Do we truly fear God?

Oftentimes we think and feel things of the flesh without being conscious of the Lord. I'm not saying that we don't know that those are the wrong things to think or feel. We might even be trying to subvert earthly, sinful thoughts through the truth of God's word. But in the midst of finding the truth, are we conscious of the Lord?

"Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear." Philippians 2:12

Do we honestly have respect and reverence for God? And does this respect and reverence for the Lord lead us away from sin? Do we truly love the Lord as if he were our mother or father, a best friend, or a sibling?

Most of us, if we have true love for our friends or family members, would not do something that we know would hurt them. Why? We don't like to see the people we love in pain. We respect them enough not to commit offenses against them.

Fear God. Can the fear of God (deep reverence, respect, awe, veneration) prevent you from acting upon unjust anger, allowing yourself to succumb to lust, saying something costly because of pride?

Ask God to help you learn how to fear him. 

Answered Prayer

Remember this blog post??

http://injchrist.blogspot.ca/2012/05/only-god-knows-big-picture.html

This blog post was about somebody dear to me who was in a position to easily believe all of their options had run dry. One particular exploit that they had been set on for a few years had fell through, and their remaining ventures seemed rather scant. In other words, he was set on a particular career and job path but that did not work out and applying for other jobs in the field was rather impossible because employers were looking for years of experience.

Anyway, he finally decided to go back to school to pursue another career path and further related education and contacted a friend who was already in the field he desired to work in. This was definitely a God inspired idea, as unbeknownst to him they were looking for a junior position in the company his friend worked at. To make a long story short, even though his experience in the field is on the lower scale, he was today offered a job in that company.

How amazing to be able to gain experience on the job, but already have the job!

Anywho, I said in the blog posted linked above that I would be praying about this situation and see how God works, and here is the result. Praise God! It is so important to trust in the Lord because God values that trust and always provides in one way or another.

So let us unfailingly trust in the Lord, and let this be a testimony for us to have faith.

Lose your life, so that you might gain it…

Imagine being faced with a choice. Take that one thing in life that you love immensely, that one thing that you believe you cannot live without. What is it? On the lighter side, it could be your favorite television show or video game, an article of clothing, a good luck charm. Could it be a passion, or talent?  Your love for the outdoors, your skill in playing sports, a job, money? Let’s probe even deeper, perhaps it’s friendship or the love of family? A specific perspective or mentality?  Your battle with pride?

Now imagine having to lose that possession because Jesus has demanded that very thing from you. As a Christian, could you survive? Would your life fall apart? Would you shun God, be angry at him? Would you be able to let go, deny yourself?

This past Sunday, Pastor John reminded us that there are no competitors with Jesus. So often we fail to realize that our relationship with him should not be one of double mindedness. It is truly “all or nothing” with him.

“I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.” Matthew 7:23

How frightening those words are to hear for those of us who think we are pursuing Jesus.  Pastor John warns us from what he deems “superficial believism,” in other words, belief in God that remains merely a simple belief. It is a belief that does not drastically and completely change our heart, actions, and priorities. In essence, it is a belief that allows us to “have it all.” In contrast to this type of believing, is a “deep believism” which leads us to follow an often hard path to God’s kingdom where danger, suffering and trials prevail.

Does the pathway you’ve chosen actually lead to life? Are we aware that the decisions we make each day while we’re alive indeed are eternal choices between life and death?

Pastor John reads from Matthew 7:13-20.

Verses 13 &14 talk about the path to the Kingdom of God being narrow and difficult to progress through.  It is a path alive with temptation and hard decisions. It will involve forgoing things you enjoy and love. But the reward at the end is greater than the loss we face at the beginning.  

The broad path leads to destruction. Pastor John tells us that this path is broad because rightfully so, everything can fit through it and anything goes on this path. Here you can eat your cake and have it. This path offers you everything. Here the self is glorified, excuses reign supreme, and anything and everything is justified.

The path to God demands that we “pick up our cross” (Matthew 16:24). As Pastor John explains, the cross in Jesus’ day meant the death penalty. In other words, we must die to ourselves and our life on earth and deny ourselves. This may involve saying no to some of the things that we greatly desire in order to follow the life that Jesus lovingly claims that we live. This type of life desires what God desires, and glorifies what God glorifies. It is a life where repentance and faith draws us closer to Jesus.

Ultimately we must decide what path we desire to be on, and what path we are actually on, and make those individual changes to get us walking down the right path. 

