Endure! - Part 1

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

²⁶ If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Hebrews 10:19-27

Lately, you can see that my posts have been more topic based instead of passage based, and i can feel the gap between his Word and my life, and its weak. Im starting to really realize the power of his Word, how it is the bread of life. Indulging in it is a must, if you stop, you start to stray away.

I came across this passage while flipping through my bible, and its under "A Call to Persevere". There's more to it and i'll make it the next post, like a MINI MINI series. At this moment in time, there's been a lot i've been trying to push through, and there's been little glimmers of hope that are pushing me through. God will last and not leave my side, so putting my hope in Him is the best choice.

How sure are you of your salvation? (v.22) I remember at my baptism interview, i was asked "if you were to die right now, would you go to heaven or hell?" I remember answering hell. Because of all the things and sins i've committed, there was no way i was near that "perfect" Christian that deserves heaven. Oh boy was i wrong. God hands this gift out to each and every one of us, we take it when we repent and believe in Him. It still took me many many years after to fully understand the assurance of my salvation. Only until recently, I came to realize that my name is already up in heaven in the book of life, that i can say that i AM going to heaven. Christ is my God and my Saviour, and i've dedicated my life to him, no matter how hard the road may be. His life and his sacrifice has cleansed our hearts. We now have the help of the holy spirit, we can be stronger in becoming righteous in a holy manner. May we live our lives each month, each week and each day glorifying God in ALL we do.

Hope. (v.23) we're always looking for hope. It times of trouble especially. We must hold onto Christ because his will keep his promises. That he will one day descend from heaven and will end all sin, all pain, when judgement day will arrive. I await that day. I think i tend to forget this promise and thus lose hope easily.

While on earth, with these challenges and hardships, we cannot do it alone (v. 24-25). I remember struggling through things, and i remember focusing on Philippians 4:13 "i can do all things through Christ" that was my motivator. And as true as that was, i was strong enough, and i had to have other people. Thats why God made people. So we can work and help each other get through trials and troubles. Its always nice to know there's someone there for you, someone you can talk to. Find accountability. Find community. Find support. Find unity. You'll find a good group of people you can talk to, share with, be transparent with and can open up to. Its so important.

If you say that you are a follower of Christ, you are his child and his representative. If you know that God does not like sin, yet you continue to do so, it isn't right. (v.26-27) But God is a good God. He gives us free will. You can do whatever you want. He won't stop you and wont force you. If you continue to indulge in the world, then he'll just wait, hoping for the day you turn back to him. Judgement day is coming for all of us. God will go through all of us, one by one, looking through what we've done, if we were true followers and servants of Christ.

We have continue to fight and push forward.

Salvation is assured for us.

There is hope in God's love and promises.

He's given us people that will support and encourage us.

We cannot go back to our usual desires and sinful habits.

¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Baptism.

Baptism.

This step in faith is just amazing. It's to publicly proclaim your faith.

Seeing all my friends getting baptized one by one just amazes me. Growing up with them and watching them change from immature to mature, short to tall, and everything in between just makes me think of how all this happen so quickly.

It takes a lot of guts to get baptized and it takes a long process. In my church it's mandatory that you attend a session that teaches you about what it is, how it's meaningful, and what happens afterwards. This session helps us to understand the true meaning of baptism. It just isn't going into a little pool, saying 'I do' then getting dunked.

The reason for the water is because when we were first born our mother's water broke, this symbolizing a new life, something that is coming from the womb. Being born again means that you are willing to change yourself from whatever you may be to a Christ follower.

I'm truly so proud of all my friends who are getting or who are baptized because it's just incredible to see them take a huge step in their faith.

Clearing The Air: Baptism

Baptism. I feel like many people dont fully understand the meaning behind it and its purpose. I think many people think its something only the "super spiritual" can do. And to be honest, i thought it was like that too. I felt that i had to be completely sinless, or at least "above a certain level of holy" to be able to get into it. I remember during that time, when i was making my decision, i was struggling, and i felt that i had to overcome the struggle before i would step into the water.

But i've come to learn that Baptism is nothing like that. In a nutshell, baptism is your public declaration of your commitment to Christ. I guess you can say its like a marriage. Its that kind of public declaration. You are telling the world, without shame and with confidence that you are a follower of Christ.

But we must also understand that a commitment to Christ is a BIG DEAL. You can just choose to give up or walk away. God does give us free will and will let us go if we do choose so, but when we dedicate ourselves to someone, we shouldnt be doing that. Following Christ is big. Like it says in Luke 9:23,

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

This is a commitment that will last a life time, and in previous posts, we've discussed that its not easy, at all. God will throw at you trials and obstacles that are meant to build your faith. Its these times you may feel that God has abandoned you, but he's there if you call on Him.

Back to baptism. If you're a Christian and you havent been baptized, think about it, reflect on your journey and your walk with Christ and think about if you're ready to tell the world that you love our Saviour and God and that you're ready to tell the world that you're His.

