The Iron.

Ironing calls for a delicate balance. You use heat and pressure to shape your clothing, to smooth imperfections, to get your shirt or slacks crisp and looking their best. In a way, heat and pressure combine to mold and shape you. To prompt you to deliver your best and become your best. To do what you thought was beyond you.


It's a delicate process, and you probably resent every minute of it. We don't enjoy being molded. We'd rather avoid pain. And it may feel unfair that God uses pressure and heat to call us closer to him. The pressures of a world in need to prompt our response, the heat of our passions to ignite a love for him and his purpose. 




1 Corinthians 10:12-13 

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Pressure and heat aren't your enemies. You needn't fear them. The pressure will never be too great, the heat never overwhelming. 
Because you're not along in the pressure cooker. The Holy Spirit walks with you. 

God's Masterpiece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhfUzodLRvk

You are God's masterpiece. No one's perfect. We all have flaws. The first time i saw this video was back in Grade 10 and i thought it meant nothing. Just another YouTube video being shown at fellowship. The second time hit me hard. It was during retreat and we were talking about how our lives is like a renovation.

It's all bad and unwanted at the beginning but when during the process it gets ugly, destroyed, and it's messy, very messy. Once all the stuff is destroyed and rebuilt in the end it's all pretty and perfect.

Similar to our walk with God. He made us his masterpiece and he shapes and molds us to be like him. During our walk with God it will definitely get ugly. With temptations, struggles, and challenges.

Accept the fact that God made you for a reason, a purpose, and you're perfect. Every time we confess our sins he uses that hammer to chisel away our sins to make us beautiful.

Full Access.

We often have places where they are restricted. Whether it be at school, home, work, and just about anywhere. There's that one room or drawer which you can't open. No matter how much you want to open it you just can't because you aren't allowed.

God is awesome, powerful, and influential. Our access to God has NO restrictions. Jesus had opened up the way for you to go and meet with his Dad. There's no appointment system, no secretaries, and no "Come back later."

There's no need to knock. He's there waiting for you and I. Walk towards God because he has a welcoming smile and open arms just waiting for you.

Teen's Conference 2012.

9 months of planning finally paid off. Teen's Conference is finally over. It was such an amazing experience to see all these attendees come to Christ and/or rededicate their lives. I learned that God can work through those who don't speak and through those who yell their heads off. The loud and the quiet.

Some of the team members had such amazing testimonies and this taught me not to underestimate anyone because behind that smile could be pain and suffering.
Throughout these past 4 days of constant worshiping and cheering we had a prayer meeting for captains the morning of the last day.

It all started with one person praying then a burst of voices praying aloud. Then one of the mentor coaches began to play his guitar while we were praying and before you knew it, everyone was praying and singing as tears were running down their cheeks. As i heard the sniffles of my co-captain i just bursted out crying. I realized that God is just so magnificent that we don't understand. His love for us is so powerful and amazing that some people are just so blind to it. As we had our arms around each other for a good 30 min of prayer and praise we took a moment of silence to just reflect on how God has worked through our lives throughout the past few days.

He taught me to be patient and understandable. After Junior TC they had an alter call and seeing my whole team stand and walk to the aisles just amazed me. All except one guy. He remained in his seat so i sat beside him and prayed for him. After we all went home he did something that just melted my heart. He told me that he was moved by my testimony that i had shared and he can relate to it because he's going through the same thing. He said that i was such a big impact on him that he's not afraid of his struggles anymore because he knows that they're thrown at him for a reason. Reading his message to me just made me smile. I never realized that i made such a big impact on someone's life (especially cuz he was a really quiet guy).

After hearing this it made me more encouraged to share to others about how God has worked in my life and so, i did during the Sr. TC. I realized that you don't know how much you've impacted someone's life until they tell you about it. I felt like my team didn't bond very well and me and my co-captain were trying so hard to encourage them to be louder and more excited but it didn't work until the second day. On the first day of Sr. i started to burst out crying after worship and one of the attendees came up to me and prayed and she said, "i know that beth and joey are trying so hard God, please just open the eyes and hearts of the ppl of team flush." This line was stuck in my head for the whole night. She knew that we were trying hard.

God works through everyone. Loud or quiet. Tall or short. Happy or sad. Through this amazing experience i realized that one thing. He can do anything.

You There?

1 Peter 3:12a

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,

Have you ever called someone and you were sent straight to the voice mail? Or no one picked up and you were left hanging. Sometimes we feel that our relationship with God is like that. It feels like a one way conversation. But, IT'S NOT. He's always there to listen to us. He never leaves our side no matter what.

I’ve been through phases of my walk with God where I doubted whether or not he’s actually there or not. At the end of the long talk with my counselor I realized that he never left me. It may seem like a one way call but, it’s because we think it is and we aren’t patient.

God never leaves our side. His ears are always open and he’s attentive.

Worry.

Worry is thoughts, images and emotions of a negative nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats.
We all tend to worry over things. It may be from marks to friends. For me, I worry about many things. But the thing that I worry bout most is my future. All these nasty thoughts run through my head as i continue my day at school.

We have to remember not to worry about things and lift it up to God. It may be hard at first but, there's nothing you will regret afterwards.
After a sermon or Sunday school class, I tend to forget things. I often walk out like nothing has happened. I think that many of us listen to a sermon and it goes in and then out. We have to learn to meditate on God's word. Put his Word into action. Be the salt and light of the world. Practice His word by reviewing over and over again in your head.