Post adapted from Willingdon Church sermon June 17, 2012 www.willingdon.org

Don't Worry, Be Trusting

Worry and anxiety is all consuming, it can permeate your thought process, making it difficult to focus on how beautiful life is. Pastor John describes “worry/stress” as a thief that “takes everything beautiful” from you. In the midst of God’s splendor—the beauty of nature, His life changing impact, His forgiveness, humility and kindness, the act of worrying can make these perfect, pure, and immaculate qualities as good as nothing.

In essence, anxiety distorts the meaning of life. Why have we grown so accustomed towards worrying? It seems to be a default function of humanness. It is commonplace to worry and we accept this activity without thinking twice about it. Is it possible as human beings to simply let go of the stresses that claim us?

In light of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 hit song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Pastor John teaches us another way: Don’t Worry, Be Trusting. It may sound easier said than done, but with practice, we can combat the force of worry by trusting in the Lord.

Matthew 6:25-34 instructs us to Trust in the Lord:

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?....

Pastor John instructs us to consider God’s provision, providence, lavishness, and priorities in overcoming our propensity towards worry. We must understand that the Lord will and does always provide for us. This does not mean that we should fall into laziness expecting the Lord to create possibility out of thin air. This means of course that we should put in our day’s work, do all that we can do in our best abilities, while asking the Lord for guidance and direction. We then must pray and trust that the Lord will provide because we have given him the platform to.

When telling a friend about my worried state because I had reached an uncertain period of life of having to consider different paths that would become my future, she told me that the Lord would provide the best path for me and that it was best for me to keep many doors open so that the Lord could bless the path that he knew was best at my stage of life. We must understand that the Lord directs all things according to his sovereignty and providence. Even though we have free will, the Lord will not allow us to go down a path outside of his will if we are connected to him and praying for his will. We must, furthermore, also consider how lavish the Lord is.

“See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29)

When you truly evaluate your life you will discover how detailed and lavish the Lord is with his blessings. Sometimes this can be illustrated by examining the precise timing of a certain blessing, the beauty of a friendship that has blessed your life, the wonder of nature. Even something we consider simple like listening to music can reveal how beautiful and lavish God is, musical notes coming together can create a beautiful melody soothing to the ear.

Lastly we should consider God’s priorities over our life and his will. God has ultimately created us for relationship with him to the extent of bridging our relationship with him through the innocent sacrifice of his son. If we keep this wondrous idea the main thing, then it sets our stresses and anxieties in order. Is it necessary to worry about a job prospect, a stressful work situation, money, etc…in the miraculous light of a powerful and loving God who created us to enjoy us?  

We must set our priorities straight. Oftentimes I let worry defeat me to the point that I do not give God the chance to provide for me. I do not allow myself to trust in the Lord and many times I become a coward. Ultimately, worry has robbed my life of the beautiful things the Lord has entitled to me. Particular to me, I worry immensely about what people will think of me in this/that situation. I worry so much about other's opinions of me because in those moments God's opinion of me is on the back burner, I have allowed sinful and depraved human thoughts and opinions to reign supreme over my life rather than the pure, sovereign truth (not opinion) of the Lord. 

We must practice rejoicing in the Lord rather than worrying by changing the lies we tell ourselves, and by proclaiming positive things about ourselves and our world rather than negative things. One of my favourite verses for combating worry is Philippians 4:6-8. Let us practice this verse in our daily meditation. =)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Where is your heart invested?

Most, if not all of the time, it is hard for us as human beings to realize that we live in a temporal world. Everything in this world will pass away, fade, and cease to exist, including ourselves.  With this idea in mind, it seems foolish when we think about some of the things that most of us invest our time and energy into.

We may invest an unhealthy amount of time into acquiring material possessions, our appearance,  accomplishments, negative emotions…the list goes on.

On Sunday, Pastor John read from Matthew 6:19-24, the passage which explains our earthly battle between heavenly treasures and material ones. We live in a world where money determines our physical well-being. As a basic necessity we need food, shelter, clothing, and of course money enables us to have these things. Money also allows us to enjoy life more extravagantly through vacations, expensive dinners, beautiful clothing, etc. In our world, money gives you a semblance of respect and acceptance. Having money can also buy you temporary friendship and “love.” You can see, therefore, how easy it would be for us to devote our lives to acquiring more money. We need to remember, however, that money only satisfies us temporarily.

Matthew 6:24 states that you cannot serve both God and money. You cannot serve two masters, Matthew claims, for you will hate one and love the other.

But isn’t it possible to work hard to make money, but still love God? Pastor John states that “perspective is everything.”

