expectations

What a crazy night. Prom, the once in a lifetime night everyone has been chatting about, getting excited for was today. To be completely honest, i wasn't excited and i dreaded it, the past two days, it got to the point where i felt like it was a chore, a tedious chore that needed to be completed. But surprisingly, once i put on my outfit for the first time, something came over me, and those prom jitterbugs came flocking. And after tonight, i must say that i did have a wonderful, amazing time. It was fun, I was content.

Many people had crazy expectations about it, how it was the perfect night, i know so many people were going crazy, and the news has reported that teenagers are spending hundreds of dollars on this simple night, on make up and dresses, and its just been so hyped and people have had such high expectations. Tonight, i felt like those with such expectations were disappointed. Sometimes we create these expectations for things in life, but they end up disappointing us, whether it may be an event, person, or relationship, we can get disappointed.

But, thankfully, there is something we can have great expectations of and i promise and know that it won't disappoint. That is heaven, eternal life, and our God. Heaven, streets of gold, rooms made with us in mind, eternal life, a life without pain, suffering or tears. We cannot even begin to imagine the love God has for us, and what he has in store for us when we get to heaven. Im excited, and i cannot what to see what he has prepared for me.

Are you expecting something great? 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;     my hope comes from him.

Psalm 62:5 

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.

Road to Calvary (VI)

About to do my devotions today, i realized i forgot to leave a passage here, in between the crucifixion and the resurrection, but i think that i'll use this post to really take some time to think about how God has worked in my life and how i've seen his love displayed.

The past little while has been rather rough. I've said in a previous post that i feel like my WORLD life (meaning academics, university and all) is okay. Im not worried about that, about marks and I'm not stressed about work either. But on the flip side, MY WORLD (meaning friends, relationships, has been quite a mess). The past year i've been able to open up more and share with others about my problems, and i've been blessed to have a few special people in my life whom i can trust, whom i can talk to and be completely honest with without hesitation. I cannot thank them enough. I truly believe that God placed them in my life to help me with this time of struggle and i can say that its through them that i see God's awesome love.

Its because of God's love that I'm here today.

Its because of God's love that I'm still standing.

Its because of God's love that i have hope, a reason to live on and to fight.

Death. I've been thinking about that quite a bit lately. Thinking about how easy it would be to take my life, and then all the problems would disappear immediately. But yet i haven't. Its easy to just walk out into the street and get hit, its easy to step off the balcony and fall, but yet I'm still here, still standing and still fighting. How am i getting through? By remembering the eternal things. God has promised us a spot in heaven if we believe. He has promised us a new life of happiness, of joy, without pain, without suffering, forever. Keep your eyes on this, and keep pushing through. Yes, life will throw you the dumps, Satan will lure and entice you, trying to trip you up, but with Christ, you've been saved. If you have believed, confessed and repented, you have ALREADY been saved. Your spot is secure! Thats the greatest hope!

God sent his son to die for you and for me. Jesus, was born in a manger, lived as a carpenter, walked on this earth, endured and faced every trial, every pain, and every temptation by the devil and stood firm, did not give up, and committed until the very end, until "it is finished". May we follow his footsteps and learn to do the same.

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Well With My Soul

I really loved that song we sang today. It is well with my soul. And I think that i realized something today during the sermon. As Christians, we know that once we believe that we are saved, we have been given salvation and when we are done with our purpose on earth, we will be in heaven, a place without pain, tears or suffering for eternity.

I remember during my baptism interview, i was asked the question, "if you were to die now, would you go to heaven or hell?". I remember answering hell, because I knew of the things i've done, and i was never fully sure of the whole forgiveness idea. How do you know if you're really forgiven?

What I realized today in the sermon is that I really am truly saved. I have believed. My name is written in the book of life, and salvation is already mine! I will be going to heaven to meet with my Lord and Saviour, my spot is secured and he has made a place for me. As long as I continue to have faith in Him, and live my life as a pleasing offering to God and not stray away into the things of this world, im saved.

Finally realizing this and truly embracing it, i couldnt help but smile. Singing that song, i can honestly sing and believe the lyrics, that All is Well With My Soul.

¹³ And now you have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴ The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Ephesians 1:13-14

The Valley of Dry Bones

¹ The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. ² He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. ³ Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign LORD,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!⁶ I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

⁷ So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.⁸ Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

¹⁰ So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ ¹² Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel.¹³ When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the LORD.¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the LORD has spoken!’”