Is that really you?

We often struggle with making decisions. From eating the last cookie to taking that huge step in our faith and getting baptized. I, personally, have struggled with many decisions. We face challenges every single day of our life. We may not know it but it’s true.

It may be hard to believe but YOU ARE PERFECT. No matter what way, shape, or form, God made you perfect. I’ve struggled with accepting that. A few years back I was the kid that was shy and casted aside. I never felt the feeling of not being lonely. This was a very hard time in my spiritual walk with God. I often questioned Him to see if He would answer me or at least give me a sign. One day I was sitting in the school office (because I got hurt) and I read a poem called: “Footprints In The Sand”

It says:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

I then thought that God never left me, He was always by my side. He didn’t want to see me sad, but I was. I soon realized that stepping out of my comfort zone was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve made at that time. I soon realized that taking chances and believing it or not, God wants to see you take that step. It was very hard to take at first but after a while I got the hang of it and I don’t regret a thing.

He leads us to many different places and gives us many challenges but there is always a reason for why He does them. You and I both have challenges in our lives and we have to accept that God gave it to us for a purpose. He’s almighty, all knowing, and our one true creator. He made you and I and he knew us before we were born.

We face many challenges but it’s up to you whether to follow them or not. Always remember that God is by your side no matter what. He never leaves you and He’s always there to talk.

"Here I Am, Send Me!"

Second Devo of the year!

So now its starting to become a mix, i've subscribe to Daily Hope by Rick Warren, so my posts may also come to here as well. And wow, perfect timing. This summer, im stuck in a conflict on missions. Here my dilemma in a nutshell.

The past two years i've done Day Camp/Overnight Camp as well as a Quebec missions trip and both years i've had so much fun, getting to know more people, working with kids, and it has impacted me so very much. I honestly LOVE working with kids, it brings genuine and true happiness into my life and i miss them so much. Now this year, i can go again with that route for the third year in a row, OR ive been asked to do a China's missions trip with my family, tagged along is also a vacation to HK/Japan/Korea, places like that. And I honestly dont know what to do. I feel like i should focus on family more this year.. but i feel like i cant give up my kids. At first i was planning to do missions according to Acts 1:8:

"But you will recieve power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I was planning to do Urban Promise (gr 9), Quebec, OJ (gr 10), Belize/China (gr 11/gr 12). So basically starting small and going out and further. That makes sense right? But then my first year of OJ, one of the pastors said that maybe it should be the other way around, be more concentrated. Focus on ONE missions to build your relationship in that community, thats why i went to OJ again last year. So now what... :S

But today's devo was exactly about missions. Not really answering my question, but its a sign right?

Jesus Cleanses and Calls

by Jon Walker

“‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips ... and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal ... which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:5–8 NIV)

One of the most effective tools the enemy will use to keep you from serving God this year is convincing you that you’ve either messed up too much or that you must clean up your life before you can get God’s attention. When these thoughts pop into your head, sniff the air for the scent of sulfur because they are lies straight from the fires of Hell!

God’s intention when he convicts us of our sins is not to condemn us; rather his breath of life disperses that satanic smoke the father of lies uses to keep us on the run from God.

If you follow the sequence of Isaiah 6, you’ll see how God initiates the process that brings you into his holy presence and purifies you to remain in his presence, and that your new guilt-free, sin-atoned status will compel you and prepare you for the unique mission God sets before you.

Isaiah reports that God’s fire is a cleansing fire that burns your guilt away and purifies you from sin, sealing within you the work of Jesus Christ. The prophet also suggests God’s ultimate purpose for cleansing us is to prepare us for mission: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)

Prior to God taking the initiative to cleanse Isaiah, the prophet felt overwhelmed and unprepared for any mission on God’s behalf.

After the cleansing, Isaiah is energized with a desire to serve God.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has done the work of preparing you for whatever task he will ask of you. How will you seek God and his mission for you this year?

One of the most effective tools the enemy will use to keep you from serving God this year is convincing you that you’ve either messed up too much or that you must clean up your life before you can get God’s attention. - i think i've struggled with this, maybe not with the missions field, but with baptism (totally off topic i know). But i'd always think i'd need to be completely "pure" for me to get baptized, but i soon realized that baptism isnt some sign of you being pure, its just a proclamation of your commitment to Christ. Baptism is the next step of faith after accepting Christ when you're ready to tell the world that you're a Christ follower. After you get baptized, you dont all of a sudden become perfect either, life is still a journey and you'll still face obstacles, but with Christ and that commitment you have the power and the faith to carry on.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has done the work of preparing you for whatever task he will ask of you. How will you seek God and his mission for you this year? - i really dont know. i dont have much time either to make my decision. Im really bad at hearing God. When do you know if its just you talking, or if its the devil? How do you know when your thoughts/desires align with Christ? What is a sign from God and what is just a coincidence? i'll have to continue to pray for these signs and an answer, please pray for me too! :)

where will God send me this year?

Jason