Dec 26, 2013
Learning to forsake all. It seems like a daunting task-forsaking all that the world has to offer to lay up treasures in heaven and letting go of family and friends in order for Jesus to be all that I live for. I believe the Lord has been showing me that He will take care of me wherever I am. I don’t have to keep a stash of money in the bank for when I run into financial difficulties. I also have to “hate” my family and friends in compared to my “love” for Jesus in order to be His disciple, not just a follower. Many followed Jesus and heard His teachings, but when it can down to the hard sayings that Jesus said, many no longer chose to follow. Only the disciples stayed with Him.
One verse that stands out to me, that I believe the Lord has kept on my heart for a few years now for when I doubted in my walk with Him is John 6:68-69. Jesus said one of His hard sayings and many of His disciples left Him. He then turns to the twelve and asks them if they want to leave as well. This is when Peter speaks up and tells the Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. This is one of the verses that, I believe keeps me in the battle. It wouldn’t make sense for me to leave now, especially knowing what I know about the Lord, which will never be enough no matter how much I learn from now on. This verse has, and will help me persevere in times of trouble.
As Christians I believe that we should be all in for Jesus. One quote from True Discipleship by William McDonald that stood out to me was: “There is no room for half-hearted followers in His army.” That is cut and dry statement. Being a very black and white person, this stood out to me. It’s all or nothing for those who are disciples of Christ. This “revelation” alone sparks a zeal inside me that I don’t want to ever quench. How can I live a “normal” Christian lifestyle when Jesus said that we must forsake all to follow Him. If I want to be a disciple of Jesus, it can’t be without zeal. “If the Christian faith is worth believing in at all, it is worth believing in heroically” – Findlay. That is my prayer, to believe heroically; to be all or nothing.
I believe this last verse of a poem by Amy Carmichael pretty much sums up what I want to aspire to: a passion for the Lord. To be a crazy, maniac disciple sold out for Jesus.
“Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God”
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Sep 4, 2013
Grace is so amazing! It completely boggles my mind! I don’t understand how the God of the universe could bestow grace upon us humans. To think, that because of His grace, I get to spend eternity with Him forever! If he would have given justice, hell would have been our destination after death. If it was mercy, God might have let us just live in an earth state for eternity. But no, He gave us…me grace! I can look forward to being in His presence till the end of time and beyond!
Looking forward to being with Him forever is staggering as it is, but I also have the chance to live in freedom until I wait for that day. His grace frees me to be no longer have to obey the enemy with his temptations, or my own fallen flesh. Through grace, I can live free from the bondage of these things, as well as my own pride and legalistic thinking.
Knowing all this, my mind (like I said before) is completely blown! I am reminded that the Lord loves me (I will never be able to understand how much He does) This makes me want to spend all my time with Him, alone. Just the two of us. To have no distractions keeping me away from knowing Him more.
This amazing grace is, well…amazing to know about, but it is so much better to live! Jesus has helped me to, more or less, chill out. I tend to be very legalistic, and when I make a mistake, I feel like a failure (which is not true). As I apply this grace, I am reminded that I will make mistakes, but God does not view me as a failure. He views me as what I will be when He is done perfecting me. I can’t tell you how encouraging and relieving that is!
When I am reminded of this grace that God has shown towards me, I find it easier to have grace for others as well. I need to continue to have grace for others, because the Lord is working in their lives as He is working in mine. He might be working on different characteristics or sins hidden deep down inside. I should let God be God and not judge my brother or sister because they might not have the same opinion on the issue being discussed. Grace gives me room to respect, and even more importantly, to accept their opinion. To have an open mind that is ready to hear different views on a topic. I know, and am reminded how much I didn’t deserve God’s grace, and this allows me to give grace to others.
I can’t say that I have attained the grace yet in all areas of my life, but I sincerely hope that one day, I will be able to say I am completely free. Free in Christ, free indeed. Free at last.
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Jul 17, 2013
Touching Godliness by K.P. Yohannan was a blessing to me. Some might think that it’s a scary subject, but it really opened my eyes to how the Lord sees submission.
One of the things that I learned was that submission is a matter of the heart. I can do the motions and obey my delegated authorities, but that is not submission, it is obedience. Submission is the attitude towards my authority, whereas obedience is an action.When it is done this way, our Lord is pleased. I would encourage you, please read this book. There is so many things in it that will deepen your relationship with the Lord. May the Lord bless you.
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Jun 18, 2013
Think about it, how often can people say that they live with six other girls who aren’t related to them? Not many!
Some might think it would be crazy (and sometimes it is), but most of the time it is a blast! It is such a blessing, even more so because each of the girls love the Lord and desire to have a deeper relationship with Him. Each one of them challenge me in different areas of my life that need to grow or be refined. They keep me accountable to the lessons that I are learning and are beginning to apply in my life.
When any one of us girls are struggling, the rest all gather around and lift up the burdened one with prayer and encouragement. I have seen it happen many times during the almost five months that we have been here. Such a beautiful thing to see! This is another reason why living in a community of godly gals is awesome!
We cook, clean, sing, learn, work, and almost do everything together! Our discussion times about what we are learning in class is one of my favorite things ever! Every one of the girls see the lessons that we are learning through different eyes. When we discuss what we see and have learned, we all see what each person learned in the certain lesson! It’s great! I get so much more out of our class times that I would have if I was just by myself.
These are only to name a few of reasons why I enjoy being in a community of gals! The Lord has blessed me more that I deserve!
Thank you to my six roommates for making my life six time more exciting!
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Apr 23, 2013
First of all, I just wanted to say that this blog is amazing! This is my first time blogging anything, and it definitely won’t be the last!
Alright, now to business……
For those of you who don’t know me very well, I thought it would be a good idea for me to let you know a few things about me.
My parents have been with Gospel for Asia for almost ten years now. When I was nine years old my family packed up and drove from Washington state with it’s mountains and tress, to the wide open spaces and vast horizon of Texas. We then started to serve at the Gospel For Asia office in Texas. It was quite a transition for my family, but totally worth it!
Knowing this about my family, you now know that I have grown up around the community of Gospel For Asia for over half my short life! It still boggles my mind to think about it.
While being at Gospel For Asia, I have seen many School of Discipleship students come and go. Some stay and raise their support to come on staff, and others go back home to follow the call that God placed on their lives.
As I observed the School of Discipleship students from the perspective of a staff kid, I saw young adults having fun and growing in their walk with the Lord. By the time they graduated, most had a passion and love for Jesus I wished and longed to have as well.
Now that I am a School of Discipleship student myself (at the Canadian campus), I see now that the School of Discipleship is not all fun and games. There are times of fun, don’t get me wrong. However, there are also seasons of struggles and trials. Please don’t misunderstand me, I have learned so many lessons during the couple months that I have been here. I praise the Lord for the trials because I realize that I cannot grow in my relationship with Jesus unless I die to myself daily. I am encouraged when I remember that as I go through the refining fire, I will end up as pure gold. Thank you Jesus!
I am extremely thankful to the Lord for His call to give one year of my life to serve at Gospel for Asia Canada. I now have passed the stage of Gospel For Asia staff kid to a School of Discipleship student. Praise the Lord!
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