The more time you spend reviewing what God has said, the more you will understand the “secrets” of this life that most people miss.

-Rick Warren.

Protection.

It was just another day. Waking up, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and down to breakfast. I thought it would be just another day. But once we got into the car and started driving on Bayview we realized that there was A WHOLE LOT of traffic. There was no way that I would be at school on time. For sure I would be late. As we traveled along Bayview we tried listening to the radio for news updates but nothing was said. It usually takes us around 7 minutes to get to school and today it took us a whole lot longer, it took us about 20 minutes to get to school.

Of course we weren’t expecting anything that would happen to us. Once we got to the intersection before my school we say 3 cars that had gotten into an accident. The middle car was DESTROYED. The hood was bent up and the truck was basically gone. The police, cars, and drivers / passengers were all pulled up on the loop that lead into my school.

As I saw the police writing down information I thought to myself, “What if that was me.” I realized that God’s protection plays such an important part in our lives. We would never expect a car accident to happen but, it does. We don’t know when or where but somehow one can happen.

His hand protects us every step that we take. From as simple as walking across the street, He is there to hold us close and protect us from the drivers. He guides us every step of the way and we have to be thankful for that. He keeps us safe 24/7.

Guide Me.

We all like to be independent. Whether it be doing your own laundry or going off to university. We often think of when we’re independent we are by ourselves, no one’s there to tell you anything.

But let’s take a step back. Who was there to die for you? Who was there to forgive your every sin? Who was there to lead you when you were struggling?

JESUS CHRIST (:

He’s always there when we need help. He guides us and makes our every move. He knows each of our names, how many strands of hair we have on our head, and everything in between.

I, personally, forget that He’s up there waiting. But in the end I realize that anything is possible with Him.

It even says in Matthew 19:26, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In the devotion for today Rick Warren says, “God made you so that you would not be able to see into the future no matter how much you try. Why did God do this? He did it so you would depend on him.”

I don’t know how else you can say it. He wants all of us to depend on Him.

He’s there for us and always will be.

Starting 2012's Walk: In Love.

Lets start this devo thing. Or else ima forget about it and who knows where that'll lead us.

I was kinda unsure of what to do today, but i opened my ESV bible app and i was on Ephesians 5. Walking In Love. Here's what it says.

¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^{[a] 6} Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ephesians5:1-20

Walking in love. This is how we should be walking in 2012, and we can use it as a guideline to keeping on track with God and staying right with God. Lets just dissect the passage.

v1. be imitators of God. Something extremely important here is the fact that we cannot be imitators of God... if we dont know who God is or what he did, and there's only ONE place where you can find that, in the bible. So in other words, study his Word. I've been reading a book; "You Can Change" by Tim Chester. Here's a quick quote. "Our job is to study the glory of God revealed in the life and death of Jesus. We're to study his character, learn his role, and understand his motivation, so that in every situation we can improvise the part. We'll face situations that Jesus never faced. But if we understand his character well enough, we'll be able to improvise. We'll be a good Jesus." By studying the Lord, we'll know how to act and we'll learn to naturally live it out.

v4. no foolish talk, but let there be thanksgiving. Our mouths are strong and powerful. They can either be a weapon, used for deceit and destruction, or as a tool, used for thanksgiving and encouragement. Like it says in the verse, let there be thanksgiving. But think about it, why would you talk foolishly, and hurt others with your mouth. What good does it do you? Why not instead, praise God, thank God, thank others, and support others. We have to learn to control our mouths in 2012. Things you say can NEVER be taken back, so watch what you say.

v8. walk as children of light. Light, the properties of light are that the light waves move in all directions and it never stops. They can reflect, refract, diffract, and bend. Thats how we should be. As children of LIGHT, we radiate, our World and society today is black, is dark, filled with chaos, sin and evil and we are the little specks of light that are used by God to brighten up the lives of others. Through our actions, and through our words, God's name is glorified. This brings up and issue that i have problems with. I've learnt (from that book again) that we are representatives of God. It pains me to see people that say they are Christ followers, but then decide to radiate something else. If we represent God, let us represent in UNITY. By radiating something different, people change their thoughts about who we are, as a WHOLE. Think about how your actions affect others. Im not saying i radiate pure light and pure holiness, but at least learn to work at it.

v15. look carefully then how you walk. Kinda just adding on to what i said before. But as the new year starts, take some time to reflect on your past and how you've been walking. Are you radiating God's love? or are you showing something else?

v20-12. giving thanks always to God the Father and submitting to one another. Be thankful. Sometimes i wake up and realize how great God is to me. Count your blessings. The fact that you can read this blog post means your already blessed. That means you have internet, while means you have a computer if not a mobile device, which means you have electricity, probably a house, and depending on where you live your own room, a car, a job or a school. Think about how much God has blessed you with and think about how you can pour some of that blessing into other people. Submitting to other people. I've learnt that support and accountability is amazing and important in one's life. Life is a long hard journey. Being a Christian is not an easy life as some may think. But God fills our live with obstacles and struggles so we can grow in our faith and learn to trust in our almighty God when we're failing. But also, build a community where you have people to reach out to and ya'll can push each other up when you're falling. You are running a race alone, but you can have many many many people cheering you on from the sidelines.

That mustve been a long post. But think about it. How are you going to walk this upcoming year in 2012. In love? or Out of love?

cheers to the new year!

Jason