Before I had my first job, I had to ask my parents if I wanted anything. I would have daydreams about being able to work hard to earn money and then buy what I want. Oftentimes, I would flip through teen magazines, and imagine owning the things displayed on the glossy pages. I would be able to wear nice clothes, buy makeup, buy the music that I wanted to listen to.  I would be lost and consumed in the thought of being able to buy what I wanted, look the way I wanted.

One important thing I failed to ask myself was if my spending would bring glory to God.  I also never thought about giving my earnings to God. Interesting how it never excited me to think that my earnings could go towards expanding God’s kingdom.

The reason I never thought of any of these things was because my viewpoint was a very basic, earthly one. I was thinking all about storing up for myself treasures on earth. My heart was invested in the way I wanted to look, the way I wanted to be seen by others, the earthly possessions I could enjoy and how I could satisfy my senses. It was all about me.

Matthew 6:21 “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Where is your heart invested? Are you in servitude to money? What are your commitments? What is your attitude towards buying, giving, and saving? What is your attitude toward morality? What are your dreams? Pastor John posed these questions to us during the sermon.  

Is your heart invested in God? If your heart is invested in God and seeking his kingdom by following his word, then your money will be used to glorify God as well. For instance, you will follow the way of giving your first fruits to God rather than the leftovers. In other words, you will tithe when you first receive your income rather than once you’ve bought all the things you want/need. Do you let money dictate your life? We have to adopt an attitude of trusting God despite our financial problems or financial abundance. Pastor John gave the example of retired couples who are swimming in piles of money and claim that they have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it. Pastor John quickly suggested to them that they can give their money to God, and invest it in spiritual causes.

The act of hoarding money is another way that people can store up treasures on earth. Moreover, if you forgo making ethically and morally sound decisions only because you wish to conserve your money, then it’s clear that money is your god.

What really resounded with me at the end of the sermon was the idea of faith in God as a hobby or a lifestyle. Faith in God is intended to be our livelihood not something that we turn to when it’s convenient for us or when we have time.

All in all, money is HUGE and it is extremely consuming. One way that we can practice discipline towards God is by trusting him with our money whether we make a lot of it or very little. 

Prayer - Life Changing

Oftentimes my prayers to God are quick, empty, and powerless; they do nothing to change my relationship with God. A few lines may be offered to God in a haze, when it’s the end of the day, and I am drunk with fatigue.

Today at church, I learned that prayer is a spiritual experience that should change us – that should shift our perspective, reiterate and solidify what we are working towards within the Lord, and set us on a path of living a godly life, of enacting his will over our lives. Wow! Prayer should do all that? But does uttering a few lines to God requesting what we need in our lives and the lives of our loved ones or expressing a few phrases of gratitude to our Lord truly leave us changed, altered, broken away from this world, fervent and fierce to live the way God would will us to?

Today, Pastor John discussed Matthew 6:7-15, the passage that is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer” and he brought forth many enlightening pointers to this all too well known passage. 

Who have you allowed God to become in your mind? Pastor John had to remind me today that when we pray we are to ask God that his name be “kept holy” (verse 9). God has blessed us in such a way that all of us can freely enjoy a personal relationship with Him, but does your relationship with him ever become too personal? When I say “too personal,” I am trying to suggest that maybe to some of us he has simply become a friend, somebody you acknowledge daily, but not someone who you remember to revere and respect at all times. In this sense your engagement with him becomes casual, basic, commonplace…whatever! You acknowledge him as Lord of your life, you may say…but do you really? If your time spent with the Lord is squished into corners of your day, then I would say that he’s not really Lord of your life.

When we pray to keep the Lord holy, we declare his holiness (his righteousness, in opposed to our sinfulness, his heavenliness, in opposed to our earthliness, the fact that he is set apart, spiritually above us and our understanding) in our lives, in our hearts, in the way we  treat others, in what we prioritize. When we truly think and meditate on these words during prayer, we are changed. Our prioritizes are set straight. We pray for God’s name to be holy within us.

2.     Pastor John then goes on to tell us what to ask for when we pray. In verse 10, we are asking for God’s glory and rule in our hearts and lives, and our submission to him. In verses 11 -13, we ask for daily physical needs, forgiveness, and the strength to resist evil. In essence, we are meditating, reaffirming, and reminding ourselves that it is God who should be Lord over our lives, not us. We practice our faith by declaring through prayer that it is God who provides for us daily, that his grace is sufficient for us for the day.  Lastly we are reminded that we are sinners, that we require forgiveness, and that it is only God who can forgive these sins.  We are called to keep account of our sin, to be aware of it, and repent from it. This humility should allow us to forgive others. We are aware that we should keep away from evil things that corrupt the world, whether that be thoughts, people, ideas, etc.

