Aug 10, 2010
Have you ever wanted to be an animal at some point in your life?
Well, one Sunday the pastor at the church I was attending taught out of Proverbs 30, about four little animals that have great wisdom. There is the ant that plans for the future by storing up food in the summer, the rock badger that knows its limitations and puts its trust on something bigger than itself, the locust that lives in humility, not comparing itself to others but being content in each circumstance, and finally, the lizard that has a quiet boldness about it.
In the past I had always dreamed of being a bird. Free to fly wherever, whenever. Not to mention, I would have my own share of wonderful and delicious bugs! Slimy, yet satisfying. However, now I find myself wanting to be more like the lizard…
This past year in the School of Discipleship, The Lord gave me the verse Romans 8:28 to dwell on as my promise from Him. Which is really interesting to me because He had given me this verse before in my life, and that was in the midst of a major trial. But the words of the promise still rang true through this year. In each and every circumstance, the big and the small, God brought this to mind and I held fast to it.
After doing a bit of research, looking up some words in the Greek to find the real meaning of the verse, I came up with this:
We believe in our hearts that ALL THINGS, not just those that we choose, God will cause to be beneficial, spiritually profitable, and useful to those who love Him and are selected by Him to be used for Him.
Despite all that I’ve been through, I know from past experiences that God will hold me in His arms, and everything will be alright. As Proverbs 30:5 says “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him”. It took a while for me, but I have finally put my trust in God about 98% this year. I say 98% because I’m still a work in progress. However, without fail, when I think of Romans 8:28, it calms me down and I’m able to sit back, relax, and watch God work. After all, He knew this all was going to happen before the foundations of the earth were made! Who am I to question that?
Here are some practical things I’ve learned that have helped me this year, hopefully they can help you too.
- Learn from your past, don’t just ignore it.
- Ask God for His wisdom in everything
- Memorize scripture. I’m really bad at memorizing things, but what I have memorized has proven helpful.
- Learn from watching other people.
- Get out of your comfort zone and allow God to grow you.
- Take every thought captive and stand firm on what you know is truth.
- Recognize when discouragement takes place and shut it down before it can take hold.
- Meditate on what is good and live for eternity.
As I mentioned before, I want to be like the lizard. To have a quiet boldness to step out in faith to trust God’s got my back and has it under control. Are you ready? I know I’m excited to see where this takes me. 🙂
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Aug 8, 2010
Danny shared tonight on Romans 8:29 which say’s; God uses all things for the good of those who love Him. Danny then closed with a saying that he got from his mother, “God does not waste any opportunity in our life.” Those are very true words.
A couple months ago I was spending some time with one of my friends who is not a believer, and he was telling me some things that he regretted; Things that he could have done better in his life. I listened and then after some time I told him that I do not regret a single thing in my life. He said, “You know most people would call you a liar if you said that.” It is probably what he thought too, but just wanted to say it in a nice way.
After Danny spoke it brought that back up to mind, and I began to ponder. Is it true that we can go through life without regrets? Biblically I am sure we can. So then my next question was, why is that?
I think it is because God loves us and He does not waste opportunities. Everything He does is used to mold and shape us into the image of His Son. For me, I now look back to all those years in which I was living for myself. I remember how hopeless and empty it was, so now that gives me a drive and a desire to seek God, and His best for me, no matter what it takes or where it takes me. God used those precious years in my life to make me into the man I am today. If it was not for those things that He led me through, then I would not be here today. It matters not how it happened, nor how long it takes, only that in the end of it all we come to know God and love God. If I lived the worst possible life imagined but yet at the end of it all came to a saving knowledge of Christ it all would have been worth it. Only those that don’t know Christ will have regrets on that faithful day when He calls us home.
So now, let us throw down every hindrance and run the race that is set before us with all diligence because the things in this life are meaningless compared to the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Jul 6, 2010
In class we went through a book called the “Pursuit of God.” Then we had to share in front of our classmates what we thought and learned from the book. This is what I shared, in teaching format. (Sorry if its a little long)
Who is God to You?
Is He like the president? Some one that you know is there and is high and important, maybe one day someone you think it would be cool to meet; someone that passes laws that you can or cannot choose to follow?
Or, is he like your favourite movie star or singer? A person you greatly admire and dream of meeting one day but, you know it will probably never happen. A person you love and respect and do some of the same things He does, but, all in all your lives are almost completely different. OR…
Is God your best friend? The person that you spend most of your time with; Someone, who you would go to the moon and back for if they asked; Someone that you talk to on a daily basis and he\she talk back.