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Today I wanted to look back into the theme verse for TC this year. I think its a very powerful and compelling verse, from Ezekiel 37:23. It says,

²³ They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful backsliding. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

I wanted to read more about what context it was in, but when reading Ezekiel 37, i found the first bit really intriguing, so today I want to talk about that. The Valley of Dry Bones.

Reading this passage, (verses 1-14) I am still a bit lost in what context it is in, but the scripture was very interesting. To sum it up, it talks about walking through a valley of bones and how the Lord will speak and breathe life into them. It even goes into detail with the tendon and flesh forming.

Two portions of this passage stood out to me,

verse 5-6,

⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! ⁶ I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

It says I will do this, I am going to do that, I, I, I meaning God. He is the one that is breathing in life into us. He is granting us the Holy Spirit and purpose when we believe in him. No one and nothing can give us that. No materialistic thing, no friend or relationship can give us that permanent joy and satisfaction.

I think there are three stages illustrated within this bit of the passage. First, we are all just dry bones (v.1). This is before we've come to Christ or even heard of him. We're dead, dry bones with no meaning, no purpose, not attached to anything, on our own. Then later in the passage when prophesied, the bones came to life, "the bones came together" "and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them", but the most important part, "there was no breath in them" (v. 7-8). I think you can take this stage as hearing about God, and starting to see his love, his life, his grace and his mercy for us. BUT, there is no breath in us. The last stage is when life is breathed into us. And when "breath enters them, they came to life and stood up on their feet, a vast army" (v. 10). When we've repented and have turned away from sin, fully committing and dedicating our life to our Lord and Saviour, that is when we can true stand up on our feet and be apart of this "vast army". An army for God as we fight for his glory, fight against the devil and the temptations Satan may bring our way.

verse 12-14,

¹² Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the LORD. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the LORD has spoken!’”

Like that verse (Colossians 2:13), we were once dead, but God has given us new life, and has "opened our graves", "causing us to rise again". By giving our lives to God, he has given us much more, a greater life, and a greater purpose. God has already gifted us with eternal life, and because of that, let us run the race, and fight the good fight!

Holy To The Lord

8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they toldEzra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. ³ And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. ⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. ⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lordyour God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ¹¹ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Nehemiah 8:1-12

This was the devotional scripture reading for today, and the overall lesson was about rejoicing in understanding the word. Verse 9 really spoke to me. Just recently, someone who I've known from years ago in choir had suddenly passed, and i was taught by her daughter as well. Because it was so sudden, it got me thinking. First, once again, that life is fragile and short, each day should be lived to the fullest, not for yourself, but for God. But more importantly, i thought about the families, how they must feel right now with what they're going through. I cant imagine how their world was the past few days. It must have been full of tears, overwhelming emotions and confusion. Im keeping them in my prayers. But this verse, "this day is holy to the Lord, do not mourn or weep."

Each day is holy to the Lord, his will is done. Think about the greater things, that she's now in a happier, eternal, place without pain, suffering or tears. She's with the father now, happier than ever. It is difficult to lose a close loved one, but it is when you acknowledge that she is in a better place that you can move on. I hope they are taking it okay. May God bless their family and provide comfort and reassurance.

greater things are yet to come.

Glee is my inspiration for this post. Today's episode talked a lot about life, death, and suicide. For many people, young, old, tall, small, no matter what sexual orientation, what lifestyle, gender or race, everyone goes through life, and its tough, its rough and it frustrating. It will have its ups and downs, and there may be days where you think to yourself, life sucks. But that is no reason to even think about taking your life. Things WILL get better, but what's even greater is that there's hope, and greater things are yet to come, beyond this earth.

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly aswe wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

romans 8:18-25

I've learnt that life is like a circle, there will be its ups, and its downs, but even though you may be at the lowest point, it will pick up and get better. Learn to have faith and trust in the Lord, he has greater plans for you.

In heaven, God has a place ready for you, but you have to pass his test on earth. If you can sustain and pull through all the challenges and storms he may send your way. Will you be able to hold on and stand firm in your faith, knowing God is almighty and good and will pull you through any depressing, frustrating or painful time in your life? There are MANY greater things yet to come that you have no idea of, if you give up on yourself and on life, you'll never get the opportunity to experience the blessings God has instore for you. Dont lose faith.