Importantly prayer is a form of worship, a way to glorify God that enables us to align ourselves with God’s will. It should not be passive, but instead active. Our hearts should be opened through prayer as we  become “invested” in God’s will and become evermore  the  people who  live out this will in our hearts, lives, and in the world. 

Only God Knows the Big Picture

Do not be discouraged! How easy it is to say but how hard it is to do!

As human beings, isn't it so easy to be discouraged when things do not go the way we'd planned? Right now somebody dear to me has recently been faced with hard news. To make a long story short, a particular plan they had been banking on fell through and they are left with what seems like a scant set of options that seem rather impossible and complicating.

It is in the midst of these situations, however, that God's power is enacted. Read 2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.


Situations where we feel helpless, hopeless, and ultimately weak, are the best situations for God to work His power. Oftentimes it is only in the midst of weakness where we see our need for God, and it is when we are in "without" that God can make us vibrant and full.

It is only God who knows the bigger picture. As humans we are often bound by tunnel vision. We set our minds on one thing unaware of the blessings that are to be found in different avenues and possibilities. It is up to us to painstakingly trust in our Lord. No, we can not and should not trust God only when it is easy, but we should especially trust God in the midst of difficulty, when we are in between a rock and a hard place, when we see no absolution in sight.

Although every human instinct in our body may tell us that all is useless, we are to go against this grain and fight to trust in our Lord. We must not worry as Philippians 4:6 proclaims "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything" and bring our fears, doubts, and difficulties to the Lord through prayer. We must endure and persevere and pray for direction during these times, and especially seek God through church, fellowship, and importantly His Word for answers. We must believe, because without faith we displease God (Hebrews 11:6). So do not be discouraged, instead trust...the Lord will create paths for you out of thin air and bless those who remain faithful to Him.

I will be praying over this situation, and let you know how the Lord works =)

To be praised!

I have had two friends in the Lord slowly but surely find themselves on the path of having their career goals reach a place where they see them materializing.

Isn't it amazing when the Lord inspires a passion in you and then carries it out within you? One friend is in the world of publishing and I have truly seen the Lord create opportunity in her life to stimulate this passion. She has an amazing way with words and I have seen the Lord create that passion for publishing in her life and then bless her with various opportunities ie...to edit a doctor's newspaper, to edit for a non-profit organization, the creation of her own magazine, enabling her to get into a program where they only accept 20 people!, and I can only see the Lord creating many more opportunities in her life. She is only just starting her internship now and she feels very in the right place there, which is an amazing blessing. I know that she will bring tremendous healing and inspiration to people through her role in the publishing world and especially through her writing, indeed. May the Lord be forever praised.

The other friend, I know less about her passion to help people through nursing, but I know she had to patiently wait on the Lord to provide her with her practicum which she is now starting. I know that she will have some amazing life-altering experiences through this experience, and the Lord has provided her with a place to live near her workplace as the hospital is far from where she lives. She has a caring heart so I know the Lord will bring joy to others through her. Praise God.

Let us forever be blessed and mesmerized by how the Lord works in our lives and in the lives of those we care and love around us, and let us always have a heart of gratitude and thankfulness...and most importantly, a heart that acknowledges the Lords blessings EVERYWHERE and in EVERYONE. =)

Offering gifts to God

Any relationship is made wonderful with the exchange of gifts. It's nice when a significant other surprises their partner with a gift to show them how much they appreciate them or when you give your mother a gift to thank her for all she has done.

Do you recognize the gifts that you receive from God and do you thank Him for them? There are so many blessings right under our nose that we do not recognize--a new job, the concert of your favorite band, enjoying a film with a friend, a sunset, a cozy sleep, the release of your favorite video game. While we may take these blessing for granted, idolize these blessings without acknowledging the Lord, and even distance these blessings from the Lord fitting these activities we enjoy into a realm where the Lord is not present, it is important that we pay tribute to the Lord for these gifts, and acknowledge and thank the Lord during these times.

It is also important to give gifts to God. Anything can be a gift to God. You can choose to be a caring friend as a way to show God that you care about Him, or you can even use your talents to create a gift...writing, dancing, art, etc.

Why sacrifice?

Both believers of the faith and non-believers have probably wondered about the nature of sacrificial offerings to God.

In basic definition, an offering is simply when we offer up something to God. We see offerings given to God every Sunday when we set aside money to give to the church.

Besides money, however, there are many other forms of offerings we can give to God. We can offer God our time, our bodies, etc.