My whole LIFE, Up until a couple of years ago God was the president! I didn’t pay much if any attention to Him, like I do the prime minister of Canada, but I followed the rules and behaved well. Then 2008 in my senior year of high school God totally revolutionized my Life. He became a personal, loving God, a God that gives good gifts to His children, a friend. That in essence is what the book “The Pursuit of God” is all about. God can be known as much as you and your friends know each other. He can be felt, and loved as if He were your spouse. And the best part about all this is He desires that kind of relationship with each and every one of His children. Praise God! Doesn’t that sound great?
However… This Kind of relationship does not come without a cost. If you truly desire a close relationship with Christ then everything else in your life must take second place. God is not pleased to give Himself fully to you, unless you give yourself fully to Him. Paul said it well in the third chapter of Philippians.
Paul, a man of the Law was blameless, a Pharisee of Pharisee’s. He was looked upon as a righteous man, respected by all. Everything he had a Pharisee though, he gave up. Look what he says in verse 7and 8.
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may Gain Christ. Christ is worth your whole life, and more.”
The book put what I have been feeling into words, and strengthened my resolve to seek God, to expect great things of Him and to make Him my all, my everything. I want to be able, with Paul to say. I have counted all things as rubbish that I may gain Christ. How is this done? Some practical steps though that are sure to help.
For one, if anything in our life is important to us, we must ask ourselves. If God asked me to give this up, would I be able to? If God asked me to sacrifice my very own son like he did to Abraham would I be able to? Even if you don’t have children that can apply to many things. Money is a big one, food, clothes, friends, family, yes even your very self. If God asked you to go to a foreign country to preach the gospel, in which you would probably die. Would you? I know I wouldn’t, and that’s why we need this second step.
We must be constantly asking the God of the universe to change us, mould us and give us the strength to give up everything for Him. You just can’t do it alone. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in us to will and to do for his good pleasure.” Cry out to God, it is the only way.
To end, I would like to share this quote with you written by Brother Yun and a Chinese House church leader.
“I had experienced so much in those four years, but God had been faithful. I’d suffered some horrible tortures, but God had been faithful. I’s been dragged in front of judges and courts, but God had been faithful. I’d been hungry, thirsty, and had fainted from exhaustion, but God had been faithful.
Through it all, God was always faithful and loving to me. He had never left me nor forsaken me. His grace was always sufficient and he provided for my every need. I didn’t suffer for Jesus in prison. No! I was with Jesus and I experienced his very real presence, joy, and peace every day. It’s not those in prison for the sake of the gospel who suffer. The person who suffers is he who never experiences God’s intimate presence.”(The Heavenly man, pg 187)
Have you experienced that presence? Who is God to you?
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Jun 4, 2010
In an earlier post I mentioned that I was initiated into the Volunteer Department via flying monkey attack. So I decided I’d share a bit more about what the Volunteer department is and what it does, and give a little bit more of an idea to you all about the opportunities we get wile working in the office. (this is off my very first newsletter, but I like what it says)
What the volunteer department does is work with all the different volunteers all throughout the country and finds events that those volunteers can set up a booth to share about the amazing opportunities Gospel For Asia has for them to be personally involved with reaching the lost in Asia. My job in the department is event manager for the Western and Central regions of the country.
So I find and register as a vendor for the different events, and then I work with the region managers for those regions to find the volunteers that can go to the events. I also make orders, so that the volunteers will have the materials they need from the free book, Revolution in World Missions, to ordering profiles, by shooting an email to the Fulfillment department, so people can sponsor the Bridge of Hope kids or a National Missionary.
When I first got to this department, I wasn’t quite sure why God placed me there. Why wasn’t He placing me somewhere that I actually knew what to do, like the video department, or the graphics department? Why the Volunteer department? But now I can plainly see why.
God is using the volunteer department to take me out of my comfort Zone, like He so frequently does, and is growing me in areas that I desperately needed growth and stretching. One example is getting me to not be afraid of the phone. He has made me realize that it’s not about me and what I’m not comfortable with. When I have to use the phone, I don’t think of how I am not comfortable with it. I think of how much of an impact that one phone call will have in reaching the lost in Asia. So I am very glad I am in the Volunteer department.
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