The book of Leviticus shows us the place of sacrificial offerings within the culture at the time. I believe that offerings have many purposes, one of those being the atonement of sin.

We serve a just, holy and righteous God. He is a god who is fair, who rules lovingly but not without consequence. Sin separates us from our holy Lord because it is drastically adverse to who He is. At the same time sin is opposed to the will of God - the way that God would have us live, think, treat others, etc. Because God is just, in order for our sins to be forgiven, He instituted that a living being that is pure and without sin, in essence, innocent, serve the punishment for our sin. In the book of Leviticus, innocent animals are the ones that pay the price for humanities failings.

Leviticus 1:4

"Lay your hand on the animal's head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him."

...an innocent being, therefore, has to die in order for us to be made right with God again.

Sin offerings, if anything, should make us realize just how powerful sin is and just how adverse God is to sin in our lives. Sin drastically separates us from the Lord and should not be taken lightly. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sin by dying a horrible death in our place.

Food for thought: I realize how immune I am to the sin in my life. Oftentimes I sin without realizing it. The worst part is that I don't ask God for forgiveness for this sin nor do I repent. I do think it's valuable at the end of each day to do some self-reflecting and think about the sin in your life, how it affected others, God, and yourself, and think about how you can do things differently for next time.

Gold Diggers and True Lovers

Today in Church we were warned about the danger of having a relationship towards God similar to that of a "gold-digger" where one seeks instant gratification, and treats God like a part of a business deal. I believe I have had this attitude towards God. For example, negotiating with God...ie. because I did not spend enough time with him this week, I will next week. Or "feeling" like you have done your part because you have tithed appropriately or prayed for someone you promised you would pray for.

Such a relationship with God is easy yet empty because it requires carrying out simple deeds and works which are only just that. I think it's good to remember that we serve a God who has feelings, a very real, living and personal God. We would never treat our friends and family as players in a business deal, right? Then why do we treat our God that way? We learned that a true relationship with God requires discipline. This discipline, however, is extremely rewarding. The disciplines that they discussed in church were (1) Giving to those in need (2) Praying privately, and consistently (3) Praying like a child (4) Fasting sometimes.

I never quite understood the importance of fasting but Pastor Jonathan described that fasting is importantly denying your physical, flesh self, in order to remember and pay tribute and honour to who is the real lord of your life, that being God. In essence, it is denying the physicality of who we are to glorify the spirit, to illustrate that we do not live on bread alone but on God's holy word. Besides the ones discussed above, I believe discipline towards God can also be forgoing habitual sin and obeying his word despite a strong proclivity not to.

The most important thing that I took away from church today, however, is the importance of giving our "first fruits" to God. Reference the story of Cain and Abel. Abel gave the best and first of his supplies to God, while Cain gave the leftovers. When I worship God, I want to be able to give him the best part of who I am. I think it would be best to spend time with him when I am the most alert. That time for me would be when I get home from work, so I want to try that out for a while. I think it's also good to actually plan when you spend time with God day by day so that you are more likely to adhere to that plan. Sort of like, I will spend time with God..at 4pm, etc.

Feeding the Digression

We put our hope in many different things..

Work & making money, love interests, reputations, appearance...

Do you know what you put your hope into?

Do an assessment of the way you spend your time? What kinds of things do you do? What types of things do you think about?

You will find out what you put your hope in...

Oftentimes I know that I put my hope into feeling loved and respected more than I put my trust and hope in God.

My actions will feed what I put my hope into, rather than discourage this behaviour. And I only turn to God, when my first "hopes" fail me.

For example, there are a few times when I have been involved with people romantically. During those moments, I will put my hope and trust into the thoughts/feelings that that person has for me, rather than in God's word and love for me.

When those thoughts/feelings fail, then I come running back to God rather than sticking with Him in the first place. Seems to be a general pattern in my life.

Let the digression end today.

What Makes You Happy?

Do an assessment of what makes you happy...you'll find it interesting.

What do you rejoice in?

Philippians 4:4 tells us to "Rejoice in the Lord." This means that our happiness and joy is to be in Him.

I find this interesting because there are many things that make me happy/joyful, but I wouldn't readily or immediately admit that it's being with the Lord.

Yes, I could tell you all kinds of things- the summer, getting off work, sleeping, requited love interests, good food, but where would the Lord be on this list?

It is the Lord that is supposed to make us joyful and we will find that being in His presence more regularly will create this in our lives.

So before you're quick to let yourself get happy about something trivial, ask where your true happiness is supposed to come from.